Anyone who thought Innerleithen sported only downhill mountain bike trails was in for a pleasant surprise at the Haglofs Open 5 adventure race last weekend.
Competitors were greeted with one of those glorious cold, but clear, autumn days – no winter weather in the series yet.
Starting in Traquair, competitors ran south along the southern upland way, and had to navigate open moor, as well as forest to the east, providing stunning views of the surrounding area. For cyclists, there were route options through Elbank and Traquair forests.
No-one managed to clear the entire course, although Kim Collinson and Ant Emmet, both of Team Mountain Hardwear, cleared the run and bike controls respectively.
Highest score of the event was husband-and-wife team Tom and Astrid Gibbs, for adidas TERREX/Prunesco, with 550 points, 70 clear of the closest competitor, Kim Collinson, who won the male solos with 530 points.
Heather Burrows continues her run of form, in her second race back after “maternity leave”, improving on the second place in Ilkley to win in Innerleithen.