Carnethy Club Handicap Series & Reports 2016

The rain let up long enough for a pleasant if muddy race. Fuzzy photos as the light was poor. Results
Digby
Willie’s report…
With a forecast or torrential rain, I was a bit trepidaceous about the Boghall handicap.
I looked out my Gazebo and headed for the carpark.
Even at 6:35 there were a few people about and the Handicapper had parked the Timkeeper Camper outside the car park to avoid the height restriction Bar.
1 less gate to run through I thought.
I discovered I had forgotten the clock to rushed home to return 10 minutes later.
The Gazebo was erected and the numbers were given out.
The world safety pin shortage hit hard so there were lots of carried numbers.
Having had a slow C5 this year, I was given a very good handicap and was looking forward to my bottle of wine. So at 12:46 on the clock I headed off.
I soon caught up on Kate and Philipa and had a look back to see a Digby in hot pursuit.
The herd of cattle had been chased into a field by Bill and he shut the gate while the runners went past , thanks Bill.
Soon I heard footsteps and was relieved to be passed by the eventual winner (not Digby that would have been too much).
Allermuir came fairly quickly and I hit the descent. My knees had 3 days of the new turmeric remedy –

“Clerihew Warning”
Mary Lye
Said Vitamin I
Can make you feel sick
So try Turmeric.

– and I was feeling good.

My 2nd fastest time on the Allermuir South descent segment in 3 years (Strava can be informative – Mr Whiteside).
The mushy bog to the Army Metal Plate was fun and the Climb hard as ever.
2nd Fastest in 3 years!
I saw Georgina just ahead of me at the top, but then she disappeared. I reckon she was doing the skyline.
The run down was slippy and I found Euan Burns as I got to the fence crossing. He seemed happy for me to pass him, but was on the lookout for big sister Holly.
I finished in second, four minutes behind the winner, I will need to find out what he bribed Phil with.
The runners came in thick and fast with the Mini Masrhalls (lots of McGowan children) shouting out numbers. Big Al was doing a sterling job until the rush with numbers being shouted names being shouted and times written down got too much. But we got there in the end.
51 Finisher, all happily muddy, 1 injury which needed first aid, but since he was a doctor it was easy.
The handy hose was well used to wash off the worst of the mud before heading to The Steading for food and beer.
A big thanks to Al McGowan for giving up the time to do the timing.
The strava flyby was interesting to watch with 15 runners uploaded.
Micah, Shug and Steven cut the corner at the end (naughty), Joel, Rupert, Micah and Anna tried the direct route from the tracks to the sink. Zof seems to like following walls.

But since none of them passed me I am not there!

Willie Gibson

Swanston Report – race director

After meticulous planning, careful selection of paths and trods to give a varied route, route maps and descriptions developed, new Strava legs established, a faff over food, printing of stuff for the race, reccee runs completed, route ‘marked’ with special disappearing flour, I realised organising a race is a tough job. Hats off to race organisers!

All we needed was blue skies and sunshine. Alas, that happened in the morning and by race time the mist descended, the cows closed in, and a chill replaced the warmth of the day. Between 47 and 50 folk headed out at their allotted time, most of whom ran the intended route. Talk at the end of screes, ski centres, Boghall, and Allermuir all suggested that the flour marking, route description and reccee opportunities hadn’t quite worked out as hoped. Despite printing numbers from 1-60 so everyone could easily be counted, personal numbers and folk heading off for a run or walk at the same time ‘but not racing’ helped with confusion at the end. If you are still missing, let someone know!

I think everyone liked the route – or their version of it, and the descent made for some great finishes. My guess that the winning time for the route would be about 32 mins with Liam Braby getting a few seconds under this. But, as it was a handicap, his ‘real’ position was 7 places behind me in 27th. I take that as a result on my part. On this basis, Euan Burns, Gina McAllister and Sally Best took the medals with Jeff Roberts taking the special race prize. Kenny Rodgers didn’t race, but his look-alike did apparently. Thanks to those who turned up to help or watch. Hopefully the timings are all correct now.
Mark Hartree
Results here.

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Some murky hilltop photos from Mike Andrew

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It was all going so well…

…until mist and racing dementia took over and I went the wrong way.

