Distance 9.7 km
Climb 190 m

This is a great race that has a bit of everything. Cross country in woodland, through a river, over a hill and tarmac. There is a lovely vibe to this event as it is part of the East Linton Gala day celebrations, so there are stalls and bands and even a beer tent. We opted for the ice-cream after the race.

My race on relive : https://www.relive.cc/view/1029814439

Results:

31 Michael Greens M 00:50:59
33 Mike Brooks M50 00:51:28
57 Julian Friedrich F 00:57:41
59 Chris Downie M50 00:58:02
64 Sadie Kemp F40 00:59:59

Full results here: http://carnethy.com/

This post describes Gregor’s and Rob’s experience of running Durisdeer hill race on the 10^th of June 2017.

Gregor’s bit

I was contemplating running the Durisdeer hill race for the last few weeks. While the distance (14.7 km) seemed fine, I hesitated due to elevation gain with several sharp ascents and descents (see Figure 1). I decided to give it a try with a mindset that this would be a very good hill training session. Practically at the same time Rob announced his swapping from Slioch for this race (due to some lurgy). While a group of Penicuik harriers headed to sunny Traprain Law race, we headed into something quite different. Namely, the forecast did not look promising; rain all morning and mild showers during the race. Quite different to last time harriers run this race (http://penicuikharriers.org.uk/2013/06/09/damsel-domination-at-durisdeer/). It turned out the forecast was spot on.

Figure 1: Durisdeer race profile

Upon arrival in the small village of Durisdeer (with surprisingly large and nice old church) we registered and readied our kit. It was soon obvious that turnout was small (40 max), which is still more than about a dozen of runners a couple of years ago (according to the local organiser). Albeit most of the rain stopped by race start, clouds and light wind did not go away. Few runners, poor visibility, and my first time being in the area were clear signs that navigation would be crucial. I have done a navigation course this spring and kind of really looked forward to this test, albeit with quite some dread. We set our compasses and were ready to go. Given the weather and temperature of 13C we decided to start with jackets and hats on. I even opted for gloves to make sure I fully warm up.

Figure 2: Durisdeer race route

Start was at the field behind the settlement with a short plunge down to the burn and long climb to Black Hill (see Figure 2). The climb involved quite a bit of walking interspersed with bouts of running where possible. I soon had to take both hat and gloves off due to generated heat. Virtually within minutes the runners were completely spread out. Occasionally it felt like running in twilight with occasional glimpses of a runner on left or right. Already at the Black Hill summit navigation proved crucial – we could only see a few meters ahead and wind was howling (poor Marshalls!). I caught a small group immediately after the top, but soon realised that they were straying off left (west) of my compass course. Should I follow them or my compass? It would be a bit embarrassing to get lost so early into the race. I mustered courage, trusted my compass, and pulled away from the group. (While writing this and looking at the map I realise that I pulled away from them at the last possible moment. Namely, I had hit top of the burn just south of Pettylung hill, which means that I was already slightly off the race route, but the group had to be off even more). The descent was steep with lots of blueberries and some heather that provided friction even in very wet conditions. I was encouraged after I saw a couple of runners ahead on my compass course and dashed down the hill.

After crossing the marshalled main road, we ran on a gravel road past Dalveen farm to a narrow glen with Enterkin burn. (This must be a nice hiking route on a sunny day!). I joined a group of runners and we were overtaking each other depending on whether they were uphill or downhill sections. I got so warm I had to take my jacket off. Soon we reached a marshal and turned right up a narrow pass/col towards Upper Dalveen. Throughout this pass, I kept wondering if I was on the right course as it seemed to narrow. I tried to corroborate my position according to incoming burns on the map, but there were so many flowing from all directions due to recent rain that I abandoned this idea. I put faith in my compass and the fact that marshal pointed us in this direction and there really were no side paths that a runner could stray away. The pass ended with a sharp descent – I admit I was chickening out on running on hilly grassy sections full of water. We finally hit some tracks along the hills where I could run more intensively.

Unfortunately, I sprained my ankle just before reaching the Upper Dalveen house. I think I was too eager to balance the lost time on descent and dashed down the muddy track too quickly. I was contemplating to pull out as there was a steep ascent to the Well Hill ahead of me and the position was just about right for pulling out as marshals were stationed a couple of hundred meters ahead at the main road crossing. While crossing a couple of swelled burns I paused in them for a while, which proved to be very good for my ankle. I retied my shoelaces and gently jogged towards the marshals. When I reached them, the pain was largely gone and I decided to continue with the race.

