What a night! The sun was blazing on Wednesday night for the second running of the Red Moss Kips race. Loads of runners for the start including, shamefully, a gaggle of Carnethies that were not attending the Eddleston handicap. Well, maybe they were thinking that they could start the Red Moss race and then finish at the Carnethy handicap – if last year is anything to go by, this could happen! My intention of cycling to registration fell apart by working too late, so I had to drive there and so increase the parking problems for Jamie Thin and his organisational crew. His idea of allowing extra places and free entry to cyclists is a good one, and given the increasing popularity of hill running and the limited size of near-hill car parks it’s probably something more races should consider. Well, I think so at least. Anyway, a bustling start at the Red Moss carpark, we were sent out towards Exponential Hill (that tarmac climb towards Bavelaw castle), then off onto the Drove Road to the Kips. The exposed Drove Road provided a little welcome breeze, but at the turn towards West Kip the breeze seemed to drop and the heat really started to take its toll. Ahead I could see a couple of Carnethy vests in the form of Eoin and Liam, both running well. The kips really didn’t help me overheating much, as I was locked in a three way tussle with a Boggy and a Westie, continually swapping places throughout. I’m sure the view was lovely from up there, but due to my heavily salted eyeballs I could only focus three yards ahead of me. From East Kip you know you’re on your way home, thank god, but first there’s a fast descent down to the Howe, and this incline is where both Mr Boggy and Mr Westie zipped ahead. My only hope was that I could recover something on the flat run through Green Cleugh. Luckily for me, the “flat run through Green Cleugh” is more ascent than you would first think and I managed to sneak ahead, and gained enough of a lead to stay ahead down the knee crumbling descent of Exponential Hill to the finish.
Carnethy’s own Eoin Lennon took fist spot!! Liam Braby took 5th. I think Heather Munro was first Carnethy female, and then Vicky Gilmore. Fantastic running, all! A great evening for it! Results
Jim