Mud, Sweat and Beers

News Release / 04.02.2009

The tiny Scottish Borders village of Innerleithen will once again host the internationally renowned ‘Deerstalker’ and ‘Mighty Deerstalker’ races on Saturday 21st March. This eclectic event has risen from nothing in 2 years to become one of the must-do running events of the calendar, with over 1500 runners entered so far and selling out for the past 2 years.

An unprecedented number of athletes are expected to pull on their plus fours and don their finest deerstalker hats for this highly competitive race, set in the glorious Tweed valley and featuring some of the roughest terrain ever experienced in a UK running event.

Described affectionately as a ‘big muddy romp’, The Deerstalker (or 5k ”ish” race) sees participants engage in river crossings, ascend a mountain, find their way through steep hill-side forests and tackle a number of obstacles that litter their path. This all happens in the midst of the tough Scottish winter, but at least it is held in daylight.

The 10k (and a bit), more commonly known as the Mighty Deerstalker, sees the runners take on a far more challenging enterprise, encountering scree-slopes, scrambles and abundant river crossings. Although it starts in daylight, the “Mighty” finishes in the dark and runners must navigate the final portions of the course by the light of their head torches. As the lead runner reaches the highest point of the course atop the local mountain known as “Rocky,” they have the honour of lighting the ‘homecoming beacon’ to lead the rest of the field back down to the village below.

Every runner will tell you the best part of an event is the finish and nowhere is this more apparent than with The Deerstalker; for no event is truly complete without a party and the Deerstalker excels in this respect. “The Beerstalker” is an event in its own right and people are still talking in awe about the 2008 marquee bash – set against the wild lashings of a gale force storm and the wilder strummings of legendary Borders rock quartet The Duck Pond Brewery Band. An eclectic combination of musical genres, the like of which have never been mixed before, even in a teenagers bedroom, will accompany exaggerated tales of valour and bravery this March 21st.

This year’s shenanigans will again take place from a base within the grounds of historic Traquair House. The castle itself is the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland and its history can be traced back to 1107. It is widely believed that the first Deerstalker took place the following year.

For more info on the race see www.themightydeerstalker.com.