I took a bearing, powered my mojo, and bit into the diagonal ascent up the Well Hill. Visibility was again getting very bad with each meter of height gained. I could barely see down into the valley (perhaps it was better this way – that hill is very steep). I also could not see the Well Hill ahead. Ankle sprain and adrenalin rush took away quite a bit of my concentration and I was mentally struggling with reading the map. I took faith in having runners both on my left and right and focused on pacing and making sure I took steps that would not take too much energy or even increased my injury. It turned out that this mental focus put me back into the game. I soon gained back the lost positions and even gained some – all while climbing up the hill. I guess the Thursday hill reps are paying off! At the point of Lavern burn split I was ahead of the group and followed the compass up into the cloud. After reaching the top of Well Hill I carefully dashed towards the Black Hill with a new group. Here the rain and wind really took up and visibility was very bad. I focused on where my feet landed and overtook the group with each small climb.

Just before reaching Black Hill, I was about to take the final bearing, when the wind swept away my map. Bummer! Luckily, I met a runner and we took a bearing together and dashed down to Durisdeer. The descent was tricky as there was water everywhere and the grass was wet and I was not sure if there was enough friction. With small fast steps I battled with two runners all the way to the starting burn. There I gathered all my strength and sprinted to the finish. I believe I finished 20^th (2h, 24min), while Rob finished 11^th (2h, 12min).

What an experience!

Gregor

Rob’s bit

Having picked up a bad cold while down in the SW earlier in the week, I had to decide on Friday whether to drive up to Slioch with Duncan, not knowing if I was fit enough to race, or stay at home one extra night and then deciding the Saturday morning whether to do Durisdeer. Even this latter race is not easy and although it is shorter than Slioch (14.7 vs 20 kms), there is more height gain (1240m vs 1180 m). In the end, I chose an extra night at home in the hope that the medicinal wine and whiskey would help.

I woke up Saturday morning with stomach ache and after eating breakfast I decided it was more related the whiskey/wine mix and nerves about not feeling 100%, so texted Gregor at 8.30am that I would run Durisdeer. At only a 75 mins drive away, I felt that I would not lose much if I felt too poorly to run and could pull out. The forecast however was not good, so I was a little more apprehensive than normal and did wonder if I was being a tad foolish between coughing fits.

Gregor has laudably described the race in detail above, so will not go into detail. What I will say however, is that this is by far not an easy race in good conditions. The ascent/descents are steep and in fact, the descent off Blackhill is probably one of the steepest and longest you will find. To add to all of that, the fact that from the 200m contour we were in thick cloud meant that this was quite a serious navigation race, especially as the windy wet conditions really were quite foul on the summits. In fact, there indeed was navigation chaos at the front with many normally faster runners going way off course coming off Black Hill and also from the saddle below Steygail to Upper Valveen. This meant that at quite a few points, much better runners than I kept overtaking me as they had been lost in the mist somewhere behind. My final fairly good place reflects other people’s cock ups rather than my prowess at running.

I must say, hats off to Gregor (and to Steve Fallon’s navigation course he did). These were sordid conditions and having the patience to stop, make bearings and constantly check the map was the secret to a happy race.

I have now done this race twice in rather different weather extremes – hyper hot and clear (2013) and misty, windy and rainy (2017). It would be nice to have average cool conditions with good visibility.

Rob

Being one of the road race grand prix we had a nice turnout of harriers. The weather was a bit breezy but stayed dry and sunny. This is a fast race with lots of club runners and a really nice blast on a wednesday night. Here is how it went for me:

https://www.relive.cc/view/1025767407

52 30:59:00 Derek Newport
73 32:14:00 Michael Greens
100 33:54:00 Allan Dunbar
104 34:12:00 Amy Kerr
117 35:08:00 Rachel Dummond
149 37:02:00 Gordon Campbell
159 37:47:00 Ian Forrest
164 38:06:00 Cameron Newport
166 38:14:00 Sadie Kemp

full results here: http://www.caac.org.uk/sites/all/_files/_publicdocuments/caac52017.pdf

On Sunday 4th June, 6 of us set off early for this lovely trail race in Milngavie. The race is arranged by the Scouts as a fundraising event, and is really well organised, and with cakes at the finish which rival our own 10k feast! They even managed to get us sunshine again, though not as hot thankfully as it was last year. A few less Harriers were able to make it due to injuries.

