Carnethy 5

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The Carnethy 5 is an annual hill race held in February, taking place in the Pentland Hills to the south of Edinburgh. Starting in a field near Silverburn, the route climbs five hills: Scald Law, South Black Hill, East Kip and West Kip are tackled before the final ascent to Carnethy Hill and the descent to the finish. The course is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) in length with around 2,500 feet (760 m) of ascent, and the terrain is mostly grass and heather with some scree. [1]

Contents

History

The first Carnethy Hill Race took place in 1971, with the idea coming from Jimmy Jardine of Peebles. The intention was to commemorate the Battle of Roslin which had been fought in the area in the early fourteenth century. [2]

The inaugural event started and finished in Penicuik and only climbed Carnethy Hill. The next year, the course was extended to include Scald Law. In 1979, a ladies’ race took place over Carnethy only, the women having in previous years been restricted to a cross-country route round Penicuik Public Park. In 1980, the hill race was cancelled due to thick mist which led the police to feel that allowing the runners to cross the A702 road was unsafe. The organisers put on a two-lap cross-country race instead. However, only twenty-six men and women ran the cross-country course, with 103 others disregarding the cancellation decision and running the hill race. After this, the 1981 race was run over a new course which did not require the road crossing. This course was popular with the competitors and there was a consensus that the new route should be used in future years. [3]

In 1986, the event was run with deep snow on the course, resulting in slow times. [4]

The 1990 race was run in very poor weather with rain, wind and sleet. As some competitors were still being bussed to the start from the registration area after the official race start time, it was decided to let the bulk of the field set off to prevent the waiting runners getting dangerously cold, and the rest of the runners started twelve minutes later when the last ones had arrived. The fastest runner in the first group was Keith Anderson in 53:04 and the quickest in the second group was Andrew Peace in 52:51 but it was decided in the circumstances to consider the two as joint winners of the race. [5]

The race has had around 500 competitors in recent years, making it one of the most popular hill or fell races and it is sometimes seen as the first major race of the season. [6]

A considerable number of runners have completed the race twenty-one or more times, an accomplishment for which an engraved quaich is awarded. Jimmy Jardine holds the distinction of having done the race a total of forty-six times since 1971. [7]

A junior race on Scald Law is held in conjunction with the Carnethy 5. [8]

Results

The men’s course record is held by Gavin Bland with a time of 46:56 set in 1999. The women’s record is 54:20 by Angela Mudge in 2002. Mudge has the most wins, with fourteen between 1996 and 2013. Rob Jebb won the men’s race five times between 2002 and 2010.

The winners have been as follows. [9]

YearMenTimeWomenTime
1971 Ian McCafferty and Jim Alder 0:47:40
1972 Dave Cannon 0:53:28Marianne Poole0:24:07
1973Dave Cannon0:54:05E. Livingstone0:18:14
1974 Jeff Norman 0:52:01Sally Aitken0:19:34
1975Alistair Blamire0:50:37Lorna Inglis0:23:05
1976Robert Harrison0:51:22Janet Higgins0:21:54
1977Martin Weeks0:51:31Shiela McMillan0:22:46
1978Martin Weeks0:51:52
1979Alan McGee0:50:54Anne Bland1:00:08
1980[Note 1] Colin Donnelly and A. Gourley0:40:02Anne Bland0:35:29
1981Bob Whitfield0:51:14Fiona Hinde1:03:03
1982Bob Whitfield0:50:47Fiona Wild1:05:29
1983 Kenny Stuart 0:48:21Lesley Barwise1:11:35
1984Kenny Stuart0:49:44 Pauline Haworth 1:01:13
1985Kenny Stuart0:48:08Pauline Haworth1:01:18
1986Colin Valentine1:04:40Anne Salisbury1:17:54
1987Malcolm Patterson0:48:47Penny Rother1:00:26
1988Malcolm Patterson0:48:31Penny Rother1:00:08
1989Malcolm Patterson0:49:42 Angela Carson 0:58:32
1990[Note 2]Andrew Peace and Keith Anderson 0:52:51 and 0:53:04 Yvette Hague 1:01:15
1991Andrew Peace0:54:13Tricia Calder1:02:00
1992Andrew Peace0:49:20Tricia Calder0:58:47
1993Neil Wilkinson0:48:47 Helene Diamantides 1:01:56
1994John Brooks0:48:21 Angela Brand-Barker 1:00:55
1995Andy Kitchin0:47:58Angela Brand-Barker1:00:55
1996John Brooks0:47:50 Angela Mudge 0:59:31
1997John Brooks0:48:39Angela Mudge0:57:43
1998John Brooks0:48:21Angela Mudge0:57:36
1999 Gavin Bland 0:46:56Angela Mudge0:57:07
2000Jon Duncan0:48:53Angela Mudge0:55:09
2001Jim Davies0:49:56Nicola Davies1:01:35
2002 Rob Jebb 0:48:00Angela Mudge0:54:20
2003David Rodgers0:48:17Angela Mudge0:56:03
2004 Jethro Lennox 0:48:39Angela Mudge0:55:20
2005Murray Strain0:52:10Jill Mykura1:00:47
2006Rob Jebb0:48:50Angela Mudge0:56:19
2007Rob Jebb0:47:59Angela Mudge0:56:09
2008Lloyd Taggart0:47:11Angela Mudge0:55:13
2009Rob Jebb0:53:02Fiona Maxwell1:03:43
2010Rob Jebb0:48:41Claire Gordon1:05:12
2011Tom Owens0:50:31Angela Mudge0:57:25
2012Orlando Edwards0:47:53Angela Mudge0:56:03
2013 Finlay Wild 0:49:46Angela Mudge0:56:03
2014Orlando Edwards0:51:27Sarah McCormack1:00:43
2015Andrew Douglas0:49:23Charlotte Morgan0:56:46
2016Prasad Prasad0:54:08Charlotte Morgan1:01:30
2017Finlay Wild0:52:50Hannah Russell1:02:30
2018Carl Bell0:51:35Tessa Strain0:59:53
2019Alexander Chepelin0:50:34Sarah McCormack1:01:37
2020Alexander Chepelin0:53:17Hannah Russell1:01:58
2021Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Note 1: Gourley won the replacement cross-country race in 40:02 and Colin Donnelly won the unofficial hill race in which times were not recorded.

Note 2: There were two separate starts in 1990. The fastest runner in the first group was Keith Anderson in 53:04 and the fastest in the second group was Andrew Peace in 52:51.

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References

  1. Angela Mudge, World’s Ultimate Running Races (Glasgow, 2011), 49; "Carnethy 5". Carnethy Hill Running Club. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  2. Steve Chilton, It's a Hill, Get Over It (Dingwall, 2013), 77–78.
  3. Bill Smith, Stud Marks on the Summits (Preston, 1985), 196–99 Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine ; Carnethy Hill Runners: Carnethy 5 Results Summary.
  4. The Fell Runner, Summer 1986, 12, 71.
  5. The Fell Runner, Jun 1990, 20–21.
  6. Scottish Hill Racing: Carnethy 5 Hill Race; Inov-8: Orlando starts 2014 season with a bang!
  7. Carnethy Hill Running Club: Runners who have Completed 21 or More Carnethy Hill Races.
  8. Carnethy Hill Running Club: Scald Law Junior Hill Race.
  9. Carnethy Hill Runners: Carnethy 5 Results Summary; Bill Smith, Stud Marks on the Summits (Preston, 1985), 196–99 Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine ; The Fell Runner, Jun 1990, 20–21.