- 27th June 2013
13.3 miles, 3,300ft ascent, 2 Pentlands + 2
'Jim; now you see him, now you don't.'
4,3,4,5,4 in the group. Another cracking evening meant another cracking
run to the Pentlands. A brisk pace, led by Jim Hardie via Liberton Tower
and Mortonhall to the Steading. Then onto Swanston Burn, losing Jim along
the
way as he made a trip to the Esso station for a Tom Kite. Down to 3 we
headed for Allermuir, and along the ridge to Caerketton, where Andrew
joined us, having arrived late at KB and caught us up. Down to the Steading
for a well deserved pint to quench our thirst where Jim appeared again.
We returned to KB via Braid Hill and Blackford Hill, losing Jim along
the way to the social group. KB was closing, so no beer, no shower. But
Leslies Bar
was open....so beer, but no shower
Graham Nash
- 26th June 2013
Ronda Des Cims
Last week saw me in Andorra In search of some continental adventure on
the 177Kms Ronda Des Cims. Despite late lying snow, it shows something
for the quality of the area & the planner that despite having had to redraft
the original route they didn't compromise on length or +/- climb for
the new route.
This race is still quite new, but is already being billed as one of the
hardest ultras in the world and so having wangled myself into the starting
line up & now
ground my way round it. I can testify its up there as one of the hardest
things I've completed, eventually taking me 43.5hrs. It was a bit like
doing back
to back 24hr rounds. More than once though it reminded me of running
in the UK with many of the climbs & descents being acutely angled, but on a
much grander scale and with the majority of the route very technical
underfoot. Certainly
an area I'd like to return to again, maybe even have another go, on the
original RdC course. The organisers put on no less that four quality
races over the
three days. There really is a challenge for all & its obvious that the whole
event is of great national and local pride and the marshalls do a fantastic
job of looking after everyone. Last but no means least a special thanks
goes to our Catalan Carnethy Roger Palmeris who I met up with Barcelona
and who
acted as local guide and liaison officer getting me where I needed to
be for the race. A great wee break. www.andorraultratrail.com
Matt Davis
- 23rd June 2013
A Morgan - Gilmore double at Falkland Hill Race!
The showers held off for this brutal 2 mile race up
and down East Lomond. Carnethy V50s out in force but it was the Gilmore
boys who chased the Fife Rees brothers to the top - Iain getting there
in third place only to be beaten by Andrew on the final descent through the
trees
but
they both held off the great descender Brian Marshall to finish 3/4.
Charlotte Morgan followed up her new record at Largo Law on Saturday
to win again whilst
Harry Gilmore was 1st V50 for second day in a row after the Eildons. Results
Gordon Cameron
- 23rd June 2013
Charlotte wins Largo Law Race - Sat 22nd June
Largo Law is one of those races that has a little bit
of everything; a steep hill, trails, river crossings, forest, farm tracks,
fields, road, sunshine and a water station. It also takes you to one
of those parts of the country you otherwise wouldn't go to, Lower Largo,
an attractive
seaside village complete with rivermouth harbour. The race was won by
Kyle Greig of Forres Harriers in a new course record of 43.48. There
were 4 Carnethies
out of the field of 53. Charlotte Morgan had a great run to come in 1st
lady with a new ladies record of 50.37, Brian Howie was 1st MV60 in 1.05.11,
Graham
Nash, 5th, 49.33, and Tim Doyle, 23rd, 59.42 .
Superbly organised and marshalled by Anster Haddies.
But the best thing is that the Crusoe Hotel exchanges your running number for
a pint of beer. I'm busy looking out old race numbers and will head back
up next week for a night out.
Graham Nash
Results
- 23rd June 2013
Eildon 3 Hills Race - Sat 22nd June
3 hills for the price of 2 ! ... and almost a dozen
Carnethies made the trip to Melrose. The Police had curtailed the lap
of the Greenyards so we didn't have to cross the road but the organisers
had in its
place added in the smaller 3rd hill that you can't see until you reach
the first summit. Made it a different and better race in many opinons.
Mike Reid
was pulled in by the local runner and 2 HBTs to finish a credible 4th
ahead of the Gilmores with Harry Gilmore 1st V50. A posse of Gala girls
held off
Helen and Fionna whilst we had a V80 winner in Bill - incredible !
Gordon Cameron
Results
-
21st June 2013
Wednesday Run -Time for a Pint - 19th June
Fasties
10.4miles, 2,300ft of ascent, 1 pint, 19 nettle stings
Three in the fast
group tonight, the plan was to head for a Pentland and catch the social
group at the Stable Bar. Brisk run to Swanston
via Blackford Hill and then direct ascent to Caerketton via the scree
run. Fast descent to The Steading for a quick pint, and then onwards,
passing some doggers near Morton House. Arriving at the Stable Bar
we missed the others by a few minutes, seeing them later in the field
by Liberton Tower, Dom then tried to castrate himself on a barbed
wire fence before making it safely back to KB.
The Socials
7.5 miles
We did a round of Mortonhall taking in Blackford and Braidburn Park
and after 6 miles there was "The Stable Bar" where we had
a very pleasnat pint before running bac to KB and then reconvening
in Leslie's Bar
for further refreshment.
- 21st June 2013
Andy and Charlotte win at Red Moss Revolution
- Wed 19th June
After a biking disaster last week I decided
that I need to use my bike a bit more. I felt ashamed that after
a year of
ownership
I
wasn’t
even aware that my handlebars weren’t connected to my forks,
so surely riding a bit more would at least let me familiarise myself
with the bike. Or kill me. In a twist of fate I noticed that the
Red Moss Revolution race offered free entry to people that cycle
to the
event. Ideal! Organiser Jamie Thin confirmed via email, “Your
insurance levy is paid by the car drivers! Time that cyclists got
a few benefits!!”. And quite right too! I like his style! However,
timing isn’t my forte and I left work late, so the slog from
work in Haymarket to Threipmuir was an uncomfortably fast effort
that allowed me about 10mins between arriving and starting the race.
Stupid
bikes, what a rubbish idea, I should’ve just paid for an entry.
Barely
out of the saddle and we’re off! First a slog up that
exponential tarmac hill at Bavelaw, my legs felt kinda empty and
weak. I started behind Harry Gilmore and Charlotte Morgan, who were
making it all look so
easy. The top of the road couldn’t come any sooner, once onto
the rougher and flatter ground I started to feel a bit better. A
Carnethy clump of Adrian Davis, Harry, Charlotte and I pushed on
towards Hare
Hill. Harry hit the summit first, and kindly let me pass on the descent
to Green Cleugh. Onwards and upwards onto the side of Black hill,
from here it’s either flat or downhill to the end, so time
to run fast. I glanced backwards at the stile to see who was following,
only
to see Peter Buchanan casually keeping pace with me whilst filming
with his camera. Damn! I had visions of a viral internet video of
me slowly buckling on the final stretch, so the pressure to run hard
increased – “Calamitous
Carnethy collapse at Red Moss!”, “Clown falls in puddle!”, “Fool
runs into tree!” or something similar. Oh the shame! The fear
gave me enough of a boost to catch a couple of guys, and I did manage
some kind of sprint at the end. So…cheers Pete! Photos, including
some unsightly close-ups of my bingo wings, can be seen on his blog
here.
Excellently organised, a big thanks to Jamie and his HBT crew!
Also a big thanks to whoever ordered the glorious sunshine and
light winds – it was truly a lovely evening for a run in the
hills, though a bit too suitable for the midges that had a feast. I
fled
the scene before being completely eaten so I don’t really
know who won what, or even who from Carnethy was actually there.
Charlotte won the ladies though, that I do know!
Jim Hardie
It was a Carnethy double since as well
as Charlotte winning the women's from club mate Helen Bonsor, Andy
Fallas had another great run to win the men's Results.
- 21st June 2013
Scottish 4000ers - Sat 15th
On Saturday 15th of June I completed the Scottish
4000ers by foot and bike. This long distance round involves running
all 9 Scottish
mountains higher than 4000ft and linking the Cairngorm and Lochaber
ranges by road bike. In contrast to the usual west to east attempts,
I decided to tackle the Cairngorms first in a loop from Loch Morlich
youth hostel and have Ben Nevis as my final mountain. The total
distance for my round was 35 miles running and 65 miles cycling.
The weather
forecast during the week beforehand deteriorated by the day, however
I had already roped my dad into providing me transport,
bike mechanics and food preparation so any thoughts of backing
out were banished from my mind. An early start from the central belt
found me starting running at 4am with dozens of deer for company
on the track towards the Chalamain gap. As I crossed the Lairig
Ghru
the weather really closed in for the climb up Braeriach. The wild
weather combined with the lack of sleep led me to have a bit of
a "moment" as
I reached the summit - I really don't believe in paranormal activity
but for the first time ever on a mountain I felt really afraid
and alone, not a nice feeling at all. When I returned I googled paranormal
activity in the Cairngorms but I wouldn't recommend this before
attempting
them in the middle of the night on your own!
Full of the fear I made
good progress running over Angel 's Peak and Cairn Toul but lost
about 15 minutes descending back towards
the Lairig Ghru due to a slight navigational miscalculation. A
quick dash over the river Dee and a slightly slower dash up Ben Macdui
saw me onto the final easy run over the Cairngorm plateau to pick
up my 5th Munro of the morning. On the climb up Cairngorm itself
the sun came out, the views opened out and for the first time that
morning my mood lifted from negative thoughts about not completing
the round to actually feeling positive about getting a full long
day out in the environment I love. Full of renewed energy I raced
the descent down the ski tow to start the cycle from the ski centre
car park.
I'm not much of a cyclist but once my calfs stopped cramping
I really enjoyed the cycle leg. The weather stayed dry and once
you pass Creag
Meagaidh the views down towards the Lochaber mountains are very
inspiring. I think that the hardest part of this challenge was
the fact that
the cycle is in between the two running legs - I normally enjoy
climbing but the pull up Aonach Mor felt like the hardest climb
I've ever
done, made even harder by the sun splitting the sky and making
me overheat. In true Scottish style the sun stayed out until about
300ft
of the summit and then the cloud rolled in obscuring the views
and route choice for the rest of the run!
I bagged Aonach Beag and then
had the final big descent and re ascent of the day crossing over
to Carn Mor Dearg. A final leg destroying
scramble across the arete and pull up the back of Ben Nevis saw
me at the top of my 9th Munro if the day. All I had to contend
with
now was an easy descent down the tourist track to Glen Nevis.
Haha! Until this point I had seen 1 person all day up the hills, however
unbeknown to me I had picked the same day as the 3 peaks challenge
walk which made for a slightly frustrating, if somewhat amusing
end to the day! I took the Red Burn route and cut the corners
on
the
zigzags lower down the mountain which led to many a cry of "you're
cheating" - I didn't have the heart to tell them about my "9
peaks challenge" and the fact that there are no rules when
it comes to route choice!
Final times for the day;
Cairngorms - 6 hrs 25
Road cycle - 4 hrs 10
Lochaber - 5 hrs 45
All in all, a fantastic day out in the great Scottish
outdoors that I would recommend to anybody.
John Hammond
- 20th June 2013
Cateran Trail Run - Sat 15th June
A bit of late ‘news’ After bailing out of the
Ramsay attempt due the ‘ish’ weather in the West I had ran my 8 miles
in and out of work on Friday and decided to go do something heading
on the bus for
Blairgowrie. I thought I’d do the Cateran Trail (~56 miles) but as
the forecast was still not great further East I decided to take a
lightweight tent, stove, thermal blanket, etc and cover most options.
I met a load
of Cateran Yompers planning to start a 24hr challenge at 0600 Saturday
morning but as I started at 1810, so did the rain. It stopped, I
carried on, but from after Kirkmichael and over the pass to Spital
it got progressively
damper again and my knee was complaining. At 2310 (24 miles) I thought
a Guiness and a wet camp was order but was offered a bed by the hotel
boss Craig (I must of looked tired) so decided to stop till dawn
and hope the rain stopped. At dawn it was still dripping so slumbered
a
bit more then left at 0630 finishing the route (32 miles) in 7hrs
35 mins run time (12:35 total with ~7hr lazy stop). Not the fastest
time
but a fab and recommended route, great scenery, superbly way-marked.
I won’t take camping stuff next time. Oh, a major disappointment,
there was no café or hotel open in Glen Isla for a brew!!!
Mark Hartree
- 18th June 2013
3 Rings of Shap - Sat 15th June
After the disappointment of cancellation of a potential
Tranter's Round due to unfavourable weather. Having a free weekend
I decided to have
a go at the LDWA '3 rings of Shap'. At 100km this would act as a qualifier
for the LDWA 2014 Valleys 100 in South Wales (going within 3 miles
of my home village)
Starting from the Cumbrian Village of Shap its only 2 and 1/4 hours
drive away.
Ring 1 was 18 miles of fells to the west of Shap going over Branstree
(713m)and Selside Pike. Lovely fellside most notable for a buzzard
attack at 25k leaving 3 slashes on scalp (and I'm not even bald). I
sould have
used hill shoes here as wet conditions meant my feet slipped a lot
within trail shoes (as I was advised to). The ring ends up back at
Shap ready
for the 2nd ring
Ring 2 was 24 miles of mostly fields and manicured countryside to the
north , I teamed up with Brian Layton a Tring Harrier that some of
you may know from the many Mountain Marathons he participates in. At
the end
of this 42 miles meant my feet had suffered and trench foot had already
set in.
Ring 3 , was fells to the east including the superb limestone pavement
of Great Asby Scar unfortunately it was darkish when I "saw" this
NNR. Darkest in the conditions (by now we'd had 2 hours of heavy downpour
and hail) fell just as we left the last check point at 52 miles so
the final 10 miles in the rain reading instructions by headtorch were
hellish. I was glad to have chummed up with people who had done the
event before
as navigation was tricky (even with them with me) However at 17 hours
52
minutes for my first ultra in 2 years and the qualification for next
years 100 made it all worthwhile.
Tim Doyle
- 17th June 2013
7 Hills of Edinburgh - Sunday 16th June
 
