I see Dave has beaten me to it in the thanks! I couldn't make it along
in the end because I have a bad back, which was pretty galling! The raw
buzz of excitement I felt as the race was running is starting to fade
now into a warm memory and I want to write some of it down before the
sharp edges go completely.

The stories I've heard keep it alive. Jitka who left from Austria to
take part, Paul who failed to leave on holiday so that he could take
part; Gordon who ignored a bad back to shoulder his pack round for a
second year running, Scott who after taking a wrong turn to Strathyre
pushed on regardless to take fifth place. Mark who ran past (presumably
quite quickly) a man wearing nothing more than his pants in the woods; I
wonder who was more surprised, the man in his pants first thing in the
morning or the man running past him with a paraglider in the woods? And
of course there's Steve Nash who after a monumental effort took first
place for the second year and helps write another page in the history of
Scottish paragliding! I for one feel indebted to Steve, Paul, and Nick
to name just three who pitched up and made this a very exciting race to
follow.

I want to thank the volunteers. Mike whose leadership and encouragement
ensured the race actually happened at all and then couldn't turn up
because the race clashed with the MTB worlds for the second year
running. Mat stepping in to do the scoring, much to everyones relief!
Bob, your blog updates kept me sane! And Dorita who phoned me as Steve
approached the final stretch of road before the goal line, Thank you! It
was brilliant to feel a part of it albeit from a distance! Richard Tina,
and others? Naomi deserves a special mention for taking on the Meet
Director role at very short notice. It's a really big big deal and Naomi
carried it off like a pro. Well done Naomi!

And how about those partners and friends that turned up just to cheer on
the competitors and enjoy the atmosphere. Especially Paddy arriving with
an armful of champagne to celebrate the winners. What a star!

It sounds like the cafe came up trumps. From my perspective Barry and
Neil have been patient beyond the call of duty as we canned the race one
week after the next then piled in with another date with little warning.
The final confirmation came in just 11 minutes before the suppliers
deadline. For once the phrase "last minute" really means something!

And finally we have our sponsors to thank at Les Basses Beaumettes,
Border Crossings, and X-C Mag who help lend a kind of legitimacy to this
lunatic race! I enjoyed breaking the news to Ruth that the race appeared
to be neck and neck between Paul and Steve. A no-lose position for Les
Basses Beaumettes!

We still need to speak to the weather gods, clearly the burnt offerings
(a couple of burgers on the barby) weren't sufficient to guarantee
flyable weather again this year. We'll work on that!

Of course this is just my perspective on the event. Being obliged to lie
on ones back and stare up at the clouds when you would rather be flying
them does tend to make one a little 'poetic'. Or perhaps it's the pills.
But somehow being obliged to stay out of things I've had to take a long
view and from that perspective I saw a whole bunch of people take part
in a small but very special event in the paragliding calendar. Thank you
to everyone and I hope you all enjoyed taking part in it as much as I
enjoyed watching it play out!