The Tour of Fife

The Tour de France attracts millions of spectators worldwide every year, in both the fanatic crowds of folk that stand and line the whole route and through the live broadcasts on the telly. The vast majority of those viewers won’t be cyclists themselves but you don’t have to be a cyclist to enjoy watching the spectacle of the Tour. I can testify to that, having been an excited spectator standing at the roadside in years gone by; I know nothing about cycling but I was thoroughly wrapped up in the atmosphere and loved every moment of the whole thing. Much of the attraction doesn’t lie with that moment or two when you see the cyclists whizzing past; it’s all about the build-up, the tension, the camaraderie, the rivalry, the final sprint to the finish each day and the post-tour celebrations. It’s not quite on the same scale, but the same can be said for a wee local running event, called the Tour of Fife!

Now, you’ve probably not heard of the Tour of Fife as it’s obviously a much smaller affair than the Tour de France but the beautiful settings and scenery, the enthusiasm of a small bunch of supporters, the sheer guts and determination displayed by the athletes, the time and effort put in by the organisers and the quality of home-made baking at the post-tour celebrations all combine to put this event - for sheer feel-good factor - right up there alongside its famous cycling counterpart! It’s a series of five races held over five consecutive days and has to be one of the most unique events on the Scottish running calendar. The sport of running depends heavily on volunteers from local clubs organising races and the team at Fife AC certainly do their bit. Not only do they organise more races than any other club (in fact, they put many other Scottish clubs to shame!), the events that they do organise are done with unbridled efficiency and enthusiasm, which are two of the most vital ingredients for a successful sporting event. (It was also a guy from Fife AC that organised the Chariots of Fire Beach Race back in May.)

This is the first year that Alex and Ross have entered the Tour, and we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we pulled in to the car park of Falkland Community Centre on the first night last Wednesday. Falkland, by the way, is gorgeous; it’s a wee picturesque medieval village and it’s as if someone, about three hundred years ago, drew a big circle round the centre of it and wrote ‘Do Not Touch’ in big letters. For once, the planners seem to have paid heed ever since. Anyway, shortly after arriving, we met up with a few of our club mates. Although only four members of Central AC had signed up for the Tour, they made a great wee representative group of each of the age categories. There was Ross (an under 20), Lewis Millar (a senior), Alex (a young vet), and Bill Gault (an older vet).  Lewis is a fantastic runner. He was in his late teens when we joined the club around nine years ago and we’ve enjoyed watching his attitude and performances mature over the years since. Like most of Central’s elite athletes, he’s now a great role model for the youngsters and he’s played a big part in supporting Ross over this past year or so. As far as the Tour was concerned, we were looking forward to seeing Lewis – hopefully - regain the series title, which he won the last time he took part in 2009.

As the boys went off to collect their numbers the car park soon filled up with an eclectic bunch of runners getting ready to do their thing. I couldn’t help smiling at the sight of men in suits - having driven there straight from work - piling out of their cars, stripping off, pulling on their vests, greeting their club mates then rubbing Vaseline between their thighs and on their nipples (yes, you did read that right) to complete the transformation from businessman to running man!  



Getting ready to Go

After registration, we headed up, in the early evening sunshine, to the grounds of the majestic Falkland House School for the start of the first race of the Tour. And, what a lovely place it was to start the whole thing off! The school’s a bit reminiscent of a mini-Hogwarts and the surrounding field’s home to a big family of inquisitive horses (adorable wee foals included).  I love the buzz around the start line of a race; the athletes gradually gathering together to form a big huddle, most of them proudly wearing their own Club’s colours, heads bobbing up and down as they jump around to keep warm, looking down to check that their numbers are pinned on securely and bending over to check that their laces are tied tightly, some breaking out for a last gasp stride or stretch, then all shaking hands and a last bit of banter before quietening down, leaning forward, putting a finger to the ‘start’ button on their watches and waiting for the gun (or hooter, or even voice shouting ‘Go’!)

