The Scurry to the Sea

Presumably this is the view from Allermuir Hill on a nice day...

I didn’t really read the race description with any great care, it all sounded fine, basically run from the Pentlands to the seaside following various footpaths and traffic free routes through the centre of Edinburgh which is pretty much the same idea as the Water of Leith Race. What could possibly go wrong? 

Summer in Scotland at Musselburgh beach

Its name was enough to tempt me to sign up for it – “The Scurry to the Sea” sounds like fun doesn’t it? And besides just about all my running plans for the summer, and maybe the rest of the year, are in tatters anyway so I was looking for something a bit different to keep myself amused and drag me out of my current state of lethargy. It was only the night before the race that I noticed that the race referred to itself as “Urban Orienteering” and the warning bells started to go in my head.

This race is a brand new creation of “Edinburgh Racing” who I think are related to the triathlon club and it was only advertised about a month before the race was actually due to be held. Despite the short notice it attracted a field of about 60 runners. We all congregated at Musselburgh harbour on a dreich grey morning at 8am which had meant a 4am alarm call for me (groan!) to register and catch the bus to Hillend ski centre in the Pentland hills. I didn’t know or recognise a single runner there although there was a few Portobello and Carnethy vests on show. I think the race was won by someone from Edinburgh Athletics club and the winner of the ladies race was a Carnethy runner.

Misty Pentlands

Heading to the checkpoint on Allermuir Hill

 At 9am we were set off into the mist, firstly to tackle the climb to the summit of Allermuir hill. Despite it being grey and misty it was surprisingly warm and I felt ok on the climb but even better on the descent as I passed people who did not seem keen on the wet grassy descent. From the summit a few people disappeared in different directions so I figured that there might have been a quicker line of descent from the checkpoint on the top of the hill rather than the taped course that I had followed on the way up but given I could barely see 50 yards in front of me through the mist I decided to play it safe and stick to the marked route which most of the other runners were taking. Next we went passed Swanston and over the bridge over the city bypass into Oxgangs before being directed up a small footpath. 

 

Allermuir Hill (c Edinburgh Racing)

This race was described as “urban orienteering” meaning that it was pretty much up to you how you got to Musselburgh (obviously getting the bus wasn’t an option) but you had to pass through 3 compulsory checkpoints. The optimum route was about 11.5 miles and this was sporadically marked with bright orange marker tape, particularly in areas where the footpath or cycle path you were running along crossed a busy road junction. I trotted through Oxgangs watching out for marker tape and other runners and then, slowly, I began to get that sinking feeling. I hadn’t seen anyone in a quite a while, and there was a distinct lack of marker tape anywhere. Oh Crap. There was no doubt about it, I had gone the wrong way. I stopped and took out my iphone and eventually Google Maps flickered to life confirming what I already knew. A quick 90 degree turn and I was heading back to the course but reached the Checkpoint at the gates to the Hermitage of Braid having lost a lot of places and time.

Can anyone spot where i went wrong?

I cursed my stupidity as I ran through the Hermitage and desperately hoped that the sweeper bike wouldn’t catch up with me. I took out my map from my backpack and made sure i carried it for the rest of the way but this was definitely a case of too little, too late. As I reached the end of Blackford Glen Road three other runners caught me up, all who had also been lost. One had managed to get herself lost on the Pentland Hills presumably by taking a different line from the summit than the marked one. I tagged along with these three and we all kept a careful look out for orange marker tape as we went past Duddingston and the foot of Arthur’s seat, the summit of which was shrouded in mist. 

Arthurs seat in the mist

From now on the race was pretty uneventful apart from for the 4^th race weekend in a row it was pissing down with rain but it was quite a misty still day so it wasn’t cold at all. The field had now spread out and I didn’t see anyone else at all which surprised me as my legs had pretty well given up and it had sort of turned into, well, not quite a death march, but more of a painful shuffle along the final stretch after crossing the A1 as my legs gradually seized up.  You know how these cycle paths have the little blue sign posts indicating distances? I wonder who decided the distances? Possibly someone with as good a sense of direction as myself. It is a little disconcerting to pass one sign post saying “Musselburgh 3 ½ miles” then to run half a mile to the next sign post which says “Musselburgh 4 miles”. And no, I was running in the right direction this time.

The path along Brunstane Burn

Eventually the course reaches the coast and the final few hundred yards are across the soft sands towards Musselburgh harbour where each competitor received a goody bag on completing along with a really nice “Scurry to the Sea” mug and home baking. It transpired that quite a few people had got themselves lost at various points and that the race winner hadn’t gone the way the checkpoint marshal had expected at the gates of Hermitage of Braid. Clearly local knowledge was a massive advantage. My Garmin recorded the distance that I had run as 13.5 miles, a full 2 miles further than the optimum route and needless to say I finished quite close to the back of the field. Despite the navigational mishaps, all of the runners finished and there were no drop outs. Hopefully this race will become established as it really is a great concept and a nice, predominantly traffic free, scenic, course.

Race finish line

Last couple of hundred yards were on the sand. Note im carrying a map

Sadly, the heavy rain continued throughout the afternoon so people didn’t hang around at the finish. I felt sorry for the race organiser as it would have been quite nice to relax on the beach afterwards and watch the prize giving, that would have really made it more sociable.  Instead I got a burger from the burger van and a cup of tea and hid from the rain in the car while I ate the burger. Summer in Scotland!

Makes it all worthwhile...