Taynish 10K Report

Post date: May 18, 2017 12:38:11 PM

By Ewan Smith

Dougie Ferguson suggested we keep quiet about the Taynish 10k but as Katie let the cat oot the bag by posting pictures on Facebook there

isn't much point in keeping it to ourselves. It nearly never happened for me; the Garmin wasn't to be found and nowadays running without a

Garmin is fully worse than running without your trainers. By the time I arrived - having sat behind the entire membership of the 30mph club on

the road up -Dougie and Katie were already there as were Kathleen and Lorraine.

The Taynish 10k is fairly brutal with a steep climb out of Tayvallich at the start which is shared with the trail race. About 1k in, the routes

separate and I was pleased to see that a number of decent runners in front of me were peeling off. I was a bit taken aback though to realise

that they had all gone and I was in the lead. I didn't expect that to last; Dougie had said his game plan was to sit behind me for as long as

he could. But as he tanked me on this route a year ago I reckoned that was propaganda and waited for him to pass and I wasn't sure who else

might still be behind me.

Just about 2k there is a wee dogleg and just as I turned I saw Dougie behind me with Katie not far behind that. Being in front was a new

experience; the road is undulating so the pace on the Garmin was erratic and with no one in front it you had to make an effort to keep up the

effort.

The turn was just past the halfway point and Dougie was still well placed to catch me on the homeward leg which seemed to be uphill all the

way. But then it felt like uphill all the way on the outward leg. Just after 8k there is a brutal hill and I seriously considered walking but

with Dougie behind there could be none of that nonsense and anyway if I had stopped I might not have got going again And so to the downhill sprint. I realised I'd never won a race since maybe the days of egg and spoon races and for a few second I visualised bursting the tape. Biscuits however, doesn't run up unnecessary expense and tape was there none! I was finished in 41:56 not brilliant but ok for the course. Dougie was 2nd in 43:27.

Soon Katie came into view but with another runner hard on her heels. Despite Dougies open arms waiting for her she couldn't manage a final sprint and was pipped for 3rd overall but still First Lady in a cracking 45.29 Lorraine MacDonald was slightly disappointed with her 50:56 but so soon after Kintyre Way she really shouldn't Kathleen Mair completed the CRC line up in 53.49 And so to the tea in the hall which made it all worthwhile. As I said at the outset Dougie thought we should keep this one to ourselves on the basis that you'll only come and knock us off the podium. I saw the logic of his argument when I got home and announced my triumph.

The response; not " well done dear" but 2 questions. "Did you run a lot better than usual then?" Followed by " I take it Stuart and them weren't running?"

Seriously it's a great day out for an excellent cause. £2730 for MacMillan cancer support but please - if you're coming next year enter

the trail run and leave the 10K to us!