Ridiculous. I know that route like the back of my hand. I don’t think I gained any advantage as I tried to regain the route but failed miserably, visiting bits of hillside never before trodden by man. I wasn’t the only one to go wrong I don’t think, though probably the most erratic, and with the least of excuses.

A good turnout and a nice wee route by Mark Hartree. And the winner of the latest and most eccentric Carnethy race prize – a bottle of wine to the 7th person over the line – went to Jeff.

Hang on… is that MY hand?
Digby

The arrival of rain on a dreich NE wind was perfectly timed for first away on the circuit of the Courhope forest and Kilrubie Hill.  Low cloud added to the navigational challenge despite what I thought would be helpful and very clear clues at all the critical junctions.  Not so! – with one or two going astray to tackle unnecessary barriers and additional distance.  One launched his bold bid for this year’s wooden spoon with an imaginative off-map northern detour to avoid the Kilrubie cloudbase.  Much thanks to the rapidly scrambled search squad who, along with the delayed bold explorer, eventually dried out in the restaurant over a meal that somehow seemed to get mixed up with one arranged for the local weightwatchers group but priced for an EU commissioners’ convention.  I had about 20 micro-chips forcing me to scavenge off handy adjacent diners.

Photos unlikely (offers?) due to low light levels and Digby’s excursion to another country.
Keith Burns

Runner		Handicap	Run Time	Finish Time	Points
Fraser	Gibson	20.29	45.32	73.53	44.3
Helen	Wise	19.37	54.43	74.48	42.9
Alastair	Heggie	23.15	50.21	75.12	41.4
Ken	Fordyce	16.49	58.00	75.55	40.0
Jonathan	Hogg	19.01	53.12	76.09	38.6
Craig	Mattocks	34.48	40.20	77.32	37.1
Phil	Young	26.09	51.41	77.38	35.7
Mark	James	30.17	45.33	77.56	34.3
Olly	Stephenson	29.35	47.13	77.57	32.9
Alex	McVey	33.11	40.08	78.06	31.4
Keith	Burns	11.18	66.05	78.10	30.0
Chris	Tinning	26.41	46.24	78.11	28.6
James	Hardie	30.44	42.58	78.20	27.1
Manuel	Zeller	33.40	43.18	78.20	27.1
Doug	McQueen	28.12	48.27	78.36	24.3
Matthew	Jones	27.16	46.30	79.08	22.9
Mary	Lye	24.56	49.19	79.14	21.4
Alan	Hogg	25.31	45.00	79.18	20.0
Tracey	Ballinter	21.31	56.19	79.19	18.6
Michael	Andrew	32.02	43.24	79.40	17.1
Jess	Richardson	19.17	51.09	79.41	15.7
Andrew	Spenceley	29.00	48.30	80.32	14.3
Win	Rampen	14.30	60.51	80.53	12.9
Joel	Sylvester	22.02	53.46	81.48	11.4
Jeff	Roberts	22.36	48.33	81.57	10.0
Gordon	Cameron	21.23	54.27	82.08	8.6
Noel	Tomnay	33.40	47.24	82.26	7.1
Catherine	Forrest	0.00	82.41	82.41	5.7
Sandra	Chandler	0.00	83.05	83.05	4.3
Margaret	Forrest	0.00	83.08	83.08	2.9
Bob	Waterhouse	19.43	64.51	90.40	1.4

Lovely evening in between big dramatic showers. Alan Hoggs photos here.
Results: 

