Mighty deerstalking at Traquair
David O'Leary • Published 25 Mar 2011 09:30
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Moorfoot runner Darin Dougal who finished fourth in the 10k race
A BUMPER entry of mad-for-it runners headed for Traquair last weekend to take part in a race with a difference.
The fifth Mighty Deerstalker event - incorporating fancy dress, assault courses and trail running - was staged around the grounds of the historic estate.
And from its humble beginnings in 2007 when just over 600 dressed up adventurers took to the woods, lochs and tunnels, over 2000 turned out to attempt to complete the outlandish trails last Saturday.
Fancy dress is part of the fun, with tweed and tartan at the top of the what-to-wear list.
When the gun went off, a rampage of wool-wearing runners stormed along the tree lined avenues of Scotland's oldest inhabited house, and towards the many challenges that awaited them.
High onto windswept hillsides, and through some of the fastest flowing rivers in Scotland, obstacles with names like The Rack, The Scree and The Tunnel pushed competitors to the edge, but also brought them back grinning like madmen.
First across the line in the 5k race was Iain Stewart with an impressive time of 48.12, closely followed by Karl Zeiner of Edinburgh Triathletes and Scott Williamson of Corstorphine AAC.
Edel Mooney of Lothian Running Club was the first woman home with a time of 51.50 and she also took fourth place overall.
In the 10k evening race it was Donald Naylor of HBT who crossed the line first in a time of 1hour 16.55 minutes. He was followed closely by teammate Steve Cairns from Innerleithen in a time of 1hour 19.41 minutes.
Third place was taken by John Walker of Otara RC just 11 seconds further back while last year's winner and local Moorfoot runner, Darin Dougal claimed fourth in 1hour 20.37 minutes.
The first woman home was Aly Raw of Bingley Harriers in a time of 1 hour 34.30 minutes.
All the competitors' hard work was repaid however with a well-earned celebration back at Traquair, where participants swapped their trainers for tankards and those with any energy left danced the night away at the infamous Beer Stalker after-party.
This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 25 Mar 11
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