Balmullo Trail Race: Caketastic

 

The original idea last winter was to be up in Fife or Perthshire for some long weekends this summer. In order to make this a reality we looked for a wee but-n' -ben somewhere around there to use as a base. To date that objective hasn't yet been achieved, but it doesn't mean you can't still go awol at work on Thursday and take off.  I had the running and cycling gear and a road bike in the car as I hoofed my way up north around lunchtime. I got to Dundee around 3pm and checked in at the Hotel. They had offered us a free room and breakfast (after we used it last year after a race and had an awful night on mattresses that were shot (or should have been)). 

As I lay on the crisp white sheet-ed king size bed with a cuppa, I scrolled down the race calendar. I noticed that the Balmullo Trail Race was on that evening.  It was only 10 miles or so from where I was. This race was the last of the Fife summer series. I texted Fife's Ken, the organiser, to see if I could get a late entry. I received a warmly worded invite and so it was, a trip over the bridge for the 5 mile trail race. 

The Tay Bridge was down to single lanes and this delayed me by 20 minutes. However, I arrived in enough time after a short detour to Guardbridge - I'd obviously been given the wrong postcode.  It was warm but breezy. I paid my four quid and warmed up. Unusually good value. There were plenty from the Fife, Falkland and Kinross clubs in the 90 strong field. 

Looking at the setting for the race, it appeared that it was a hill race in disguise and the first 2 miles were all up. But that meant that the last 2 miles would be all down. After passing a few including vet Tony Martin, I stuck with a tall fife runner in red T-shirt. He had a big stride but like me, he was making the ascent hard work. I took the phone camera and grabbed a few snaps on the way up. At the turn I was still with the Fife lad. I expected him to pull away and capitalize on his size and stride on the way down, but he waved me on soon after and I focused on the runner ahead. 

As on the way out, it was a varied surface on the way back, a mix of grass, road and gravel tracks and I crossed the line in 38 minutes for 26th place. After getting changed in the car, I wandered into the Burnside Hall and was confronted with a cake table that looked like it was out of a cartoon - it went on forever and was heaving with sugary delights. I had a tea and some lovely frosted Madeira cake and, after thanking the organisers, I left. 

The following morning, after a 5 mile jog around Dundee City Centre, I returned to the hotel for a fry up. I know, its not athletes food. Picking up my phone, I found a text from Fife Ken saying I had won a bottle of wine and he could drop it off if I was based locally. Now that's service. Not being much of a wine drinker, I thanked him and asked him to redistribute it. The day was spent in Perth and then it was up to Aberfeldy to meet friends.  Top Stuff.