The first race of the Tour – the Black Hill Race - got off to a brilliant start. What a sight it was; 160 or so runners flying off down the sweeping driveway accompanied by horses and foals galloping alongside them till the runners disappeared off into the woods and the hilly trail beyond. From a spectator’s perspective, there wasn’t much else to see, so I enjoyed blethering to Bill’s wife and daughter for twenty eight minutes or so when, to our delight, we spotted the distinctive yellow and blue of the Central vest running back up the driveway towards the finish line. Lewis’s bid to take the Tour title had got off to a flying start with a comfortable win. From then on, we cheered in a steady stream of runners as they battled their way up the drive to cross the finish line. I hadn’t really known what to expect, as far as placing was concerned, for Ross but I was over the moon to see him come round the corner in fourth place overall and first placed junior. Alex (‘that was bloody torture’) and Bill got off to good ‘Tour’ starts too, with their own private battles going on further down the field. It’s not all that long ago that Alex was coming in ahead of Ross in the longer races and it makes me so proud to watch Ross now doing what Alex used to do for him; run back down the field or hang around at the finish line to cheer his auld Dad in! The boys went off to ease their muscles off in the cool wee stream running through the Estate while I stayed on to give the tail end competitors a clap in as they finished. Running, like cycling, for most people is about keeping fit, being part of a brilliant community and achieving your own personal goals, whether that means coming first, last or somewhere in between. The placings might be different, but the sense of personal achievement’s just the same, whether you’re up there on the leader board, in the midst of the pelaton or bringing up the rear.

Since the races were all around the same area in Fife, Alex and I had decided to make a wee holiday of it, so, after a wander along one of the woodland trails, we headed up to St Andrews to stay for a few nights (where, incidentally, f***ing seagulls, as told previously, meant that we didn’t get the best night’s sleep while on tour!). Ross couldn’t take time off work, so we said our goodbye’s before he drove off back home to Stirling.



Lewis and the yellow vest

Thursday night’s event was another trail race - this time in the beautiful grounds of Hill of Tarvit Mansion House near Ceres - but this time not so hilly and more of a spectator-friendly affair, with the route taking the runners three times round a mile and a half loop. There was a similar atmosphere on the second night but, noticeably more ‘Hello’s’ and ‘How’re you doin’s?’. One of the nicest things about the ‘consecutive night’ factor was that faces became more than just familiar and we all, runners and supporters alike, got to know each other a wee bit better as the Tour progressed. When Lewis arrived, he was presented with the Tour Leader’s yellow vest! Brilliant! Lewis was a bit peeved that he’d gone home and needlessly washed his club vest – unlike his junior club mate, who’d decided that, in a similar vein to some of the golfers during the Open who don’t shave for the duration of the competition, it would be unlucky to wash his vest during the Tour! Well seen his mother was on her holidays in St Andrews instead of being at home to insist that his manky vest got washed!


Start line Day Two

 As the runners gathered at the start line, we were all pretty amused to see one of those wee green John Deer’s coming up the hill towards us. You know what I mean? It’s like a sort of posh person’s beach buggy. As it drew closer, we were even more amused to see an elderly chap, who looked like he’d stepped out of some kind of time-warp, driving said buggy. He pulled up to the side of the gathered runners and we got to see him in his full glory. He was wearing tartan plus fours, a tweed jacket, bow-tie and bunnet, yellow socks and a yellow checked waist-coat (think Rupert the Bear) and Brogues. In his hand was a very old hickory golf club. Aw man, it was brilliant! So, out he steps from his carriage and wanders over to chat to the gathered runners and organisers. It turned out that he’d been invited along to start the race. I never did find out exactly who he was, but he was very obviously associated with the National Trust’s Tarvit Estate in some way. He gave a really interesting wee spiel, explaining that the Kingarrock Golf Course was owned by the family that owned the mansion house back in the early 1900’s and that it had been closed during the war so that the land could be used for much-needed crops. The 9-hole course was restored and re-opened in 2008 – but it’s a golf course with a difference! It’s a public course (he told the runners they’d be welcomed along for a game whilst wearing their running gear – I loved that!) but all players are provided with original hickory clubs and an old golf bag. I couldn’t resist having a wee look on the website and just loved some of the descriptions of what to expect: staff will provide you with a “Spoon, Driving Iron, Mid Mashie, Mashie Niblick and Putter, together with helpful advice on play ... the more gentle sport will be rekindled in the most beautiful of Scottish settings.” It almost made me want to go play golf..!

