Well, it appears that Puff the Magic Dragon does indeed live by the sea….., by Dunbar no less given the wind battering that those of us who entered the British Energy Dunbar 10 Mile Trail Race last Saturday had to endure. Judging by the the white horses ‘galloping’ along the coast and the reduced speed limits on the A1, this race was going to be a tough one, never mind the hills.

Starting from the Hallhill leisure centre, a group of around 80 odd huddled in the clubhouse waiting until the last minute to venture outside. As the race got underway, I struggled to find any sort of momentum, the wind was playing havoc with my breathing (I couldn’t hear it! ) and any sort of tempo I tried to get going. Having left the mean streets we meandered through onto the trail parts of the race, pleasant enough under foot but directly into a headwind. It felt at times like I was running on a treadmill, like one those gym clones who are scared to run outside. As the winds swung wildly, we the left grassy trails and headed back on the tarmac for an almighty uphill drag. As the road was visible for a good few miles ahead, I figured any distraction would be a good one – count the sheep? nope they’d all run off, maybe sheltering in the gym….. Staring at the tarmac was the best option here – head down and grind it out.

Back on the trails leading up to Doon Hill, an increasingly angry side wind took over and ripped off my number, I was finding it hard to keep upright at this point. However, the route to the peak wasn’t as arduous as expected – I’d managed to get into 3rd place by this point with Stuart McLeod breathing down my neck. The descent through the fields and farmyards was downwind, joy! My legs began to turn over now and the pace lifted, unfortunately not quick enough as Stuart made a push ahead and took over 3rd place. Last few miles over the roads and thoughts turned to soup and cake, certainly NOT the club handicap (which we both decided to do later). Passing through the finish line I was slightly disappointed not to have pushed Stuart a little harder but overall content enough with 4th given the conditions.

EAC finishers:
Stuart McLeod 1:04:23
Marek Jurasinski 1:04:39

Marek Jurasinski