Birnam Hill Race 2023

It was an all embracing full-to -the-brim field of Scotland's Best and Blessed hill runners with a smattering of southerners which gathered at this years Birnam Hill Race. This 4 miler, organised by Adrian Davis and the good folk from the Lomond Hill Club, rises 1200ft up the side of a wooded hill nestled behind Birnam Railway Station, then it spits you out and throws you down the other side with a wee sting at the end; a mile of flattish uppy-downy running through the woods. If you get up the hill at the start, it’s a downhillers delight; and I’m a downhiller. Around 350 took the line. The field was so swollen, this being the first of the Scottish Championship races, they had to run 2 races, rather than 1: one for the wimmin and old gents at noon and one for the gents which started half an hour later. Although well past my sell by date, I went with the men on the 2^nd race. Speedy left with the women half an hour earlier.

As I ran up the lane toward the Birnam Hill, I saw the bright cavalcade, the cream of the crop, ahead of me. Of the oldies, Davis was tracking Smith who was down on Whitlie. I was just behind Davis at the toe of the hill, but as we ascended, he and Smith gradually pulled away and I ended up behind a tall thin bloke with long legs who was high stepping up the hill. I just couldn't go any faster.

At the top we plodded through some wet peat, had our ankles tickled by woody ground hugging heather and clambered over a crag before ‘the hurlting’ began. I was already passing a couple of uncertain types along the flattish gravel before it got tasty and as it steepened, I put it in top gear and careered past a couple of carnethys and another. Once in the woods the gradient levelled off and jelly legs took hold and I lost a place. As the gravel arrived to herald the last 500m I caught sight of Smith, but he was a good 20 seconds ahead and I had to make do with trying (and losing) the final mental slaver inducing sprint with some random and a Penecuik m50.  The sweat was dripping off me. Job done tho. 

Mrs mac was in attendance somewhere on the Hill, but her being in the medical profession, she was seeing to a runner who had bloodied himself, dashing himself on the rocks of despair, so she missed getting what would surely have been a blurry image of a fleeting runner ghosting past her camera-lense. Speedy finished 3^rd in the womens race and picked up a bottle of wine behind Page and Hodgson. I was 142^nd.  Strangely, quite similar in finishing position to last weeks Mourne Race. Donnelly arrived late on his bike and still got round in 34 minutes as first M60. An m65 Moorfoot runner beside me at the end seemed chuffed to take Smiths scalp. However, they all will take some catching.  Good cake stall and soup at the end supplemented by Adrians sweetie throwing antics. Best short hill race around.