These are exciting times for hill and trail runners in Dunoon and Cowal as the breakfast runs go from strength to strength and the hills around us are lit up with neon jackets, the sound of laughter, panting breaths and the glorious sight of runners on the trails.
This update is to let you know that the club intends to coordinate a very informal summer series. The series (or league) will see points awarded to those who choose to run in races from a set list published on the DHR website. These 6-8 races all take place between May and October and will give you the ideal opportunity to put all that winter training into practice.
While the mention of the word ‘race’ will strike fear into the hearts of many these events have been chosen to encourage people who have maybe not raced before to dip their toe into the water. The series events will also give members further opportunities to socialise and run more regularly. The club is very much about participation and you will be sure of great support from other club runners at these events should you choose to take part. We would love to see as many members (and maybe even vests!) at the events as possible.
The events have been picked to give a good mix of distances, surfaces and to be easily accessible from Dunoon. They provide a mix of challenges that will test everyone and give you a chance to measure your progress through the season. Can we remind you that should you wish to participate you must abide by the event rules and instructions of race officials at all times and that you run at your own risk in the series and at breakfast runs.
Deliberately the majority of events in the series will be local as the club are keen to support those in the community who do such great work organising these events by encouraging a good turnout from members. Some will even be new events organised by the club and we hope to see as many of you at these events as possible.
To include everyone (and not just the speedies) points will be awarded for:
a. Participation;
b. Volunteering (up to 2 of the events can be scoring events if you turn up to help);
c. Personal Bests; and
d. Finish Position
The more events you take part in, the higher up the table you are likely to find yourself. At the end of the series prizes will be awarded in various categories. We also hope to create teams within the club if enough people decide to take part in the series. The teams will be mixed and more experienced runners are more than happy to support and offer advice to others. There are no rules as to how many races you need to take part – one, some or all is fine. Detailed information about the scoring system can be found here [PDF]. Please be aware that the race calendar has not yet been finalised and is subject to change.
The first event of the series will take place on Sunday the 18th of May. Somewhat unusually this will be a road race – this means no hills! The South Cowal 10k has been running for a number of years and starts at Innellan Village Hall and follows the road to Toward before returning to finish in Innellan. The event is organised by Dunoon Hill Runner Iain Cairns and all entry money helps projects in the local community. There are shorter distance events for children on the day as well and there are plans to have food and drink available so it should be a really good event.
If you have any questions about the first race please see the South Cowal Community Festival Page on Facebook or look out for information in the local paper.
Details of other events in the series will be published on the website and by email in advance once the event calendar has been finalised. In the meantime if you have any questions about the series please contact me using the details below.
Summer League Rules Document [PDF]
Regards
Kenny Taylor
Club Secretary
Dunoon Hill Runners
secretary@dunoonhillrunners.org.uk