Anyway, back to the Tour. The old chap in the plus fours started the race off and, again, it was a fantastic sight as the runners charged off down the hill then disappeared off in to the woods. This time, however, they’d pass the same spot another two times before sprinting to the finish, and it was possible to move around from one part of the route to another, so there were ample opportunities for cheering them all on. Now, I’ve been a Race Director, runner, supporter and race marshal on many different occasions so counting how many laps have passed should be a straightforward process for me. So, how I managed to be standing like an eejit waiting for Ross to pass me one more time – when he’d already passed me three times - is still a mystery! (I must take this opportunity to publicly apologise to the poor marshal that I got angry with for not keeping me right when I asked him if the leading runners had another lap to go; “No, they’re on their last lap now. They won’t pass here again” he said. I made the mistake of saying, “Are you sure, I thought they had another one to go?” He said, “Hm, yes, I think you might be right.” So, I stood there, right beside him, like an eejit, waiting for my son to pass one more time before I sprinted over to see him finish. It wasn’t until Roberta - Bill’s wife – shouted over, “Hey Jane! Why are you not over at the finish?! You’ve just missed Ross coming in third! What a brilliant run!”, that I realised my mistake. Needless to say, being the say-what-you-think kind of person I am, the poor marshal got a wee bit of an ear-bashing – but I did immediately apologise to the poor soul, and I’m doing it again right now, publicly; mainly because I don’t want to be banned from next year’s Tour for bad behaviour!)



Alex and Ross after the finish I missed!

I didn’t even make it over to the finish in time to see Alex come in, which was also pretty frustrating, but it was good to hear that he’d felt better during this race than the last one, and he’d managed to push himself a bit further up the board. He was sitting in a very respectable peloton position! Lewis ran another blinder to extend his leading position and Ross had a great race to take third overall and retain his position as leading junior. Further down the field, Bill Gault had also had a good race – despite having both knees fairly heavily strapped. We were keeping a wee eye on the Over 65 category as we knew that Bill was in with a good chance of winning.  It was really easy to keep track of all the results for the duration of the Tour thanks to the lively and informative forum on the Fife AC website. Results, reports, the leader board and terrific photos were posted really quickly after each race so that everyone could keep up to date with their times and positions.

So, that was the second race over. It had been another great night and we made our way back to St Andrews knackered (it’s hard work this spectating lark) but full of chat and looking forward to the next stage of the Tour. Ross went off in the opposite direction back to Stirling as he, again, had to work the next day.



Brian, the devilish race organiser

The Tour wouldn’t have been the Tour without an uphill Time Trial event – and what an event. On Friday night we drove from St Andrews to the outskirts of Falkland then drove for one and a half miles up a very steep and never-ending tarmac hill to the East Lomond car park. After a wee while of standing and admiring the tremendous view at the top, the Tour participants jogged the mile and a half down to the bottom of the hill.  Then, they were set off in pairs, every 30 seconds, to run against the clock back up to the top again. The aptly named ‘Up Hell Time Trial’ is described as the Alpe d’Huez of the Tour. Not being an expert on the Tour de France, I had to ask what the Alpe d’Huez was and, in doing so, discovered that the comparison’s perfect. It’s one of the killer mountain stages in the cycling Tour and it’s also renowned for the antics of the over-enthusiastic spectators, sort of like a Glastonbury Festival for cycling enthusiasts! Similarly, the ‘Up Hell Time Trial’ is an absolute killer stage in the Tour of Fife and is renowned for the supportive spectators and the antics of the Tour organiser! Dressed as a red devil, and sporting a big water pistol and very loud air horn, Brian charged up and down the hill in the back of a bright red Smart car convertible. While the rest of us spectators were clapping, shouting and cheering the runners on as loudly as we could to help them up the absolute killer of a hill, Brian was jeering at them, scooshing them with water and blasting them with his air horn! And, the runners all seemed to love it – it was good fun (well, it was for me standing half way up the hill watching) and it seemed to take their minds off the task in hand for a wee spell.

Getting ready for battle on the hill!

The list showing who each runner was paired with for the time trial had been posted on the forum during the day. We’d assumed that the pairings would be based on times from the first two nights, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that Alex and Ross had been paired together. I thought it was brilliant that they’d set off at the bottom of the hill at the same time – even though I knew there’d be a bit of a gap between them at the top! Ross had a fantastic run and was only two seconds off the junior record for the event. Aw, I was so proud of him. Lewis looked to me as if he was just out for a wee jog when he passed – it was a fantastic display and he too was only a few seconds off the senior record (which is held by Andrew Lemoncello – the talented Scottish athlete who’ll hopefully be flying the flag for us in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics). I was hoarse by the end of the evening from shouting encouragement to all of the athletes – I was totally in awe of every one of them. What an achievement to run up that bloody horrible hill, especially after running a hill race and trail race the two night’s previously. Brilliant!

