Eildons 3 Hill Race,2015

Eildons  3 Hill Race,2015

Oh Greenyards,Oh Greenyards,how green is thy grass. Blimey,what now?

It’s not a poetry competition,you know. You may just have a point.

Steven & I took an early start for the journey to Melrose(makes a change from the days when I arrived as the race had already started)for this splendid,tough little encounter.

Early,or rather,too early for Paul Morris,organiser,and his cohorts to take our fees.We repaired to a local coffee shop for a drink plus brownie that satisfied us sufficiently while observing  a positive plethora of blazered gentlemen sporting rosettes coming from The Abbey.  With Holmes-like deduction powers (now excuse us if stereotyping here) we assumed they were not warming up for the hill race.

After a bit of a recce on the hill, we were off round the field,out and …………did I mention the heat.Heat is it now. Yes, it was agreat day for us,can’t complain about that.Although some may like to, just a tad? Notably, after the second hill the runnable stretch before the last climb,then the sharp turn to ascend  steeply with the sun burning into you. Gentle reader you may assume that it was not a pretty sight.What d’you mean it………The surface was bone dry, so no problem with the clay cambered  section or through the gorse.

Now…….. all you need to do is to negotiate the  traffic in the town centre. Well, as our man Paul, had informed us , the Police Officer seconded to stop traffic, had been called away to the scene of an accident. No problem.  You’re hammering down now – really?- thinking get to the right side of the road as you obviously need to get back to do the lap of the rugby pitch, right? Wrong. They have changed it to finish on the green opposite, not the huge lap at the finish.

Great day out in Melrose again. Small band of Westies : Steven, Gordon, Iain Stewart, and myself. Iain picked up an envelope for third placing, or rather I took charge of it when Iain was late for the prize  giving.  Five minutes later and the voice behind saying “eh, that envelope in your hand Mister, is that by any chance………MINE?” What envelope?  Also, good to catch up with Damon again, where we always meet. Damon claims not to have been training at all………………still came away with his prize, looking very sharp.

Thanks again to Paul Morris, another organiser who, after many years, is standing down from this role.