7 Hills 21/06/09
First up Graham's report...A great day out. Must have been a record turn out from the club. Some great performances with Peter Buchanan smashing his PB to come 8th. Great to see Gordon Mackenzie running again. It is a race to lift oneself from a running deathbed. We managed to get 2nd team prize so after trying from 1988 I finally got a prize. Thanks to William Jarvie (Sunday name), George Salmond and Peter’s 8th position. Get in there. Only problem was getting really bad cramp in the left hamstring coming off Arthur’s Seat. I lost about 90 seconds. I was having my fastest decent in years so was gutted but the team prize made up for it. Hope you all had a great day out and personally think it should be in the club membership rules that you must do this race in the first 3 years of joining.
Graham is hotly pursued by Ricky up the High Street.I would rather die than miss this race. It has a bit of everything and mentally gets shorter each year. Next year we could be going a different way off Blackford Hill. There could be a new way to the last climb so there is always ways finding different routes. Time to think out of the box.
Thanks to Alan Lawson for organising this event for the last 30 years.
Vive 7 Hills, PRC, Ecosse Ya Bass.
Report Graham Henry
Having in the past run 2 laps of this race (1st lap in reverse then second lap with official start) Graham wasn't pulling any stunts this year. Apart from the 3hr cycle to the start line from Selkirk. (Don't tell George that whatever happens.)
The next report is from Lisa Ievers who got in touch to ask about running the race. She was concerned about route finding on an unmarked course in a foreign city...
By happy coincidence this photo of Lisa (who ran the challenge) turned up on Scottish Hill Runners flickr site, though as we hadn't met I ran past without so much as a howd'yedo.Having never been across the Atlantic, much less to Edinburgh, I was decidedly apprehensive about signing up for the 7 Hills race. The website clearly advertises that this is an “unmarked” course, meaning that it is up to each participant to determine the most efficient way through all of the race checkpoints. In spite of my fears, I knew I wanted to give it a try, primarily in light of the beautiful vistas that were sure to accompany a trip around the course. I decided to enter, figuring I could always jog home (albeit in regretful defeat) if I got stranded between groups of runners. I am happy to say that I never ran alone during the race, and the overall spirit of the race participants was one of camaraderie and willingness to help each other out (such as when I needed help negotiating a spiked fence or crossing over giant tree logs!).
This race is unlike any other I’ve done, and not simply because I was a foreigner and the course was unmarked. It was a challenging combination of road running, scrambling up steep inclines (sometimes on all fours, grasping for tree roots to cling to), and scaling the rocky sections of an extinct volcano. There were even young children along a couple of sections of the course, cheering us on and indicating which way to go. The fact that the number of total race participants was up 30% over the past year’s race surely helped my odds of finding people to run with, and I only hope that the number of participants increases in the coming years. For anyone visiting Edinburgh from another country who is considering NOT running this race solely on account of its being an unmarked course, I would strongly encourage him/her to reconsider, as there were a variety of skill levels out there this year, making it likely that you will find someone to run with. The key, of course, is to find someone to run with who actually knows where s/he is going… and that just might be a matter of taking a chance. Regardless, I wholeheartedly recommend this race; it is one of those great opportunities to discover what you’re made of, and realize upon doing so that you’re glad to have engaged in the effort.
Report Lisa Ievers
Baltimore, MD USALisa went away with a bottle for being the speediest overseas lady. Very well done for taking a chance on the race.
Coaching for all levels.
The challengers
Peter's report...
I felt more involved with the event this time, as I have been helping Alan Lawson with some design stuff, tweaking the coasters and doing the layout for the poster. This year was the 30th running and I have run the last 6 or 7 I think.
We roped Amanda into helping out.
Graeme A in the blue shirt.
Last year I was very pleased with a pb of 1.57 but this years 1.51 came out of the blue. I had been a bit casual about it; buying new shoes the day before and not even running a step in them till warming up on Calton Hill. Of course this can be problematic and the price I paid was a couple of skinned knuckles on my big toes. As I descended off Corstorphine Hill I found those toes jammed into the mesh of the shoes and having a cheese grater effect. So I eased off on the descents until Arthur's Seat then shut out the pain and waved bye bye to 2 twenty pence piece sized patches of skin. Apart from that the shoes performed really well: Adidas Kanadia, light and grippy and good for a half marathon of road and a ton of trails and off-road. 10% discount at Run and Become and you're talking £45. Quite soft and spongy I noted as I flew along to the West End. However I decided not to murder myself as usual on the long road to Corstorphine Hill, letting a couple of guys go past, resisting the urge to floor it in the early stages. Perhaps this was the secret to a good time. Or just enjoying the sunny weather and relaxing. I shouted to many of the challengers as I began to catch them up. After Gorgie Road I overtook the Porty Girls and we cheered each other loudly. By the time I overtook Rab at the allotments I was raving like a hooligan.
Showing the route over the Braids Golf Course.
Paul, Bert and Jacqui at Blackford Hill
Craiglockhart and the shoes gripped the mud bank really well. Onwards through Fly Walk and upwards to the Braid Hills. I normally feel done in by then but somehow managed to keep jogging up the hill to the trig point which I've never done before. This was the first indication I was onto something. Through the Hermitage (I've stopped all that muddy descent business and through the water, and now prefer the left hand path which drops down to the stream and crosses the bridge. Up the other side and I crossed the field 2 steps ahead of Graeme Ackland. Graeme used to win this race regularly but as he has slowed down I have sped up and now we race in the same part of the pack. For the rest of the course we were nip and tuck. Just when I thought I had forged ahead he popped out of a side street around Newington 80 yards ahead. I think my route choice through the Pollock Halls (followed by a dangerously heavy landing off the wall by the turnstile) made up the distance and we approached Arthur's Seat neck and neck. Only he was lining up for the “Gutted Haddie” and I was further up the hill going up the steps to Crow Hill (the lion's haunch). Again we appeared within a yard or 2 of each other at the top but I think I had more left in the tank. I could also see the triumvirate of Paul, Bert and Jacqui ahead and made an effort to catch them, which happened about the top of the hill.
Too much enjoying the view not enough racing??
Don't know what's going on here.
In the past I have suffered from cramp after too hasty a descent so I was constantly on the alert for first signs, however it all seemed fine so I blasted the last 10 minutes from the summit to the finish line, getting there a minute ahead of Graeme, although I had fully expected him to jump out some bushes and finish before me. I was gobsmacked by the time and only a small bit deflated to notice I was 8th overall in a race that awards prizes to the first 7. I am still uncertain why it went so well but I think it might have been just riding high on good spirits in fine weather round a course I really like, shouting out to many friends on the way.
Ricky's first time, and he thanked Gillian who had taken him training runs round the route.
Superbly organised as ever, a smoothly oiled machine with Alan on the megaphone reading out folks' names as they approached the finish. I was going to put in the pre-publicity that the sun ALWAYS shines for this one, but didn't want to jinx it. Shouldn't have worried. Top Race.
Report pb
Results
RACE,
CHALLENGE,
WEBSITE with more photos
PHOTOS: SHR Flickr site (High St. & Blackford) (Nimmos probably), Mayfields (also Blackford),
Mary and Peter (start and finish.)
Mary's Blog
The sharp eyed will notice Scott was carrying a rucksack. In training for some army-pack-carrying-nonsense he did the course with this rucksack which I presumed was filled with packing foam. However it turned out to be 2 water pouches, a rope for scaling Arthur's Seat and a silver sphere which Graham is modelling. Perhaps for the rhythmic gymnastics. Bold enough but can't imagine that it improved on the fun of the day.These following photos from Karen Munro.
