Helensburgh Games hill race

Results

Saturday and it’s the Helensburgh Highland games race as don’t fancy a long trip to Skye and Gargunnock is too much on tracks for my taste. One source says 12 noon start the other says 1pm but trust me this race doesn’t start until 2pm so don’t get there too early like I did this year. A field of 16 fine young athletes were assembled with only one being of the female persuasion…..c’mon Westies ladies there was prize money just begging to be picked up here.

Four Westies in the field …..Gregor, Arnis, Jamie and myself…and the race was being filmed by BBC Alba as one of their presenters was running it as part of his preparation to run the Ben Nevis race later this year….seemed a decent guy with very little awareness of how different the Ben race is to this nice short grassy runnable wee race and I laughed when he revealed his next preparation race would be Glamaig….poor sod is in for a rude awakening.

Just before the race started the heavens opened and the rain tipped down…..great…as made it nice and cool. Race started and Arnis and Jamie led out of the field though I think Gregor quickly asserted himself and built up a lead which just grew and grew…..unusually for me I started slowly and kept it steady, passing Trevor Shaw of Killin before slowly catching and passing Jamie who is still suffering from his back problems…..then chased a guy in black while trying to keep Trevor behind me…..well short of the top Gregor came past with a very healthy lead followed by Damian Theaker who had paced it well to get past Arnis….the lady was in 5th position and running well…..muddy track the last bit to the top but compared to Cortmalaw it was almost drought conditions.

On the downhill managed to get past the young guy in black, ok around 40 or so, and he let me go so I managed 7th position ….Gregor was 1st, think Arnis was 3rd and Jamie was about 10th or so…..surprised there weren’t more Westies at this great wee race which is close to Glasgow and not too strenuous, hope Jamie’s back improves and he gets back to kicking my aged butt soon.