Maddy Moss Hill Race

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 2009
10km 680 metres

A belter of a mid-week race - great location, great pub after and lots of friendly faces. My blisters from Melantee had seemingly healed up, and after a power snooze in the car I was ready as ever for this tough assault course from Tillicoultry up the Ochils and back. The steep start got me puffing and panting immediately as runners jostled for space amongst the ferns, bracken and boulders. We all found the correct path this year over to the foot of the Law and were warmed up for the power-walking slog up to the top. I settled into a steady rhythm and was passed by only a few people on the way to the top, including Graham Kelly early on, who I managed to hang onto for most of the climb. The legs felt no too bad, though in this race I tend to climb well only to be passed on the runnable stuff on the descent.

Over The Law Steffen came past and I tracked him closely through the gloom to the summit of Ben Cleuch in about 37mins, where the real race started. My wee legs then tried their sterling best to hang on to Steffen and others in front, and to hold off Murdo, Dave Rogers, Lisa and the massed hordes behind me. I had a reasonable trot along to Andrew Gannell only losing a few places, trying to take in the cracking views that were unfolding around me as the sun made a fleeting appearance down in the glens below. The descent to the eponymous Maddy Moss is a little belter and no more places were squandered here fortunately.

However, what then lay ahead was the last mile down the narrow snaking ditch of a track where I usually flounder a bit, paying for my earlier uphill excesses. I let a few fliers pass me early on and then Saturday’s blister and some dodgy guts started making their unwelcome presence known. The concentration required to stay on the descent path in its more ditch-like upper half had blotted these things out, but on the lower half I just had to wave Dave past, bowing to his superior descending skills as I wimped out on the rockier parts.

I hared off after him to no avail, and was also soon caught by Ellie and, oh no -Dave Duncan! I thought I had done enough to hold off my old adversary but he nipped past me in the bracken as I was tip-toeing down. The last hundred metres are steep and slippery but, despite thinking only of a gut-relieving trip to the bushes, I managed to just hold off a fast finishing Murdo to record 67mins 10secs - a mere 10mins slower than 1999. No time for chit-chat at the finish as I was feeling decidedly ropey internally and headed straight for the hidden sanctuary of some high bracken, only reappearing a good 10 minutes later feeling a bit more human. A quick wet-wipe-wash in the car had me feelong fresh as a daisy and then into the Woolpack Inn for some rehydration. A lovely evening’s entertainment. Well done to all the Westies and thanks to Ochil Hillrunners for organising it all.