Have you thought about giving off road running or hill running a bash but don’t know where to start or not sure if you can do it?

Well look no further! We’re here to help guide you in the right direction

The Off Road Group have selected a number of local races which they feel gives a good introduction to hill racing. All of these races are relatively short and not too testing and also fairly local. These are ideal races for any runner who is looking to make the transition from roads to hills. You don’t need any special equipment or kit for these races and there will be experienced club members at them all to answer any questions you might have.

Dumyat Hill Race 2011

Saturday 21st April – Hunters Bog Trot

Start:  1pm

Location: St Margarets Loch, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

This little race is only 6.5km long and takes place in and around Arthurs Seat in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The past couple of years the weather has been lovely and the views from the top of the crags across the city are definitely worth taking part for.

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0029

Wednesday 9th May – Dumyat Hill Race

Start: 7pm

Location: Stirling University

This race is one of the counters in the Carnegie Harriers Hill Grand Prix so is sure to have a good turnout from the club. Its a great chance to get some points for the All Rounder Competion aswell. It starts and finishes at Stirling University and heads straight up Dumyat hill and then right back down again.

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0036

The Ladies at The Lomonds of Fife

Wednesday 16th May – Kinnoull Hill Race

Start: 7.30pm

Location: Kinnoull Primary School, Perth

This is a great little race, you do all your uphill climbing in about the first mile and then spend the next 3 coming all the way back down again. Thats a great ratio 1up to 3 down. I like it! A really great runable race in the beautiful Kinnoull Woods in Perth and they always have lovely cakes and sandwiches afterwards aswell. What more reason do you need to take part?

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0040

A few of our men at Tinto Hill race last year. Just look at that blue sky!

Wednesday 20th June – Red Moss Revolution

Start: 7.30pm

Location: Red Moss Car Park, Near Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh

This is a slightly longer race at about 9km but there is lots of fast running on tracks and footpaths around the Threipmuir Resevoir and then up to Hare Hill and then down towards Greencleuch and all in the beautiful Pentland Hills.

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0209

Four fantastic races and all in very different scenary and surroundings. Anyone can give hill running a go as its alot of fun and so enjoyable. Have a read of some of the other stories on this blog and see how much we enjoy ourselves.

Dollar Hill Race 2011

If you still not sure, then have a read of this great article on runners world about why hill running is good for you and why YOU SHOULD try it! http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hill-training/159.html

See you at a hill race soon!

Dear Club Member,

The Off Road Group are organising a club trip up to the Isle of Skye for the Glamaig Hill Race which takes place on Saturday 14^th July. This race is a counter in our Hill Running Grand Prix and is also one of the Scottish Hill Runners Senior Championship races.

We will be leaving on Friday 13^th July returning on Sunday 15^th July with transport provided in the form of a mini bus. Accommodation will also be arranged and is at Saucy Mary’s Lodge which is located in Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. This is approximately 20 minutes away from  The Sligachan Hotel where the race will take place.  Private rooms have been booked with 4 sharing to a room.

The proposed Itinerary for the trip is to leave Dunfermline approximately 1pm Friday 13^th July. Arrive at the accommodation between 5 and 6pm to allow for atleast one stop. Dinner on the Friday evening will be at Saucy Mary’s (Click here to see a sample menu with prices) and they also have a bar which plays live music.  Breakfast is available for a small additional charge and then of course on Saturday we would head up to Sligachan for the hill race. Saturday evening we shall head out to a local restaurant for dinner and perhaps a few post race beverages and then on Sunday after  breakfast we shall drive back home arriving early to mid afternoon.

More information about the Glamaig Hill Race can be found here: http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0078

The official email with all information about costings has been sent to all club members.

If you are interested in this trip then please speak to Allan or Melanie.

Lets have a fun weekend doing all the things we love!

The Off-Road Group

The 2012 Carnegie Harriers Hill Running Grand Prix opened this year with The Carnethy Five Hill Race on Saturday 11th February.  This is one of the most popular hill races in the calendar and this year proved to be no different with all 550 places selling out in 55 minutes when race entries opened online at the start of the year. Why is it so popular one might ask? It attracts not only seasoned hill runners but also those who have never attempted a hill race before. Is it the fact that its in such a beautiful area? Or that its the first big race of the season so runners can test out their winter legs? Or is it the thought of that school dinner afterwards that has us all queuing up to enter? Who knows why, but its popularity certainly seems to grow year after year!

