Always a favourite race for Harriers who have Spring Marathons to train for, the 20 Along the Forth race is a real test of how ready you are for the 26.2-mile distance.
This year however, there was extra incentive as Kenny had put it in the Merit League meaning a chance to grab some points.
9 Harriers made the trip to Cramond for the race with Linda heading off in the first wave, Chris in the second, and Scott, James, Amy, Natalie, Daniel, Alex, and myself running in the last of the 3 waves.
The weather has been relatively kind to us for a lot of races this season, and this was no exception. Whilst maybe a little cold for the earlier waves, the sun came out and it was a gloriously clear day for a run.
After seeing Linda and Chris off, the remaining 7 gathered for the start of the 09:30 wave. Scott and James went off quickly down the road and then down the first hill. I followed along trying (unsuccessfully) to reign it in a little as I wanted to conserve a bit for the later miles.
Through the undulating trail of the Dalmeny estate, I was soon joined by Daniel and Alex, all of us taking turns to take the lead in our pack of three. This continued until we reached South Queensferry. Alex then took the opportunity to nip into the toilets whilst Daniel and I forged ahead trying to put some distance between us and Alex. We passed the always busy Dune Bakery (definitely worth a visit when not running) and headed up towards the bridge.
Last year I found the climb up to the Forth Road Bridge really difficult but the route had slightly changed for this year’s iteration and the climb seemed easier as we approached the right-hand side of the bridge rather than the left as was the case 12 months ago.
Daniel and I ran pretty much side by side from the start of the bridge until the top of the camber, with Daniel even taking the time to take a great video of the Forth Bridge as we ran. As always, taking the opportunity to take advantage of a downhill, I put a bit of pace into my legs and pulled away from Daniel slightly.
The bridge is a great point to see fellow runners. I first spotted John Bell and then Andy Kirk, both guys ultimately ending on the podium, the former 1st and the latter 3rd. Both runners are big fans of our races having done well at both the Barge (again the former) and the Kenny Stevenson Memorial Trail race (the latter having won it both times he ran it).
I then spotted some even more familiar faces, first Chris looking great, and on his way to another fantastic run, prime from his training for the upcoming WHW challenge. Scott then approached as first harrier, looking strong at this point.
James was next to approach and as he got closer, I lifted up my hand for a high 5 on the way past. Seeing me approach he did the same. Unfortunately, so did the girl in front of me who assumed James was just being nice and high 5ing runners as he passed. Awkward!
By the time I reached the halfway point (a cone with the RD’s Uncle Ken watching over) I had been overtaken by Daniel who had the audacity/bravery/cahones to complete what has come to be known in the Maryhill Harriers as the ‘Prior Pivot’, around the cone. Opting for a less risky standard run around it, I turned and started back up the camber.
At this point, it was incredible to see how close we all were. As Daniel and I started to cross the bridge again we saw Alex (having caught up well from his comfort break), and my pal Scott, both having witnessed the audacious turn from Daniel. Amy and then Natalie soon also passed, both smiling and looking great.
Daniel pulled away a little and then Alex and I took a turn at running together chatting as we went about how beautiful the day was but both a little worried that we hadn’t even yet reached the halfway point!
After the bridge there is a stretch of path which seems to go on forever, and it’s a long gentle incline the whole way. I again caught up with Alex and Daniel at this point but taking a gel too quickly and trying to overtake someone on the zig zag path took my breath away a bit, and for the first time in the race I felt it a bit of a struggle. Just afterwards, my pal Scott passed me and he caught up with Alex and Daniel.
I wasn’t slowing too much at this point, but I was feeling the bite and had to grit my teeth a bit as I re-joined the path to the Dalmeny estate, 6 miles to go.
The struggle really kicked in here, as the undulating paths really started to hurt, much more difficult having already ran 24km or so. I passed Chris with about 5km to go, he was looking as calm as ever as I was increasingly worried about beating last years’ time, trying to do the maths in my head based on my current v last years’ pace. There was one massive hill here that I had to walk partly up, then I also took a few steps at the top of the next hill too, just to catch my breath. As you come out of the estate and pass a smelly dung heap, you know you are close to the end so I tried my best to keep going and not slow down.
As I approached the left turn back into Cramond, I thought I saw a Harriers top, realising it was Alex, I tried to pick up my pace to catch him. I did so just at the foot of the last horrible hill back up to the main roads. He said he had totally ‘bonked’ and was struggling to keep going. Unsympathetically, as all competitive runners are, I wished him well and tried to keep going, passing him on the hill. I was worried he would catch me but after a short wait at the traffics lights I put on a last push up the street to the school, I turned left and surged over the timing mats, a full 3 mins ahead of my previous attempt at the course to the congrats of James who was taking pics.
I discovered, from chatting to those already finished that Scott had won, although struggled with the distance after not training enough, James had finished as second Harrier incredibly matching not only last years’ time but also his Edinburgh to North Berwick 20 miler time too. He’s never finished a 20 miler with anything different to 2hr 28m! Talk about consistency! Daniel had a great race, finishing 3 mins after James and dragging my pal Scott along with him. Such was Scott’s gratitude; he wants to pay to take Daniel to Manchester to pace him for a marathon PB!
Alex finished just about 20-30 seconds behind me, a phenomenal effort considering his previous longest competitive race was the Great Scottish HM in October 2025.
From the ladies’ section, Amy came in just after Alex, and Natalie wasn’t too far behind her. From the earlier waves, Chris had a cracking race, finishing with a PB, and Linda had a belter of an effort considering recent injuries.
We then headed back inside for a scran, although Scott looking like a whitey was imminent, decided against it. Never one to turn down a buffet, I forced down a couple of sandwiches and some salted crisps, popping my Crème Egg into my bag for later.
A quick photo opportunity at the cool 20ATF26 sign followed and then we headed for home. Every single gear change or braking requirement caused a muscle in my legs to cramp…will I do it again? Absolutely!!!!
Thanks very much to the race organisers. It ran very smoothly with a friendly RD and some lovely marshalls. They also had some nice kit on sale, and vans selling cakes and coffee outside. The buffet at the end had some lovely sandwiches, wraps, and some crisps. Next time though, we want the sausage rolls and pork pies back…
Results
Scott Coulter – 1st Harrier (Open Merit League race winner) – 2:25:45
James Prior – 2:28:56
Daniel Nixon – 2:31:47
Derek Muirhead – 2:35:11
Alex Patterson – 2:35:30
Amy Watson – (Female Merit League race winner) – 2:36:59
Natalie Somerville – 2:48:54
Chris Hever – 3:10:10
Linda Sinclair – 3:20:30
