Pentland Runners       

Running Groups

Sunday 10.00am  meet in BHS car park           Experienced (10k +) runners (40 – 55 min 10k pace) +  jogScotland Beginners Group
Wed       7.00pm    meet in BHS car park           Mixed ability, 4 - 7 mile run. We're back to rural routes now!!!
Thursday  6.30 – 7.30 Saughton Track              For those wanting to add a speed – endurance session to their routine.

Pictures from Stirling Cross Country - Our first East Cross Country League  mens & ladies teams in many a long year!

Admin Stuff:

We had our AGM on Tue 27 Sep, and welcome Hamish Bell, Alex Gordon, Catherine Barr and Jenny Robertson onto an expanded committee (no retirals this year!)

 In addition Norma Bone has kindly offered to look after the running tops and vests – so if you need one, she’s at 449 2384 (£18 for the short-sleeved running tops, £12 for a running vest).

 From Oct 1 we’re into a new membership year, so everyone’s subs for 05-06 (apart from Maria) are now due.  If anyone definitely doesn’t want to join, or wants to come off the mail-list please let me know. The 05/06 Membership form can be downloaded from this page.

 It looks like we have enough beginners to run a new jogscotland beginner’s programme. This will start on Sunday 16 Oct, meeting in Balerno HS car park at 9:55 for 10:00.

 Winter Runs

 With it now being dark on Wednesday evenings, a reminder to everyone coming along on Weds to wear something light.  All black should only be worn: in the summer, in the snow, or at Murrayfield by New Zealanders.

Cross country: There was a type in the dates I sent out – 17 Nov should have been 27 Nov. Corrected Fixtures:
Saturday 15 Oct       Stirling Univ
Sunday 27 Nov        Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy
Saturday 4 Feb 06    Deans Livingston

Known performances (with apologies to those missed or not found on results sites)

 On Sunday 4 September Scotland had one of its hottest days of the year, and one of its hottest September days for many a year. It was not a day to be running half or full marathons, Unfortunately, there were three such events that day.

 Glasgow Half Marathon,  4 Sep

Hugh Chalmers                      1 44:44
Stuart Douglas                      1  48:05
Anne Douglas                       2  02:06
Graeme Scobie                       2  05:51
Peter Mcgavigan                   2  09:14
Norma Bone                           2  11:46
Gail Crosbie                            3  12:12

Runners were keeling over from heat and dehydration all over the place, and Stuart was one those who suffered when he collapsed shortly after finishing. Fortunately we were close to the first aid tent, and with Hugh keeping a watchful eye over him, Stuart spent the next couple of hours on drips and drinking water. He was a sore for a couple of days but was out running again by Wednesday.

 Moray Marathon, 4 Sep

42             Andreas Wilhelm                 3.45.38
86 runners

 Aberfeldy Half Marathon
by Iain Morrice “While many of the Pentland team were pounding the streets of Glasgow , myself , Richard and RAF Mark did the Aberfeldy half. The conditions were wonderful, I think not , temperatures were hitting 30 during the race and at the end one of the officials told me that the current temperature was 28, bloody hot. The temperatures definitely affected the three of us and our performances were all below our previous races. Richard did it in 1hour 40, my own time was 1hour 45 mins ( worst ever half marathon time and Mark was around 2 hours  I think. The scenery is great but the race was a really gruelling challenge.”

 5K Meadows Handicap, 7 Sep

 This was a Scottish Athletics “experimental” event, with five of us acting as guinea pigs over a three-lap course round the Meadows. The idea is that runners get a handicap number (eg 28, which still hasn’t been explained to me) based on either (a) three recent previous race times as entered on the entry form or (b) any anticipated time you pull out of thin air if entering on the day. Andreas was still a tad stiff, sore and tired from his heatwave marathon a few days earlier and even did a warm-up without being told, to check all his limbs were working. David missed a 5k pb by a couple of seconds yet again (we’ll have to practice sharp bends in training). I did my usual of starting slowly whilst Alex and Catherine strode off together. I did enjoy overtaking them at the half-way point… only to be pursued by Alex. Was this to be a subtle mind-game of cat & mouse, coach & pupil…. nope… take a tight line on the next bend and step on the gas to establish some daylight…

The goody bags on this were definitely worth a lot more than the entry fee, so the next event is one to look out for. Scottish Athletics said it might be a doubles event where the combined time of two runners, less their handicaps, will be used. But I’m still waiting to find out how their handicap system works….

