Monday 29 April 2013

Course Records for Sarah and Jacob


Early season outings in the hills from Sarah McCormack and Jacob Adkin indicate their continued improvement from last year.

The Hunters Bog Trot (6.5km/240m) in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh on Saturday was the setting for Sarah’s first domestic race of the summer hill season as she looks to improve on her highly commendable 8th and 15th places in last year’s European and World Mountain Running Championships. In finishing 9th overall in a time of 29 mins 24 secs and winning the women’s race by a street, she was just over 1 minute faster than her own winning time in 2012 and also 14 seconds inside the 8 year-old course record despite the fact that the organisers reported that this year’s course had been lengthened a little. She also "socked it" to ex-Moorfoot Mike Reid by 10secs with Andrew Cox home in 16th in 31.22

Jacob (16) also had his first hill race of the season on Sunday at the Lomonds Junior Hill Races on East Lomond near Falkland in Fife. This was the first counter in the revamped Scottish Junior Hill Running League and was run over a very tough 3-lap course of 8.6km with 304m of climb made all the more difficult by a very strong westerly wind on the exposed hillside. A small but quality field in the U-20 race was decimated by the tough conditions and by Jacob’s strong ascending with older Scottish junior internationalists Andrew Lawler (Law) and Craig Campbell (Inverness) both dropping out when trailing. Jacob’s winning time of 42mins 55 secs knocked more than a minute off Lawler’s course record from 2012. Clubmate Lucas Cheskin battled on well for 2nd.

Also on East Lomond for her first ever hill race in the U-15 one lapper was 12 year-old Mairi Wallace who had a very encouraging learning experience in finishing 2nd behind Scottish Schools U15 cross-country champion Laura Stark from Kilbarchan. Thanks to Brian, Bruce and Kenny who have kept her company on training runs on Cademuir in recent weeks.

Sunday 28 April 2013

New Event - Lauderdale Hunt Run


Sunday 26th May 2013 Lauderdale Hunt £100 Run
Sponsored by Aardvark Safaris
Trabrown
Lauder
TD2 6PZ

Cross country run over rolling Lauder hills of around 6 miles starting at 10am.
First Prize £100 for the first male; first female runner £50 for first under 18
Parking at Trabrown ½ mile north of Lauder off A68

Bacon butty for all runners and bar
Fun run around the paddock for the children
First aid cover

Entries £10 by 22nd May or £15 on the day. Cheques payable to Lauderdale Hunt

Contact Claire Armet, The Old Coach House, Borthwick Hall, Heriot, EH38 5YE 01875835377 or claire.armet@scotnet.co.uk to arrange BACS


Sunday 5th May 2013 Human Hurdle at Lauderdale Point to Point, Mosshouses

Fun run of about 1k with obstacles on Point to Point course with a generous prize fund sponsored by Peter Beck Horseboxes

Bring your running shoes to the racing and enter on the day by 12.45 for £10

Sunday 21 April 2013

Gypsy Glen Hill Race - Wed 15-May-2013


Less than a month to go until the Gypsy Glen Hill Race, this year on Wed 15-May.

Registration at the Gytes Sports Centre in Peebles (registration starts ~6:00pm)

Race starts at 7:00pm from Whitestone Park (1 min walk from registration)

The race finishes in Victoria Park (which you also pass through on the outward route), leaving a 5 min walk back to the Gytes again at the end.

Prize Giving is at the Gytes usually around 8:00pm.

More stats and info on Scottish Hill Racing website

Thursday 18 April 2013

Moorfoot Club Fees due in now !

The club year runs April to March, so the club fees for 2013/14 are now due.

Some renewals already trickling in, but we need the trickle to become a flood !

Fees remain unchanged for this year - full details on membership application form which you can download from our Moorfoot website at this link
http://www.moorfootrunners.co.uk/downloads/membershipform2013.pdf

Download, printout and complete the form - enclose the money (cheques payable to 'Moorfoot Runners') and post or pop through the letter box at 52 Edderston Road, Peebles, EH45 9DT

Good Luck to the Virgin London Marathoners

Good luck to Colin Williams and Paul Nichol who are running in Moorfoot colours at this weekends Virgin London Marathon.

Forecast looks good with relatively windless, cool and dry conditions - run well chaps !
(and looking forward to your blogger tales of your big city marathon experience....)

http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/

Paul is running with a Moorfoot club entry requested and allocated to Paul based on the conditions set out here...
http://moorfootrunners.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/club-entry-for-virgin-london-marathon.html

If you fancy having a go a London in 2014, make sure you apply through the ballot in April THIS YEAR....if you are successful in the ballot, well done !
(Note 2014 entries no open yet but usually goes on line straight after the previous years event is over - check on Monday 22-April !!!)

If you are unsuccessful in the official ballot (you will know in October and receive a formal 'rejection letter', let us know, and all Moorfoot unsuccessful ballot entries will go into a hat for club places (we may get more than one, but as a small club one is probably the expectation)

..and then you can always get a place under 'good for age performance' entry from another marathon result, or a charity place....

