Callander Crags Race

Cresting the summit of the Crags.

Wonderful Winter weather on Saturday made for the most picturesque conditions I can remember in the 15 official (and dozens of unofficial) Crags races I have participated in since my school days. Last year ice on the lower paths caused the race to be cancelled  but an overnight fall of snow saved the day this year, providing some grip on top of the ice. Despite feeling my age and a lot of miles in my legs the past two weeks, I still managed to get to the top second out of the 40 starters where a nip of whisky was available to those who had time. Wearing number 13, I thought it best to take a cautious approach on the scary (for me) bit of the descent and promptly lost three places. The less scary part of the descent was snow on top of black ice on top of tarmac and on this surface I could run properly, soon overhauling one runner and closing on the next two. The course then levels and climbs on a narrow icy path through the woods and here I made up another place. Unfortunately I wasn't prepared to take any risks on the final slippery descent to the finish despite another place being within reach and so third place was where I remained. The time of 29:02 was surprisingly my slowest ever (by a couple of minutes); it didn't feel that bad! John Stevenson of Ochill Hill Runners won the race, 90 seconds or so ahead of me.

This really is a race for all the family organised by a family, the Johnston family. So a big thanks to Sheila, Alastair, Sally, Richard and all the marshals for their hard work on the day.

Alan