Runners and spectators standing in a field. There are misty hills in the background. It's a grey autumnal day.

My first FRA relay

Last weekend I took part in my first FRA’s (or, to use its proper name, the British Athletics Fell and Hill Relays) and it was also my first relay race. Two hundred and fifty teams representing clubs from all over the UK gathered in Braithwaite,…
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…

The Ben Race

Fifteen Westies assembled in Fort William on a hot September day to race up the Biggest Ben of Them All. I've spent the last few months attempting some Ben-specific training, plotting increasingly convoluted and repetitive routes in the Ochils…

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…

Simon Trigger Handicap

Results from the 2023 Simon Trigger Handicap. Pl. Name Chip Time Handicap 1. Tom Gosling 49:39 1:01:39 2. Gregor Stuart 42:57 1:02:56 3. Iain Mabon 1:00:04 1:03:08 4. Andrew Fullwood 1:04:28 1:04:28 5. Clodagh 58:02 1:05:02 6. Paul…

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…

Goatfell 2023 – Ease on Down the Road

Pick your left foot up/When your right foot’s down/Come on legs keep movin’/Don’t you lose no ground/You just keep on keepin’/On the road that you choose/Don’t you give up walkin’/Cause you gave up shoes/Eeeeaaassseee on down the…