JUST A GENTLE CLIMB!

On Saturday I took a little trip down to Castle Douglas at the borders for the Screel Hill race. After a lovely drive optimism was high, despite the recent time off ill. The race was just outside a small, I mean very small village called Palnackie. It made Auldhouse seem like a giant town. Once arrived, parked and the usual administration of race numbers and safety pins I took a little course preview out to discover there was rather a lot of climbing. Warm-up complete, I was exhausted wondering how I was going to raise the game for the race. Screel Hill race is usually a rather insignificant race in the Scottish hill racing calendar with a year on year attendance of around 40-50 bit this year was different it was hosting the west district hill championships. As faces gathered for the start I was multiplying that 50 by 4. As the gun fired 290 souls hared up around the first bend and up the landrover track like it was the last 50m of an Olympic final.

Crossing a road before climbing steadily up a gravel trail to a pine forestry at this point I was surprised how well I was climbing through the forestry and up to a crag section, the power walking soon began followed by a short scramble to the summit top. Just as I thought the painful climb was over there was sure more to come. A bog trot followed to the summit of Screel Hill. A brief moment to catch breath before what I thought was the defend to the finish. A technical loose rock descend followed before rejoining the forestry track. I told myself before the race ‘ be careful and whatever you do don’t fall’ and so far this was going to plan. Next a sharp left bend and the shock of a sheer rock climb back to reach the thin ledge under Screel summit. As in the words of the man behind me 'oh crap’.

A steady descend followed back through the pine forestry to the trail leading to the finish. Exhausted, but still in one piece I crossed the finish line in 37.05. Winner was Alexander Cheplin of Edinburgh University H and H’s in a new course record of 26.47. Now I realise just how much the illness had taken out of me and the improvement that still needs to be made. I finished in 89th place out of 287 finishers, not too bad for a relative hill racing novice. I would certainly only recommend  the race if you have prior hill experience as first timers could find the spectacle daunting. I certainly enjoyed the race thoroughly and will be racing on the hills regularly hoping to improve further. Recovery was spent in the village of Palnackie, a great fish and chips from the Glen Isle inn and we weren’t the only hill runners there that day.

Chris