Strathpeffer Games must be one of the few events on the calendar where you get to tie your number (on stiff card) on with a lovely piece of blue ribbon instead of safety pins… It must also have one of the steepest climbs on the circuit – rivalling that loopy descent off West Lomond in Fife for gradient. The technique seems to be to grab as much wet bracken / grass as you can and chuck it over your shoulders into the face of the poor sod at your heels. If you are a bit of a mid-pack perambulator like me then there isn’t much left to hold onto towards the summit of Knockfarrel.
A fun descent through the nettley bracken tunnels, slippery wooden styles and cow-pat strewn fields follows before the lap round the games field to the usual rapturous Highland applause for every last runner.
The Tartan Terrors were out in force but Cambuslang’s Andrew Wright put in a record breaking performance to push their Graeme Campbell and Henry Blake onto the other podium spots. I finished 9th with 36m40 for the 4.2 miles / 900 feet about 4 minutes adrift. Sharon, Andrew’s significant other was first lady.
I also took part in the handicap 220yard race (a Westies first?), although the kilted starter put me on the scratch line at the back to my significant chagrin. This proved to be some of the best games entertainment as myself and Phil, the other hill runner who decided to have a go were left a significant distance behind, surprised by the speed of the marks-set-“bang”. The laughter seemed to get louder in direct proportion to the size of said significant distance all the way around the grass track.
The final affront was some bureaucratic kill-joy shoving a Scottish Games Association day membership form under our noses. Having grudgingly paid him £3 for a day licence, I pointed out the difference in attendance between the Hill race – almost 40 people from ages 15 through 60odd (no licence reqd) and the track events – less than 10 twentysomething ringers. Perhaps they could learn something there?
written by Scratch-line-Swaz on 14/8/2006
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