Time (chip): 27:51 [Results here]
Category Position: 36/183
Medal: Yes
Short version: You are now in the presence of a World Record holder!
Long version: After missing out on the World Record to Perth, Canada last year for the number of kilted runners by less than 20 people, I was keen to return to the Perth Kilt run for another shot this year, and, rather amazingly, I had managed to persuade (translation: forced) Ian to sign up last week. We planned on running around together, but being unenthusiastic about running, Ian wanted to add a couple of items to our Saturday itinerary, including visiting Elcho Castle and exploring a tower that sits precariously at the edge of some cliffs, both within about 5 miles from Perth city center.
Despite setting off early, we ran into one or two navigational issues, and would be cutting it pretty fine for registration if we visited the castle first, so we opted to register before sightseeing, which actually worked out because it meant we could rock up half an hour before the race prepared. After winding in between farmhouses, we eventually reached Elcho Castle, which is pretty well maintained (as in, it has a roof, and (some) floors, and even some glass in the windows).
Elcho Castle from the front
It’s described as a 4-storey mansion, and Ian and I both marvelled at the amount of spiral staircases (and latrines) this place had in comparison to other castles. After exploring inside, we found that we could even walk along the roof, where there were rooms for people to guard the castle (complete with arrow slits), but with the luxury of their own toilet and fireplace; these people were living the dream! Being up on the roof also meant excellent views:
View from the guard room on the top floor.
From our vantage point, we could see the tower we planned on visiting later in the day above the cliffs in the distance. If you squint extra hard, you can maybe see the tower on top of the cliffs that kind of look like a shark fin swimming through trees:
Once we had looked around (and I had embarrassed Ian by playing around with the kid’s fancy dress selection – no photo), we decided to head back into Perth to find a parking spot and ready ourselves for the main event. We lucked out, scoring what I would imagine was the last free spot at the sports center, and kilted up. Ian decided on the ‘extra patriotic’ look, perhaps inspired by my Paris ensemble:
Before the Perth Kilt Run
I swung into the ladies at the sports center for a final bathroom call, and then we ambled towards the start line, marvelling at some of the costumes. There was even a team of 10 carrying a Chinese dragon:
Ian and I stood in the starting pen and were just aware of the countdown to the start over the noise of people, and started shuffling forward before settling into a steady pace. As this was a fun run, there were people pushing strollers, people with dogs, handfuls of small children dotted about the course, so it wasn’t unusual to have to do a bit of weaving, but we were just enjoying the atmosphere. I even ran into a fellow dailymiler, Gavin, who shot past after saying hello. Just when we were starting to get warmed up, the finish line came into sight. I had joked earlier with Ian that we should cross the finish line holding hands like vomit-inducing couples sometimes feel the need to do, but instead he challenged me to a friendly sprint that I couldn’t say no to. We both sped up, and we could hear Gavin shout, “Go Rachel! Go Ian!” from the crowds. For the record, I won, although he claims he was “stuck behind someone who darted in front.”
The plan was to set off for the tower, but as we were leaving, Ian’s mind turned to his stomach, so he had a gourmet burger from one of the (several) stalls, while I had some juice and the banana I picked up at the finish. And a bite of his burger, which was delicious.
Finally, we set off towards Kinnoull Tower, which, believe it or not, sits on top of Kinnoull hill. Because the tower is at the edge of some pretty steep cliffs, it is unfortunately a popular suicide spot, which we were reminded of as we set off on the woodland walk to the top:
It was about a mile or so to the top of the hill, but the views from the top were great, and we could even spot the Elcho Castle:
Elcho Castle – in that clump of trees Ian is pointing to
Dangerous cliffs
Once back in the car and en route to Aberdeen, I fell asleep, and upon my return enjoyed a warm shower and something tasty to eat. Another early night (hopefully) for a relay tomorrow!