Registration takes place at Beeslack High School in Penicuik where the runners all mill about catching up with old aquaintances and maybe a nemesis or two that they haven’t seen for a few months, collecting their numbers, making sure they have all the mandatory kit,  then queue up to catch the school bus to the race start which is just near Silverburn Village. The race is just under 6 miles with an ascent of over 2,000 feet covering five tops in the Pentland Hills to be run in the following sequence: Scald Law, South Black Hill, East Kip, West Kip, and returning via the Howe to Carnethy – starting and finishing at the Old Kirk Road.

The start is something to be seen with over 500 runners in all their various colours charging towards the first gate, which this year seemed quite easy to get through which makes me think the gate has been widened. They then run along a narrow heather lined path before hitting the first calf burning climb up to Scald Law. Again the path is narrow here so many runners opt to use the heathery slopes to allow them to pass others.

Once at the top you are able to get running again and head towards the 3 small summits of South Black and the Kips before turning round and getting a good run all the way down to the Howe. Places are always won and lost on these climbs and the descents as every runner has different skills. There were a few falls this year as the ground was a little icy but a good hill runner just goes with the fall, bounces back up and keeps running. No stopping to check for bumps or cuts until after the race is finished.

Runners then have the last climb right up to the summit of Carnethy to look forwards too. This is when the legs are burning and sheer determination to succeed takes over as you shuffle upwards, hunched over hands on thighs knowing that once you hit the last summit its downhill all the way to the finish.

A record 523 runners crossed the finish line with 12 of them being Carnegie Harriers led home by Derek Cassels who finished just over the hour. He was closely followed by Stevie King and then Sandy Bennnet. A welcome returner to the hills was Kenny MacDonald who had a fantastic return to running finishing in 1 hour 8 mins. Welcome Back Kenny There was the usual jostling for positions with Kevin Davie and Bill Duff playing cat and mouse up and down the hills and also Allan Macaulay and Kieran Morgan swapping places but both Kevin and Kieran managed to inch ahead over that finish line. Stevie Greer also had a strong run powering round the course to finish in a good time. The ladies numbers were slightly depleted this year but both Morna and Melanie did well on the course getting PB’s and Bill Fairley, the club’s ‘Most Improved Hill Runner 2011′ gave Carnethy a go for the first time. 

Once finished all the runners jump back on the bus and head for their well deserved school dinners. This is one of the outstanding features of this race is that all the runners get their school meal included in the entry fee and boy do they scoff it down after all that hard work. Goodness knows what the dinner ladies think! lol

So another great race and another great start to the Grand Prix. Well done to Carnethy Hill Running Club on such fantastic organisation and putting on a brilliant event that so many people can enjoy!

Full results of the race can be found here: http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceResults.aspx?RaceID=RA-0016&RaceYear=2012

Barry Davie’s full set of photos from the race can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/104267860260025500877/2012Carnethy5HillRace?authuser=0&feat=directlink&gsessionid=nUae3IKfstf9bt3QMmJZLg#

Bob Marshall’s full set of photos can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/100951388816249026435/CARNETHY52012#

Many thanks to Barry and Bob for taking such great pictures of all the runners

The next race in the Hill Running Grand Prix is  Bishop Hill Race on Sunday 4th of March. For more information visit: http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0018

Until then, Happy Hill Running Folks

Well Well!! Is it really that time already. No sooner have we got rid of our last bit turkey and Christmas pudding and we are thinking about the 2012 Carnegie Harriers Hill Running Grand Prix.

The opening event in this years GP is the excellent Carnethy Five Hill Race organised by Carnethy Hill Running Club. This years event will take place on Saturday 11th February. This is one of those races that hill runners quite literally queue up to run and as such entries for this popular event open this Monday, 9th January at 5pm through SiEntries

https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=657

If its anything like last year (which I have no doubt it will be) the 550 places sold out within 2 hours so delay in trying to get an entry.

Remember that with SiEntries, their system allows you to enter multiple runners so if you can’t be near a computer at 5pm on Monday, get a friend to do it for you.

And if you need something to pursuade you here’s the report from the 2011 Carnethy Five race http://carnegiehillbillies.org/carnethy-5/carnethy-5-hill-race-2011/

If you would like more information about the race visit the Carnethy website at: http://www.carnethy.com/ri_c5.htm

The rest of the 2012 Hill Running Grand Prix will be announced very shortly.

