This year's Big Weekend kicked off with a Fight With the Night race around the Dean Village and surrounding area, with the start in Stockbridge, and the assembly and finish located in Stewart's Melville College. With only 2 courses (long and short) on offer, there were runners heading off every 30 seconds, and one can only wonder what the locals made of it all. The courses went up the Water of Leith, diverting into Bank Gardens under Moray Place where runners had to stick to the paths or risk disqualification, leading to running round and round in ever decreasing circles (or so it felt!). On escaping from the gardens the courses headed for the Dean Village, crossing the river multiple times, and also in some cases passing through scaffolding(!) which had appeared since the courses were first planned. Adding to the excitement was a map exchange part way through as the section within the Dean Village had had to be replanned very late in the day. As the control descriptions on this map started at 1 again whereas the control circles on the map had the correct numbers, it all got a bit much for some and there were quite a few mispunches. Well done to the following who were in the top half of their course:

• Junior (31 finishers): Laurence Ward (2nd)
• Long (143): Aidan Smith (6th), Oleg Cheppelin (16th), Murray Strain (22nd), William Ivory (43rd), Alastair Flynn (56th), Max Carcas (61st), Anna Murgatroyd (65th)
• Short (134): Ann Haley (13th), Mary Ross (15th), Pat Bartlett (19th), Tricia Alston (20th)

Saturday's Urban race was in south Edinburgh, with assembly at Greenbank Church, and the starts to the south of Braidburn Valley Park. Courses set off initially through Oxgangs, with the longest then heading via a massive route choice leg into the Steils. All courses finished at the south end of the park. Junior courses (6 and 7) were either local to the park, or stuck to the immediate surrounding area to avoid crossing busy roads. Some locals in the Steils decided to add to the fun by making new numbers for the controls and sticking them on top of the existing ones. Had me briefly fooled at one point, but their choice of control number (666 or 999) on the next one I saw rather gave the game away. No stewards' enquiry anyway so no harm done. Well done to the following who were in the top half or thereabouts of their course - results haven't been split out by age class so I only have the course numbers to go by:

• Course 1 (Men's Open, 74 entrants): Aidan Smith (5th), Murray Strain (19th), Robin Galloway (42nd)
• 2 (Women's Open, Men's Vet, 102): Ray Ward (2), Anna Murgatroyd (10), William Ivory (11), Graeme Ackland (16), Graeme Ross (47)
• 3 (Women's Vet, Men's Super Vet, 77): Claire Ward (5), Max Carcas (14), Pat Bartlett (23), Mary Ross (35)
• 4 (Women's Super Vet, Men's Ultra Vet, 111): Roanne Lilley (2), Ann Haley (13), Lorna Eades (17), Tricia Alston (35), Heather Dudley (43), Michael Doherty (48)
• 5 (Women's Ultra Vet, M/W Hyper Vet, 91): Andy Kitchin (3), Jane Carcas (40), Sam Kitchin (42), Kate Kitchin (43)
• 6 (Junior 16 and under, 33): Laurence Ward (1), Ben Ross (2), Lucy Ward (14), Bethan Kitchin (21)

Last, but definitely not least, was the Sunday Classic race on Arthur's Seat, using a new map from Matthew Gooch, who also set the courses. I'm not quite sure how the published length and actual length compared on other courses, but for the '7.7km' brown course, I ran nearly 13km and apart from trading distance for climb on one route choice, I don't see how I could have done less distance! Anyway, club members in the top half of their courses are as follows:

• Brown (70 finishers): Aidan Smith (3), Ben Stevens (9), Andy Kitchin (22), Laurence Ward (29), William Ivory (31)
• Blue (93): Anna Murgatroyd (9), Max Carcas (43)
• Green (96): Ann Haley (8)
• Short Green (37): Mary Ross

News of our new club champion to follow soon ...

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Buckstane Sprintelope # 5 - Wednesday 8th May 2024

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