National Masters XC Championship - Forres - Look, No Mud!!!

Many pictures from Forres now on line here courtesy of Marion and Gordon.

Lesley Chisholm (Garscube) heads for victory in the women's race

Two Harriers, Gordon McInally and Alan Derrick, made the trip north to Forres on Saturday for the Scottish Masters Cross Country Championship. Gordon was on a long weekend break in Aviemore so the venue made for a convenient re-acquaintance with cross country, his first since school days (which I am sure Gordon won't mind me saying was not yesterday). The blizzard conditions made for a more entertaining 3 hour drive for me from Callander, but nothing that I am not used to after working in Sweden for several decades and it ensured the roads were nice and quiet. In fact the A9 was pretty clear, just a bit slushy here and there, the wildest part of the journey being across the Dava Moor from Granton on Spey and down into Forres. However Forres was completely free of snow as the freezing rain and sleet were horizontal and hence had no chance of reaching the ground!

I luckily got a parking space right beside the course and after collecting my number, sat the storm out in my car for a while as the forecast suggested the snow would stop at 1pm which it did. My warm-up lap confirmed what I already knew, there was nothing in my legs. Jogging up the first, long climb my quads were dead and aching; I did too much last weekend and had not recovered my strength. Oh well, I was there to race so I just had to get on with it.

The course consisted of 2 laps of a 4k circuit for the M40 to M60 men and is a great little course. The first 800m was a loop of firm, mud-free (!) grass before ascending into the woods and a big climb up and around the forest paths (which were very like Calderglen and Chatelherault) before emerging back onto the grass for about 400m back to the start/finish. Although there were some soft bits in the woods, a good covering of beech leaves had soaked up the moisture and it was not really muddy in comparison to what we have been running on recently. As the majority of each lap was in the forest and there were many tree roots and stones, the organisers' advice to wear trail shoes rather than spikes was correct.

As I completed my warm-up, I got a call from Gordon to say he had arrived, had his number and was on the course. The team was complete. The same weather app that told me the sleet would stop at 1pm also said that at 2pm the weather would be a mixture of sleet, cloud and sun, just in time for our race starting at 2:15! Just as the large field lined up 10-minutes before the start, the wind and sleet started again, right on schedule. Thankfully we were soon off and running although I was dead on my legs from the word go and slipping back through the field rapidly. Even climbing through the forest I was going backwards which is unusual for me as hills are normally my strong point. However, by the time we emerged from the forest towards the end of the first lap, I had to smile to myself as the sun was now shining strongly (as the forecast had said) and I was actually over-heating with hat and gloves on!

At the start of the second lap the gaps in the field were large ahead but an M55 runner cruised past me (age group numbers are worn on the back of the vest in these national championships which is a big help). I hung on and noticed that he dropped back on a couple of grassy banks but swept past again on the initially flat trail through the forest. When we hit the big climb in the forest I did manage to ease away in slow motion and on the first of several hairpin bends was able to see that I had opened quite a big gap which I was determined to hold on to. From the top of the climb, the path descended very gently and was good, fast running (at least it should have been!). This second lap was much more enjoyable as I was not being constantly passed. Emerging onto the grass for the final time, I could see a group closing behind me. There was nothing for it but to keep the pace going for that final, flat 400m, which I did, crossing the line in 33:33 for the 8k course, several minutes behind those I have been head to head with in recent months and in 54th position overall.

By now the cloud and sleet had returned so I quickly got the jacket and leggings on and met up with Gordon's partner Marion who said he had seemed to be finding it tough (so did I!). A few moments later Gordon appeared running very strongly and inside the final 150m, crossing the line in 44:27. Gordon even managed to jog back to where we were standing and looked every bit as though he had enjoyed himself. This was a great event for Gordon's first cross country as the course was very runnable and although the field was reduced slightly by the poor travelling conditions, there was still a wide range of ability and always someone to chase. After taking a photo of the Calderglen duo, Marion then set off to run a lap of the course herself. Naturally, neither Gordon nor I were that keen to accompany her!

Tea and sandwiches were on offer in the town hall but as the queue was almost out the door and 4pm was approaching. I decided it was best to get as far down the road as possible before darkness fell and skipped the refreshments. This proved to be a wise decision as there were blizzard conditions on the A9 from Aviemore southwards and the road was completely covered in a few inches of snow for over an hour of driving. The old workhorse car coped well with the slippery conditions and after an hour or so the snow gave way to sleet and then rain. No problem!

This was another great, championship event. There is an amazing depth of running talent up north who invariably have to travel to most championship events in the central belt, so it was good to see so many of the West and East district clubs taking a turn at the long journey to race in Forres.

Thanks to Marion for her support on the course (a few photos to follow) and thanks to Forres Harriers for excellent organisation. For me, a few weeks off are called for as I have definitely pushed myself over the edge in the last few weeks.

Full results are available on the Scottish Athletics web site here where you will also find links to photos. Lesley Chisholm of Garscube Harriers was the powerful winner of the ladies 6k race and is photographed emerging from the woods for the final time in the photo above.
Alan