Planning a significant urban event in my own home town was daunting but something that I had very much wanted to do for some time. There’s the desire to make sure all the tricky little corners are included but in an event such as this I wanted to ensure that icons of Kelso like the Square, the Tweed and the Abbey all featured on the longer courses. My goal was also to ensure that every senior competitor would have choices to make throughout their course. 

I am Indebted to Pat Blashill and especially Lindsey Knox for getting the whole town north of the Tweed mapped for the first time. I think I now appreciate the work that goes into producing a high quality urban map. Lots of map additions and corrections were made during the planning process but we now have a significant asset for our small club.

Kelso is well used to hosting events which bring lots of tourists into the town on summer weekends. However I was still more than delighted with the engagement and support from all the local people that I approached with regard to the event. Special thanks to Kelso Rugby Club and Edenside Primary School for the use of their grounds.