Dumyat Dash

5th November 2011

Results

Another race I haven't done before ......only started last year I think .....billed as just over 9K with 2000' of climb. No other Westies in the race although young Kenny Munn who has come along to Monday reps turned up ....will try to sell him a vest. Menstrie was deep in the mist when the field of 81 set off from the village green but within 2 minutes of the start we were out in absolutely beautiful sunshine for the rest of the race. I didn't start too fast for once but still went through a bad patch on the initial climb up the track, having to walk parts, when I've run it umpteen times, aaaaagh! Got going again as it flattened out and got back past John Blair Fish then hurtled past another 3 or 4 down to the burn, over it, then the long slog up Dumyat. Managed to hold and even slightly improve my place .....except for JBF going past again......and saw Prasad Prasad coming back down the hill with an absolutely massive lead. At last .....at long long last .....got to the top and managed to pass 7 or 8 people on the way back down to the burn although most of them then got past me on the path alongside the stream heading back to Menstrie ......the path got muddier and muddier and everybody seemed to fall at least once but at last I got back on the main track although I'd lost 30 secs or so to a big group of people. Hallelujah ......Praise the lord ......the turkeys missed the shortcuts at the zig-zags on the track .....amazing as they'd all come up that way .....and I got ahead of a big bunch and came out just behind JBF and Paddy Earle of Tinto near the bottom of the track. Yee-Haaa ! ....can't believe it they're heading off somewhere to the left .....straight on I go with the pack breathing down my neck but manage to hang on in the last 200m back to the village green. A great race in brilliant weather. Results a bit dodgy as they show JBF ahead of me when he was at least 20 secs behind but que sera sera. Recommended.

Posted by Brian Brennan on Sun 6 Nov 2011 | 1 comment

Category Hill Race