Goatfell Hill Race

Arran turned on the warmth and sunshine on Saturday for the Goatfell
hill, and an excuse for my first visit to the island. The event was
efficently organised, providing excellent facilities (read: hot
showers!) and even a pipe band to send us off!

The race starts with a two km road section, then climbs through a
forest track before opening onto the hill proper. I was rewarded with
spectacular views on the (few) occasions I looked up. The route climbs
steadily along the rocky tourist track, then rises steeply as it
approaches the summit. The descent was pure joy, a technical and
exhilarating challenge, followed by a less joyful and seemingly
endless return along the road.

For the second week in succession, I was the last competitor home in
under two hours. No prizes for any of the four westies running, but
all enjoyed a memorable day out.

28      Murdo MacLeod           M50     01:43:00
43      Brian Brennan           M50     01:52:09
55      John Hamer              M40     01:59:42
62      Helen Macpherson        W50     02:04:44