Getting Stuc in

A large, high quality field assembled in Strathyre on Saturday for the traditional May Bank Holiday hill race up and down Stuc a Chroin (Photo courtesy of Carnethy Hill Runners website). This year the 14 mile, 5000 feet hill race was selected as the opening race in the SHR Hill Racing championship so most of the best hill racers in the country had showed up to swell the field.

After weeks of dry weather the course was at its best and though sunny, it was rarely too hot for the competitors.

Phil M and Digby turned out for the club with mixed fortunes. Phil knocked nearly 3 minutes off his previous best finishing in 58th place out of 179 in a time of 2.45.58. Digby, on the other hand, had to contend with a dodgy stomach and struggled home in a disappointing 3.27.19 in 134th.

The men's and women's races were won by Carnethy - Stewart Whitlie and Jill Mykura finishing in around 2.14.24 and 2.34.09 respectively.

Hats off to the organizers and marshals for staging this excellent but gruelling event. The ascent up Beinn Each, scrambling up through deep heather, is the toughest I've come across and the final climb out of Glen Ample is a real heart breaker, not to mention the "magic" forestry track which manages to be much longer on the way down than on the way up. The marshals are dotted liberally along the length of the course and are on hand with supplies of water, jelly-babies and words of wisdom and encouragement (e.g. "Look happy, you volunteered to do this you know! It's supposed to be fun.)