Earlston Black Hill Race
The Earlston Black Hill Race situated in the Scottish Borders, is an annual hill race and attracts runners from all over Scotland. The race was 8.2km long and climbed 220m in height with terrain on and off-road. There was a great atmosphere all night with spectators out in force and the sun shining.
With the first 3km on undulating ground before getting to the base of the hill I was hoping to keep in touch of the fastest guys but try to save some energy for the push to the summit, then push hard on the descent and on the last leg to the finish. However, the pace at the start was faster than I had thought so found myself pushing more than I had planned just to stay in the top 20. I kept in touch and felt good up to the base of the hill but got a bad stitch when heading up to the summit so lost a few places. My descent was strong and I just kept at a constant pace, only being passed by two, on the last leg (3km or so) of the race. Very happy to finish 23rd and an improvement from my last race. Looking to get back training and work on pacing myself over longer distances to reduce fatigue in the latter parts of the races.
Not a triathlon but good to get some race experience in and keep the training up over the summer. It was a great race and atmosphere, definitely one to go back to.
- Alastair
