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 slow at CP1, feeling like sh*t at CP2 and walking at CP3, where I decided to bail and stroll off the hill. Galling at the time, but the only decision to have made. I got down, had a shower and then spent an enjoyable afternoon watching runners cruise across the line – there are worse ways to spend a sunny Saturday. The pub was good craic and the dancing was sweaty as ever – the post-ceilidh skinny dip deserves to become a tradition I reckon.

This was the first iteration of Westies-era Jura and Jenn & Tom deserve massive plaudits for organising a phenomenal event. It was a slick operation with everything going smoothly on the day – the team deserve particular congratulations for dealing with an injured runner being airlifted off the hill.

The Westies ladies easily took the team prize and the Westies men correctly gave theirs away on account of disruption at the sharp end. Shout out to the Carnethy/Shettleson lads who sacrificed their own races to assist a fellow runner who needed help.

It was great to see so many Westies on the island, running, marshalling and having fun. (It was also good to hear about Andrew F picking up the injured runner from a Glasgow hospital and putting him up for the evening.) A fantastic weekend all round!