Richmond and Birnie take Goatfell
Kenny Richmond
Kenny Richmond and Emma Birnie triumphed for Bellahouston Road Runners (a misnomer, if ever there was one!) and with Andy Birnie taking the male vet prize…
Full report from Paul Emsley at Scottish Hill Runners
Full results and images courtesy of the guys at Scottish Hill Runners and Scottish Hill Racing
Goatfell
Kenny Richmond and Emma Birnie triumphed for Bellahouston Road Runners (a misnomer, if ever there was one!) and with Andy Birnie taking the male vet prize, the club were comfortable winners of the team race – Dougal Ross being their third counter.
The other category winners were M50 Russell Anderson (Moorfoot Runners), M60 Dougie Milligan (Solway RC), W40 Kate Friend (Carnethy HRC) and W50 Helen Macpherson (Westerlands CCC).
Despite early morning rain, the race was run in the dry, although the hill was in cloud during the ascent. Conditions improved for the descent, and most of the finishers were able to relax in sunshine in Ormidale Park while comparing their battle scars. The Arran Mountain Rescue team carried out several running repairs on the hill, and St Andrew’s Ambulance Corps at the finish had a steady stream of cuts and grazes to deal with.
Fortunately, only two runners were referred to the Arran War Memorial Hospital for further treatment and both were released in time to get to 16:40 ferry. It was generally agreed by runners and spectators that this was the bloodiest race for many a year.
Competition was keen at Goatfell
The path up Goatfell takes a huge pounding from many tourist feet, nowadays mostly accompanied by spiked walking poles. As the old path got wet and boggy, walkers tended to move to the sides, making the path ever wider. The National Trust For Scotland have spent vast sums relaying the path with boulders and grit to provide a firmer base for the visitors.
Unfortunately, the rain and wind remove the grit, leaving the path a jumble of boulders in places. With fast runners and tiring legs, the inevitable trip always leads to a painful fall. The remarkable thing about hill runners is that only one of the casualties had the sense to accept the offered lift back to the finish. (Don’t worry, Des, I won’t tell a soul it was you!)
Perhaps the most telling comment of the day came when Kenny Richmond was talking to second-placed Brian Marshall. On hearing how far off the course record (1:13:40) he was, Kenny asked, “How the heck do you find another four minutes on that course?” How, indeed?
