The Hill - first running

There is a hill just outside of town that I've been running regularly this year - at least every two weeks. Sometimes I just go out there with Rusty to trot along other trails but usually I head up, up, up.

This hill is a bugger. I can't run the whole thing (yet) without walking.

From the first day that I came here, a plan began to form: to do a hill challenge event. My idea was that is would work much like the 'Crazy Kay' that I used to organise for AR Club in the early to mid-2000s on a one-kilometre stretch of road.

The participants were provided with the distance from start to hilltop (2.3km) and the gradient (150m elevation gain with a max 23% slope), and they were then asked to write down the time that they thought it would take to get to the top. Participants were allowed to run with watches but were asked not to look at the time until they pressed the stop button at the top.

There is a cement strip from 1.5km, which makes the surface easier - but the gradient is not! The route itself is not linear - it winds as it climbs.

There would be two winners: the person with the fastest overall time and the person closest to their predicted time.

A chance conversation with friends on Saturday morning led to the first running of 'THE HILL' on Sunday afternoon. What a blast!

Runners, walkers and dogs (Rusty and I were not in the photo because we took it. Celliers was already on the way up.)

Mandatory selfie - I'm at the back.

Andrew logged the fastest overall time at 15:24 and I was closest to my predicted time (11 seconds faster at 17:23).

Celliers, Ruben and Kyla came through to enjoy a walk up.

 We'll definitely have another running - maybe one each season? It is good fun and a good benchmark of one's fitness!