Ross came back to stay at the flat with us for the rest of the Tour – as his working week was over – so we had a really lovely meal out after the time trial; enjoying a few beers and catching up on all the chat from the previous three nights. We were all looking forward to the fourth race – the St Andrews Beach Race - mainly because we have such happy memories of the event that the boys took part in earlier on in the year, but also because it was the only race in the Tour that we wouldn’t have to drive to! 




Ross and Bryan sprinting to the finish

The race on Saturday was a straightforward 4.25 mile out and back race along the gorgeous west sands of St Andrews. Just like the Chariots race in May, it was a spectacular sight – this time on a beautiful sunny evening – to watch the runners disappear along the beach then gradually, twenty minutes or so later, appear back, first as wee specks in the distance. Lewis won this fourth event, comfortably again, and Ross – with me shouting like a banshee – managed to come in ahead of the excellent runner from Corstorphine AAC,  Bryan Clark, who’d finished in front of Ross in every race so far. It was a terrific achievement and, failing a fall or such like, guaranteed him third place in the Tour overall and first Under 20 spot. Alex felt he’d had a really good run, but was a wee bit disappointed when he saw the results. The difficulty with being in the peloton is that there are too many runners to keep track of and it’s not easy to see who’s doing what round about you. I was as proud of him as ever though. Bill Gault almost pulled out of this event at the last minute as his knee was really playing up but, as would’ve been the case with most of the mad running fraternity, he decided to give it a go. He did incredibly well considering the pain he was clearly in – and I’m sure the obligatory dip in the sea felt great afterwards.

It was with a bit of a heavy heart that we made our way to Strathmiglo the next day for the last event of the Tour. It was a bit sad, not only because the Tour was nearly finished and it had been such a fantastic experience, but because our wee holiday was nearly over too! Just like the first race, this wasn’t a great one for spectators till the very end – but it was still lovely to chat to all the folk standing round about, especially Brian (the devil) whose enthusiasm is totally infectious. If only every athletic club could have a Brian in its ranks!



Nearly all done!

The last race was called The Twisted Chicken Run. I have absolutely no idea why. Alex tells me there wasn’t a chicken in sight, and the route didn’t really twist as such – I’m sure there’s probably a good reason for it, but I forgot to ask on the day and I can’t seem to find any clues anywhere on the website. The runners lined up at the bottom of a hay field then ran for just over 5 miles – the route took them up onto a trail then up a steep hill before striding it out the same way back down. It was fun watching the runners tearing down the last stretch at the side of the field to the finish. Lewis finished the Tour just as he’d started, with a comfortable win, and Ross had yet another superb run to come in third. Alex came flying down the hill with a huge grin on his face – possibly because he knew I was taking his photo, but probably because he knew he didn’t have to race again the next day! We hung on to cheer Bill down the hill before heading in to the local community centre for possibly the best post-race spread of yummy cakes and sandwiches I’ve ever seen. (The spread was really just for the runners; I did offer a spectator’s donation but the lovely lady serving the tea said the spectators were just as important as the athletes. It’s not really true, but I delved unashamedly into the cakes anyway!)

The prize-giving ‘ceremony’ was really lovely. No big winner’s podium or champagne getting sprayed around the room; just one of the guys from Fife AC saying a few humorous words of thanks, paying a fitting wee tribute to a member of the running community who was supposed to take part in the Tour but who sadly died earlier on this year, then announcing the winners of each age group and presenting them with their prizes. Although Ross was first junior, he was presented with the overall third prize (which suited him down to the ground as I’m quite sure the junior prize wouldn’t have included a case of cider!!) and I was just chuffed to bits for him. Bill had managed to hold on to first place in the ‘over 65’ category and received a well-deserved cheer when he hobbled up to collect his prize. And Lewis was such a worthy winner of the Tour – he’s the first to have won it twice and, hopefully, he’ll be back next year to defend his title. Although Alex didn’t win a prize in the ‘over 45’ category, he wasn’t left out of the Central prize-winning team as he was awarded a spot prize of a wee dinky key-ring and skipped cap! It was a big haul of prizes for such a wee team and they all did their club really proud.

As for this lowly spectator, well, I loved every minute of it (apart from missing the finish on Day Two!). I’m so proud of Ross but his achievement was just an added bonus to what would’ve been a thoroughly enjoyable event no matter what place either him or Alex had finished in. It’s back to that thing of simply thoroughly enjoying spending time with like-minded people, watching folk push themselves to beyond what they thought were their limits and, basically, having some really good fun! The boys are mad keen to compete in the Tour of Fife again in 2012 – and the thought of that alone is enough to make me feel really good! Vive le Tour!




Ross and his biggest fan!

Team Central