The Kilted Mile Preview

It’s hard to preview a race that’s on a track and a mile distance. Can’t really talk about killer hills, water station placement or recovery woes. But there are some things about the Portland Highland Games kilted mile that make it unique. 

The obvious one being you have to wear a kilt. My first year, I attempted to do this in my kilt which goes to just below the knees. That prompted me to buy a running kilt which made things much easier the second year. They do have a limited amount of loaner kilts if you do not own one. However, these aren’t guaranteed to still be available day of, best to pre-register during the window (April 1-June 30).

You really, really have to like the sound of bagpipes. If you think they sound like someone strangling small animals, like my husband does, then best to skip this one. You hear them all morning before the race, you are piped to the starting line and for at least a good hour after you leave the event, you are still hearing them. Personally, I love the sound of bagpipes. They motivate me to run faster.

You have to be okay running in front of a stadium full of people. They are an enthusiastic audience and cheer loudly for the runners, even calling out bib numbers. You couldn’t ask for a better crowd. They are all gathered to watch the opening ceremonies which precede the run. Those are scheduled for noon so the race actually begins between 12:30 and 1pm depending. This can present two problems -the heat and food. Luckily the forecast is calling for more reasonable temperatures this weekend hopefully solving the first. The second is all about timing and when to eat to give you energy but not side cramps. 

If you like small races, then this is it with about 30-40 other runners. You do not have to navigate much. For me, I just try to stay out of the elites’ way since this race is about speed. It’s the only race of the year where I really push myself to go fast. Race record of 04:14.90 was set in 2012 by Trevor Dunbar, the first Alaskan to crack a 4-minute mile at Portland’s Roughriders Twilight Meet last year.  Most of the runners range in the 5-8 minute marks with a few of us pulling up the traffic cones in the back. 

So if you want to test your running speed, wearing a kilt, in front of lots of people all to the melodious sounds of bagpipes, then this is the race for you. Pre-reg is closed and there are a limited number of day of race registration.

New this year, the Mt. Hood Community College track has been resurfaced which is great because it was in desperate need of it. Due to that, they are changing the placement of vendors and some of the other activities that previously happened on the field encircled by the track. This will help because even though people are told to stay off the track during the run, they don’t always listen. Two years ago, I almost took out some poor old lady who stepped out in front of me. Now they will have less incentive to cross the track during the race.

Also new this year is they have made the games a two day event.  In addition to race, you can enjoy watching the heavy athletic competitions including the caber toss, the dancing competitions, the sheep dog exhibitions and then there’s the whiskey tasting plus some great Celtic bands, food and shopping. It’s a very family friendly event with a kids version of the heavy athletics and a kids run. For details and the schedule of events, visit www.phga.org.