Ben Sheann Race 2009

There was an impressive turnout of Westies at the Ben Sheann race on the 17th June. I counted 12 of us, clearly attracted by the forecast of windy weather and the possibility that this would keep away the infamous midges from the start/finish area. How could we be so ridiculously optimistic? Yes, there was a distinctly cool breeze before the event and at first there was hardly a Culicoides impunctatus apparent. With barely 5 minutes to the start however, a guerilla force attacked on all fronts. I’m not sure whether our bright yellow vests makes us more vulnerable to midge attacks, maybe one of the club’s resident zoologists can tell us?

Onto the race itself, which Chris has rightly described as a minor classic.Enjoyment isn’t a word I would use to describe the ascent or the descent but certainly there were periods of exhilaration. I spent most of the climb with Cat clicking my heels, whilst on the way down I was waiting for the inevitable suicidal charge past from Ellie. I wasn’t disappointed, though she waited until about 50 metres before the bottom of the woods before attempting to overtake me on my left side, only to end up in the adjacent ditch! Ooops, I was devastated, as one can well imagine, and barely managed to put worries about Ellie’s health to the back of my mind as I sprinted towards the finish line in what I regarded as a respectable time.

I haven’t seen any results yet. But, all in all it’s a fine wee race, worthy of the long Wednesday night journey to Strathyre. As I’ve often said to Muffy over the years, it doesn’t need to last long to be a memorable event!