Carnethy 5 Hill Race – 12th Feb 2011
Olly Stephenson (Race Organiser)’s Report

First and foremost I’d like to start by saying a very big thank-you to the one hundred plus people that helped out this year, it really would not have been possible without your help.

Organising the race begins in earnest at the start of October by contacting the landowners, sponsors and the school. It’s then fairly constant up until a peak of activity that lasts for a couple of weeks up until race day, and then it tapers off during the month or so afterwards as I follow up with various people to say thanks, pay the bills and pick up any lessons learnt. So all in all it’s a good few months of work for a race that only takes 50 minutes for the winner, but thankfully the sense of satisfaction lasts much longer!

This year things seemed to run very smoothly and we were very lucky with the weather. I was struck with how beautiful the course looked from the finish line with the low February sunlight picking up the ant-like trail of runners descending Carnethy hill, with the oranges, greens and browns of the hills looking more like an oil painting than a race.

Overall everyone seemed to be having a great time and there were no major incidents except one driver apparently tried to pick a fight with one of the school janitors (what was that all about?!) and on-going dangers with people parking at the start despite numerous pleas not to, which could jeopardise the future of the race with the police…

The race itself is a real watershed moment for me where I become just an ordinary runner and get to enjoy the race like everyone else; as the starting gun went this year I distinctly remember thinking ‘ah, this is the easy bit’ after all the organising.
Prize-giving seemed to go well with the addition of spot prizes and the recognition of several of the major characters in the long history of the race, e.g. Jimmy Jardine (inventor of the race), Burns Scott (original organiser of the race in conjunction with the late Charlie Gordon), Andy Spenceley (another former organiser, and now the whizz behind the results) and John Blair-Fish (the creator of the current route). For future years I’d like to distribute the prizes more widely, e.g. multiple category winners only receiving one of their prizes (e.g. the highest value) with the others being given out as spot prizes.

One of the best bits of the race and indeed of the sport of hill running in general is just how low key and friendly it all is, as evidenced by the winners Tom Owens and Angela Mudge. You really couldn’t ask for two nicer (or more deserving) people to win.
The Adventure Show are working towards having the show ready for broadcasting towards the end of March. I will put an announcement on the club’s website as soon as I hear the exact time and date.

Thanks again to everyone that helped with the race, for all the runners than came along, and for the sponsors Tiso, Run4It and Peter Bland Sports. We hope to see many of you again next year.

Carnethy 5: The Wife’s Report
by Jane Stephenson

I would like to start my report on the Carnethy 5 as most wives would: by contradicting my husband. The organising of the race actually started in September when I received the first phone call from a lovely runner from Northern Ireland asking when online registration opened. I marked the day on my calendar thinking that this marked the beginning of one of my primary roles in the race, which is answering the phone to the myriad of questions we normally receive. I love this bit of race organising partly because I am often the authoritative voice to so many folk who have way more expertise and experience than I. Heck, I’ve never even entered a hill race in my life, and yet I am telling some very skinny, fast people what they need to do. And they listen to me.

And they obey. Having three kids, I can tell you that I savour that reaction.

And so after the first phone call in September I was poised and ready with my slightly smug and possibly condescending replies about necessary kit, the registration process, the dinner, and whatever else the hill running community had to throw my way this year.

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Where was the love people!?!?! [Ed: try saying this in an American accent - Jane is from California]

No phone calls. None. You all knew what you were doing, got yourselves sorted, and I was basically redundant. Finally, a week before the race the phone rang. I charged for the receiver and was so pleased to hear someone ask to speak to Olly Stephenson about the race. “Is there something I could help you with?” I enthusiastically replied.

“ Actually”, a friendly voice answered, “I’m just phoning because I think I have a bit of time towards the end of the race and I would like to volunteer to help out.” It was Gillian Paul, who not only didn’t need me, but turned up on race day and helped serve teas and coffees to muddy runners for the whole afternoon.

The race day came and everything ran beautifully this year. There are some folk who are so generous with their time and effort who really make the day superb. I could name dozens within the club, but I really must mention Burns Scott who turned up to help hand out prizes and spent the afternoon happily helping me in the lunchroom. What a lovely gentleman. Seriously, this race works so well because of people like Burns, Gillian, and all of the others that not only give their time and energy, but appear to do it quite happily.

So then, I have spent the last few days asking myself what I should do now that my role feels redundant. The answer is pretty obvious, as the government has been saying it for months: retraining. I must adapt to the present climate where the role for a Carnethey 5 call centre is no longer needed. Next year I’m running. So, if you see a really slow, middle-aged woman trotting around the course in 2012, give me a shout. It will make me feel needed.

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