WHW Pick-Up Arrangements

The times and locations for the minibus pickups on Saturday morning (yes, these times are in the morning, not the afternoon) are as follows. Please be there bright and breezy on time and let us know on Friday evening if there are any problems.

D.Watt 4:05 [house]
Russell 4:10 [ house]
George 4:12 [roundabout]
Frances 4:16 [Debenhams bus stop]
Billy + Kenny 4:20 [ kwik-fit]
Jim 4:25 [end off road]
Colin 4:25 [ high com rd bus stop]
Alan + Jim+Ruth 4:30 [St Leonards Rd bus stop at junction with Brancumhall Rd]

Alan

Mull of Kintyre 2013 1k and Half Marathon

Well it was a family affair this weekend at the MOK.

The race is in its 8th year, I have only missed it once due to injury. Its just getting bigger and better each year. If your looking for a race with fantastic scenery,  a challenging beach run along Westport beach and a warm welcome, then you won't find a better race.

Evan ran on Saturday as they have made it a 2 day event. He did the junior 1k and came charging to the finish in 2nd place with an impressive time of 3mins 50.

On Sunday it was the 10k and the half. The weather at the start wasn't great but training in EK its something I'm used to!  The only downside of the race is that both distances start together, so you set off at a fast pace. The distances then split. This left 5 runners up front. I left them to it I didn't want to struggle like last year in the 2nd half. I reached the 10 mile marker in 62.30. I then just gave it everything and managed a strong sprint finish giving me a time of 1.21.44. This earned me 6th place and 1st Male Vet. The winner was local with a time of 1hr 16.

The race is well marshalled with mile markers well placed and a great goody bag. What to watch out for are the slower 10k runners I had to come out the coned off area to pass them.

Thanks to Ian for the report and well done on another great performance (Bronze M40 performance standard; Ian, you are still M40 aren't you and not M45?).
Alan

Harriers 25th Anniversary Book Still Available

A bit of investigation prompted by Bobby Stewart's request for a further copy of the Harriers' 25th Anniversary book has revealed that we can still individually order copies of the book direct from the publisher's web site. Here is the link to the book http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/1662323-celebrating-25-years-running?redirect=true

For those who missed it first time around, it is definitely worth having.
Alan

WHW - times from previous years to whet your appetite.

In eager anticipation of the West Highland Way Relay weekend, here are the legs and times from recent years to remind you of what is in store.

2012

2011

Hopefully we get last year's weather too!

Alan

New Arch Rivals at Inaugural National Trail Race Championships

John McBride and George Stewart post-race

In complete contrast to last weekend's weather, a field of almost 150 women and men gathered in sweltering heat in Falkland, Fife for the inaugural National Trail Race Championships. We had no ladies racing today so that left it to 5 Harriers' men to line up for the 15km race. Russell Couper had the honour of being race number "1" with the remaining Harriers numbered in sequence behind him. We were warned by Russell that we had to finish in numerical order but we soon decided that reverse numerical order would be best for all concerned. The ladies' 10k race was first and all we were hearing after the finish were tales of how tough the course was, confirming that a cautious start would be prudent. However, when the hooter went for the start of the men's race, the downhill start was anything but cautious, the first km from Falkland House flying by on estate roads and farm tracks before turning onto a narrow forest path where the legs promptly fell off as the course started the first of several sharp climbs. The forest path emerged onto a high level forest road on which we descended back towards the start for the first 5km loop. The second time around the pace was naturally a bit slower, especially on the forest path ascent. At the top of the ascent we emerged onto the forest road again but this time turned right, away from the start. The forest road was never flat, always climbing or descending. At the furthest point from the start, the road dropped steeply and curved back on itself in the valley floor before we were directed up a very steep path through the forest which climbed back up to the high level forest road. The final 10 metres of this were not runnable (for me at least), however a rhythm was soon re-established on the forest road and I finally managed to regain some pace and a single place. A fairly gentle descent over 2km took us back to Falkland House and a final 150m, uphill to the finish line. In my case there was no one near me so thankfully I did not have to try to sprint up this hill. I finished in 1:02:12, well down the field having struggled from the start (the course was about 14.3km, so a little short but I am not complaining as the finish could not come soon enough). Andy Henderson finished clear of his nearest rivals in 1:07:41 and also struggled for the first 25 minutes. Harriers' race of the day was between new arch rivals George Stewart and John McBride with George establishing an early lead before a well paced effort by John consigned George to John's back pocket. John's time was 1:14:48 with George following in 1:15:38. Finally Russell Couper had a ding dong heavyweight battle with an Anster Haddie; a contest which Russell eventually won comfortably and added some interest to his race. Russell's time was 1:35:51.

Russell inside the final 100m

Needless to say, being a Fife AC hosted race, there were copious quantities of tea and cake in the village hall at the end of this very well organised and scenic race. Hopefully this will become a permanent fixture on the calendar and we can get more Harriers entered next year. Well done to the Harriers team.
Alan

Callander Crags Race

(web link fixed) For those looking forward to hammering your lungs and quads on the summer edition of the Crags Race, unfortunately the organisers have informed me that for a variety of reasons the race is not on. However, if you really need to run up a hill in Callander, then there is the first ever Ben Ledi race on 1st June. Details at skidaddle.org.uk.
Alan

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