Good start to the weekend, the van broke down at Old Rayne Saturday morning on the way over to the race! luckily Sonic Sinco wasn't far behind in his new V-Dub and was able to pick me up which meant crazy, top bants all the way over to Aviemore, narrowly missing a dog in Dufftown on the way - good skills by my driver!
250 runners this year and a championship race with a lot of fast names on the start line! I was going to be well down the finish list but as long as I got a PB I wasn't caring.. I did a 1:19 here last year in snow so I was fairly sure I'd get one..
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| Last year's weather |
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| Last year |
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| Pre race chat |
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| Stuart, mysel and Walter |
I started with Stuart and it pretty much stayed like that all the way to the finish. It's a fast start on a good landy track for a few Kms but I was struggling to keep up with Stuart who was motoring on.. I couldn't wait to get onto the hill and start climbing!
Once on the hill and slowed down it was great and I settled into a good steady run/hike. I picked a few folk off here and onto the summit before the first decent on very uneven rocky heather. Perfect ankle breaking terrain!
As usual I had a great tussle with Stuart swapping leads with each other several times.
It was very cold and blowy up high and a couple of times I regretted the vest!
I love the tops on this race, enjoyable, fast running over varied terrain, undulating trails, deep heather, loose rock, bog, it's got it all! And with Cairngorm and Coire an t-sneachda as a backdrop, what else do you want!
The decent is awsome. From the last top it's flat out, barely in control, plummeting down a wet, peaty, boggy trail with holes everywhere! We were chasing down Stefan Wagner who appeared out of nowhere and overtook us at the last top so he made a good target for Stuart and I.
This section was carnage with several folk falling here including Stuart just as we were neck and neck. At least it''s a soft landing! I managed to stay up somehow but it was close.
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| Just about back |
Out of the forest and back onto landy track, Stuart caught up with me being stronger on the flat but I managed to cling on and only in the finishing straight I caught him and just got in front finishing in 1:13 and a 6 min PB coming 32/250 overall and 6th V40. Happy with that especially being a championship race and I'm clearly getting some speed back after a season of racing long and slow!
My coach was proud! ;)
Rob had a great race considering he'd finished 2nd at the Mourne Skyline last weekend and now down with a cold he finished 3rd in 1:02 just behind James Espie 2nd and Findlay Wild 1st (course record).
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| Sonic |
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| Rob getting his 3rd place prize |
After the race prize giving we went back to our luxury Coylumbridge lodge that Sam had organised to blow the froth off a couple and to get cleaned up. I was told casual but it turned out everyone was getting ponced up so Sinco and me went looking like the homeless! .
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| A dapper Esp and myself |
The annual SHR dinner and ceilidh was brilliant. I caught up with loads of folk I've not seen in ages over a few beers and good food. Then it was back over to the hall for the ceilidh.
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| Ally and Diana |
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| Charming! |
Everyone was up dancing at the ceilidh, what a laugh, the amount of folk that had no idea what they were doing including me was hilarious! There were bodies strewn all over the floor but the band did well keeping everyone right.
The only criticism for the night was nae bar! Fit!? Hill runners, a ceilidh but nae bar!? Luckily though we came prepared! :)
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| Sinco giving it large! |
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| Deeside vs HHR and most of the lodgers |
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| Trouble ahead! ;) |
An amazing weekend running and partying!
That's all the races done I think for this year. I might do a couple of short speed session races but I'll mostly be looking forward to getting back to long training days in the mountains. I might even dust off the axes and crampons! Shazzam!
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