March 2008 - 2 Mile Race, Pentland Hills

EDINBURGH "JOY DAY" RACE

I was hoping to get all of these 2-mile races on the web this year, but I failed almost at once by missing out on the results from the race in Derbyshire at the "National Forest" YHA! Fortunately, while the results of that chilly blast along a beautiful, wooded out-and-back course were lost, the results of this chilly blast along a more beautiful, out-and-back course in the Pentland Hills were presented to me, typed up in a table and everything, by Arpita from Edinburgh, so here they are:

Race Photo Galllery

The course was as perfect as you could hope to find, with uplifting views, no traffic and no houses nearby (so we didn't disturb anyone at 7am on a Sunday).

There was a choice of 1-mile or 2-mile, with almost everyone opting for the longer course, which involved running on a hilly lane through a forest, then out of the woods and through some gorgeous, open moorland scenery to the turnaround point, marshalled by a very enthusiastic Ed from Bristol. The return journey was somehow hillier than the way out, but the last 100 yards was a scarily fast downhill section which made for some impressive finishes. Worthy winners were Adelino from Paris (great to see him back on form after a long and frustrating spell with an injury) and Bhauliya from Edinburgh.This race was also notable for having the highest number of Francoises per head of population. Pics on this page are of the start and of Sahana coming in to the finish. There is a folder with pics of almost everyone in our gallery. Next "Joy Day Race"? Well, I guess that's London in May, where we may well have quite a few overseas visitors once again. On this occasion, Pragati gets the prize for being the furthest travelled!