Westie on Wheels

“Running was my first love and it will be my last” but………..cycling has been a blast this year. I loved the huge range of events and whole joyous atmosphere of the UCI World Cycling Championships in August. On the days of the road races,…
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Westies Profile- Gaby

How and when did you get into hill running? I got into hill running in 2020. I was training for my Mountain Leader qualification between lockdowns and realised I could double up a navigation practice in the Campsies with a run (navigating…

Two Races: Dale Head & Tinto

WHERE? Dale Head – The picturesque Lakeland finery of the Borrowdale Valley. Tinto – That ambiguous stretch of Scotland that isn’t quite the Borders and isn’t quite Lanarkshire. WHAT? Dale Head – A dash across a field,…
The mist clears and the blue sky opens up over rolling hills, far into the distance. This is taken somewhere after Glensax and before the end, but I have entirely forgotten where.

Two Breweries Hill Race

Saturday 23 September 2023 I‘ve run for years but I’ve never thought it’s really possible, or that interesting, for me to put into words the experience of running a big race. Hence having never previously written a race report. All…

Merrick Hill Race 2023

The final counter in this year's SHR Champs took place on Sunday at Merrick. I'd heard it was a fine hill, but had never been there before. I suppose it is a fine hill, though the views were non-existent and I can't say I enjoyed ultra-slippy…

Montane Lakeland 100

I will have to travel back in time to give my 2023 Lakeland 100 experience a bit of context. In 2018 I ran the Lakeland 50. It was the first time I raced in the Lake District. I absolutely loved it and made the journey from Dalemain to…

JC’s E-Z Guide to Winning Hill Races

With the right mix of strategy, tactics and a pinch of good luck you too can win a hill race! Here's how: BE FASTER - To win a hill race you have to be faster than the other folk there. Thems the breaks. But that doesn't mean you have…

Ben Rinnes 2023

I had three goals at Ben Rinnes this year: START THE RACE – After sustaining a back injury on the dancefloor at my brother’s wedding the weekend before (well someone had to get the boy up on their shoulders), I was struggling to put…

Isle of Jura Fell Race 2023 – Westie-Era

And I had such high hopes as well! Training going well, feeling fit all round, excellent weather and a solid turnout – this was going to be a good year! But no, sadly not to be a wee cold meant I was feeing a bit peaky at the start, going…

Queen’s Park Everest Challenge

  Saturday 15th April 2023. The day that 723 chickpeas were transported from the bottom of Queen’s Park to the flagpole at the top, via the most direct route possible, an elevation gain of approximtely 40m each time. Each rep started…