Run Vs Bike 17/06/08
Question: Who is faster, a hillrunner or a mountain biker over mixed ground in the Pentlands?
Ian Campbell invited us to find out and a surprisingly large amount of people responded to this experimental event. Lots of HBTs, a squad of bikers and some Porties showed for this 6+ miler on a rather overcast and chilly Tuesday evening. A few of us had thought it might be just a handfull of hardies but there was a good turnout (and numbers worn and names taken) and the path from Flotterstone carpark was jammed tight with runners and cyclists while Ian gave a brief word of warning about safety, overtaking and the course.
Although I had arrived on a bike (10 miles warm up) I would be running and hoped against the odds that we could - as underdogs surely - embarrass at least a couple of cyclists. Graham agreed the advantage would be with the cyclists, especially as they didn't have to take their steeds to the top of Castlelaw but could leave them at the bottom while they ran up to the flagpole. (Murmers of dissent from the runners.)
Since it was a bit of fun rather than a serious race I decided to carry my camera and snap some photos fore and aft while running. Hopefully cyclists on the ground. Without much more chat we were set off. The cyclists certainly had the upper hand along the tarmac but couldn't really get round the runners easily so didn't get to the sharp right to Castlelaw much ahead. The only large patches of mud here, and ground so steep that all but a handful of the bikers were reduced to walking and pushing. That's more like it!
Plenty potential for bike / runner interface but it all seemed to work fine.
Clare shows her uphill skills while Lucy dodges round some bikes.Ian had chosen the route well: too much tarmac would have been deadly for the runners. Soon we were past all but a couple of the bikes as they struggled on the ascent. Even when the gradient eased the remaining bikes were only travelling at runners pace.
The bikes went right while the runners went straight on up Castlelaw.I put the camera away for the hands on knees march up the hill. Clare went past looking strong as anything, gaining maybe a hundred yards by the top. Got the camera back out as the trail dropped steeply back down to the red cinder road. We passed a biker running up to the summit. I shouted "Runners Fast Biker Slow" to cheer him up - anticipating he would shout something similar when he overtook on the downhill later. Funnily enough it didn't occur to me to jump on his vacated bike as we zoomed past it.
The view from Ear-Cam
Then after some undulations, a gate and grassy contours round Capelaw Hill the first bike came past. Dan Gay (HBT runner - surely batting for the wrong side?) disappeared quickly and we followed him down a long smooth grassy descent to the furthest north point where Steve Fallon took a photo of me while I took a photo of him.
Then the bad news: a long, long haul back up to the start of Capelaw Hill. I found this tough as the wind was now in our face. I lost all the places I had gained on the downhill which I suppose is fair enough. No sign of bike number 2 though, and from what I heard afterwards Biker number 2 was offering shots of his bike on this ascent to runners. No takers.
This photo was taken by pointing the camera back over my shoulder as I heard footsteps and the reason he is so happy is he has seen me flag and knows I am easy meat! Didn't see his thumbs up till I got home. Yeah thanks.
Still plenty more hills to cross
Marshals Ivor and Jim. Ivor said something about role reversal - a runner snapping a spectator.
Then Ear-Cam spotted Clare and Lucy alarmingly close by...So I stopped messing around taking photos and focussed on the running - surely not far to go as we were to finish at Castlelaw Farm, rather than descend all the way to Flotterstone. Again I think this was to stop the bikers getting too much of an advantage. Hang on where were the bikes? A couple of undulations more than I had remembered, a bit faster than I was planning, then at last a gate and a group of folk lounging around on the grass maybe ten and let's count the bikes,..... that's one.
Ran so hard everything looked a bit strange at the finish
Lucy's great downhilling won her the lead in the last mile.
Fear of being caught by a lady made me froth like a horse.
2nd Biker
3rd Biker
Needs to practise that dismount.
Graham enjoys his 3rd race in 4 days. (Traprain, 7Hills, Run Vs Bike)
I don't think we should be too hasty drawing conclusions about the merits of wheeled transport versus running; after all I took only 38 minutes to cover the ten miles home - if I could do that in road shoes I'd be going to Beijing. As Graham said "nae being cheeky but its about who is in the saddle." We had some of Scotland's finest hillrunners stretching their legs tonight. Perhaps a rematch or a change of course. Anyway I thought it was great fun and top marks to Ian for following through on an interesting project, getting everyone to bring a bottle to have spot prizes and making a voluntary contribution to the Sick Kids Foundation instead of an entry fee. He will post the outcome of all of this at some point but as far as I was able to make out Al Anthony came first, Phil Mowbray second, Dan Gay on bike third, Lucy and Clare top ladies and I came about 10th in about 52.50. Most then retired to the Flotterstone Inn while I cycled home for a shower. Which was sooner than anticipated: around Morningside there was a downpour.
Report pb
Photos pb and Graham