Monday 15 April 2013

Scottish Athletics Trail Championships

This might appeal to a number of Moorfoots - Scottish Trail Running Champs at Falkland in Fife on Sat 25-May-2013
(Falkland is the base for the Devil's Burdens Races, so some of you may be familiar with some of the terrain in the woods between Falkland and Strtahmiglo)

More details at....

http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/calendar/events/16111-15849-scottish-athletics-trail-championships

Monday 8 April 2013

Coledale Win for Scout


As she continues to gain experience of senior hill racing 19 year-old Scout Adkin journeyed to Braithwaite near Keswick in the Lake District for the Coledale Horseshoe fell race and despite a nervy traffic-delayed journey and arrival at registration with only 20 minutes to spare, 12.25km and 1036m of climb later she was 1st woman across the line in 1 hour 24m and 19s. The route had to be amended slightly due to lingering snow and ice in places near the summits of Eel Crag and Sail but still took in the challenging climbs to the summit of Grisdale Pike and back up to Barrow. 

Friday 5 April 2013

The Bridge Inn First Friday Summer Series - Race1 Results

The Bridge Inn First Friday Summer Series - Race#1 start Line (photo Alan McDonald)
Great turn out for Race#1, in beautiful evening sunshine - a bit chilly for the spectators but probably ideal for the runners.

A big thank you to all who turned out, both to compete, and to help with the race duties.

Spot prizes went to junior runner #007 (Mr Bond ?) and senior runner #501 (Mr Levi ?)

Results here...

More photos here, courtesy of Rachael Hood

And here, courtesy of Alan McDonald

Next round on Friday 3-May....

NOTE - a pair of glasses were found near the registration table - please contact Kenny on 01721 723200 if they are yours and you want to collect them.....

Monday 1 April 2013

Count Down - The Bridge Inn First Friday Summer Series - event#1

Friday 5-April sees event#1 of our new The Bridge Inn First Friday Summer Series

If you are running.....
Please download and complete the entry form in advance, and come with the exact money for the series event fee - this will help us avoid any delays at registration

Registration starts at 6:15pm under the north-most arch of the Tweed Bridge (near the wishing well)
Race starts promptly at 7:00pm (when the clock strikes seven !!!)

If you are down to watch....
We will always be on the lookout for a few additional helpers and marshals, so make yourself known to a committee member on the night and we will try to use you out on the course somewhere...

Downloads
Entry form

Race flyer

Looking forward to the first event.....

Cycle Path - Bridge Status ?

Men at Work !
The new bridge linking the cycle path from the Innerleithen and Peebles ends has had the structure in place for a few weeks now....

Took a quick cycle down on Easter Monday to have a wee look and while still incomplete, had contractors working on it (on a Bank Holiday !).....so perhaps suggests that it could be completed soon.

Signage has also been erected along the route from Peebles to Cardrona.

For the record, we measured 5.1 miles from Edderston Road to the bridge, so I would guess that the distance from, say, The Gytes to the Bridge will be ~4 miles.

We'll get some form of club run organised along the full length once we get confirmation that the bridge is navigable....

Moorfoots AGM 2013

This year's AGM was held in the Country Hotel Peebles on Wednesday 27-March and was well attended.

Please a short summary of the meeting below:
Apologies
Brian Hood

President's Report
Appreciation of membership support for club events and races

Treasurers Report
Membership at 77 for 2012, very similar to previous year; good balance in bank
Summary of accounts to be emailed to members

Coaching Report
Numbers at Tuesday night training continuing to rise - more coaching/supervisory assistance needed
Monday winter indoor training has been well supported and proposed to be continued for next winter
Many individual and team successes for Moorfoot stable including district honours and international representation
Proposal for Moorfoots to host a Junior Hill Running event in late summer 2014 - trial event possibly 2013

Election of Committee
Mike McGovern remains as President
Kenny remains as Secretary
Kirsty remains as Treasurer
Committee members - Gregor Nicholson, Mike Pearson, Alan MacDonald, Brian Hood, Tom Hobbs, Julia Connor - welcome to new committee member Eddie Balfour

Fees
Fees will remain unchanged for 2013 - £15 senior, £10 junior, £20 couple/family
Fees now due - appreciate payment by 30-April
http://www.moorfootrunners.co.uk/Downloads/MembershipForm2013.pdf

Events for 2013/14
The Bridge Inn First Friday Summer Series - 6 race series - first event Friday 5-April
BBQ - late summer after schools back - details TBC
Trial hill race event on Cademuir - TBC (Sept timeframe)
Borders XC - Peebles leg early December

Watch blogger for other club events and runs throughout the season....

Cademuir Access Restrictions

If you run on the John Buchan Way, or the other paths on the lower slopes of Cademuir just up from Tanta House, please be aware that as a result of the land there being sold for a new environmentally-friendly housing development, moves are afoot to restrict access pending ground investigative works. The developer, Environmental Engineering Just In Timber Scotland, apparently intends to install pay-as-you-go ticket machines at the various access points and it will cost £2 to enter the hillside with random horse-back patrols being undertaken to check tickets. (Bikes £5, dogs 50p.)
Anyone willing to take part in a campaign against the proposed development, or with any ideas for a campaign slogan or banner, please leave a comment here.