Goatfell 20/5/06
What a great day out. The weather was overcast and you couldn’t even see Goatfell through the low cloud as the boat approached Brodick. Probably a good thing as I haven’t raced this hill for over 20 years and in my imagination it had shrunk to something that I could manage easily. What had I put in my coffee?
The conditions, however, were perfect for running with hardly any wind to speak of.
After the obligatory kit-check of full body cover and whistle a 100 hardies departed. I set off round the park like a young gazelle feeling fantastic. When we left the road after about a mile and onto the hill-track leading up through the mist I was starting to peck a bit, 2 miles later everybody and their mother seemed to be passing me with ease. On reaching the summit I had finally managed to consolidate my position as back marker.
With such a feeble uphill effort the downhill could only get better. It certainly did as I had a great descent and took back ½ dozen places to finish in 92nd place with a time of 2hours and 16 minutes, only an hour behind the winner Brian Marshall of HELP!Report Tony Stapley
Photos courtesy of SHR
