10th May 2025
This time last year I was recovering from my first round of chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I had been training hard for the Race Across Scotland (215 miles along the Southern Upland Way) when I discovered the lump that would flip my life upside down. Treatment went well though, and I managed to keep running pretty much throughout, accompanied many times by the best running buddy ever, Juliane! After some soul-searching, I decided that training for the RAS would be too much, but I still wanted to celebrate remission a year from diagnosis with a race to remember.
Cateran had been on my radar for a while, but it was always too close to the Highland Fling and to our own 10k road race. I couldn’t make the Fling this year (which was now swapped with the Devil o’ the Highlands in the WHW races calendar), so I finally bit the bullet and entered the Cateran. I did realise this would take me away from the 40th anniversary of the Penicuik 10k, but it felt like the right race at the right time. It was also poignant as it marked almost a decade to the day that I lost my best friend to cancer. I needed something to celebrate being alive, healthy and living the moment in a beautiful place.
Map of the Cateran 55 race
The route cuts a clockwise swathe through the southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park from Spittal of Glenshee to Blairgowrie and back. It has a bit of everything – rolling hills, forest tracks, fields, open moorland, pretty villages, valleys and rivers. 55 miles, +7500 feet climb with a 15-hour cut-off. As it’s only one and a half to two hours’ drive from Penicuik, I recced the route in two sections: Kirkton of Glenisla to Blairgowrie, and Blairgowrie to Kirkmichael. I left the start and finish sections as a surprise for race day.
Alyth, one of the pretty villages along the route
I booked a bed in Gulabin Lodge for the Friday and Saturday, which is at the start/finish of the race. There were lots of runners camping in the field across from the lodge which made for a festival atmosphere. I was sharing my room with a lovely lady from Aberdeen, and we chatted nervously about the race as it was the first time for both of us. A restless sleep full of anxiety dreams followed, and it was up at 5:30am to get ready for the race.
Race HQ
We gathered for the race briefing at 6:45, then walked to the start a few metres away for the 7am start. Bill, the RO, asked who was doing the race for the first time and over half of us put our hands up. “Oh no, if there’s a race you’re going to get lost in, it’s this one” he exclaimed! In the end only two runners wandered off-route. I was feeling pretty confident after the recces though and only went a wee bit wrong once.
The weather was due to be sunny and dry all day, and it was already warming up nicely, after panicking about whether to put a base layer on. Sean the race medic gave us stern warnings about not drinking too much water (worse than too little, apparently), making sure we topped up our sunscreen and to look out for each other on what was to be a hot day. The longest stretch between aid stations was 15 miles, also the first section, so perfectly timed for the coolest part of the day. The other checkpoints were between six and ten miles apart, so running out of water wasn’t a worry.
Hunners of lambs along the route!
As we set off I kept my hearing aids in so I could chat with Jo, who I’d met at a GB Ultras training weekend last year. In what seemed like no time at all we’d covered 21k, the chat flowing as we jogged through some spectacular scenery. I knew I’d need to keep my aids dry for the road sections later in the race though, so after the first checkpoint at Kirkton of Glenisla I took them out and Jo and I went on to run our own races. I was now in familiar territory from my recces, so got into a rhythm and tried to keep drinking to thirst and taking regular sips of my Active Root gel. I had other snacks with me, and some solid food in my drop bags, but in the end I couldn’t face any of it. I had a few jelly snakes but other than that it was water, cherry cola, Active Root sports drink/gel and a few cartons of chocolate milk until the end. It worked for me perfectly though, and my tummy settled down nicely after some initial grumblings. I’d also pinched some salt tabs from Mark and they helped fix any leg cramps that cropped up. Saved me from getting stuck on one of the infamous styles!
This ‘style’ (ladder) was 48 miles in!
I felt so much stronger than I had in my recce runs and kept my legs moving in a steady jog most of the way, with only a short walking section coming out of Den of Alyth. The trail was bone dry and even the swampy moor section before Bridge of Cally was dust. A gentle breeze seemed to follow me round the trail, keeping the edge off the heat. The field of runners spread out after Blairgowrie, and after Bridge of Cally I didn’t see anyone for miles. I had no idea where I was in the field, so just kept pushing forward and concentrating on my own race. The checkpoint marshals were superb, so helpful with filling bottles etc. I stopped for less than 40 mins total through 6 checkpoints.
A bad omen heading into the spooky woods!
At the last CP the marshals told us that the race had been won outright by a woman! That gave me a boost and I bounced out of Enochdu and ran past another couple of runners on the climb up to the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. It was stunningly beautiful here, with a gentle tailwind helping push me up the last big climb. As I reached the bealach I could see the finish field in the distance. My quads were pretty sore by now, but it felt good to run down the hill, the hot sun dropping below the hill behind me. A wee jog over a humpback bridge then into the finish field. At the finish line a marshal put my medal round my neck then handed me a goody bag. We’d already been handed a goody bag at registration, then I realised it had ‘3rdfemale’ written on it! What a lovely surprise! The perfect result to celebrate getting back to the sport I love after a year of turmoil. It was one of those races where everything just went right on the day: from weather, to fitness, to my drop bags having just the right thing in them when I needed it. A grand day out.
Cheesin’
I had a nice dunk in the Shee Water to soothe my aching legs, then showered and rejoined the finish line to cheer the rest of the runners in. It was only just getting properly dark when the last runner came in just before 10pm. And they were still smiling!
Jan Dawson
11:17:08
3rd female, 12th overall
