Pentland Skyline

Final counter in this years SHR championship, time to make amends for a DNF at Jura. Fourth time at this race, 2003,04 and 11, times from 3:47 to 4:09, hoped to finish the 16 or 17 miles and 6000' of ascent inside 4 hours today. Over 300 set off, 45 mins late, a number of people had parked in the ski slopes main car park ignoring the organisers request not to and had to move their cars before the off, sorted out as it should be without any drama hopefully to the satisfaction of the ski centre. Off we went, not much breeze, felt warm jog walking up the first climb, the big field began to spread out towards the first of 16 hill tops, ran easy over the ups and downs to the water stop at Flotterstone, steady now on the long climb up Turnhouse, over Scald Law and Carnethy, popped out to run over South Black hill, back for the Kips and steep drop down to the Drove Road water stop, just over 2 hours. Short farm track then turn for home over slightly rougher ground, some heathery stuff to get through and some boggy bits, luckily these were reasonably flat or down hill sections, ease back a bit and save some energy for the ups of Hare, Black and Bells Hills which are on mostly better paths. Finished the last of my juice, must have been getting dehydrated as it quickly made things a bit easier. Three hills to go, not far now, although the remembered third water stop never appeared, working harder, getting away from a few who had been edging past me from Scald Law, cramp starting to slow me on the flat sections but the ups afforded a wee stretch and managed to run most of these to the end, relaxed and pushed a bit harder down the last descent egged on by gravity happy to finish in 3:53, 177th place out of 295, the winner inside 2:16, last home over 5 1/2hours, plenty of juice n cakes at the finish and a wee lie down on the cool soft ground.