Carnethy fielded 4
mens teams and one ladies in this years & Hills Race, a great turnout
on a warm day. Four Guys went under 2 hours with Iain Whiteside finishing
in
5th and
there were great
runs
from
Bruce McAdam, Tim Kieniewicz and Olly Stephenson and also Bill Gauld
winning the V70 + V80. All down to route choice as Matt Grove found;
having passed me coming off Arthur's Seat only to
finish 5 places behind me as he went wrong side of Palace.
Fionna Mackinnon led
the ladies
team home just behind Portobello. Corstorphine were first men's team.
Gordon Cameron
The race was won by Ross Houston (Central) in
1:37:58, the 15th fastest time recorded (and 2nd fastest in recent
times)...all sub 1hour 40 mins times are here and
full results are here.
- 17th June 2013
Dolomite Extreme Trail Race
Last Saturday, June 8th I ran my first ultra-trail.
it was 53 km and 3800 mts of positive ascent. The race (www.dolomitiextremetrail.com),
settled
in the slopes of Monte Civetta and Monte Pelmo, shares features of
the ultras, like the length, but given its technical ascents and descents,
it has nothing to envy to many skyraces.
The scenery was awesome! The exceptional snowfalls and the low temperatures
which lasted till a couple of weeks ago, made runners found lot
of snow in the trails (I meet also a guy wondering around with
a pair of ski). We also assisted to the spectacle of big chunks of
snow falling
for Monte Civetta as soon as the June sun started to warm up.
As
for my race, the first five hours were fine, but after I had some
cramps on my left leg which made me doing almost 1/3 of the race
practically walking. In any case, for me only finishing the race
was an achievement.Photos
Here and Here
Matteo
Tessser
- 14th June 2013
Pentlands Solstice Triathlon 2013
On 12th June, a tiny Carnethy contingent
(myself & James Hardie)
decided to attempt to be not-only-runners (eek!) at this mid-week
triathlon organised (excellently) by Pentland Triathletes on a
beautiful summer's
evening near Balerno. It seemed like a good idea to sign up for
it 3 months ago, but after a day at work feeling sick with nerves,
and then
the last-minute panic after the discovery of a flat bike tyre
(nasty staple! really hard to find!), things didn't start off well...
but after
we got started it was a brilliant event. The swim (750m in Threpmuir
reservoir) was perhaps a little too exciting to begin with but
as the field widened out it became quite pleasant to float along
in a buoyant
wetsuit (I started to forget it was a competition). A 15km mountain
bike loop over the hills via Maiden's Cleugh and Glencorse then
back to Threpmuir,
had some awesome views and fun speedy gravelly decents. James
luckily survived a fight with his bike when the wheel decided to
go in the opposite
direction to the rest of the bike (and yet still managed to be
faster than me!). The 5 km run was a bit flat, but a good excuse
to go fast,
overtake a few non-runners and rush back to eat free burgers & be
eaten by midges in the sunset. Provisional results are that James
was a brilliant 9th male in 1hr 22 & I stumbled in 4 minutes
later 7th female. I hope we can persuade more Carnethies to come
back in 2014!
Lindsay Sugden
- 13th June 2013
Arthur's Seat Monday Lunchtime Handicap - 10th
June
With good conditions underfoot and cooling cloud
cover and breeze, there were some excellent times.
However some of the paths are getting a bit overgrown and condition of the
scree descent off Whinny is deteriorating.
Never mind. Adds to the fun of hill running. Results
Mike Lamont
- 13th June 2013
Hungry snouts at Lammer Law Handicap
Many years ago I put a personal boycott on the Goblin
Ha’ hotel in Gifford after they demanded a deposit before they would entertain
feeding a bunch of hungry runners. We transferred our allegiance to
the Tweeddale Arms across the road. Ownership of both hotels has changed
since
then. I made my usual early firm booking at the Tweeddale Arms for
15 – 30
or so runners for last night’s handicap. Checking that arrangements were
clear on my way up to the start I was told that the chef was hard pressed
and they only had food for 15!! – with no ideas offered as to how they
would help sort the crisis that they had generated. I broke my boycott
and appealed to the Goblin Ha’ across the road to take the overspill (sending
the whole gang at such late notice was more risky). Duty manager Andy
couldn’t
have been more sympathetic. With great enthusiasm he accepted our overspill.
I hope that those of you who ate at the Goblin were well looked after,
and my apologies for the cock-up (cos we didn’t get any from the Tweeddale).
So we’ll transfer our custom to the Goblin next year. When will the hospitality
industry learn that they can’t afford to displease people who want to spend
money with them? On hospitality, note the really excellent cafe on
the high street next time your hungry in Gifford.
We saw the Lammermuirs at their best last night, coolish with distant
views across the firth, no midges, bracken growth hardly started, grouse
and skylarks for company. A few struggled with navigation as usual,
even finding the start and finding the way home. The hill fort presented
the usual
puzzling difficulties again. There are good pictures of hill forts
on the internet, or speak to Cali. Our handicapper should stand by
for some queries
and appeals.
Being well insulated by subcutaneous fat (or other pathetic excuses) will NOT
be accepted as a substitute for foul weather gear at my events in future. I’ve
had to deal with both a hypothermia and a dehydration casualty in the space of
a month at hill races. Let’s have a bit more thought about risk of injury please!
Next East Lothian event is the East Lothian Three Peaks Duathlon on July 28th
(starting with the same ascent of Lammer Law).
Keith Burns
Fionna MacKinnon had
an un-FORT-unate run tonight with a incredibly good handicap she
ran the race to win by 18 minutes but "Fort what Fort?" , It will be
left up to the handicapper to decide the results (Cali has run the race
at least 3 times and only found the fort this year!). Matt Grove
was second with Bob Waterhouse third.
The fastest runnner was Andrew
Norman in 50:08 with Alex McVey second in 53:30 and Joel Sylvester
third in 54:43
Results
- 12th June 2013
Club Championship Latest
The latest club championship positions, after 5
out of the 15 races, have been updated on the club
championship page (under the Club Races menu option). Since no-one
has been able to do the minimum 6 races to count yet there are no formal
positions, but Stewart Whitlie leads. Others who look like they could
move to the lead once they do the other races are Andy Fallas and last
years winner, Charlotte Morgan, plus Joan Wilson who has moved into
her new age category with devastating effect! The next race in the
championship is the Glamaig Hill Race - with free food and beer afterwards.
- 11th June 2013
Durisdeer Hill Race - 8th June
The promised sunshine duly materialised with a full
on summer’s day, what a difference to the wet, windswept mountain races of
May.
39 cheery runners started with the promise of enough cakes for 80 runners
at the finish spurring them on, 34 finishing the course, a few victim
of Checkpoint 4 time limit. I’d be interested in anyone’s thoughts on
timeouts and this one in particular?
The lead in the men’s race changed dramatically between checkpoints 2 and 3 with
the leading 3 runners tempted by course markers, unfortunately the markers were
for a completely different event. This allowed Bill Maxwell of Shettleston who
navigated faultlessly to come through for the win, with Colin Brash of Girvan
second. Hilary Holden of Carnethy made it through border control at Biggar to
take the womens race from Penicuik’s Sarah McKechnie.
All enjoyed vast amounts of home baking and tea in the sunshine after the race.
As always the caterers received the loudest applause of the day. Thanks also
to marshalls, officials, Durisdeer Parish Church and Moffat Mountain Rescue Team.
Entry fees will be divided between DPC, MMRT with a donation to SHR. Results
Adam Anderson
- 10th June 2013
Sunday Road Bike Ride - 9th June
The second Sunday of the month rides are about getting
out beyond the bypass to quieter roads beyond, going slow enough to
converse and
fast enough for a decent amount of exercise, with scenery and a sense
of space
thrown in. Which brought a small bunch to the rendez vous at KBU ready
for action. Treasurer Paul pitched up on his special "bicycle for young
people", adhering to the maxim of Henri Desgrange, father of Le Tour
de France, who in 1902 said:
" I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five.
Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than
by the artifice of a derailleur? We are getting soft…As for me,
give me a fixed gear!"
However, Jane Robertson and Jonathan Whitehead,
despite evident youth, showed more sense and sang froide by embracing
the technology
and
enjoyed a morning with little wind, and if memory serves, precisely
four cars over the 13 miles between Pathhead and Rosewell. Despite
such tranquility, the inherent aesthetic qualities of the route
(here),
and indeed the availability of low gear ratios, there was some grumbling
about the hills. Ok,
we did include Polton Bank, which at 12% is steeper than most of
the classic climbs on Le Tour. But maybe it was a good thing that
our own Professor Brian Cox/Mark Cavendish clone had to call off
due to a conflicting leg waxing appointment- he demands pain and
suffering, with harsh penalties for those dissenting.
Whilst I am
coming over all erudite on you, I stumbled across evidence that
the aforementioned Henri Desgrange, father of Le Tour, was a
hill runner: This was said of him:
" Henri Desgrange... imposed on himself a life of submitting himself
to daily physical exercises. They had to demand.........a violent
effort, prolonged, repeated, sometimes going as far as pain, demanding
tenacity and even a certain stoicism. He took on a crusade against
Original Inertia, against the softening of the body ...... Suffer
and sweat! ....... at least three times a week... he ran for at
least an hour, never missing out Jardies hill, the fierce slope
in the centre of the park used by hardened runners"
So should
you wish to avert potential "softening of the body",
the next lung busting last Sunday of the month, road bike ride
is scheduled for June 30th. I'd better join that crusade against
Original Inertia in the meantime!
Robin Haynes
- 10th June 2013
Matt Davis Completes The Paddy Buckley (and
the set!)
Last Saturday and a smidgen of Sunday saw me complete
a solo unsupported round of the Paddy Buckley. For those not familiar
with it, its the Welsh
equivalent of the popular English Bob Graham or Scottish Ramsay Round.
For me this was the last in the trilogy in the UK classic "big 3" 24hr
rounds and for one reason or another over the years it was & has
been a bit of nemesis. Reflecting on the style in which I've done them
this
was & will remain the the hardest of the three to achieve. Did I
make it harder for myself, probably. But then after reading the short
script
written on the official PBR map by Paddy himself. It resonated with
me & made
me even more motivated to try to accomplish it in the manner I wanted,
even if it meant failing several more times. The challenge(s) had become
part of a bigger challenge something that would personally stretch
me, wasn't going to be a given and afterwards I could look back with
a sense
of personnel achievement. Read
More......
- 10th June 2013
Carnethy trio do well at Ennerdale
For the second week in a row we made our way down
south for a Lakeland (super) long classic. On the previous weekend
the picturesque Duddon valley was our destination. Accompanied by Jasmin's
brother, who was
keen(ish) to follow up his Jura run, and family for general water support.
It was a glorious day to be out and the race, which neither of us had
done before, follows a lovely course and is probably a good introduction
to the
longer lakeland events. After some trail running (far too fast for
the likes of us) one gets onto the fell properly over Harter fell then
down to Hartknotts
pass. Then after two hills an excellent traverse line -- provided you
know where you are going -- takes one to 3 Shire Stone. From there,
after a climb
up to Swirl Howe, a long undulating run along a ridge takes one back
to the start. A hose in the finishing field provided a very welcome
shower at the
end of a scorching day. Simon Booth won (yet again) and Jasmin finished
first lady. All in all one might say, a perfect preparation for Yetholm
the next
day...
This weekend, with Jon Ascroft for company, it was the Ennerdale Horseshoe,
at some 23 miles and 7500' a whole different ballgame than Duddon.
Maybe it was due to the continuing excellent weather, but a surprising
number of people turned out for this one, so surprising in fact that
when we arrived word was that the race might be full. Luckily everything
worked out perfectly and the numbers of runners and available dibbers
matched up, to everyone's surprise, exactly. The race follows a theoretically
very obvious route, running a full traverse around the Ennerdale valley,
and Jasmin who had run it last year assured us that it was indeed quite
straightforward. As it indeed is, if you are following a local. The
first half involves avoiding a number of subsidiary summits by traversing
on little trods once on the left once on the right... I was certainly
glad to be running in a bigger group including several lakeland vets
who provided a nice guided tour. This was reinforced when once I stopped
for a wee break to (ehrmm...) take in the view, I immediately lost
my former guides and went for a little walkabout on Haystacks before
finding the next checkpoint, a fate which I hear Jon shared. Jasmin,
more sensibly, stuck with her guide and avoided any mishaps Although
the chasing group (not that there ever was a chance of actually chasing
Oli Johnson down) I was part of had opened a reasonably large gap on
the next runners, getting lost led to a slight failure of motivation,
which, together with some tiredness, meant that come Steeple the following
group containing Jon and Jasmin had caught up enough for Jasmin to
to shout up to me that climbing up Steeple was in fact not a requirement
in the race, something which was confirmed by the nice couple who were
having a picnic on the top. From there on, everything looked set for
the three Carnethies to finish together, with John and Jasmin following
me closely over Haycock and Iron Crag towards the final checkpoint
at Crag Fell. On the descent Jasmin unfortunately decided to throw
herself headlong into a pile of rocks. Luckily Jon was on hand to ensure
she was ok and things weren't too bad so she could finish under her
own steam. Despite her injuries Jasmin managed to defend her title
and again finished first lady
Konrad Rawlik
- 8th June 2013
Record field at Traprain Law Race
     
