Balmoral Tartan 10K Sat 24th April 2:30pm
A Right Royal Run
The Balmoral Stena Drilling 10K run is a prestigious event in the Scottish running calendar. It is said to be the most scenic road race in Britain and takes you through the grounds of Balmoral Castle in the Eastern Cairngorms. Despite snow being forecast for the area, my husband Niall and I set off on the Friday night, amidst the rush hour traffic, for the Invercauld campsite in Braemar, a journey that takes just over 2 hours and passes through the now rather worn looking Glenshee ski resort.
Having stopped to watch eagles and brake gently for deer we made it up in the last bit of daylight, and were pleasantly surprised to find a good pitch for the tent available, one lacking in mole hills. Tent pitched, bags unpacked we settled down listening to the rain on the flysheet and wondering how wet it would be for the race. As dawn broke, with chorus of bird song, I was pleased to see the cloud and mist begin to burn off and a good running day begin to shape up. The race was not until 2:30pm which allowed us a lazy breakfast and time to look around Braemar and then tackle the busy car park and 20 minute walk through her Majesty’s parkland and past the castle to the marquees and start line.
The day has a number of events including a 5k, races for primary school children and a 10k wheelchair race. The main event is of course the Tartan 10km and the numbers swelled as it approached the start time. Balmoral is not a fast course; I have run it a few times but not since 2007 when I managed 51 mins. My aim was to come in under 50 mins (46 is my pb on the flat). It was strange lining up on the start with no other Porties, missed you guys! With just under 2,000 runners it was a slow start on the narrow track with everyone jostling for position. I tried to keep up a good pace but my legs felt tired. At 3.5 km I faced the infamous ‘hill’ which is what this race is renowned for – a steep rise through the woods of Garmaddie over 1.2 km! I had obviously forgotten how tough the hill was and was glad of Willie’s hill sessions and managed to keep going despite it feeling a real struggle. Where is the top, I don’t remember it being this long....then finally I heard the soft sound of bagpipes and was relieved to see the pipers at the summit.
Ahh, the descent, over 3 km of downhill meant I could pick up speed (though got a nasty stitch). With only 1.5 km to go I saw Niall, my brother and sister in law and our nieces cheering the runners on which gave me a boost before the route went out some more before turning back towards the castle and the final 200 m stretch to the finish line.
I hadn’t looked at my watch for quite a while so just powered to the line as fast as I could manage. As I crossed the line and joined the other competitors bent double, I was exhausted but delighted and surprised to see that I managed to finish in 46:57, which put me 24th female and 18th in the senior female category. That was 246 out of 1,896 runners!!
Not quite a marathon but I am really pleased to see the results of all that training with the club, so thanks to the coaches and club members who have helped me improve so much over that last year.
I wholly recommend this race which is in such a beautiful location, is a challenge but at the same time a fun family day out.Report Sally Olds
