Maddy Moss Hill Race (6 mi / 2500ft - AM) aka the post Rat Race Blues

After last years US presidential elections, Steve Earle (the incredibly honest Nashville based singer/songwriter) commented, “the only cure for the post election blues, is to get the fuck out the country, fall in love with a red headed girl from Alabama (he was referring to Alison Moorer) and include at least one Rolling Stones cover in the gig”.

With another Rat Race over, we needed something similar …but different. The Maddy Moss hill race seemed appropriate.

The legs were still suffering from the weekend (it felt like I had been horse riding) but the Ochils looked good as Bill & myself pulled into the car park. In various states of race registration and dress were the rest of the Rat Race exiles – Lesley Taylor & Rob Priestley. Also up for the hill, were two Rat Race marshals - Rob Sanderson and Robyn Frew (who along with Lesley & Rob make up Team Alpine Bikes who are racing the Wilderness ARC next month).

The start was steep. I tucked in behind a group who looked like they had good local knowledge as they were taking a slightly higher line than the main group. In turned out that we were slightly off course – the result being an extra loop of 100ft steep climb followed by a 100ft near vertical drop through 5ft bracken and rock faces to get back on course.

Over the bridge and starting the long climb onto the Law I saw Rob P up ahead …time for a little more effort. I was barely able to shout a response when he shouted “what 4x25 Kelly” (a Borneo based standing joke with Rob and myself). Over the Law it was time to start running again. The legs complained a little but it was good to stretch the back out. The summit ridge was shrouded in mist but it was fun trying to judge how far it was to the summit based on how fast folks were descending back down towards the col and which leads to Andrew Garnell hill (who exactly IS he and why does he have a hill named after him ???). Round the summit cairn and an opportunity to see who was where. Rob P was alarmingly close, Bill was just behind him, Lesley was having a fantastic race, Robyn was smiling but I couldn’t see Rob S… was he ahead ?

The long descent towards the finish was superb – hill running as good as it gets. It was even possible to look up every now and then to enjoy the surroundings. I could hear someone just behind me and despite every effort to open a gap, when it came to a rather technical little drop down to a burn, a girl sped past at an incredible rate. Initially, I thought she had tripped and was falling but then I realised she was just a fantastic descender and very confident with it.

A last push though the bracken and it was over. Next in was Rob P followed closely by Lesley, Robyn crossed the finish next looking far too fresh. Unfortunately, Lesley told us she had passed Bill walking down the track – he had trashed his ankle. We were all heading back up the hill to offer Bill some moral support when Rob S passed by.

With everyone now off the hill safe, the Robs headed back to Glasgow and Lesley, Bill and myself headed to the Woolpack pub to get ice for the now swollen ankle. It would have been rude not to have stayed for beer though. Shame I didn’t have a Stones record for the drive home ...

Big thank you to the Ochills Hill Running club for organising the race and as always, for the marshals without whom, it wouldn’t happen.