Craig Dunain Hill Race 2026

Craig Dunain hill race was run around a new and improved course on Saturday. Tree felling and damage from winter storms meant the previous course was unusable, prompting a re-design of the route. The new course utilised the main forest roads and also some steep single track climbs. Overall it was much shorter - around 6.5km (or 6km if you managed to find the right line on the first descent!), but still had around 400m of climbing in it. The route seems to have had good feedback from most of the runners!

The day itself was dry with a chilly wind, but underfoot the tracks were wet with all the rain this last week.

There was a great turnout of runners, with 102 finishing the senior race.

The open senior race was won by Robin Downie of Lochaber AC, setting the record for this new course in 27.31. Second place went to Phil Vokes of Highland Hill Runners (27.38), with Lachlan Thomas of Ross County completing the top 3 in 28.02.

In the female race, Helen Leigh (Inverness Harriers) was the winner, setting the record for the course in 35.29. Not far behind in second was Louise Mclelland of Lochaber AC (35.43) and Catriona Laing of HHR took third in 36.52.

Age group winners were as follows:

40:       1st       Norman Ferguson (Inverness Harriers) and Natalie Greaves (Knavesmire Harriers)

            2nd      Jack Trevelyan (HHR) and Rachel Watson (HHR)

            3rd       Richard Bannister (Deeside) and Kate Comisso (HHR)

50:       1st       Eoin Coull (HHR) and Anne MacRae (HHR)

            2nd      Eric Duncan (HHR) and Sharon Beck (HHR)

            3rd       Michael Hoult (Ross County) and Tara Black (HHR)

60:       1st       Dave Neill (Staffordshire Moorlands) and Ruth Mackenzie (Deeside)

            2nd      Steve Worsley (HHR) and Jayne Teale

            3rd       Alan Smith (Deeside) and Joanne Paterson (HHR)

Team prizes went to HHR for the open race, and Inverness Harriers for the women.

Dave, the winner of the V60 category told me afterwards that he had run and won the race in the 1970s! The course has had several huge re-designs since then, and we hope he enjoyed this version of the race.

The race was also the North District Championship. Winners were:

ND champions were Robin Downie and Helen Leigh.

Masters -  Norman Ferguson and Helen Leigh

V50 - Eoin Coull and Anne MacRae

V60 - Steve Worsley and Ruth Mackenzie

Teams - HHR and Inverness Harriers.

The junior race also had a new course, with an out and back route for the U12s (2.5km, 120m) and a longer loop of 4km, 200m for the U14/U16s.

Age category winners were:

U12: Ella Milton (HHR) and James Aston (HHR)

U14: Eilidh Hume (Ross County) and Riley Davidson (IH)

U16: Cora Comisso (Ross County) and Fraser Hume (Ross County).

Well done to all the runners!

Special thanks to everyone who helped at the race, the amazing timing team, all the marshals, registration folk, first aiders, back marker and the team doing the teas, who managed to keep everyone amused while I took ages working out the results…

Thanks also to NatureScot for the use of the car park, Girl Guiding Inverness for the use of the hall, and all the landowners for permission to run the race.

See you all next year.

Caroline Marwick (Highland Hill Runners)

Full results on the SHR results tab