Runner		Finish Time	Run Time	Points
Andrew	Howett	71.35	49.24	50.0
Philippa	Ivison	71.36	71.00	48.4
Win	Rampen	72.02	59.13	46.9
Gordon	Cameron	72.28	53.45	45.3
Paul	Ritchie	73.17	52.17	43.8
Lucas	Lefevre	73.20	51.16	42.2
David	Harrington	73.21	52.28	40.6
Anthony	Hemmings	73.36	48.02	39.1
Steve	Best	73.50	47.22	37.5
Chris	Boustred	74.18	48.55	35.9
Kate	Fraser	74.45	70.27	31.3
Phil	Young	74.32	52.20	34.4
Doug	McQueen	74.38	49.27	32.8
Fionna	Mackinnon	74.48	59.08	29.7
Chris	Tinning	74.53	47.42	28.1
Jeff	Roberts	75.00	50.24	25.0
Nigel	Shekleton	75.05	44.09	23.4
Mairi	Brown	74.85	71.38	26.6
Jess	Richardson	75.34	53.10	21.9
Alan	Hogg	76.04	47.42	20.3
Helen	Wise	76.07	56.24	18.8
James	Hardie	76.20	45.49	17.2
Gordon	Voller	76.30	61.08	15.6
Fraser	Gibson	77.02	48.14	14.1
Gavin	Frizzell	77.51	54.04	12.5
Lindsay	Donald	78.31	77.19	10.9
Alex	McVey	78.47	45.30	9.4
Scott	Henderson	79.04	54.00	7.8
Alexis	Dole	79.25	47.56	6.3
Alan	Swanson	79.36	58.27	4.7
Digby	Maass	80.00	66.22	3.1
Ken	Fordyce	80.15	60.19	1.6

Every handicap should be run in lovely warm sunny weather with clear blue skies. Oh well, we can dream. A great route, if I say it myself. Wonder who set it <cough>. And the large parking would make a good BBQ venue, if Wetherspoons weren’t so enticing. The handicaps may have been a bit erratic being the first running of this one. I had a running battle with Bob W who, being a bit ill, ran really fast and finished first. In a strange move Keith, at the gate marked on the map as ‘gate exit’, didn’t. It must have been quite hard descending on the trackless left hand side of the wall. Good to see Bill running. 
Digby

Runner		Handicap	Run Time	Finish Time	Points
Bob	Waterhouse	19.43	47.36	53.50	50.0
Digby	Maass	13.20	47.19	53.52	47.8
Alan	Swanson	22.43	45.50	59.09	45.7
Alexis	Dole	31.13	37.14	59.24	43.5
Lucas	Lefevre	13.55	39.46	59.44	41.3
Gordon	Voller	11.25	48.28	59.50	39.1
David	Harrington	24.03	41.23	60.20	37.0
Helen	Wise	19.37	45.11	60.31	34.8
Ken	Fordyce	16.49	49.24	61.03	32.6
Sandra	Chandler	0.00	61.35	61.35	30.4
Richard	Chandler	0.00	61.37	61.37	28.3
Jeremie	Lagarde	25.13	41.40	61.40	26.1
Andrew	Spenceley	29.00	40.39	61.47	23.9
Maggie	Creber	18.16	47.26	61.55	21.7
Nigel	Shekleton	29.35	34.57	62.05	19.6
Andrew	Howett	30.27	35.28	62.10	17.4
Fraser	Gibson	20.29	40.42	62.48	15.2
Cali	Ingham	0.00	62.52	62.52	13.0
Georgina	McAllister	8.42	48.44	62.54	10.9
Alan	Hogg	25.31	40.16	62.55	8.7
Craig	Mattocks	34.48	41.29	69.48	6.5
Willie	Gibson	12.46	57.29	71.50	4.3
Bill	Gauld	0.00	75.41	75.41	2.2

On Tuesday night around half past six it was 22 degrees and bright and sunny in Edinburgh as Alison and I toddled around Mortonhall, boding well for the following evening’s final handicap race of the season.  Typically race day arrived dank, dreich and dreary and by evening the haar over Arthur’s Seat reduced visibility to a few metres on the tops.

Some 32 diehards turned up though and set off into the murk on myriad route choices with 3 getting sufficiently lost they couldn’t even find some of the hills.  Some over ran the course and took in Nether Hill (to catch the views perhaps) and on leaving Crow Hill people were running to the left and right of each other uncertain of the right descent line.  On Whinny Hill several opted to do both tops to ensure that they actually did the summit.  Again descent lines here were every which way as were ascent lines to the highest point on the crags.

However, all got safely back and there was much excited chatter at the finish line as route choice(?) was discussed.  Sadly, due to an overbooking at Kilderkin the chat wasn’t continued there as there was no room in the inn despite assurances given to me the day before when I popped in to ensure everything was in order.

The prize giving will now be next Wednesday at KB and I’ll arrange for food to be served … Honest!
Results
Nick Macdonald