Unique Scottish hill race which began with £1 bet celebrates 50th event
On Wednesday, the Dumyat Hill Race – organised by the University of Stirling – saw 450 runners from across Scotland complete the 8km, 418-metre ascent and descent.
A prominent fixture in the hill running calendar and highly competitive, the event sells out every year and the fastest runners complete the gruelling challenge in little over 30 minutes.
But it's the quirky history of the race that makes it truly unique. While standing in the University's Gannochy Sports Bar in 1971, Stirling psychology lecturer Dr Ranald Macdonald laid a £1 bet claiming 'no member of the University could, without mechanical assistance, do the return trip from the Gannochy to Dumyat in less than an hour'. On graduation day 1971, intrepid researcher John Evans won the wager – completing the run over a rocky, rough terrain with three minutes to spare.
In 1972, a small group of athletes took part in a run to and from the summit – however, there was no formal mass start nor winner – before Professor Ian Thomson, the University's first Director of Physical Recreation, oversaw the creation of an official event from 1973 onwards. It has run almost every year ever since – becoming a staple in the University's sports calendar on the first or second Wednesday of May.
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Dr Macdonald had his £1 returned to him decades later – when, on his retirement in 2007, his colleagues presented him with a framed note in recognition of the part he played in the founding of the race.
Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, said: 'With an intriguing history, and a stunning setting, the Dumyat Hill Race is unique to the University of Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence.
'We are delighted to be celebrating the race's 50th edition and it has been great to see yet another sell-out event in 2025. Decades after it was established, the Dumyat Hill Race continues to bring together students, staff, alumni, athletes and the wider community with the core message of health and wellbeing at its heart. We are proud to have reached this milestone – and look forward to another 50 years of success.'
This year's race – which doubled as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Championship and the Scottish Hill Running Race – took place on the evening of Wednesday, May 7.
Men's winner Angus Wright, of the University of Edinburgh, came agonisingly close to beating the course record – missing out by just one second – with a time of 32 minutes, 14 seconds. Fellow University of Edinburgh runner Matt Knowles continues to hold the record after setting a time of 32 minutes, 13 seconds in 2024.
Terry Macdonald, widow of lecturer Ranald Macdonald, with the £1 note (Image: Jim Mailer) Speaking after the race, Mr Wright said: 'It was a really nice course, and a lovely evening for it. For a hill, it's quite fast and quite runnable – especially the descent, you can definitely get the legs moving!
'I was a bit behind at the top, but I had a really good downhill section – it was really good fun. I only realised towards the end that I was in a winning position and had a look back, and that might have cost me the course record in the end, which is a shame. But it didn't even occur to me that was a possibility, so I'm not worrying too much.
'It was a good fun course, and I look forward to coming back next year.'
In the women's race, first-time hill runner Emily McNicol, of the University of Glasgow, won with a time of 38 minutes, 55 seconds. That record continues to be held by former World Mountain Running champion Dr Angela Mudge, a former student and an honorary graduate of the University of Stirling, with a time of 36 minutes, 36 seconds set in 2007.
Ms McNicol said: 'It was great fun – and hard work! I've not ran Dumyat before; it was my first hill race, and I really enjoyed it. There were great views at the top, but it was hard coming downhill.
'Towards the end, people were shouting that I was the first female – so I just kept going. It's quite special to be the winner in the 50th edition of the race.'
In addition to competitive runners, the event also attracts students, staff and community members alike. Daniel Færestrand Ellefsen, from Norway, is studying MSc Human Rights and Diplomacy at Stirling and decided to give the race a go. Asked about his running background, the 28-year-old joked: 'There's not actually much to tell! I've been running a little bit – I've always been athletic – and I enjoy the slow-paced tranquillity of running.
'This was a fun little challenge, right here at the University, so I thought I might as well take part.'
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