It was hot! The village park’s
new saplings were suffering drought conditions needing regular watering
and the river was unusually low. After the arrival of the pipe
band, Faerie Queene, vintage vehicles and fire engine
we managed to force a congested departure from the field for the record
turn-out of 108 runners. Race organisation was ably supported
by the Lothian and Borders police bicycle division and the Red Cross.
In very warm sunshine the race took off through the pungent aroma
of burgers and paella frying drifting from the catering area. The
river crossing was unusually low and slippery underfoot. Well
saturated feet were usefully cooled before the sweltering climb up
to the quarry. Increased soil erosion on the steep east ridge
of The Law now needs three fixed rope sections for the nervous. On
the summit, runners were greeted by the resident herd of 14 Exmoor
Ponies who were harassing our summit marshal and had been using some
of our route flags as scratching posts overnight. The sultry
heat along the riverside return was formidable and led to our single
casualty who succumbed to acute dehydration. He recovered well
enough for an assisted walk back and we discarded an evolving plan
for an evacuation by Canadian canoe standing by in the village.
The firm going gave fast times for a hot day. The results tell
the story. Many thanks to all our marshals, timekeepers, registrars
etc. without whom no race can take place. Particular thanks
this year to the runners who interrupted their race to help our casualty,
and to Brian from the Gala Red Cross team who very ably delivered first-response
treatment by the river.
Keith Burns
Results
- previous results here.
More photos
here and here.
- 8th June 2013
Trade Winds Solo Round Britain Challenge
Good luck to clubmate and SIPR compettitor Alan Rankin
in his Solo Round
Britain Challenge, as he sets off from Ullapool tomorrow.
He is sailing solo round Britain and Ireland and stopping 10 times
and running a 10K at each stop.
Read all about it on our Supporting Others
Page
- 6th June 2013
Wed Training
All in one group last
night; this is where we went. Some
of us did not do the 7 hills splash at the
Hermitage so the map shows the most direct
route down, but not the crossing of the brook
and up the direct line up.
- 6th June 2013
Carnethy doing well at Run-4-It Scottish Hill Running
Champs
The latest update to the Scottish Hill Running champs
is now on the SHR site here.
Carnethy is leading all the female classes including teams except Over
60 and Under 23, with Charlotte Morgan the leading woman. In the Men's
we are
leading the Under 23 (Andrew Gilmore), Over 50s (Stewart Whitlie) and
the teams and are currently second in all other categories. Next race
is Tap
o North on 17th August, followed by Ochils 2000 on 24th August.
- 5th June 2013
Glentress Seven - Sat 1st June
The Glentress Seven
mountain bike race was held on Saturday 1st
June. The event consisted of riding your
mountain bike for 7 hours around a set course
as many times as possible. You can elect
to do this as a solo, a pair or a
trio with prices more-or-less £40 per
head (to put our races in perspective
price-wise).
Carnethies in the solo event were
Bob Johnson, Henry Cruikshank and cycle
shirt designer and bike guru Russel Stout
(as Shand Cycles). Russel was 45th
with 7 laps completed in 5:59:49 with Bob
in 59th with 7 laps in 6:39:47.
Couldn't see Henry in the results so perhaps
he'll update this later in the
week. Bob claims to have problems with his
wrist (yes that one) due his
watch migrating up to his elbow but this
is most likely another one of his
feeble excuses.
The solo event was won by Greig
Brown with a staggering 11 laps in 7:15:36
with Kevin Smith in second (the only other
on 11 laps too) in 7:21:50. Only
one pair managed 12 laps so these solo times
were truly exceptional.
Friends of the club
(having attended some of our "awesome" winter
talks),
Paul Carmichael was 3rd with 10 laps and
a fantastic performance from Katie
Carmichael with 9 laps for 18th overall and
first lady.
Ivor Sorewrist
- 3 June 2013
Yetholm Hill Race
Perfect weather conditions
and a large turn-out due to the British Championship
series paved the way for record-breaking
times at Yetholm. The course was being run
in "reverse",
taking in the undulations of Staerough, Sunnyside,
Wildgoose and Latchly Hills before the steep
slog up The Curr. The return leg was deliciously
runnable with a long, smooth ridge descent.
The route was well-marshalled with BSARU
vans and volunteers, with the only quibble
being that a water station would have been
a welcome sight for thirsty runners at The
Curr.
Extensive paddling in Halter Burn meant that I missed
the prize-giving, but I've heard that Morgan Donnelly
(Borrowdale) and Victoria Wilkinson (Bingley) set new
records. There was a strong Carnethy presence, and
the Pennine Fell Runners' strikingly similar vests
amplified the effect!
Photos here and
longer write up here.
Results
Mary
- 30th May 2013
Wed training
Holyrood Park was
swarming with Carnethies last night. Four
disparate factions made their way in various
directions around Arthur's Seat: the Cool
Originals headed up by Willie, the Seven Hill
Splitters led by Gordon, the Fast Drinkers
led astray by Nasher and the One Man Waggle
Dancing Wilkinson. Our routes intertwined
in the manner of a rather unspectacular Speed
of Light Show, and then dozens of us headed
off to the pub to discuss how to support Graham's
Ramsay Round, because It Would Be Rude Not
To (© Oz Oswald).
Mary
Threads of runners criss crossed
Arthur's Seat as Gordon lead a very mini
recce of the 7 hills, Willy lead an clockwise
circuit, and the fast runners popped up everywhere.
A fox watched in disbelief as hordes of
Carnethies variously popped through the portcullis
gate at Pollock Halls or scaled the wall,
and a relieved duck stood about when it should
have been making itself scarce.
Digby
8.3miles, 2,100ft ascent,
7 headed for Arthurs Seat last night. 8 returned.
A warm, balmy night; good running over the crags
to Whinny Hill (some debate about the highest
point) then on to Arthurs seat. Descent via
Crow Hill to Dunsapie, where we met a fraction
of the other group. Beer was mentioned, and
Matt Jones joined us for a cheeky half in the
Sheeps Heid before tarmac bashing back to KB
via the Innocent Railway tunnel.
Graham Nash
- 30th May 2013
Last Sunday of the Month Road Bike Outing
A massive peloton of 5 set off on Sunday 26th for
the end of the month keen outing. At last, the weather was kind,
so we did a classic circuit
of the granites to Innerleithen, along the tweed to Peebles, over
the Meldons and back home past Gladhouse reservoir. The round trip
is around
70 miles – you can see it here.
We made some exciting discoveries on the way too. For example, treasurer
Paul is still flying after 1200 miles in 2 weeks – Simon Titmus
and I thought he passed us going up the hill to take a turn on the
front. Rather it was a race (who’d have guessed?) and Paul had
put in an attack for which we had no answer. We also confirmed that
Jamie Thin
is quick when he is not carrying a monster pack of winter climbing
gear. Speaking of carrying things, Nigel Fawthrop pulled off the
heroic feat
of keeping up for 67 of those 70 miles on his (very solidly built)
touring bike. These big machines can be a bit thirsty on the gas,
but he’s
one to watch if he substitutes speed for carrying capacity. Indeed,
when it comes to fuelling the engine in a time of hi tech isotonic
drinks and gooey gels, the bacon roll could be easily overlooked.
Such cutting
edge sports nutrition, served with tomato sauce, was enjoyed at the
friendly Whistle Stop Café in Innerleithen. It’s the future
and it tastes good.
Next road bike outing is the less intense 2nd Sunday of the month excursion
on June 9th.
Robin Haynes
- 29th May 2013
Great Carnethy runs at Isle of Jura Fell Race -
Sat 25th May
There was superb conditions for the Jura race this
year - the best for years and a complete contrast to the SIPR the week
before - dryish ground, warm, sunny and clear and with a South West
wind blowing the runners up the Paps (not that they would have noticed
!).
Josh Naylor started the race which included a large contigent of Carnethies.
Andy Fallas finished 2nd in 3hrs24mins (a
new club record) behind Hector Haines (HBT) 3:18 and well clear of
Ian Holmes (Bingley) in 3rd. Stewart Whitlie was 8th in a new Over
50 record of 3:36 and Adrian Davis came home in 11th in 3:51 to bring
Carnethy
the first team prize, narrowly beating Dark Peak.
The women were even more outstanding. Jasmin Paris won in 3:54 closely
followed by Helen Bonsor in 3:59, the first time since 1988 (and second
ever) that two women have broken 4 hours at the same time. In fact
sub 4 has only
been achieved 11 times by women and 5 of those were called Angela Mudge,
so great runs by both Jasmin and Helen. Interestingly another sub 4
was by Sarah Haines in 1988, the mother of this year's race winner!
Joan Wilson
came home in 5:32 to win the female Over50s category and complete the
team - the women's team easily won from Dark Peak, giving Carnethy
the team double.
Well done to the other Carnethies who completed:
Michael Reid, Alex McVey, John Ryan, Matt Grove,
Gregor Heron, Tom Middlemiss, Joel Sylvester, Colin
Wilson, Konrad Rawlik, Rachel Berry, Brian Howie. Unfortunately
Gio MacDonanld pulled his calf and had to stagger off.
Results
Quote from Joel : "From the perspective of this
first timer, a truely superb race which I expect I will be returning
to more than once. How anyone can run this in under four hours astounds
me."
Andy Spenceley
- 28th May
2013
Edinburgh Marathon
Festival
 