See you soon on top of a hill

It seems like a long time ago that the 2011 Carnegie Harriers Hill Running Grand Prix kicked of way back on the 12th of February with the Carnethy Five Hill Race. Who could have predicted then what a brilliant year it was going to be! The Titles won by our Over 60 men, the fight right to the end for the final positions and the fantastic numbers of runners that represented us at most of the hill races.

We also welcomed a few new faces to the hills this year that might have previously claimed that they only did road running! Well we converted them   Roger Clark, Calum McGraw, Ross and Lisa Carrie, Annette Rae, Allan Branigan and Angela Dixon all dipped their studded shoes and as for Jo Wilson, you can hardly keep that girl away from the hills these days!

But lets have a look at how the Grand Prix finished and all the prize winners. There are 15 races in the grand prix and its your best 9 races that count towards the final positions, the races for this year were:

There were 28 men and 9 ladies who competed in atleast one of the Grand Prix races and with 8 men and 2 ladies completed 9 or more races. This year both Kevin Dave and Melanie Sinclair managed to complete all 15 of the grand prix races which definitely required a bit of madness and alot of petrol!

This year the fight for the top spots was on from the word go. In the Ladies, Lynne Bennett and Melanie Sinclair played cat and mouse for much of the season but Lynne proved to be the much stronger runner, powering away from Melanie at many of the races as the year progressed and was certainly a worthy winner of this years Ladies Hill Running Grand Prix.

Melanie fought hard though and came in a very happy 2nd place, one spot up from 2010 with Morna Fleming finishing in a very respectable 3rd place.

The Men’s Grand Prix has to be where all the excitment was this year though. Kevin Davie worked hard to gain some excellent points throughout the year and sat in 1st place from the 6th race right up until the very last race at Tinto which would be the final decider of who was claiming this years crown. Pete ‘the Awesome’ Simpson who was last years winner had unfortunately suffered with injury this year and had missed a number of key races but he certainly wasn’t going to give up without a fight and Stevie King and Barry Davie were both eyeing up the trophy aswell. All would be decided at Tinto and it was, Pete proved to be too strong for the young’uns and stormed to victory again in 2011.

Kevin Davie fought hard and held on to 2nd place and Stevie King finished in a very close 3rd place. There were only 11 points between Barry Davie who finished in 4th place and Pete in 1st which shows just how tight this competition was and how much talent we have in our hill running men.

In our Veteran Men category which is 40 – 49, Colin Reynolds finished in 1st place, with Andy Sim 2nd and Sandy Bennet in 3rd place.

In the Veteran 50 Men’s category our very own Hill Running Captain, Allan Macaulay finished in 1st place, with Stevie Greer in 2nd and Kieran Morgan in 3rd place.

Our Men’s 60+ Category this year has also been a closely fought contest with our top 2 contenders Bill Duff and Tom Bowie pushing each other on to victory. Unfortunately Bill Duff has also suffered with injury this year so Tom Bowie romped to victory and claimed 1st Place, with Bill Duff taking 2nd and Bill Fairley finishing in 3rd place.

Both Tom and Bill have also won other Top Titles this year, with Tom Bowie winning the 1st Male 60 prize in the SHR Long Classics Series 2011 and Bill Duff winning the 1st male 60 prize in the SHR midweek Bog and Burn Series 2011. Congratulations to them both!

Every year the club awards 5 special prizes and one of those is to the ‘Most Improved Hill Runner’ and this year that was presented to Bill Fairley. The club was impressed with the way Bill performed this year, his Scottish Hill Racing percentaged improved and he competed in and finished the notoriously difficult Ben Nevis Race and all this from a man who is well over the age of 60 and has only been running for a few years. Very well deserved Bill

Now as many of you will remember, I have on occasion mention the Scottish Hill Runners Mug! This is one of the those highly coveted items that many will strive to get but only the determined few will actually achieve. Each year SHR have their Senior Championship races which consist of 2 short, 2 medium and 2 long races and competitors have to complete 1 of each category plus one other so 4 in total and they will then recieve their prize, an SHR Mug which will take pride of place on many a mantle piece.

This year only 5 Carnegie Harriers managed to claim one of these:

Allan Macaulay

Kevin Davie

Tom Bowie

Lynne Bennet

Melanie Sinclair

Congratulations to them all!

So thats how the story ends for 2011. Pete Simpson and Lynne Bennet are both victorious in the Hill Running Grand Prix and some big achievements for others aswell. Quite a few new faces on the hills and as always lots of fun and laughter whereever the Harriers are aswell.

Will 2012 be as exciting? I certainly hope so!

Until then, Happy Hill Running Folks!