Bathgate & West Lothian Highland Games Hill Race

This annual fixture is part of the SVHC Run & Become Grand Prix series and is not so much a traditional hill race through muck and heather but more of an out and back 6 mile road race up a very steep hill with the final 250m of the ascent on a rutted farm track. So very runnable in road shoes (or flippers given the weather today).

Russell Couper, Stuart Waugh and I had committed to doing the race on Thursday night (in my case only if it wasn't raining due to a succession of colds and infections over the past 3 months). On Saturday morning, I left Callander in 18 degrees and hazy sunshine thinking the conditions were perfect. By the time I got to Stirling the skies were dark and the temperature had dropped by 5 degrees! By the time I got to Bathgate the rain was pelting down and it was 10 degrees. As I drove into the very muddy parking field, thinking how on earth am I going to get the car out of here in a couple of hours time, Stuart drew up beside me with the same look of dread on his face as me. We sat in the car for a while hoping the rain might ease before eventually venturing across to the games park to register. Unfortunately the key man had gone home to change out of his wet clothes and the pavilion where registration and changing were supposed to take place remained locked for a further half hour. Fortunately Stuart had a large umbrella. In the meantime, the Pipe Band Championships had been cancelled without a puff having been blown nor a bag squeezed and the only events still functioning seemed to be the heavy events and the beer tent. What a shame for the highland games organising committee who no doubt worked all year for this.

Eventually about 30 of us registered and were led out to the start line on the games park beside the weight for height throwing event. Its amazing how many people you can get under a 3m x 3m awning (that wasn't one of the events, just what passed for a warm up). Then we were off across the sodden grass and out the games park into Bathgate main street where we were directed across the road and through various residential streets before emerging onto a B road which climbed out of Bathgate. This was a 2.5 mile ascent with only one little downhill section which I noted with some dismay would become an uphill near the finish on the way back! This was a steep climb. Think Lickprivick for 2.5 miles. I had established a top 10 position but was going nowhere fast. Finally we turned off the road for a 250m run up that uniquely Scottish hydrological feature of the perfectly parallel streams (a tractor track on any other day) to a radio mast where we ran around a marshal (just the once) and then followed the same route back to the games park. I gave a wave to Stuart and Russell who were both running strongly on the ascent as I descended and tried only to keep the pace up (I didn't really succeed). One guy flew past me but apart from that it was a lonely descent. The traffic was stopped for us to cross the main street and then it was a case of aquaplaning back into the games park where Maud and grandson were enthusiastically cheering, which was much appreciated as always. I finished in 8th or 9th in 39:30 with Stuart equally drookit crossing the line in 45 something and Russell, who had opened a gap on several people on the ascent, finishing in 57:44. Lets just call it a good strength session with a bit of a leg speed workout thrown in. Definitely a race of two halves. Good value at £3 entry fee which included a T-shirt and a goody bag. Hopefully Stuart and Russell secured  the SVHC grand prix points they were seeking and hopefully I avoided a chest infection.

A big thanks to the SVHC officials for organising this one in atrocious Summer weather and the Highland Games officials, volunteers, motorcyclists and many police officers who cheerfully controlled the many road crossings and junctions in the race.
Alan