The Glentress trail half-marathon
The High Terrain Events Glentress trail half-marathon by Chris Curtis
Melanie and I decided to run the inaugural Glentress trail half-marathon on Sunday 22nd Nov. Melanie fancied doing something competitive and I needed to ‘get back on the horse’ after a hip injury in October.
This is a new addition to the High Terrain Events list. It’s a trail race over mountain bike paths in the Glentress forest and with 600m of climb and 260 competitors to fight against was not going to be a light jog in the woods.
The weather was freezing (-4 to be exact) but once off and running it soon gets warm.
A winding bit of pine forest trail gave way to some steep moorland climbs which gradually sapped the legs, but a strong start by us both kept us up in contention. The transmitter towers at 610m mark the highest and near enough the half-way point and a chance to switch muscle groups as they are followed by a flat then truly exhilarating long downhill run over the mountain bike paths. Think forest with soft pine needles underfoot and banked corners so you can really hurtle round them. A few more ups and downs and all of a sudden it’s all over.
Despite having a 20-a-day throat from all the cold air breathed in it’s a great run and definitely one of the most enjoyable half-marathons routes I’ve tried for a while. Another one to try again, and hopefully at full fitness.
Chris Curtis, #54, 1:57:24, 3rd MV50
Melanie Williams, #58, 2:00:44, 3rd FV40
263 Runners
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