Eildon Hill Race 2016

A handful of Moorfoots made their way to Gibson Park in Melrose on Saturday 25th June for this 7.2km, 480m climb event.

Being included in the following, 

• Scottish Athletics Championships
• SHR Championships
• Borders Hill Race Series

this race was certain to attract a large and accomplished field. The weather, if not a little humid, stayed mostly kind with runners subjected to an occasional pummeling from passing torrential rain storms.

The initial uphill section is always hard work (to this runner but certainly not the uphill specialist in Cox, Adkin and Cheskin). Once over the first hill, things ease a little and there is good running out to the middle hill and to the bottom of the last uphill section of hill three. Once over the last climb, it is a fantastic downhill thrash all the way to Melrose High Street and into the park for a final dash on the grass.

The first male back was Tom Owens of Shettleston in a new record time of 34:16 (it gives some idea of the quality of the front runners when the first 5 broke the previous course record!)

First lady back, not long after last month's 6th place at the GB Euro Trials, was Moorfoot's own Scout Adkin. Scout charged round in 41:02 - Becoming the new ladies' Scottish Hill Running Champion in the process. Stephanie Provan of Deeside Runners, the next lady, just over 20 seconds behind.

Andy Cox was the first Moorfoot male back in 38.50 with Lucas Cheskin coming home in 39:33 - over 6 minutes less than 2015.

In the slightly more senior category, David Cheskin completed a good run in 49:49 - over 5 minutes quicker than last year. 

Alan Elder made the trip in 53.44 - a minute down on last year's time (which he is blaming on being trapped in the snake of runners that was plodding up the first hill!)

Full results here

Mairi endures the Czech heat - as does Mike P

LtoR - Anna, Mairi, Grace and the boys

Mairi mixing it with Turkish, German, Portuguese and English racers

A show of continental unity after!!

In a field of 55, a top half finish was the race target for Mairi Wallace who was competing for Scotland in the World Mountain Running Association's Under 18 Youth International Cup held in the mountain resort of Jaske Lazne in the Czech Republic on Saturday. The 80 degree heat wasn't in the Scots favour but Mairi was suited to the uphill-only nature of the course over 2.9km with 300m of ascent and she put in a sterling performance to finish 22nd. Her finishing time of 21.52 saw her home second of the three-strong Scotland team, an excellent result given that she is young for her year group, still a few months shy of 16, and is eligible again for this race next year.

The race was won by one of the home Czech athletes in 19.36. Scottish U17 XC champion Anna MacFadyen led the Scotland team home in 7th in 20.42 with Grace Whelan, who had beaten Mairi into second place at the U17 Scottish Hill Running Champs at Ben Lomond in May, 26th in 22.02. That gave Scotland 7th place in the team race won by Poland with England just ahead of the Scots in 5th.

With the athletes having endured the high temperatures during their race, it was then the Team Manager 's turn, one Mike Pearson, to feel the heat as the Scots' return flight Prague to Edinburgh early on Sunday morning was cancelled! That's what team managers are for and Mike duly got things sorted to get the team back into Edinburgh via Birmingham by late afternoon.

Well done Mairi and Mike!

Jacob 3rd in Snowdon Twilight Race

Jacob warmed up for the uphill only Snowdon Super Cup in three weeks time by running the Snowdon Twilight race, also uphill only, this evening. He finished 3rd in 43.59, just 24 seconds behind winner Dave Archer.
Read about Jacob's return to racing here
jacobadkin.wordpress.com/

Folks, following the last committee meeting I have been asked to post the latest stock of Moorfoot Runners Vests. The vests, subsidised by the club, cost £10:

JUNIOR - UNISEX SIZES
26" - 6
28" - 1
30" - 4
32" - 8
34" - 8
36" - 8

LADIES
XS - size 8: 6

MENS
S - 5
M - 4
L - 1
XL - 2
XXL - 4

Men's harlequin shorts XL (3 pairs) please make me an offer!

The small men's vests have size 10, EU 38 marked on the label, so may suit a lady size 10? If you require a vest then please email me at alan.macdonald@moorfootrunners.co.uk

Muckle Toon Adventure Festival Langholm Trail Half Marathon

I took part in the trail half the Muckle Toon Adventure Festival having enjoyed the race a lot last year. Last year I was lucky enough to come 2nd so I though you never know! It wasn't to be. The field was a lot stronger this year and the race has a lot of climbing (almost 2,000 feet in total) with the biggest climb up to the obelisk on Whita Hill coming in the first 2 miles at while point I was sitting in about 10th place.

