I was the sole Carnethy in a 25-strong field at the Rannoch Highland Gathering hill race. The race is a simple affair: a 2.3-mile dash up and down Craig Varr, a windswept bluff above Kinloch Rannoch, by whichever way you choose.
Colin Donnelly – fresh from winning the four-lap track race – led at the summit, pursued by Brian Marshall. I was ahead of Alan Smith at half-way; unfortunately, he had passed me by the conclusion. Similarly, Marshall had overtaken Donnelly. The laird handed me £15 in an envelope for my troubles in finishing fourth. For those who know the race, the tradition of cutting decoy paths in deep bracken had been abandoned this year.
I wondered how old Donnelly, Marshall and Smith – with a combined age in excess of 150 – would have to be before I could beat them. And then I thought by the time that is theoretically possible, it may be me who is too old.
Jonny Muir