Brig Bash

The Brig Bash will return in 2024 – its 25th running – on Wednesday 3rd July. Entries will open at 7:30pm on Tuesday 30th April (the Tuesday after the Tay Ten, as usual.) Join our Brig Bash Facebook page – and/or watch this space – to ensure you don’t miss out!

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The 2023 (and 24th) Brig Bash – our 25th birthday – took place on Wednesday 5th July. 

The race saw 235 runners take to the streets of Bridge of Earn. The ladies’ winner was Gayle Lindsay of PH Racing in a time of 30:41. Brig Bash history was made by men’s winner, Central AC’s Jamie Crowe, who obliterated both:

i) the Brig Bash Mile record (lowering it from 4:44 to a daft 4:24); and

ii) Chris Robison’s 23-year-old course record, reducing it from 24:03 to 23:30.

Pamela Pattison of Pitreavie AAC posted a new F70(+) record of 42:57, taking 90 secs off the previous record. 

Click here for full individual results.

Team winners were PH Racing for the ladies and Dundee Hawkhill Harriers for the men.

Click here for full (and new-look) team results.

Photos of the 2023 race here, thanks to Fishygordon.

Thanks to all runners, marshals and organisers who made this one of our very best Brig Bashes yet!

Above: Race winners Jamie Crowe (Central AC) and Gayle Lindsay (PH Racing) pass through the Brig Bash Mile mark in 4:24 and 5:59 respectively, the former comprehensively dismantling both the BB Mile and course records.

Below: perhaps the noisiest Brig Bash after-party in 25 years?

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First run in 1998 (see here for some historic video footage from that first evening and here for the press report), this friendly summer evening five-mile race is fast and flat (less than 25m of climbing in total), all on tarmac and largely over quiet country roads to the south of Perth.

It is eminently suitable for producing a personal best time or just having a really enjoyable run. Since its start, the race has attracted runners of all standards from total beginners to internationals.

With five-mile races in short supply, yet still included in many clubs’ time standards, why not include it in your race targets for this year? The now-famous after-race spread (= monster buffet; see below <NB: contents may vary…>) is well worth the journey/race fee in its own right ….

Sponsors

In 2023, we were fortunate enough to be sponsored by:

John’s Scone Mad – based in Bridge of Earn itself, baker of artisan scones and home baking. Provided range of excellent savoury and sweet scones to the race, which vanished in a few minutes. A new sponsor for the race in 2023 – welcome, John!

Tunnock’s – legendary producers, based in Uddingston, of – among many deliciousnesses – the Caramel Wafer and Tea Cake. Provide a small mountain of Caramel Wafers for the race. Have sponsored the Brig Bash for years.

Highland Spring – bottlers of Perthshire spring water, based in Blackford. Also a long-term sponsor of the Brig Bash, they provide our water station and finisher water. 

Licensing

The race is licensed by Scottish Athletics; the 2023 licence is here

Race entry

is via Entry Central, and normally opens in mid/late-May. There are no on-the-night entries. 300 places are typically available. The race is always popular with clubs from across Scotland – many of whom use the race as part of their championship series – and typically sells out quickly.

Updates

Watch this page or join our Facebook page.

The course

+ A map of the course can be found here.

+ See here for a video of the course (albeit missing the first 150m or so from the start).

+ The distance on that map shows, we know, as more than 5 miles; this occurs owing to a smoothing of distance by the map software.

+ The course is AUKCM distance certified, as per its certificate here.

Course records (and previous winners)

The all-comers records for the Brig Bash are:

Male: Jamie Crowe (Central AC), 23:30 (2023).

Female: Nicola Duncan (Portobello RC), 27:30 (2014).

+  After some late nights/Macallan, we’ve managed to pull out all the race winners plus the records and record-holders across the history of the Brig Bash (that’s across all the age groups).

The fastest-ever 25 runs by men and ladies can be found here.

+  Race-by-race results can be found at the bottom of this page.

Race prizes

  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes for male & female – (£30, £25, £20 in 2023)
  • 1st prize for male & female teams (XC scoring, 3 in each team score) – (surprisingly good wine in 2023)
  • 1st prize only for male & female age categories as below – (all £15 in 2023)
    • Vets: M 40-49 and F 40-49;
    • Supervets: M 50-59 and F 50-59;
    • Master Vets: M 60-69 and F 60-69; and
    • Vintage Vets: M 70+ and F 70+.
  • Course records (£50). To be 100% clear, this is all-comers (overall/absolute) records, not age group records!
  • There is also a prize (£20) for the Brig Bash Mile (ie the fastest first mile); prizes awarded to both male and female, with an additional prize (£20) if the current records are broken. Current Brig Bash Mile records stand at:
    • Male: 4:24, Jamie Crowe of Central AC (2023).
    • Female: 5:20, Annabel Simpson of Fife AC (2019).

Results from previous years 

We have a full catalogue of these; do please excuse the rather scrappy format of those in 2010 and before…

Brig Bash Mile each year since 2012

overall results

2023 (235 finishers) – with team results here

2022 (196 finishers)

2020 and 2021 – not held owing to COVID-19

2019 (241 finishers)

2018 (234 finishers)

2017 (241 finishers)

2016 (210 finishers)

2015 (230 finishers)

2014 (205 finishers)

2013 (237 finishers)

2012 (221 finishers)

2011 (204 finishers)

2010 (183 finishers)

2009 (218 finishers)

2008 (178 finishers)

2007 (173 finishers)

2006 (150 finishers)

2005 (173 finishers)

2004 (204 finishers)

2003 (157 finishers)

2002 (172 finishers)

2001 (173 finishers)

2000 (163 finishers)

1999 (131 finishers)

1998 (89 finishers)

 

Some teamy, scene-setting photos from the 2019 race (click to enlarge)