Thanks
to all the Carnethies who turned out to marshal the EMF yesterday.
The weather for the half was beautiful, particularly the drop into
Portobello with the sunlight shimmering on the bay. By about 08:40
the heat was starting to build though, and began to make the running
a little heavy going.
Still, a great day on a fast course enjoyed
by all (although there may have been a few
strained necks from the comically over-sized
finisher's medals). The EMF website wont
let me search by club so here are the results
for the known Carnethy runners:
Half: Cat Meighan - 01:46:09,
Euan Innes - 01:30:02
Full: Rosie Allister - 3:49:47, Lynn Burnett
- 4:09:59,
Pam Whitlie - 4:17:58, Ian Jackson - 04:20:11, Margaret
Forrest - 05:58:57
Euan Innes
- 27th May 2013
Senior Home International, Skiddaw
Uphill race
This weekend two Carnethies,
Sam Hesling and Charlotte Morgan, represented
Scotland in the Senior Home International,
an uphill-only race which also incorporated
the UKA trials for the European Mountain
Running Championships in Borovets, Bulgaria
in July. Carnethy Iain Whiteside also ran,
representing Northern Ireland.
The women’s race (8.7km, 940m climb),
was straight up Skiddaw from Keswick while
the men’s race (11.3km, 1080m climb),
took in Latrigg twice for added measure.
The conditions were perfect and the lakes
looked stunning from the top. Both ran
well to take a silver team medal for Scotland
behind England. Results and
photo of a happy Sam proudly showing his medal!
Jane Robertson
- 26th May 2013
Carnethy volunteers at Edinburgh Marathon
Festival
Once again a group
of early risers turned out to marshal the
start of the half and full marathons, so
earning a fee for the club. Sterling service
was also done keeping the loo queue moving
smoothly, which we have now got down to
a fine art; and can recommend ourselves
to any organisation for a fee.
A few Carnethies
were spotted in the field, Cat Meighan
running in the half; Margaret Forrest and
Ian Jackson in the full. If there were
others we didn't see them in the throng. Margaret was
running smoothly at 10 miles and looked to be on course
for her goal of five and a half hours.
- 25th May 2013
Junior run
 
Three hardy youngsters (and Bertie the dog)
turned up in torrential rain for junior training
today. A masterclass in how to run very fast
down a wet slippy grass slope was followed
by some relay races to hone their skills. After
20 minutes or so all participants and their
mothers were soaked to the skin so we beat
a hasty retreat to the car, turned the heater
on and ate chocolate.
Nicola Dunn
- 25th May 2013
Wed training
11.7 miles, 2,650ft of ascent, 2 Pentlands,1
pint
The Pentlands looked good tonight, so 5 of us jogged
via Hermitage and Swanston to pick up the path from
last weeks handicap route up Green Craig and onto Allermuir
where we met 2 bemused walkers clad in full winter
goretex suits. It was a bit breezy so we trotted on
to Caerketton as the hail came on, followed by a fast
descent to the Steading. With Andy being away, we sneaked
in for a pint of Stewarts IPA. Perfection. Bellys full
of beer we returned to KB via Mortonhall to find the
bar out of Stewarts IPA. Well worth the run to the
Steading then.
Graham Nash
- 22nd May 2013
Old County Tops Fell Race, Saturday 18th May
Last weekend I had a bash
at the Old County Tops race in the Lakes for the first time. It’s
an event for pairs organised by Achille Ratti Climbing Club, which
starts and finishes
at the New
Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Langdale. It nips between the summits of
Hellvelyn, Scafell Pike and Coniston Old Man, the highest peaks
in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire (as existed before 1974).
Its about 37 miles and 10,000ft, if as the website says, you go
the right way.
I teamed up with Dark Peaker
Tony Heron, who like me hadn’t
much experience in racing more than about 24 miles. We fretted over
the route, how much food to take, what to wear etc. but it all worked
out fine. The weather wasn’t though – it rained almost
persistently for about 60% of the day. Thankfully it wasn’t
very windy, and the visibility was occasionally great, even in the
rain. Almost 100 teams started in cheery spirits, and by the top
of Hellvelyn, we found ourselves in 3rd place, with the leaders some
way ahead. It was eerie at Esk Hause, with rain pouring down, no
one in sight, and clear views in most directions. From Scafell Pike
we took a chance and tried the risky but most direct descent line
down Rough Crag, which took us over the spikiest boulder field I
think I’ve been on. After that, our legs started to moan, and
it was a relief to grab a cup of tea and butty from the marshals
at Cockley Beck. We didn’t mind an ounce when a team skipped
refreshments and passed us. On the out and back section to Coniston
Old Man we saw lots of teams behind us, all looking perky and fresh
compared to how we felt. But we kept a steady pace, and finished
with relief in 7h51, 4th overall and first vets, a mere 40 minutes
behind the winners (Ben Abdelnoor and Paul Tierney of Ambleside).
All
credit to the organisers and marshals for a super event, including
food and drink at the road crossings and finish. Particular thanks
to the marshals on Scafell and Coniston who must have been out for
hours!
http://www.achille-ratti-climbing-club.co.uk/fellrunning/oldcountytops/
Jon Ascroft
- 22nd May 2013
Scottish Islands Peak Race - Report from Tim
Darlow
   
Many
thanks to all marshals and the organisers for committing so much time
and energy
into making a great race.
Before the weekend I’d never been in a sailing boat before. Come to
think it, I’d not run 68 miles in a weekend before either. Was I foolhardy
to take on the SIPR? Read on to find out…..
SIPR – A beginner’s perspective
Myself and Matt Davies teamed up with three
retired Edinburgh doctors –Chris
Oliver, Alan Wright, and Murray Carmichael - to enter in the ‘Cruising’ Class.
Although Matt was also a SIPR ‘virgin’, he does have plenty of
ultra-running experience and, as one Carnethy offered, was a good
partner for me
as “at least he can navigate”. click
here for full report
- 20th May 2013
Cateran Trail Ultramarathon – 18th
May 2013
 
Photo-Phil, Graham and Olly enjoying a pint at the finish, proudly
celebrating both the race, and the colours of the Flag of Krasová.
The Cateran Trail Ultra is a wee gem of a race,
a super low-key and friendly 55 mile/8,000’ outing that perambulates
through the idyllic countryside of rural Perthshire. The scenery
and views are as beguiling and rapidly
changing as the clouds on a typical spring day, with valleys, hills,
woodland, farmland and rivers constantly interchanging to give
your eyes a real treat. Underfoot is a mixture of trails, open farmland,
some quiet back country roads (mostly in the first half) and open
moorland, leaving your mind free to wander and enjoy the full experience.
It was my first attempt at this race, and I was not feeling overly
optimistic after a recurrent calf injury limited me to a grand
total of just 45
miles of training so far this year, but it’s good to test yourself
and I was keen to see how far I could get.
Seventy-two people started, including Graham Nash and Phil Humphries
from Carnethy, and we set off from the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel
in high spirits with the wind behind us and a mixture of sunshine
and
clouds
to give an almost perfect running temperature. Graham set a storming
pace from the very start and was so far ahead he wasn’t even
a spec on the horizon. Phil was going well and he graciously allowed
me
to run alongside him for a bit around mid-race before gently picking
up the pace, or perhaps more accurately not succumbing to my survival
shuffle-jog pace.
At each of the five DIY aid stations, i.e. you supply your own drop-bags
which the organisers transport for you, we were met by the loveliest,
friendliest and most helpful marshals that have ever graced a race.
For the second half we were running into strengthening headwinds
and intermittent
bands of rain, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter as each
mile brought us closer to the finish, and then a huge welcome from
the other
finishers and supporters once we were finally back at the hotel.
The race was won by Donnie Campbell in an impressive 7:58, just 4
mins off the record, with Graham finishing in 9:15 and 3rd place
overall,
which is arguably the best Carnethy finish in an Ultra since Lucy
Colquoun’s
numerous amazing achievements. Phil had a great run to finish in
10:18 and 9th place, whilst I shuffled home in 10:36 and 11th place.
My legs
were rather pleased it was over, but my mind was (and still is) totally
buzzing from the experience. I predict great things for Graham and
Phil in their running plans for later this summer.
A very big thanks to race organiser Karen Donoghue and her team for
such a lovely race. It’s a real antidote to all the huge commercial
races out there, and long may it continue. Results
- 20th May 2013
Cairnpapple Hill Race
While the glamorous face of hill racing was
turned towards islands in the west, two Carnethies risked their hubcaps
by venturing
slightly
less far westward to the Cairnpapple Hill race in Bathgate which forms
part of the West Lothian Highland Games. Sadly, the day was miserable
with torrential showers swamping the field so the massed piping competition
was rained off but hill racers are made of stronger stuff and a crowd
of about 30 of us stood miserably at the start waiting for the heavy
field events (large kilted men throwing a weight over a bar) to clear
the way. With a shout of "Go" midway through the race briefing,
there was a slightly confused start but we set off anyway, only for
Mike (Lynch) to aquaplane on his Hokas and fall within the first 50
metres.
The 'hill' race is in fact a fabulous tour of the backstreets of Bathgate
but they do eventually lead to a long drag on a main road up the shoulder
of the hill followed by about 500 metres on a track to (I presume,
but it was too misty to see) the summit where we went round an unfortunate
marshal who was impersonating a cairn in the lashing rain and then
back
down the same way to the start. The crowd (one man and his dog who
had spilled out from the beer tent at the perfect moment) went wild
as we
re-entered the field for a soggy flop across the line. It's far from
the most glamorous of races but it's on the calendar and with the absence
of any 'big names' (or even any medium ones) it's (relatively) good
for your SHR percentage and there's even a goody bag. For the first
and only
time I was first Carnethy home with Mike managing to stay upright on
his platform shoes after his early tumble to come in shortly behind
me. Results to follow.
Neil Burnett
- 18th May 2013
SIPR - Arran
We are sitting in the pub with the rain lashing
down outside. The wind is howling but bizzarely the leading boat is
becalmed some 10 miles away being rowed. The tent is up but highly
distressed from a Mull storm, the checkpoints are out, and we await.
Though we hear that the Blue Chip Team may have decided to stick with
the Jura Brunch and miss out the delights of Arran.
- 18th May 2013
Goatfell race
      
