Mega-hill

Last week, I was up in Edinburgh on business again, when a chap I work with (and who I've previously mentioned as have run some ultras and tried to convince to go for it) suggested that instead of going for my regular training run I join him on the North Berwick Law Race.

The distance is short, only 4.85km, but about half of that distance consists of running up and down the North Berwick Law, which is pretty steep.

We hopped on the train out of Waverley and headed towards North Berwich. It's a charming little seaside town just East of Edinburgh. We registered at the sea rescue centre and milled around the harbour start point with about 300 other competitors and a handful of spectators waiting for the 19:30 start.

The run itself was pretty hard. The path to the top of the Law is too steep to run, so it is a question of how quickly you can walk and clamber to the top. The view from the top is quite spectacular. The run back down again is a treacherous mix of lush slippery grass (especially in road shoes!) and rocks, and, oh yes, a few wild ponies to dodge. It seemed that half the village was out to cheer with small groups of spectators dotted around the streets and on the hil, and a size able crowd cheering the runners on down the final straight to the finish line.

I was up and down in just over 32 minutes. That's well off the course record of 17 minutes, but, I felt, a perfectly respectable time for a middle aged bloke trying to stay fit.

After a brisk walk back up the road, I just made it onto the 20h26 train back into Edinburgh. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable diversion and a great workout to boot.