Scottish Hill Running

Junior Home International Trial and Open Race

Sunday 30 August 2009 - Myreton Hill, Menstrie

scottishathletics Permit Event, held under UK Athletics Rules

Information Sheet

The Junior Home International Trial in 2009 is at a new venue on Myreton Hill in the Ochils above the village of Menstrie.  The courses are on steep and runnable terrain using a mixture of tracks and smaller paths. 

This is the final race in the Scottish Athletics Junior League series (for further information see http://www.shr.uk.com/Juniors.aspx), and the Open Race is part of the Scottish Hill Runners Under 23 Championships (see http://www.shr.uk.com/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-002 ).  The event is open to all, but only individual members of Scottish Athletics count for the Junior League or are eligible for International selection.

The event is also the Scottish trial race and main selection race for the Scottish Athletics teams for the Open British and Irish Junior Hill Running Championship, which incorporates the Junior Home International.  More details on that event are given below.

Venue

Scout Activity Centre, Menstrie, Clackmannanshire (Grid reference NS848971)

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=284856&Y=697100&A=Y&Z=120

Directions to Menstrie

From east - follow A91 towards Stirling through Dollar, Tillicoultry and Alva.

From other approaches - follow M9 to Junction 9, then follow A91 northwards round Stirling and on (about 6 miles from M9 junction), through 6 roundabouts.

Car parking

The area around the Scout Centre is residential.  No event parking please.  Limited car parking is available in the grounds of Menstrie Primary School from 9.30am.  Please share transport if possible.  The school buildings will not be open - registration and facilities are at the Menstrie Scout Activity Centre.

Registration and Entries

Entries will be taken at the Menstrie Scout Activity Centre from 10am.  Entries taken on the day only.  Entry fee is £4 (£2 for Scottish Athletics members).  Fun run 10p

Age classes

Open - Born 1989 or earlier

U19 - Under 19 years of age on 1 January 2009 (i.e. born in 1990, 1991 or 1992)

U16 - Under 16 years of age on 1 January 2009 (i.e. born in 1993 or 1994)

U14 - Under 14 and over 12 years of age on 1 January 2009 (i.e. born in 1995 or 1996)

Races and course lengths

Courses will be planned in accordance with the guidelines for the Junior Home International courses, and will combine age classes as follows. 

The start and finish area is about 1km uphill walk from registration, around 100m above registration.  It gives good views of the early and concluding part of each race, and wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.  Because of the elevated location, you should bring sufficient warm and waterproof clothing.

Course descriptions

Courses will be marked with tape and arrows as necessary, and will be marshalled.  All of the courses start and finish on a land rover track, with their middle section on a mixture of small grass paths and open hillside.

Course 1 (fun run) climbs along the track for 300m, then cuts uphill across grass to rejoin the track, and then returns 600m downhill along the track to the start.

Course 2 (U14 Girls, U14 Boys) climbs along the track and a large path for 900m.  It then follows a 1km loop which starts on minor grassy paths with some steep uphill sections before a brief section ascending the track again before descending on a mixture of open grass, track and minor paths.  The course ends with the same path and track section that it started on.

Course 3 (U16 Girls) is the same as Course 2 except that it does 2 laps of the loop.

Course 4 (U19 Girls, U16 Boys) starts by following the same track and path as Courses 2 and 3, and the first part of their loop.  It then follows a 1.8km loop up onto Myreton Hill.  This climbs steeply at first on a minor path, flattens, and then climbs more steeply to the top.  The descent is on grass and a minor path until it meets a track which it follows for 0.5km back to the start of the loop.  The course then descends using the second part of the Course 2 and 3 loop and the track and path.

Course 5 (U19 Boys, Open) is the same as Course 4 except that it does 2 laps of the loop onto Myreton Hill.

Junior Home International

The event is the Scottish trial race and main selection race for the Scottish Athletics teams for the Open British and Irish Junior Hill Running Championship, which incorporates a Junior Home International match between Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  That event is being held on Sunday 4 October in Sedbergh, Cumbria.

The Junior Home International is between 4 teams: girls’ and boys’ teams in each of Under 18 (i.e. born in 1991 and 1992) and Under 16 (i.e. born in 1993 and 1994).  Each team comprises 4 athletes.  Note that the age eligibility for the Under 18 team is narrower than the older age group in the Scottish Athletics Junior League.

Although the Junior Home International does not include an Under 14 team, the best Under 14 athletes may be invited to travel to the Sedbergh event with the Scottish teams.

Further information

Enquiries to Hugh Buchanan, hugh.buchanan@iname.com, 01786 473776.