Mild but overcast weather
at sea level deteriorated to a howling gale
with driven rain and hail on the final rocky
ascent which threatened to blow us off the
mountain. Finlay Wild was 1st man in a near
record time around 1:15 with Andy Fallas 2nd.
The ladies Carnethy clean sweep with Charlotte
Morgan 1st, Jill Mykura 2nd and Helen Bonsor
4th should have secured the team prize, but
there wasn't one. There was for the men however
- Andy, Stuart Whitlie (7th & 1st V50) and
Iain Whiteside (8th). Jacqui Higginbottom was
3rd LV40, (Shona Robertson 1st LV40, Veronique
Oldham 2nd). Joan Wilson was 1st LV50 - and
is currently leading the LV50 Scottish Championship
catagory.
Less blood around this year, though Charlotte was looking a bit gap
toothed with a crown fallen off and Euan Mackinnon delivered a straight
fingered blow to the hillside and dislocated it.
Results Allan
Gebbie's Photo Album
Digby
- 18th May 2013
SIPR- JURA
After a wonderful day putting out the
checkpoints on Jura on friday, rain came in overnight as did the wind.
The
first few teams had to contend with horrendous wind and rain on The
Paps.
Sam
Hesling and Matt Sulivan (Shettleston) were out in the worst of it
and are now drinking beer in The Jura Hotel waiting for a weather window.
"The
Jura Brunch is not to be missed and should be made a compulsory part
of the race" says the Blue Chip Team.
- 18th May 2013
Gypsy Glen
Four Carnethies (Konrad Rawlik, Alex McVey,
John Ryan and Mike Lynch) ran the Gypsy Glen Hill Race in Peebles on
Wednesday
night in wet and windy
conditions. The 8.2k/306m route started at the Gytes and ran across
the River Tweed into Victoria Park, through Kings Meadows, into some
woods
at Hogbridge Covert and up into the hills. A couple of false summits,
including Craig Hill followed then the looped descent, which was
fast and slippery,
back to the finish at Victoria Park. We had four seasons within the
course of the race, but mostly it was Winter.
A runner from Edinburgh University
looking barely old enough to tie his shoelaces set a storming pace
at the head of the field and was never
caught, and came within a few seconds of Al Anthony's 2009 record,
which was good
going considering the conditions.Results to follow.
Mike Lynch
- 16th May 2013
Dreghorn Handicap - Sun,
Rain, Hail and Rainbows
   
 
With
Gordon's Recce as the benchmark and the fact that he took a few interesting
diversions on the way, the predicted handicaps for this new route were
about 118% of the actual.
This favoured the slower runners so there was not a lot of overtaking,
and also following wasn't that easy, unless you chose to follow Michael
Wilkinson.
He managed to add Swanston to the route and also lead a few others
that way.
The route was well liked by the 41 runners and the race was won
by David Harrington with Philippa Ivison and Kate Bebb joint second.
Andy
Fallas was the fastest runner in 41:59.
Thanks to Graham Nash and Bob
Johnson for organising
More photos here
Results (first
draft)
- 16th May 2013
Ben Lomond Hill race
With other races on at the weekend, there seemed
a smaller than usual Carnethy turnout at the annual Ben Lomond Hill Race.
Excellantly organised by Chris
Upson and Westerlands, the race was slightly shorter than previous years
as Stirling Council prevented use of the road alongside the hotel. Instead,
the race was completely off road starting and finishing just above the
car park. The race was won by Douglas Tullie in 1:08:29 over three minutes
ahead
of Shettleston's Kenny Richmond in 2nd. Diane Baum of Lochaber was 1st
lady in 1:28:54. Carnethy were amongst the prizes too with wins for Joan
Wilson
(F50) and Andrew Gilmore (U23). Andrew and his brother Iain were joined
by John Hammond to win Carnethy the male team prize to. (Great to see
Carnethy winning the team prize at both SHR races on the same day - Ben
Lomond and
Glas Tulaichean!).
The other runners from the club were Tim Darlow, Colin Wilson, Adam Anderson,
Bruce Smith, Ally Robertson and me.
The rocky route is infamous for scrapes and bumps and there were a few
wounded among the runners returning to Rowardennan. Carnethy runners
all finished
fit and healthy with the only casaulty being Ally Robertson's bum-bag
missing in action somewhere on the slopes of the hill!......
Harry Gilmore
- 12th May 2013
Sunday Road Bike Outing
A small bunch foregathered at Kings Buildings
at the allotted time, including Treasurer Paul who had been to visit
his sister. What a fascinating discourse, you must be thinking. Except
it transpired he went there and back by bike. And his sister lives
in Brighton. And he did some sightseeing on the way, making it 1200
miles in a couple of weeks.
So we left, reminding ourselves that this was the gentler of the two monthly
rides. Which it was, with Paul hiding his tiger in captivity urge to blast
on ahead quite well. We did just over 35 miles - route here .
Apologies to Ben and Nigel for a route choice with no cafe. Next outing will
be the end of the month visit
to the house of pain on May 26th.
Robin Haynes
- 12th May 2013
Glas Tulaichean Uphill - Sat 11th May
   
Saturday was a real unknown. It had been 51
weeks since
I raced last, over 2 months since I had run with anyone
else, and having only started training again in Jan
this year after pretty much taking 2012 off I had no
idea what to expect ...
Arriving on Friday evening gave the opportunity to
recce the course between rain showers. First observation
was that with three river crossings the feet were guaranteed
a soaking so I made the decision to race without socks
thereby not having to lug the extra wet-sock weight
up the hill where it mattered most, the ends of the
legs. It all sounds a bit Sky Procycling Aggregation
of Marginal Gains™ but I reckon it made
enough of a difference to warrant all of the wee cuts
from stones I'm now dealing with on my feet.
3 months of flogging an unwilling body and mind round
the running track paid off and I was able to keep up
with the lead group (if you discount Robbie Simpson
who launched off ahead - a man in a league of
his own) on the flatish run out up the glen.
Then it was into diesel mode for the climb which kicked
in without mercy. After some tussles and changing
of positions with the group of 6 (I think it was 6
anyway) I was able to put in a couple of digs to get
clear into second and kept the pace high to try and
distance the others.
There was no distancing Hector Haines though who came
through and after a few ding dongs I could only hang
on behind him along the flat section before the final
climb. The steep dig to the summit was brutal
and I was plumbing the depths of my physical capabilities
to hang on.
Third place just behind Hector was more than I could
ever have expected. The Boat Race then Keswick over
the next two weekends, racing psyche is back!!
Awesome runs from Paul and Andy won Carnethy the team
prize - great result.
Many thanks to Dave from Dundee Hawkhill Harriers and
all the Marshals for putting on the event.
Allan Gebbie's album here and
results here.
Sam Hesling
- 11th May 2013
Journey run from Lamington
    
Eleven runners and two
dogs assembled at the car park by Lamington
Kirk for the run. The weather forecast was
horrible - heavy showers all day - but a
search on the Internet had found a better
forecast, light rain earlier then drying
up, so we took that one instead... read
on
 
