Ayrshire Tatties 27th (and 1st) in Fife.

For the hill running contingent of Kilmarnock Harriers the Devil Burdens Relay in Falkland Fife has become the traditional season opener.  Entered under the team name of Ayrshire Tatties acknowledging that we are sometimes a composite team enlisting runners from other Ayrshire Clubs it was another great day out in the hills.

After a season affected by injury, team Captain and Club 2016 Hill champion Roddy Pugh, took the first leg and brought us in, in a top 15 place.  Handing over to Colin Glencorse and Davie White to take on the second leg, which involves more navigation and ascent, they headed up into the mist which was to envelope the area for much of the day.

As the rest of the team made their way round to the start of Leg 3 Colin and Davie were charging their way through the field and as they approached the changeover were only seconds behind the leading team and handed over to Alasdair Murray and Alasdair McCallum (North Ayrshire AC) with the Tatties now in 2^nd place.  Alasdair Murray’s lack of hill running in the last couple of years was evident in the initial near vertical ascent but some steady running and good navigation from Alasdair McCallum just about kept them in touch with the leading team, Dundee Hawkhill.

Handing over to Dan Pugh for the final leg we were about 3 mins behind but with youth, enthusiasm and family hill running genes all was not lost.  So as the rest of the team gathered at the finish the sound of Roddy shouting on Dan with a couple of hundred metres to go told us that he’d done it and the Ayrshire Tatties were the first of 147 teams to cross the line in a time of 3.26.02.

For those unfamiliar with this race, there are two starting times, an hour apart.  We take the early start.  26 teams in the later start finished in a quicker time than us, with the (real) winners finishing almost an hour ahead in 2.32.07.  So in overall terms we were 27^th of 147 teams, and delighted.