13 David Gibson                   18.56
35 Andreas Wilhelm            20.49
53 Bob Douglas                    23.04
57 Alex Gordon                     23.22
62 Catherine Ban                  24.01
97 runners

 Around Cumbrae 10 Miles Road Race 11 Sep
Iain “This was the event where we were going to provide a mini bus to take the Pentland runners, unfortunately only myself and Richard did this race. We took along with us a  lovely young lady who may well join the ranks of the Pentalnd Runners soon. This race is one I will definitely do annually, it’s a great day out in a great part of the world "WEST IS BEST". You catch a Cal-Mac Ferry from Largs over to the island and drive 2 miles to Millport returning the same at the end, The race route is around the perimeter of the Island and brought back many happy memories for me as I had holidays there as a wee boy. It was a cracking warm breezy day when the race started. The field of runners was small, about 100 if you were lucky and there was a great crack amongst the runners. Our times were good and got us back into happy mode particularly after the previous Sundays results. My time was 1 hour 7 mines and Richard was 1 hour 9 mines.”

 59             Iain Morrice                           69:14
70             Richard Gray                          70:29
 203 runners

 Linlithgow 10 K 25 Sep

 In perfect running conditions several of the girls went off to do the scenic run at Linlithgow. Judging by the closeness of some of their times and positions they probably didn’t see that much of the scenery as they must have been chatting away most of the way round before putting in a wee burst at the end …. not that it would have been competitive between Alex and Janice….

Claire and Sally both recorded stunning pb’s.  Both are now officially faster then me, (aaaaarghhhh!) which I’ll duly note when recalculating next year’s handicaps…

229 Janice CARRUTHERS                 0:47:18
230 Alexandra GORDON                      0:47:18
231 Claire MURDOCH                          0:47:31
237 Sally MAY                                      0:47:45
370 Beverley DODGSON                     0:54:19
438 Helen ROBINSON                          0:58:20
521 runners

Anster Haddies East Neuk 10k
Only Verity made it to this lovely spot on the Fife coast. I would have been there if a heavy cold hadn’t intervened.

175           Verity Missen                        48:32
321 runners

 Dam Tot 10 mile (Amsterdam) 18 Sep

 This must have been a very hard race. The girls needed 2 days in Amsterdam to recover from it….

This must have been a very well-marshalled race, as it was one of the few times over the weekend when the girls didn’t get lost in the city…… some stories about cycling round the city and boating round the canals are slowly emerging.

This must have been a very easy going social run with 30,000 folk in it. Carol was the first of our girls home …. not that it was competitive between them…..

Some of the menfolk in the club were interested in running, but the girls pointed out they weren’t properly equipped for it……. (maybe next year, boys?)

It will be strange not getting emails in Dutch. But to be fair to the organisers they sent emails automatically to the entrants with their chip times and 5k split times within minutes of the finish, so we knew some of the times long before they did. 

Carol Blamire                          1:23:59
Lindsey Boyle                       1:27:07
Janis Graham                          1:33:24
Shona Baird                           1:40:49
Anne Douglas                       1:41:19
Pauline White                        1:41:20
Approx 30,000 runners.

 Dunbar Boundary 10 miles

15 Hamish Bell                      01:03:56

 “… there was a big hill..” commented Hamish.

 Forthcoming events (.. maybe)

Saturday 22 October 2005 Ballater Mast Hill Race 9 Kilometeres, 240m ascent
Iain “ I am going to do this cracking race which is 1 week before my Dublin Marathon. If anyone fancies something different then ring me for details which, as the heading states, is race up a high hill to the radio mast at Ballater.”

Saturday 12th November Glen Clova Half Marathon
Unfortunately there are no vacancies for beds at the hotel this year so if you are planning to stay the Sat/Sunday then you will need to make your awn arrangements. For people wanting to take caravans there are some small sites near to Kirriemuir and there is a Caravan Club site art Forfar.

 Special Challenge event for next year?: Lairig Ghru Fell Race (Braemar to Aviemore)...Not so much a race, more a day in the hills….

28 miles of beautiful Scottish fell and glen, through Scotland’s biggest mountain range the Cairngorms, in excess of 800 feet of accent, rivers to ford, scree and boulders to negotiate, no marked course or support, what more could a person want than to race over such terrain on a Sunday in June? This awesome event of pleasure, pain and satisfaction is the Lairig Ghru hill Race, an ultra distance Fell race, between the police stations of Braemar and Aviemore, in the central Scottish Highlands rising to 2,733 feet, between some of the highest peaks in Britain. Devised and organised by Deeside Runners, a club based in Aboyne near Ballater nestled in the stunning scenery of the Eastern Cairngorms, the event has been providing an exhilarating but tough challenge to fell runners for the past 15 years.

More info from Iain Morrice