Photomap
& how the day should have looked.
- 10th May 2013
Dumyat - Wed 8th May
After the misery that was Stuc a' Chroin at the
weekend, I felt something fast and enjoyable was in order, and thankfully
Dumyat
was the next event on the calendar. Dumyat is one of the bog and
burn races
but
it also doubles as the Scottish Universities Hill Race Championship,
so there was a heavy attendance by the bright young things of Scotland,
all
looking unfeasibly youthful, cheerful and positive. Excellent.
To add
some balance to the field, 13 world-weary Carnethies also made the
journey to
Stirling Uni for the race. This being the term-time home turf of
the young Gilmores, they appeared at the start looking fresh, possibly
from
desperately
cleaning and hiding “stuff” in their student digs before
their dad came round. Harry looked cheerful so I guess the brothers
did a
good job. The starting gun caught everyone by surprise and I found
myself near
the back at an early stage being passed by various kids in onesies
and fancy dress. The first section along the road was a lung-busting
affair,
but I managed to make up some ground on the ascent through the woods
and onto a pleasant climb in fine weather to the summit. It wasn’t
long before the fast uni lads came hurtling by - personally I was
saddened to
see that it wasn’t some Glasgow Uni lads leading the charge. Ah
well. Andrew was the first Carnethy vest running back down, then
(not sure
of the order), Graham, Bruce, Ian and then Harry. I stumbled round
the summit,
hoping that I could catch Harry on the descent. I managed two spectacular
faceplants in the bog at the fence crossing, much to the amusement
of everyone nearby, before getting my act together and caught Harry
just
before the
woods. The tricky descent through the trees and roots helped spread-out
the bustle of people forming behind me, and I managed to get a good
sprint going on the road back.
From the results, it looks like Iain
Whiteside was there too running for Edinburgh Uni, producing a fantastic
4th place!
Andrew was the first Carnethy vest over the line in an amazing 7th,
Jacqui
was the first female Carnethy in 88th (I think).
Jim Hardie
Results
here:
- 9th May 2013
Seven Skies Voyage
Ever wondered what would happen if the Seven
Hills route hooked up with the Pentland Skyline,
and made a baby? No? Well Matt and I decided
to take a day getting to know this ungainly love-child.
And what a day it was: 37 miles of soul-warming
(and sole-warming!) glorious sunshine from Calton
Hill to the Drove Road and back again (nearly).
Blow by blow account here: http://athousandwindsthatblow.blogspot.co.uk/
Route Map: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/309355247
Mary Lye
- 9th May 2013
Wed Training - 8th May
No fast group today. We
headed off to explore the Edmonstone policies
and the Drum Estate, but were nearly foiled
by the new road being built to the rear of
the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Local knowledge
in the form of Heather was roundly ignored
and we threaded a long and devious route trying
to find a way around the high fencing ending
up going past the Jack Kane centre, which
would not look out of place as a fortress
in a war zone (which I suppose it is really),
and eventually back onto track and over the
hill to the Drum, looking lush in the evening
sunshine. Through Gilmerton via Ellen's Glen
and back to KB where the bar had decided to
close unsociably at 9pm.
A very respectable 9.33 miles.
Digby
- 7th May 2013
Arthur's Seat Monday
Lunchtime Handicap - 6th May
Great turnout for a
bank holiday, with great weather and conditions
too. Only problem was dodging all the tourists
on the paths.
Good times, with most of us beating our handicaps.
Tom romped home as the official winner, over 4 mins
under his handicap.
Eddie beat Tom to the finish line, but that was because
he started a couple of minutes early, by mistake. Never
the less, a good run clinches second place for him.
Close call for Rab who managed to trip and head-butt
the bank of the burn, below Haggis Knowe. Going to
have a few bruises, by the look of it, but survived
to tell the tale. Results
Mike Lamont
- 6th May 2013
Great Lakeland 3 Day
For the May bank holiday weekend I headed down to
the Lake District for the Great Lakeland 3 Day. The long range forecast
had been for good
weather but as I drove south the rain was torrential and the sunshine
was to make
only the briefest of appearances over the weekend.
This year the event
was based at Dowthwaitehead. Day 1 started with a long stint over
to Birkhouse Moor, climbing into the dense cloud and
then a nice scramble along Striding Edge and onto Helvellyn. From
there the route descended to Grisdale Tarn and then a steep climb
onto Fairfield.
The next leg was a fantastic long run along the ridge south to Rydal
and then onwards to Helm Crag. On the climb the sun came out and I
ran out of water so the next few hours are a bit of a blur as I was
totally dehydrated and ended up on top of a hill that I didn't need
to climb.
The last 5 miles were on agonising rocky trails and road to the overnight
camp where I was greeted with beer and cake. After 28 miles and over
9 hours I was on 3rd place on the A class, only a handful of minutes
behind 2nd but over 2 hours behind 1st place!
The weather was appalling
on day 2 making the navigation from Green
Gable to Robinsons Cairn difficult and time
consuming. Combined with a badly bruised
foot I was losing a lot of time and in danger
of timing out so I bailed onto the B course.
A lovely run up and down the valley
from Buttermere to Derwentwater then a very
hobbly run through the forest brought the
day to an end.
Having blown my chances of placing
on the A course I ran the B course for the final day. A boggy run
over the mist covered moors started the
day off. My legs were feeling surprisingly fresh but my feet were
still giving me big problems on the descents. So the climb back up
onto Helvellyn
actually came as a relief after the steep descent down Mosshause Gill.
From there it was another long ridge run through the thick clag to
Great Dodd and a long boggy descent to the finish line where the sun
finally
came out as I sat and ate at the end of the race, a great end to the
weekend.
Conor Cromie
- 4th May 2013
Stuc a'Chroin 5000 - 39 Carnethy Runners
    more
photos on flickr (courtesy of Allan Gebbie)
The Prize Winners
| Male U23 |
| 1 |
Andrew |
Gilmore |
Carnethy |
| 2 |
Adam |
Harris |
Shettleston |
| 3 |
Ian |
Gilmore |
Carnethy |
| MALE |
| 1 |
Hector |
Haines |
HBT |
| 2 |
Finlay |
Wild |
Lochaber |
| 3 |
Andrew |
Fallas |
Carnethy |
| FEMALE |
| 1 |
Charlotte |
Morgan |
Carnethy |
| 2 |
Eilidh |
Raistrick |
HBT |
| 3 |
Ciara |
Largey |
Cosmics |
| MV40 |
| 1 |
Kenny |
Richmond |
Shettleston |
| 2 |
Mark |
Harris |
Fife AC |
| 3 |
Jon |
Ascroft |
Carnethy |
| FV40 |
| 1 |
Jacqui |
Higginbottom |
Carnethy |
| 2 |
Veronique |
Oldham |
Cosmics |
| 3 |
Jane |
Jackson |
Carnethy |
| MV50 |
| 1 |
Stewart |
Whitlie |
Carnethy |
| 2 |
Alan |
Smith |
Deeside |
| 3 |
Adrian |
Davis |
Carnethy |
| FV50 |
| 1 |
Joan |
Wilson |
Carnethy |
| 2 |
Hilary |
Ritchie |
Fife AC |
| 3 |
Anita |
Hamilton |
Cosmics |
| MV60 |
| 1 |
Ewan |
Paterson |
Moray Roadrunners |
| 2 |
Doug |
Milligan |
Solway |
| 3 |
John |
Blair-Fish |
Carnethy |
| FV60 |
| 1 |
Ros |
Evans |
Westies |
| TEAM |
Men |
Women |
|
| 1 |
Carnethy |
Carnethy |
|
| 2 |
HBT |
|
|
| |
It
was my 3rd Stuc a'Chroin Race, back
after a 10 year absence. My excuse
of "It is too close to the Scottish
Islands Peaks Race" was not valid
this year so it had to be done.
Leaving Roslin with Joel Sylvester and Helen Wise we
knew that the weather was likely to be iffy, but the
views of the hills was spectacular as we headed up
the M9. I was hopeful!
After arriving at Strathyre and registering in fair
conditions, a cup of coffee took enough tinme for the
weather to turn. After hiding in the car to change
into race gear we headed to the start. Already sporting
my new Carnethy cap, I added my old faithful Carnethy
pertex to the full body cover I was carrying at the
last minute (and what a good move that was).
There were masses of Carnethies milling arounng in
the mizzle at the start and after a countdown we were
off.
I had forgotten how long the track up was and also
forgotten how far we cut back along the ridge before
the well remembered descent in and climb out of Glen
Ample. The very steep single track queue up out of
the Glen was also well remembered but not the undulating
ridge, which seemed to go on for ever.
I passed the descent path just in time to see the first
runners heading down. Andy Fallas was lying 3rd and
lots of other Carnethies were not far off the pace
and Charlotte was the first lady on the way back down.
The wind was strong as I donned the pertex for the
climb to the summit and tried hard to catch Joan Wilson
who skipped past me on one of the slippier descents,
I saw her for the lst time as she passed the summit..
The summit turn was welcome but running back into the
wind over slippy rocks was fraught. I ran past a pile
of water bottles abandoned on the hill and saw Marshals
escorting someone down to shelter. It transpired that
this was a female runner suffering from hypothermia,
Keith Burns had noticed and gave up his race to help
(After a helecopter had failed to reach her, she was
escorted off the hill to safety).
The slippy traverse descent back into Glen Ample was
fun as was the climb back out. Then there was the interminable
track to the finish field.
A great adventure as ever I was only 40 minutes slower
than 10 years ago in 3:35:18.
Andy Fallas was first Carnethy home in third place
and with Stewart Whitlie (7th), Andrew Gilmore (9th)
and Paul Faulkner (10th) making up the winning team.
Charlotte Morgan was first Lady and Jacqui Higginbottom
was first FV40.
There were masses of very cheerful marshals all over
the hill offering water and food. Many Thanks to all
of you.
Willie Gibson |
Full
Results Carnethy
Runners
- 4th May 2013
Saturday Junior Run
A smaller elite crew
of Junior Carnethies hit the hills today from
a slightly different venue (St Margaret's
Loch) partly for a change of scenery and partly
in search of fewer stinging nettles. The hardcore were Ellie,
Fiona, Johnny, Katy, Rosie, Ronnie & Solly.
In addition to the usual games a couple of new ones
were trialled. One, dubiously named "Ring
Worms" seemed to work pretty well for the winning
team who greatly enjoyed it. Not so for the losers
who were puzzled by the complexities of breaking and
rejoining hands and at times having to run backwards. One
member of the disgruntled team (Bertie the dog) found
the game hilarious!
The final game, an unnamed variation of tussock tig,
involved the elite Juniors Carnethies running after
sweetie laden adults whilst avoiding being tigged.
Comments and suggestions encouraged from all (eg location,
games, sweeties, terrain, use of water, age groups,
times, etc).
Matt Jones
- 3rd May 2013
Highlander Mountain Marathon
Saturday & Sunday
27-28th April
The Highlander Mountain Marathon was this year around
Creag Meagaidh and the hills north of Laggan. With
snowy conditions persisting, the scenery was all the
more dramatic and at times quite serious looking. Sometimes
the snow allowed fast firm running, and of course other
times it swallowed limbs without warning.The weather
on the Friday evening whilst driving up to the registration
in Newtonmore was totally grim, and a layer of fresh
snow fell. But the skies were gentle on the Saturday,
quite reasonable for the overnight camp, and only a
bit grizzly on the Sunday. The marquee at the Garve
Bridge camp was as cosy and lively as expected - hot
food for everyone, and lots of enthusiasm for the beer
and ceilidh dancing.
There were several Carnethies running in teams across
the five different courses. Steven Fallon and I made
it around the A route and managed to finish third overall.
We had a keen start, and I struggled keep sight of
Steven’s speedy footwork on the rough traverses
and boulder fields . We wilted after a few hours, and
started to feel the weight of our sacs. We could choose
how to do the latter checkpoints and opted for the
order giving a shorter route but more height change.
The final snowy climb beside a waterfall looked truly
intimidating from a distance, and made us wonder if
we’d need axes to get up. But sure enough grabbing
handfuls of slushy mud sufficed. A mixture of fatigue
and carelessness then led me to take us way off route
which squandered bags of time, but we sped down to
the finish otherwise content. Day 2 had a reverse chasing
start, and we were steady all day. I’ll remember
it for the fantastic scenery around the gorge at the
top of Glen Markie. The finish in Laggan village soon
enough, and the hot food an blether there completed
a great weekend.
Handsonevents laid on a small (relative to the the
LAMM & OMM) but perfectly formed event, which must
have been a challenge with the changing snow conditions.
Despite the early season timing its a great event to
try, with comforts at the overnight camp and interesting
routes that offer wild highland running.
http://www.handsonevents.co.uk/?page_id=795
Some great photos at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/64lvxyjruy36rce/wJ7iYr-J2h#/
Jon Ascroft
Helen and Heather's Report
4 Carnethy teams were out and about around Loch Laggan
for the 2013 Highlander, featuring a number of route adjustments to take
into account lingering snow on
some of the hills. However, there were beautiful conditions for day 1, with
bright sunshine marking the start from Aberarder and an overnight camp at Garva
Bridge.
There was amazing running on fresh snow (many of the score competitors commented
on how easy it was to follow footprints in the snow to the controls!) and
across moorland. Following the Ceilidh and the beer, day 2 took competitors
through
the Monadhliath region – this apparently means Grey Mountains in Gaelic
and they were well named, with slightly damper, mistier and windier conditions.
However, there was sunshine for the finish in Gergask. The A-class winners
were Jim Mann and Shane Ohly in 9h8m24s.
Of the Carnethies,
Jon Ashcroft and Steve Fallon were 3rd overall/1st vets in the A-class, John
Ryan and Andrew Bell were 5th overall/3rd mens team in the C-class (despite
hideous blisters), Maggi Creber and Jess Knapworth were 17th overall /2nd
ladies team
in the C-class and Heather Munro and Helen Wise were 19th overall/4th ladies
team in the D-class.
Helen Wise
- 2nd May 2013
May Day Wed Training
It being a lovely evening
(and how long have we been waiting for that?),
and Willy being away, I badgered and pestered
until we had a consensus on Caerketton. Since
I wouldn't be able to lead from a long way
behind, Oz stepped, nay skipped to the front
and took us through the Hermitage, up the
Braidburn park and via Swanston to the foot
of the hill where we finally managed to shoo
away the 'fast' group who were showing little
inclination to live up to their name. Given
3 options of difficulty we chose to go up
by the screes and were amply rewarded by the
view, and a discussion on terminally obsessive
categories of Scottish hill bagging. We returned
via Mortonhall and happily the bar was still
serving. A good long run.
Digby
- 30th April 2013
April Road Bike Outing
At last... acceptable
cycling conditions coincided with a Sunday.
A small but perfectly formed bunch set off
chewing over the route choices. Should we
head South and West and get blown home, but
also wet, or stay dry in East Lothian but
do battle with a 20mph westerly wind gusting
40 for the home leg? Decisions were avoided
until going south from Tranent when democracy
came to play and we headed East. Sorry Phil - that meant you repeated
almost the same route as the last time you joined us... honest,
we have some imagination!
Anyway, 60 miles into East Lothian and back. Cafe stop here,
route here.
The average speed was over 18mph until we hit urban
traffic in Musselburgh whereupon the race was neutralised.
Next outing is the more civilised 2nd Sunday of the
month excursion on 12th May. Updates nearer
the time but it should feature quiet roads, a speed
that might facilitate conversation and the possibility
of cake.
Robin Haynes
- 29th April 2013
Balmoral 15 mile Trail Race
Angela
sets new record and continues form in 2013, winning
the Balmoral 15 mile trail race with a great
run in 1.37, and finishing 8th overall from a
field of 300. Iain Whiteside
also had a great run to finish 2nd in 1.30,
1 minute behind Robbie Simpson, who won the
race in 1:29. Full results and report here: http://www.runbalmoral.com/news/detail.aspx?q=133
- 29th April 2013
Stuc a Chroin recce
   
