There aren’t enough winter hill races in the calendar, I say. They’re much more unpredictable than their summer cousins and the potential hazards could put organisers off. But thankfully not the organisers of ‘Feel the Burns’. This was an expertly contrived and executed event offering top notch registration and changing facilities (Selkirk Rugby Club), a fine post race feast (soup, haggis, tea and cake), and a fast but challenging course taking in the Three Brethren and a section of the Southern Upland Way.

Myself, Gillian and our friend Lesa took up the very kind invitation of Abdel to come over to Morocco to run the 9th Zagora Extreme Marathon and Semi Marathon.   The city of Zagora is situated in south east Morocco on the fringes of the Moroccan Sahara Desert.  After our endeavours in Dublin we opted to run the shorter of the two, while Abdel took on the full marathon in his home town race.