Ochils 2000 - Glen Devon to Dumyat in three hours
August this year
will see a new foot race in the Ochils: the Ochils 2000. It will start in Glen
Devon and take in all the 2000ft peaks, plus Dumyat, covering 18 miles with
5000ft of ascent. Alex King provides the background:
COMPETITORS in a hill race (or, as it’s known in England, a fell race)
are required to visit checkpoints on the route, usually placed at the top of
hills. The degree of navigation required varies from race to race. Some races
are clearly marked along the entire course, usually by sticks with red-and-white
tape attached. Others just have checkpoints with no marking between them at
all.
Competitors in all but the shortest races are usually required to carry windproof
or waterproof body cover, a hat, gloves, a compass, a whistle and a map. Entries
to most races are open to anyone, but some races require you to have completed
other races of similar difficulty to qualify for entry. Because most races are
not well known outside the hill running community, you will find that most of
the field are experienced hill runners, so everyone gets around the course fairly
quickly. An exception is the Dumyat race, which is very popular with the Stirling
University students and staff.
This year there will be five races in the Ochils:
Dumyat (Wed 9 May, 7pm), organised by Stirling University. This goes through
the university grounds, through Yellow Craig Wood and then up Dumyat, returning
the same way. The race has been run annually since the 1970s and the record
time is 33 minutes 7 seconds, by John Brooks in 2000. (The female record is
36 mins 52 secs by Angela Mudge that same year.) The course is well marked and
marshalled, so very little navigation is required. Because it is arranged by
the university, it attracts a large field, over 200 last year. If you want to
race up hills, the Dumyat hill race is a good place to start.
Dollar hill race (Sat 7 July, 2pm), organised by Ochil Hill Runners. Starts
at Dollar Academy, climbs out of Dollar on to Saddle Hill, then over Whitewisp,
Tarmangie, Andrew Gannel Hill, then to King’s Seat Hill before dropping
back into Dollar via Bank Hill. The course is nine miles with over 3000ft of
climb, and is fairly well marked: if the cloud is low we don’t want people
getting lost, particularly around Andrew Gannel. Once up on to Saddle Hill the
course is over grassy ground and not too steep, allowing most of the entrants
to run around the rest of the course. In 2006 this was a British Championship
race, resulting in a new course record of 71 minutes 53 seconds, by Simon Bailey.
The female record was also set last year, again by Angela Mudge: 84 minutes
10 seconds.
Alva Games hill race (Sat 14 July, 4:15pm). A short race, only one mile, but
with 1300ft of climb over some very steep terrain up on to Craig Leith and back.
Record: 18 mins 39 secs, by Kenny Stuart in 1981. There is also an under-17
race over a shorter course.
Maddy Moss Mash, (Wed 18 July 7pm), organised by Ochil Hill Runners. Starts
at the Mill Glen in Tillicoultry and goes up the Law to Ben Cleuch, then over
Andrew Gannel Hill, returning by the path above the Gannel Burn. Six miles with
2500ft of climb. As with the other races mentioned, the route is well defined,
with some carefully placed marshals to ensure that no one misses out part of
the course. This is the longest race in the Bog and Burn series which, along
with Dumyat and eight other races, makes up a midweek race series based in central
Scotland. Record: 47 mins 39 secs, by Billy Rodgers in 1996. Female record:
53 mins 10 secs, by Angela Mudge in 1999.
And finally, the Ochils 2000 race…
To be run for the first time on Saturday 25 August 2007. This differs from other
races in the Ochils in being not only by far the longest, but by being an A
to B race with no fixed route. Again organised by Ochil Hill Runners, competitors
are required to visit the summits of Innerdownie, Whitewisp, Tarmangie, King’s
Seat Hill, Andrew Gannel Hill, the Law, Ben Cleuch, Ben Buck, Ben Ever, Blairdenon
Hill and finally Dumyat. The order in which the hills are to be visited is not
specified, neither is the route, although there is an obvious order and for
most of the course an obvious route (but some navigational ability will be needed,
particularly if there is low cloud). Dumyat was not added to make the end of
the race hard, but because it allows a finish at Stirling University and use
of their changing facilities - plus the inclusion of Dumyat ensures that everyone
stays on the hills almost to the finish. Total distance is 18 miles with a climb
of 5000ft. We don’t really know what the winning time will be, but something
in the order of three hours is to be expected.
Hopefully the logistics of the A to B route will be solved by bussing everyone
from the university to the start (at midday) in Glen Devon, then just letting
them run back.
So if you are in the Ochils on the afternoon of 25 August and see people run past (hopefully heading in a westerly direction), you will know what they are doing.
Further info
Ochil Hill Runners: www.ochilhillrunners.org.uk
Details of other races and general hill running:
Scottish Hill Runners: www.shr.uk.com
Scottish Hill Racing: www.scottishhillracing.co.uk