An early reccy of the
Stuc a Chroin snowfields yesterday shows no problems
on the climbs and some useful glissading on the
descents - provided it stays cold but not icy
between now and the race.
Keith Burns
- 29th April 2013
Lomonds Junior Hill Race
I ran the Lomonds Junior Hill Race in
Fife, East Lomond. The race was tough,
at one point I was on my hands and knees
climbing on an almost vertical slope.
On the way down I lost one place but
at the end in the last 10m I sprinted
like mad and I stole the place back.
At the end everyone got a bar of chocolate
and a box juice. It was a lot of fun.
Andrew Nash
age 9
I ran the Lomonds Junior Hill
Race 2013. It was up East Lomond Hill. There
were about 20 children at the start. The man
said ready steady Go and all the children
raced off. We had to jump over a ditch. Then
it very hard because we went through heather.
It was very windy when we got to the top and
I held daddy very tight. I ran down the hill
my fastest but the wind was blowing us even faster.
I said to my daddy that it was too fast. I sprinted
down to the finish and at the end of the race
I got a chocolate bar.
Rachael Nash age 7
- 28th April
2013
Carnethy women dominate at Three Peaks Race
 
A massive field
of 672 finished the classic Yorkshire Three
Peaks Race and Carnethy easily won the women's
team prize with Jasmin Paris once again proving
her strength at the long races by taking
1st place, followed by Helen Bonsor in 3rd
and Jill Mykura 4th. Meanwhile Andy Fallas
had a storming run to easily be the fastest
Carnethy ever at the race in a very fast
3hrs03mins, one place behind Rob Jebb.
http://www.mudsweatandtears.co.uk/2013/04/30/joe-and-jasmin-take-3-peaks-titles-back-to-scotland/
1st Joe Symonds
Salomon International Team, 02:54:39
2nd Carl Bell Keswick AC, 02:59:44
3rd Karl Gray Calder Valley Fell Runners
MV40, 02:59:50
4th Robert Jebb Bingley Harriers & AC,
03:01:46
5th Andrew Fallas,
03:03:15
42nd Jasmin Paris, 03:33:04 (1st F)
57th Helen Bonsor, 03:39:07 (3rd F)
82nd Jill Mykura, 03:46:20 (4th F)
262nd Matthew Grove, 04:16:25
Full
Results
prize
giving photos
lots of other
photos
- 28th April 2013
Hoka Highland Fling
Race - Sat 27th - Carnethy win Team Trophy
This race follows
the southern ‘half’ of the West
Highland Way for 53 miles, from Milngavie
to Tyndrum. Now in its 8th year there were
over 600 entries, with about 500 due to toe
the start line ~ similar in scale to Carnethy
5 race. “Unknown, new on the scene” runner
Lee Kemp set a fine new course record
in 7:03, with second placed Ricky Lightfoot
also inside the previous record @ 7:09. Carnethy
took home the men’s team prize (Gregor
Heron, Graham Nash and Phil Humphries), and
Murdo McEwan 2nd placed in the MV60 category.
416 runnesr finished the full distance within
the 15 hours time limit. Carnethies, with
times and finish positions: Gregor Heron
(23rd 9:00) Graham Nash (35th 9:20)
Phil Humphries (69th 9:58) Murdo McEwan
(90th 10:20) Ally Robertson (147th 10:58)
Paul Nash (160th 11:06) Nick Smith (173rd
11:17) Mike Lynch (210th 11:48) Ali Black
(243rd 12:10) Michael Nowicki (376 14:03).
A long and invigorating day ~ fantastically
well organised throughout.
Murdo McEwan
- 27th April 2013
Hunters Bog Trot Race
Report
A balmy 10C and bright
sunshine (occasional hail showers aside)
at Salisbury Crags greeted those Carnethies
not tempted away by the longer events
on this weekend.
After a masterfully concise pre-race briefing,
warning of the presence of gravity on the
course, we set off for a deceptively runable
first km through Hunter’s Bog. The
course then swung steeply up and over the
top of the Crags for what I’ve got
to assume was a fantastic view for those
not concentrating on keeping their lungs
inside their chest. Well worth it for the
sweeping descent back to the start for the
finish of lap one.
The climb up the north side of the radical
road for the longer second
lap passed through a particularly thick
patch of gravity. Another blast up the Crags,
fast descent back down to St Margaret’s
Loch (leaping the water hazard) and it was
all over.
My watch put the distance about
170m longer and 40m steeper than the 6.5km/240m
advertised, but then I did take brief detour
to search for buried acorns (not really sure
what came over me there).
Thanks go
to HBT for setting up a well marked and
marshaled course.
Andrew
Gilmore was first Carnethy home.
Results
Euan
Innes
- 25th April 2013
Wednesday Training
Run - Wed 24th
As Andy and Graham
were otherwise engaged, I took the faster
group for a wee holiday from Andy’s usual
punishing pace. Things didn’t look too promising
in the first mile, the 9 that started had
been reduced to 8 with Euan Innes apparently
going feral in the Hermitage woods. Some
discussion about what to do followed and
we all agreed that he would probably survive,
perhaps the native animals will find him
and rear him as their own, so we trotted
on. The route took us over Blackford, and
Braids, then round Mortonhall, back over
the braids to the Blackford arête where we
met the others, Blackford summit again and
then a sprint back to KB for a refreshing
and well deserved pint. A few wrong turns
on the way, but who cares. About 9.5 miles,
I reckon that’s enough, all in glorious dry
weather. Thankfully Euan survived, and can
now speak fluent 'squirrel'.
Jim Hardie
- 21st April
2013
Carnethy take
on London Marathon
A good number of Carnethies travelled to the "Laugh
n a Joke" (that's "smoke" apparently)
(which in turn is "London" apparently)
for the marathon at the weekend. For those of
you who sensibly stick to the lush green hills
this is a gruelling 26 miles and 385 yards on
pan-flat tarmac. To be fair there were 6 nasty
little hills soon after the green start but only
locals see them as hills (we call them speed
bumps up here). The aforementioned "hills" were
marshalled though and the you could hear a
shout of "HUMP" as
you ran by. I was severely tempted by this
offer from one such lovely female marshal but
thought that my time would suffer so I continued
without such
niceties.
The winner of the men's race was Tsegaye KEBEDE (ETH)
in a time of 2:06:04 with Brits Derek Hawkins (2:16:50
for 13th) and Phil Wicks (2:19:07 for
15th) less than 15 minutes off the pace.
It's interesting (for me at least) to note
that the fastest male Brit is still Steve Jones
(Wales) in a time of
2:07:13 while Charlie Spedding's 2:08:33
is the fastest English time and Allister Hutton
the fastest Scott in 2:09:16. These three were
first, second and third in the 1985 London
Marathon - ah the good old days.
The winner of the women's race was Priscah JEPTOO (KEN)
in a time of 2:2015 with Susan Partridge in 9th (2:30:46)
and Amy Whitehead in 13th (2:34:14).
The fastest woman's time is Paula Radcliff
in 2:15:24 set in London in 2003.
Not sure about the fastest female Scott
- perhaps somebody will read this and update
me.
Friends and relations of Carnethy have now been added
to the list of "related" finish
times below. Plan to add photographs soon
but, for the time-being, please be content with my
finishers certificate rubbing in the fact that I was
59 seconds TOO SLOW the good-for-age time
of 3:15:00.
Grant Ramsay 2:40:51 (son of a certain Charlie) Craig
Mattocks 2:51:27 Bob Johnson 3:15:59 (Grandad to a
certain Harry) Kate Jenkins 3:26:49 Joanne Anderson
3:45:13 Rosie Allister 3:47:09 Sally Cross 4:00:25
Michael Nowicki 4:48:33
Bob Johnson and Larry
Grew
London Marathon postscipt
courtesy Ian Jackson...
All 3 Carnethy women
in the race did Good For Age. Sally's GFA
is 4.15.00 and Joanne and Rosie is 3.50.
(at least that was 2013 GFA)
Fastest female scottish marathoner is of
course Liz McColgan 2h 26m 52s in London
1997
Fastest scots in this years race: Susan Partridge
was first Brit in 9th and she was born
in Oban and represents Scotland although
runs for an English club (Leeds). Hayley
Haining was first woman in the mass race
in 2.36.52 and she runs for Kilbarchan.
Patryk Gierjatowicz
was first scottish based and local runner:
9th in the mass race in 2.26.02 and he runs
for Edinburgh University.
Ian
Jackson
- 20th April 2013
Ben More Hill Race
Mull
      
On
a windy day with clouds on the tops the
Ben More Race was won by Tom Smith of Lochaber
in 1:04:11 and Alan Smith (Deesider)was
2nd in 1:06:00 and Manny Gorman (Westies)
was third in 1:099:21. Alex McVey was 4th
and 1st Carnethy in 1:11:57. 1st Lady
was Megan
Mowbrey of HBT in 1:18:08.
Results
Photos
from Bob Waterhouse and Manny Gorman
- 17th April
2013
Club Handicap Series
- No 1 Boghall
      
The weather was surprisingly
poor for the first handicap of the season.
The wind was blowing very hard but at least
the rain stayed away until the return of
the last of the runners.
48
Carnethies set off from the busy Boghall
carpark and headed off into the headwind
on the way up Allermuir. Some frisky cattle
added to the excitement of the initial climb
and the very boggy ground made the going
rather soft.
The stile at Allermuir summit was causing
some consternation as the wind pinned runners
to the fence, running downhill into the gale
was interesting and the wide route outside
the fence was unusually a little faster due
to the protection afforded by the dry stane
dyke.
The
boggy descent from Allermuir Crossing to
the army metal plate was technical, slippy
and great fun and the following breeze aided
the Castlelaw Climb.
The newly laid road on the run off Castlelaw
added a new 5 foot cliff to the descent and
the run down from the broken sinks was improved
by last years heather burning. Todays
lunchtime reccie of the new fence (and the
covering up of a couple of stretches of barbed
wire with tubing), helped those that knew
about it!
The
floating grass swamp caught a few out on
the way back up to the track, but most people
finished in very good spirits.
Bruce McAdam decided to do his own route
causing a worrying 15 minutes for those awaiting
his return (map of his route coming soon),
and Mary Lye led her sons Nursery teacher
on her first hill run to come in last equal
as the darkness was falling.
The race
was won by Gio Macdonald in a runtime of
60:25, with Joel Sylvester showing very good
form 2nd in 50:28 (3 minutes faster than
last year), new member David Williams was
3rd in 52:22.
Many Thanks to Bob Johnson and Andy Spenceley
for doing the timing and food booking and
Gordon Cameron for sorting out the results.
Full
Results
Willie Gibson
- 15th April 2013
Alternative John Muir
Way
   
The dominant features
of this year’s
AJMW were toads, very strong wind,
sunshine, spring warmth, sand and soil blasting. The
Aberlady toads were at the peak of a biblical
mating frenzy and we were warned by the reserve
warden to avoid treading on them. The
long awaited spring warmth arrived on a violent
southerly mistral that gave us a sand blasting
on the dried out low tide beaches, and a
soil blasting off the dried out fields bereft
of spring planting and unprotected due to
farmers’ continued
destruction of hedgerows by stealth. After
brief early morning showers we enjoyed continuous
sunshine. Gio was the only volunteer
to test the Ravensheugh sea temperature by
brief immersion at 5C. As usual the 23 strong
gang fragmented into faster, medium, slow
and slower groups regrouping at random. The
new extended Tyne footpath upstream of Hailes
Castle was a big improvement to the return
route. The hardy all-the-way runners
gave the bikers strong competition along
the Garleton Hills ridge into a screaming
headwind. The Hopetoun tower groaned like
a giant organ pipe up the spiral staircase
to summit platform. Here the wind strength
was earache inducing. A
fast downwind descent from Garleton summit
back to Aberlady Bay rounded off an exhausting
but rewarding day.
The cast (variously doing part, all, by bike, on
foot etc): Craig Mattocks, Dave Peck, David
Williams, Eric Brown, Bill Gauld, Gio MacDonald,
Graham Nash, Mark Hartree, Helen Wise, John Littlewood,
Jonathan Whitehead, Karen Meikle, Senga Plain, Aurore,
Kate Jenkins, Keith Burns, Patricia McMaster, Richard
Lathe, Rod Dalitz, Tim Doyle, Peter Buchanan, Roddie
McCrae, Matthew Jones and John Blair-Fish..
Great thanks to helpers Dave P and Patricia (drivers),
Bärbel (lunch), all those donating food, Carnethy
HR (van hire and food). Peter
Buchanan's video.
Keith Burns
- 15th April 2013
Calderdale Hike
  
