Douglas leads our Virtual Hill Run challenge

Wednesday 10th February 2021

Mark Johnston of Carnethy HRC takes on his Hill Challenge (photo via Twitter)

Provisional Results (see downloads on right of page)

Our latest Virtual Hill Run Challenge took place last weekend and not even severe weather conditions in many areas of the country could put off our dedicated hill runners.

We had 150 performances submitted from an entry of 185 names across the various age groups – with younger athletes competing for 15 minutes and those from U17 for 30 minutes.

It was also really good to see no fewer than 43 clubs represented.

Seeking out the right route was a key part of the Virtual Hill Run Challenge and we’re even hearing suggestions that Scotland international  Ross Gollan cleared a trail through the snow to create a route for his climb.

All the age category winners are outlined within the Provisional Results download (see link above).

Up and down this hill fourteen times for the SA virtual hill challenge. Mother of God @scotathletics, play nice? #pendicle pic.twitter.com/TbzajtZYB4

— Graeme Jack (@GraemeWFJack) February 7, 2021

In the Men’s Challenge, Edinburgh runners had a clear advantage with four of the top five performances all completed on Arthur’s Seat, each of the athletes involved Andy Douglas, Inverclyde (660m), Louis MacMillan Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds (590m), Eoin Lennon Carnethy HRC (563m) and Gregor Malcolm Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds (550m) ran their reps on a different stretch of Arthur’s Seat.

In second place for the Seniors – with Louis top of the U20 category – was Iain Stewart of Westerlands (564m) in the hills above Selkirk.

In the V60 category John Tullie from Teviotdale had a storming performance to climb 483m.

As for the Women’s Challenge, the clear leader was Caroline Marwick, Inverness Harriers (486m), running up a steep hillside in Fortrose. Taking second place was Megan Crawford, Fife AC (450m) again opting for Arthur’s Seat (with the same rep Andy Douglas used).

It was noticeable that there were more short reps completed than in our previous Hill Run Challenge – with the likes of 20m x 17 being used to create some very tough sessions. Weather conditions ensured very few runners were out on the open hill.

With thanks to Angela Mudge

Tags: Andy Douglas, Virtual Hill Run, Virtual Hill Run Challenge