The annual Dumyat Hill (1,373ft) Race kicked off on a pleasant evening in the grounds of Stirling Uni.
346 entrants buzzed around the narrow starting pen for this year's out and back thrash up Dumyat. (somewhere amongst the bevested throng were Alan E, Mike M and Andy C) After some incomprehensible, important instructions, muffled through a microphone, were given, the horde was off.
courtesy of Stirling Uni website
It's a galloping pace up the road to the first hole in the boundary wall. Some good flat compacted track before hitting the first steep section through the woods. Up and over some steep trails, the path opens on to the hillside. My calves have imploded by now and I adopt a walk-run-grunt-walk-run-grunt format. Somewhere ahead are Mike and Andy. There is a good runnable (with proper lower-leg function) sequence of paths that lead to the giant fire basket at the top of the cairn. Andy comes down this section first and then I spot Mike.I reach the top and touch the basket and then start the frantic charge back down. I pass a good 30 or so runners on the way down - however, 60 passed me on the way up!
Courtesy Georgaph.org.uk website
Once off the main hill, there is a flat section that returns along the boundary wall and on to the last short downhill section. A mad dash for the finish, almost wiping out another runner, and the run is over.
Post race, we headed into Bridge of Allan for a fish supper - Well Mike and I had a normal fish supper - Andy had a Moby Dick supper!
Chip shop guy handing Andy his post race scoff
Andy was a very respectable 20th (39.14) - large field of very high quality runners.
Mike went there and back in 43.16 and Alan in 52.49
Full results here
1 comment:
Fresh from her 3 Bridges success Sophie Collins was in the field too in her EU colours running in her first ever formal hill race on her birthday and shunning the Beltane Queen celebrations in her house back in Peebles! 134th in 48.31 for 5th U20 woman. Pretty good first effort on the hills!
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