Edinburgh 7 Hills Challenge, 2022

 Tim Warner's report from the Edinburgh 7 Hills

Wow. And breathe. Days afterwards, and still buzzing after this run! Legendary in the running world, this race has it all - but some won’t enter it because it has too much road, whilst others won’t consider it because it has too much off-road. For me, the mad concept of urban orienteering meets mountain running, together with no fixed route (so you can’t go wrong, right?), was irresistible. Plus, if I ran as a team with Dorien and Ewan (famous for route-planning so efficiently in the 3 Peaks of Peebles), I really couldn’t get lost and it would be huge fun. At this point, immense credit has to go to Gillian and Dean, who were so generous with their time to coach us on several full evening recces of the course. Their expert advice was just so good - and the enthusiasm they obviously felt made us realise this would be a very special race indeed.
And so it was. The first hurdle over (parking and reaching the Calton Hill start in good time), there was a moment to feel the atmosphere (several hundred grinning trail runners on a cool, breezy Calton Hill on a Sunday morning can’t all be mad), and to tune into the thoughtwaves from Ewan, who sadly had been savaged by a bee, resulting in a badly swollen ankle. Next year for sure, Ewan, but you were with us in spirit this time. More about ankles later.
The plan was simple. Follow everyone else to the first (Castle)hill, then use Dorien’s brain sat-nav programmed by Gillian and Dean to Craiglockhart Hill, and then use both our pooled memories to get round the rest. What could go wrong?
After a (very) brief race briefing it was 3,2,1, GO - and we all ran to the steps and North Bridge. Cue confused tourists as this herd (collective noun anybody?) of runners headed along the Royal Mile. Scenic highlights here included the bin lorry and police in full operation. Castle Hill checkpoint and the first surprise - no exit to Princes Street Gardens. So a route re-alignment, left hand down a bit, and soon we reached Queensferry Street and back on track. And it got quieter. At each junction some runners chose a different direction, and suddenly this became a Sunday morning city run. Except it was getting warm, and we were running, er, quite fast. With constant chat about the route and craic with other runners time was flying by. As expected, soon after Craiglockhart Hill there was a blur as the lead Race runner (the Race started 30mins after us) went past. Thereafter, there was a steady flow of overtaking runners, always with an exchange of congratulations. This mutual respect between fast and slow runners was very special.
Two hours in, we had covered over 10 miles and 4 Hills. It was getting hotter. There were plenty of water stations, with raisins too. We had passed the Zoo without getting eaten by lions, and traversed roads and the tram line without mishap. Now we scurried across Braid Hills golf course, alert for cries of ‘Fore!’. And straight down a Dean shortcut (essentially a bobsleigh run, which more adept runners took in their stride, but I just slid down on my bum - fortunately no photos) to reach the Lang Linn Path. A lungbursting climb to Blackford Hill followed, great panoramic views and a lone piper was a wonderful reward.
Suddenly we could relax a bit. We knew the rest of the course well, psychologically it was now all about ascending Arthur’s Seat. First, a lovely long descent from Blackford, a shortcut through the allotments ( which nearly had me - such lovely plants - but there was a race to finish so I couldn’t stay), more road crossing roulette, and another Dean/Gillian shortcut through the Halls of Residence turnstile. Tee-hee, most other runners seemed to be taking the long way round; we had an advantage as we headed over the grass and up the Holyrood foothills.
The ascent of Arthur’s Seat had worried me - creaking knees and no head for heights - but it was too late now, we were going up the steps on the steep route. Thankfully, there were very few others using this route, so I could take my time and not delay others. There was even time to appreciate the wild thyme in full bloom , the smell of the leaves bruised by passing feet was invigorating! This was close to being mountaineering, though it is a mix of steps and scrambling. Somehow though, it was done really quickly, and before I knew it we were getting our race numbers stamped at the trig point! Yippee, now for the descent! Of course, we all know that is the tricky bit, and a moment later Dorien was in agony having rolled her ankle. So easily done, and for a moment time stopped still. So did we, just sitting for 5 minutes to assess damage and let the adrenaline pass (and in my case, to get my breath back after the climb!). Of course, Dorien showed true Moorfoot grit and determination, deciding it only hurt a bit and so we made gentle progress down, covering the final mile or so slowly but surely. What a brilliant feeling to cross the finish line, and in 3h26m - maybe not earth-shattering but below our target! And there was rhubarb pie to eat. And I got a Selkirk bannock as a spot prize. How good is that?! Best of all, Dorien’s ankle was ok for her to drive us to Kailzie Gardens for more food and a pot of tea.
Would I do it again? Oh yes, next year for sure with Ewan too. This really is a classic race that every runner should try at least once. It does need preparing for (thanks again so much, Gillian and Dean), and though it would be fun running alone, it is so much more fun to run with someone (thanks again Dorien). Yes it was tough, but perfectly doable. What a truly remarkable city Edinburgh is!