Christine running for Scotland in Die, France

Christine was by 1986 a genuine hill runner and racer with many good runs behind her and one who was highly respected by the hill running cognoscenti.    She followed her second place in the 1985 SHRA championships with another second place in 1986.    Important as these championship placings are, they are the result of running in several races in a variety of categories during the season and although none of them are easy races or runs, the championships give no indication of the runner’s preferences or race schedules.   Christine had been encouraged in her early hill running days by several people.  In “Voices From The Hills” she mentions Clydesdale Harrier Bobby Shields (former Ben Nevis and West Highland Way record holder, his brother Jim, Robin Morris of Carnethy and Denis Bell of Haddington.   There were also of course a number of women who helped and inspired her – Ann Curtis and Helen Diamantides plus Pauline Haworth and Joss Naylor of the Lake District.   At this stage of her career Christine ran well but as the years went by, her interests and abilities took her into longer and more challenging events but we can start here with some of the races that she contested in 1986.   

Most of the race results have been taken from “The Fellrunner” whose report started with this paragraph:  “Snow drifts, cold and high winds contributed to this year’s winning time being 17 minutes slower than last year.   Anyone who ran this year, and managed to beat their previous best time, should lodge a claim for a prize of a year’s supply of ice cream.” 

Although Christine was running well and being highly placed in most races, Ben Lomond was the only run over an hour’s duration and as we said above, she would come to in the longer challenges than those she faced of 1986.   For instance the Great Wilderness Challenge which would be the scene of one of her best races was first run in 1986 but she was maybe not ready for it at that stage.   1987 on the other hand saw a brilliant run in the Arrochar Alps race.   Into 1987 and we see these longer races appearing: 

Note that Ben Lomond, the longest tackled in 1986, was only the third on the list in 1987 and there were two of approximately 4 hours each.   Although it was early in her career, and although she subsequently broke numerous records at many venues, this Arrochar Alps one was always a bit special.    The profile of the course below shows the four Munroes and the steepness of the climbs and descents.

She is quoted in “Voices From The Hills” : “The record run that I enjoyed most and which stood for the longest was the 1987 Arrochar Alps Race (there was no duck-boarding over the bog in these days).”   Her record was broken by Andrea Priestly in 2010 by three minutes.   It had stood for 23 years.    The “Fellrunner” magazine report of the report from the Winter 1987 issue is below.

Given the quality of the run, and its significance in the development of Christine as a hill runner, the map of the trail is also shown below.

1987 was indeed an important year for her since, as well as beginning a series of massive challenges in terms of distances and heights, she was ranked sixth equal in the British Fell Running Championships and was first Scot.   Christine included more and more of the longer races into her programme and by 1989 she added the Bens of Jura race where she was first Lady in 4 hours 16 minutes 15 seconds.    A 16 miles race with 7,500 feet of ascent, held on 27th April with “a blazing hot sun” to contend with as well as the boggy underfoot condition with knee deep heather.   Second Lady was Ruth Pickvance, timed in at 4:28:24, with P Gibb (4:29:00) and Ann Curtis (4:35:38) in third and fourth.   The next big one was the Glen Rosa Horseshoe on the Isle of Arran on 24th June which she won in 2:51:08.   This was a 12 miles race with 5,500 feet of ascent with 37 runners from all over the country taking part.     These no doubt helped her gain selection for the World Cup Mountain Races at Die, France on 16th and 17th September 1989.   Christine ran well to finish 37th of the 53 finishers and was fourth scoring runner in the fifth placed Scottish team.   She did of course run other races in ’88 – eg Dumyat where she was first Lady in 42:07 in May and the Broad Law (uphill only) where she was second to Trish Calder who was running very well indeed that year – but the trend was to the more challenging, longer and more difficult technically events.

Christine is pictured below with Scottish team mate Brian Potts in Die.

1989 finished with Christine ranked sixth in the British Championships.   It had been a good year in which she had confirmed her position as a formidable competitor on any hill at any distance.