It's a long race and last year taught me that people can go off too hard and pay later so I just tried to get into a good rhythm and not worry that the leader - Craig Mattocks of Gala Harriers (and sometimes Carnethy) and now living in Peebles was disappearing out of sight.
I picked up some places on the decent and was in about 7th when I reached the river Esk bridge. There was a group of about 6 of us all within about 20 seconds so it was clear the field was a lot more competitive than 2015. I kept working hard and the group slowly littled down until there 3 of us together going up the last steep climb at 9 miles with 3 runners still up the track. I pushed on and over the next two miles dropped the two I was running with and the 3rd place runner came back into view about 20 seconds ahead. I pushed hard in mile 12 and caught and passed the runner and moved into third and keep that place to end. Route here

My time 1.35.22 was over 3 1/2 minutes faster than last year and I realised I had finished ahead of last year's winner too, however the race was won by some margin by Craig Mattocks in 1.30.40. The women's race was won by Craig's wife Kate Jenkins in 1.45.43. Full results here

Fi, Alice and Austen came for the day and there was an free standing rock wall and pump track and lots of family activities so a good day out for all!

Jacob 11th in WMRA World Cup race

Jacob Adkin continued his comeback with a venture to France at the weekend for his first taste of a senior WMRA World Cup race, the Montee du Grand Ballon uphill race over 13.2km/1230m and came away with a highly respectable 11th place in 1 hour 4mins and 50 seconds. The race was won by Eritrean Petro Mamu in 59.04 with Scotland's Andrew Douglas, who was overall winner of the WMRA World Cup Series last year, third in 1.01.32.

Scottish Schools Golds for Michael and Ethan

Racing in the U14 age-group, Michael Girdler and Ethan Elder won their respective 800m and 1500m finals at Grangemouth today to take championship gold for PHS in impressive style. Their respective winning times of 2.06.28 and 4.26.00 were both PBs and only  c.0.5 of a second off the Championship records.

It was a chilly, damp and breezy start to the day, and having qualified very comfortably the previous day, hopes were high that in a tactical final Michael would have too much speed for his rivals (especially as, unbeknownst to his coach, he had taken part in the 200m the previous day after his 800m heat, taking the bronze medal in the final in a time of 24.93s!).

But things were not to go all his own way, with one of his rivals taking it out really hard, stretching the field, and testing Michael's stamina to the limit. With 200m to go he was still 5m adrift with the leader maintaining a relentless pace and it looked for a moment or two that the gap was not going to close. However coming off the bend, Michael had started to narrow the gap and the Girdler burners were lit down the home straight, taking the lead with 50m to go and crossing the line with a clear winning margin of 7 or 8 metres. His winning time was a marginal PB and given the conditions, he came remarkably close to Ben Greenwood's championship record.


Ethan had a clear and very positive race plan going into his 1500m final which he executed to perfection, holding a prominent position through the first two laps and then moving up to the leader's shoulder as they hit the bell, the two of them with good daylight back to the spreadeagled field. This prompted a determined but ultimately ineffective wee surge from the leader who kicked 2m clear again, but with 300m to go Ethan was back on his shoulder, applying the planned for pressure. There was only one winner from then, with Ethan stretching into a 5m lead down the back straight and storming home for a near 6 second victory with one of the most impressive performances of the day. He too came very very close to the championship record.

Kobe Stevens (over-18 800m) and Charlotte Clare (U15 800m) both qualified for their finals finishing 6th and 8th respectively, as did training group member Ailsa Innes, who now races for Lasswade, in the U17 800m. Mairi Wallace (U17 3000m) and Beth Hobbs (U15 1500m) enjoyed the "luxury" of straight finals, both recording good PBs in finishing 9th and 13th respectively, and Craig Angus ran well in his U15 1500m heat and was half a second inside his PB but didn't make the final. Same for Charlotte Morrison and Eilidh Mooney (U14 1500m) who nevertheless ran well, setting PBs in the process.