Dumyat Hill Race women’s record holder Angela Mudge is hoping her course record will reach its tenth anniversary when hundreds of hill runners take on this year’s challenge.
It will take a lot to topple the 2007 record of 36 minutes and 36 seconds set by the University sports masseuse - a former World Mountain Running Champion. However, with competitive hill runners from across Scotland expected to descend on the University of Stirling it will be a tight race.
Angela said: “It’s fantastic to still hold the women’s record nine years on. As a Stirling student I would run up the hill most lunch times and always loved taking part in the race. There’s a great assortment of gradients so it offers a good mixture of running, with great support from the marshals to help you across the finish line.
“I have an injury this year so won’t be there to defend my record, however, I wish all the runners the best of luck, whether it’s their tenth or first time taking on the course.”
In its 43rd year, Dumyat Hill Race is a 390m climb across 8k of campus terrain that started as a bet between a lecturer and a student in 1972 and has attracted a steady stream of entrants ever since. The current men’s record stands at an impressive 32 minutes and 23 seconds, set by Murray Strain.
University of Stirling Sports Participation Co-ordinator Nicola Duffy, said: “Each year the Dumyat Hill Race never fails to attract top hill runners and amateurs alike looking to give this unique race a go. The event is a fantastic way to see the scenic campus and I would encourage anyone looking to break records, or just find a new and challenging way to stay fit, to sign up.”
The 2016 Dumyat Hill race will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, 11 May. Online entries can be made until Thursday, 5, May or participants can register in person on the day. To find out more visit the Dumyat Hill Race website.
Notes for editors
- Background information
Media enquiries to Corrie Campbell, Communications Officer on 01786 466 169 or c.r.campbell@stir.ac.uk.
Notes for editors:
The Dumyat Hill Race was first created when a University of Stirling psychologist laid a £1 bet claiming the return trip from the University’s Gannochy Pavilion to the top of the Dumyat was impossible in less than an hour.
On Graduation Day 1972 the £1 was lost by three minutes and, following the first ‘official race’ in 1973, it has been held annually in May ever since attracting around 300 runners. Dumyat is pronounced dum-eye-at, being a contraction of Dun Myat, which was a fortress of the Pictish group the Maeatae. The remains of the Dun Myat fort are near the summit.