Edinburgh Running Network
Photographs courtesy of Rodger Shearer
| Place (534) | Category | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillian Grant | 490 | Old Deer | 02:01:55 |
| Mary Macleod | 490 | Doe | 02:01:55 |
| Claire Monk | 490 | Doe | 02:01:55 |
| Rebecca Stevenson | 490 | Doe | 02:01:55 |
Deerstalker 5k (and the rest)
Claire said : Well, that was an adventure! I hardly know where to start, but here goes: Right at the start we were clambering over hay bales, then within 3 minutes we were wading through knee deep muddy water, this was followed by a muddy ploughed field. This was swiftly followed by a HILL, the like of which I have never attempted to climb, much less run. Just when you thought it couldn’t get steeper, it did and we were literally on hands and knees using roots and rocks for handholes. I am scared of heights and was really panicking that I would freeze and get stuck on the hill. I made it up, only to find more of the same. This went on for about 2 miles (and 1400ft of ascent). The downhill was just as brutal and navigated mostly on my arse!!
Then there was a relatively gentle run along to the Tweed, we ran along the side for a bit then waded through it and clambered up the bank. More running then back into the river – waist deep and through a tunnel this time – you could only laugh, it was so ridiculous, I did get nice and clean though!! This was followed in quick succession by two more trips into the river, then on to the home straight, complete with cargo nets to crawl under and a 7 foot thing to climb up followed by a jump down the other side and on to the finish. Beer and cava make for surprising effective post race libations!
I loved being part of a team and we did all the obstacles together even though we ran at different speeds in some sections. Apart from the very scary climbing bits, I did laugh a lot, my tweed hat stayed on and I have crossed one of the toughest races on the circuit off my list. And the medal doubles up as a bottle opener. Return trip next year………?
Not sure of the actual distance and I think times are probably irrelevant, but we finished in about 2 hours 1 minute and we are all still in one piece, although I do have some interesting bruising today!
Our team comprised: Mary MacLeod, Gillian Grant, Rebecca Stevenson, Lynda McCormick and Claire Monk.
