The Hills are Alive

The Hills Are Alive (HAA) series now appears below!

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As the PRR rules remind us, the HAA was “established to recognise and promote hill racing within the club. Local races will be included whenever possible, ideally with a mix of weekends and weeknights“.

The 2023 HAA Vrackie Racers

The Hills Are Alive series moved to a new form in 2023 to combine its traditional hill races with a new strand of trail races. The thinking was to broaden the appeal of the series to the club’s burgeoning number of trail runners. This move was strongly supported at the 2022 AGM. It proved successful and is now be repeated in 2024.

As a general note, the Hills Are Alive series is far more accessible than many PRRs realise. All of us find hills tough; all of us have to walk the steep bits! The trail element now mixes things up and adds to that accessibility.

Rules/general

+ In 2023, to receive a Hills Are Alive (HAA) medal and score maximum series points, you needed to complete any 6 (SIX) out of the 8 nominated HAA races (as per the list below).

+ Full rules, scoring etc appear at 5 here.

+ The HAA series seeks to avoid clashes with the summer holiday season, Championship and SS, and, with its 6-from-8 approach, provides decent flexibility. Trail races can be primarily chosen by the trail runners, while hill runners can target the hill races; even so, a couple of the ‘other’ races will still be required to complete the series and maximise points.

+ Although tricky, it is perfectly possible to place in the top 3 (medal) places of the HAA without completing the series (ie 6 races) if points scored in those races are high enough.

HAA 2024

The races themselves (8): H =hill race, T= trail race

RaceDateLink
Gartmorn 6 Trail Race (T)Sunday 10th MarchCOMPLETED - results
PRR Sidlaws Saunter (H/T)Tuesday 16th AprilENTRIES ON NIGHT - details will follow - BROAD idea of course here
Kinnoull Hill Race (H/T)Thurs 16th MayNOT YET OPEN - details here
Law Breaker (H)Weds 26th JuneENTRIES ON NIGHT - details here
PRR Ben Vrackie (uphill only) (H)Tues 16th JulyENTRIES ON NIGHT - details will follow
PRR vs KRR mob match (T)Tues 20th AugustENTRIES ON EntCent IN MONTH BEFORE - details here
PRR Pitmedden Trail Race (T)Tues 3rd SeptemberENTRIES ON NIGHT - course here
Creag Bheag Hill Race (H)Sunday 22nd SeptemberENTRIES PROBABLY ON DAY - details here

For 2024, the HAA features 4 externally-organised races and 4 of our own:

+ a Club-only/organised hill race up (only, and not down) Ben Vrackie above Pitlochry; this popular evening has become a staple feature of the HAA;

+ a repeat of the Club-only trail race at/in Pitmedden Forest (south of Bridge of Earn). See Strava segment here. This course is some 5.5 miles in length;

+ the club’s annual Mob Match showdown against Kinross Road Runners, which, this year takes place on the excellent estate roads and trails of the Murthly Estate; and

+ a new club internal trail race in April in the Sidlaws between Coupar Angus and Dundee. It will be based on this recent exploration.

If a race is lost…

Some races here are PRR club events (Pitmedden, Vrackie). If any of the internal club races cannot be run, we will seek to reschedule with at least 2 weeks of notice.

Results (since 2021)

2023

2022

2021 Strava time trials

2020 not held owing to COVID-19

2019 Men Ladies

2018 Men Ladies

2017 Men Ladies

2016 Men Ladies

2015 Men Ladies

2014 Men Ladies

2013 Men Ladies