It was in the balance
till Friday night as to whether I could
do this. However, another year, another course
variant. The event seems to do well with the
weather and it was definitely spring like, with
double figure temps and little wind. After making
our way via some still snow filled bridle ways
to Stoodley Pike we pretty much reversed a lot
of the Howarth Hobble route to Heptonstall before
cutting off near the end to come back via Erringdon
Moor & Lumbutts.
After a reasonably good first half I slowed
a bit on the back third with lower leg fatigue.
But it was a good run out and I managed
to get back before the afternoon showers arrived
in around 6:45.
Matt Davis
- 15th April 2013
Rock n Roll Half Marathon
  
Edinburgh's second Rock
n Roll Half Marathon was a very blustery affair!
Lots of wind and rain at the start and for most
of the race, made for a challenging run. Long
queues for bags at the end (this photo of foil-wrapped
runners was from half way through the queue).
Otherwise a great race with super support from
the marshals and here's a photo of one of them
:o)
Margaret
- 13th April 2013
Silent Valley Fell Race
- British Championship Counter
Breaking News
Carnethy Ladies are first team with Jasmin
Paris 2nd, Charlotte Morgan, 3rd and Helen
Bonsor 4th. The Ladies race was won by Helen
Fines in 2:01.
Stewart Whitlie was first Carnethy home in
19th place (Paul Faulkner and Andy Fallas
were next Carnethies in having done a bit
of extra running).
The race was won by Gavin Bland in 1:43 with
Finlay Wild 2nd and Rob Jebb 3rd.
Photos
There is a report on the NIMRA
Website and Results
JBF Reports
I have cribbed this photo from the nimra
website as it seems
to demonstrate my cautious running style over
mud, boulders and banks of
snow which meant I finished near the back
of the field though I was 6th
vet 60 in a British championship race. The
course was revised and well
marked to avoid some of the more difficult
snow and ice. It rained heavily in my last
hour of running but the front of the finished
before the rain.
John Blair-Fish
- 11th April 2013
Wed training - Arthur's
Seat
Social group: we finally
found a more sensible way out of Castlebrae
High School sqeezing through railings instead
of a near impossible scrape under the gates.
Though it poses the question of how on earth
the railings were bent out of shape in the
first place given that the push came from
the side away from the road. Other imponderables
included the vexed question of whether you
couldn't see running downhill because the
tears are bounced out of your eyes or whether
they are caused
by the sudden wind, and whether Ibuprofen
gel was more effective applied locally or
eaten.
From the top there was
another attempt to settle the fastest way
off - over Nether Hill and down the steps,
or down to the right and contouring round
on the fast track. The former won, but as
they didn't go over the Nether top, it doesn't
count!
The tricky gate into Pollock Halls provided
the usual amusement and then to KB where
the major disappointment of the night came
as they were about to close, early, and only
those foregoing a shower managed to get a
hurried pint.
Fast group: Well semi-fast, as Andy is competing
in the British Champs in NI at the weekend
and wanted to go easy. Anyway I haven't
heard anything from them so either Andy
is travelling, or they are still on Arthur's
Seat somewhere.
Digby
- 10th April 2013
Lakeland 40
   
Four Carnethies travelled
to the Lakes for the first running of this
event, staying over at the community centre in
Askham Friday night. A simple concept; base a
route on the Tour De Helvellyn that encompasses
the fells instead of the valleys and set people
the challenge of trying to complete it in the
daylight hours available. We set off to frosty
but clear skies at 6am and from there on the
weather just got progressively better. In the
end probably 40% was on snow the rest on extremely
dry / quick ground for this time of year. Konrad & Jasmin
were away early on in pursuit of local and eventual
winner Kim Collinson. John & myself more
o'less running together for the round trying
to keep in front of the rest. Unlimited soup,
cake, showers at the end and helpers who couldn't
do enough for you. Very much a low key /
no fan fare event with the emphasis about enjoying
a good route and day on the hills. Which I think
we definitely all had.
Results
Matt Davis
- 10th April 2013
Resolute Events
Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultramarathon
- 6th April
  
Steven Yule and I
entered this 55 mile point to point race
with a non-Carnethy friend, Stewart Ward,
as a ‘training
run’ for the West Highland Way’ race
later this year. Michael Nowicki had
also entered but decided to withdraw due
to his Achilles problems. Ruchill
Park in Glasgow was the start point for
a fairly eclectic / multi-national field
of close to 100 runners, it was cold but
perfect running conditions as we started
along the Forth and Clyde canal path to
the Falkirk wheel at 22 miles (this was
the only bag drop which meant we had to
carry some food most, or all of the way). After
Falkirk, the route follows the Union canal
all the way to Fountainbridge and goes through
two very dark tunnels (why a headtorch is
part of the mandatory kit!). Previous
runners told me the route was monotonous
due to following canals all the way but
I found it inspiring to have extensive views
over to, first the Campsie Fells and then
the Ochils (both snow covered) and Arthur’s
Seat a long way in the distance. Steven
had an issue with his knee and
had to drop out at Falkirk but I was having
a good day and was in 4th place and due
to the strung out nature of the race, ran
the last 30 miles alone with only a surprise
meeting of Kate Jenkins and hubby dog walking
near Broxburn to spur me on. The marshalling
was fantastic at checkpoints with water
/ SIS and nibbles. I got to the finish
still in 4th place in 8 hours 24 (and apparently
first Scot), the German winner had a superb
time of 7 hours 18. Stewart Ward managed
24th in 9 hours 40.
Have a go next year
if you like it long and flat!
Gregor Heron
- 9th April 2013
Monday Lunchtime Arthur's
Seat - April Reversicap
Great weather at last
for the reversicap. The reverse running
is fertile ground for debate on the best route.
From the top of Arthur's seat Gordon went
right, down the usual up route, and hindered
only by tourists proved that though longer, it
is speedy, and came out ahead of Russell who
went left and down the steps (though not taking
the daredevil option of the steep grassy
shortcut). Not convinced by a previous descent
of the Gutted Haddie I had another go, followed
by Chris who had the misfortune to be both unsure
of the routes and behind me. I am now convinced.
It's not a very good idea.
Digby
Not there myself, but a good turnout, with
quite a few handicaps beaten. Pretty good
for the reverse route as it tends to be
slower.
Comments from some of the runners
(won't say who!):
"GOOD DRY CONDITIONS
good turn out -10/12?
a couple got lost !
one guy ended up in the gorse - lots of blood! "
"If I hadn't opted to follow Digby down the
gutted haddie I could have been somewhat quicker!
Still, a bloody hip and knee as spoils for my tumble
on the dash off the top of the Crags makes it all
worthwhile!"
"Good conditions out there but still don’t
think I’ll descend by the haddie next
time!
"
Well done guys and see you for the May one,
if not before. Results
Mike
- 8th April 2013
SHR Navigation Course, Pentlands 6/7 April
A most excellent two
day course based at Hillend, with Carnethy's
own Steven Fallon and Dave Scott giving instruction
and a dozen runners of mixed experience and objectives
being subjects. Although I'm confident
navigating in the hills, I learned a lot
of useful new techniques and refreshed stuff
I'd forgotten I knew. How many of you can say
how many
paces / 100m you run or walk at? Or know
what a Romer is (I had one and never knew!) Do
you know Bob's Law? (nothing to do with the legality
of summit nudity). Four Carnethies attended
and made good use of home advantage on the mini-mountain
marathon on the second day. I would thoroughly
recommend it if its put on again.
Joel Sylvester
- 7th April 2013
The Whisky Chaser
     
The whisky was smoky
but the bomb was not. A glorious day for
the running of the whisky chaser with 5 equally
glorious whiskies to taste. A toast was raised
to Absent Andy Millard, slightly too far
away to join us.
Report to follow. Photomap here,
photoalbum here.
- 7th April 2013
Arthur's
Seat junior run & games
     
After the previous
generation of juniors grew up and left
home, Carnethy members have been busy
creating a new set.
With the encouragement of Mary and
Matthew Jones, and the leadership of
Willie, around 20 new juniors came
out to run and play on Dunsappie Hill
on a glorious Saturday afternoon. With
relay races and tussock tig juniors
and adults had a great time with smiles
on everybody's faces. A supply of jelly
babies fixed any bumped knees.
Full size photos here and
junior runs page here.
Michael Wilkinson
  
I'm not sure if it was
the fantastic weather or the promise of jelly
babies that created such a good turn out for
our inaugural junior run. A higgle (collective
noun for a group of hardy young runners) of about
twenty with ages from two to teens gathered at
Dunsapie Loch and was led over the hill and far
away by Mr Motivator (Willie Gibson). We relayed
and tussock tigged our way around the slopes.
There was some falling over, a little bit of
blood and lots of bravery. Thank you to the adult
helpers (especially those who didn't have small
people to tire out!) for making the first session
so much fun. Can't promise the same weather for
next time (Saturday 20th), but can promise more
jelly babies. Hope to see you again!
Mary
- 4th April 2013
Birnham and Deuchary races
- 30/31 March
A small group
of Carnethy racers made it out to the
Birnham and Deuchary hill races at the weekend,
with some very keen Carnethy racers (the
Wilsons) managing to fit in Norman's Law
race on the Saturday as well. Birnham
hill race gave a short sharp blast on
the Saturday, which warmed us all up for
the Deuchary Hill Canter on the Sunday, which
is an undulating trail run through snowy
forest.
Prasad
Prasad won the Birnham hill race in 30.08,
with Andy Fallas giving a close chase
only a few seconds behind (30.15). The
Gilmore boys continued their good form from
previous weekend racing, finishing 3rd (Andrew)
and 5th (Iain). Other
Carnethies there - Joan and Colin Wilson,
Jean Jumelle and Pam Whitlie.
On to day
2; Andy Fallas took a clear win in 1:18
on a slightly shortened course which missed
out the descent off
the north side of Deuchary Hill (due to
snow). Andrew
Gilmore took second (1:21) and Jon Ascroft
3rd Carnethy home in 4th place. Ladies
races won by Helen Bonsor both days. Full
results on SHR.
Many thanks to Adrian Davis for organising
the races.
Helen
- 4th April 2013
Wed training
Social group: Oh the luxury
of daylight at last, and cold, still, pleasant
conditions. Though we more or less missed
a lovely sunset on our fairly low level
run out to Dreghorn via the Hermitage and back
via the Braids. Richard turned up late and formed
a group of one, and did catch the light
show from Blackford hill.
Fast group: 10.6 miles out to the top of
Allermuir where we caught a brilliant red
sunset before a cautious descent on slippery
snow and a fast run back to KB
Richard group: I did Blackford, Braids, Blackford
again, then across the golf course
where some golfer still playing in half-darkness
was trepidatious about
solo Carnethy runners...
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