The 8.5 mile race starts in the town centre, and after a brief bit of tarmac running out of the park and through the square, the route takes you onto part of the WHW and through Murdock country park . Most of the elevation is within the first part of the race, and felt just as tough as last year!

I really enjoyed the first half of the race; the 4 miles passed very quickly and we were soon at the turning point at the Carbeth huts. I love this race because it’s where we walked our wee doggie many years ago, so brings back some happy memories. My hill legs then realised that I wasn’t going to get any nice uphill sections to walk, and I had to just keep up the pace and attempt to catch the next runner. After around mile 5 is the slightly technical bit of the race, with some nice undulating parts negotiating tree roots etc, and I was enjoying the change from the packed trail surface when I fell flat on my front on a downhill section, managing to whack my knees, shoulder and chest. A couple of kind runners just behind me stopped quickly to check I was ok, and I did manage to get up and run for another 30 seconds, then stopped again as it had totally knocked the wind out my sails – literally!

The last mile and a half was a bit painful and I was glad to see the finish. I was really happy with my time, two minutes faster than last year and third lady.

Julie came in next, followed by Mel, Alan and Julie Y. Ellie was waiting at the finish to cheer us on – so sorry you had to pull out, Ellie :-(. We then went to the hall for the brilliant cake spread and a cuppa.

Definitely recommend this race for anyone who enjoys a trail run!

29 Gillian F3, F40 1, 01:03:41
80 Julie H F11, FSen 8, 01:12:41
98 Mel F21 V40 9, 01:14:18
135 Alan M98 V60 4, 01:20:53
201 Julie Y F84 V40 40, 01:39:14

Mountain marathons are a huge challenge for me (my first was with Julian Hall in 2009 – B course LAMM) as they are two day events and can cover 40-80 kms (with 2000 – 4000m elevation gain), depending on what course one does. Persuading Andrea to run a mountain marathon with me is an even bigger challenge and for the 2^nd year on the trot (pun not intended), I managed to twist her arm to delve into this rather mad way of travelling through the mountains.

Last year we were surprisingly successful running the D course of the Highlander where we came 3^rd (1^st in our mixed age category). After discussion, and a little gentle persuasion, we felt that the LAMM C course would be the next logical “upgrade” in difficulty and in actual fact, it did not look much harder than D with 24 kms (1180m) and 21kms (940m) for both days. We registered months ago and so there was no backing out (in fact, one can register up to 2 days before). Training had been harder to fit in this year and Andrea clearly had spent too much time playing tennis (as usual) and not enough time getting the distance in. However, her survival of Stuc’ O Chroin a few weeks ago gave me confidence we would make it.

Pre-race carb loading

So – as is the norm, we did know where the race would be located until 36 hrs before the race-start. I love this as they can literally be anywhere in Scotland north of the Central Belt. When “An Teallach” came over the interweb last Thursday I was deeply excited as this is one part of the Scottish far north-west that I do not know well at all. The LAMM would take use through some pretty wild country.

So – Friday afternoon, we blitzed north towards Ullapool, carb loading in Aviemore, and finally getting to the main event campsite near Dundonnell at around 9pm. We quickly pitched the tent, registered (8.10 am start time) and had a beer to calm the nerves that were already starting to build. A brief hello to Alasdair Hind who was running the B course with a friend and then we were off to bed where I failed to sleep by overdoing the chocolate brownie consumption on the drive up.

Day 1

6am – bagpipes – ugh! Here we go.

The sun was shining, enough wind to keep the midges away and we were packed and ready to go at 8am. On the 10 min walk to the bus, the organisers gave us the race map – our lifeline for the next 2 days – the largest laminated piece of paper you’ll ever want in the hills. You could almost make a tent out of it. We were then bussed about 25 kms to the south-east and dumped in the knowledge that the route back to the finish would be much longer.

Like an orienteering race, there are electronic checkpoints (CPs) of which you’re given the OS grid coordinates at the start. Once you get the list of numbers, you’re on the clock. These points must be first marked on the map before one starts running. As we’re running in pairs, it is best to do this independently and check that you have identified the same locations. A mistake at this point can mean disqualification if you miss a CP. Once done, we were off!

Day 1 route

The first few CPs up into the Fannichs were easy enough but on the ascent up to CP 3, it soon became apparent that Andrea was not her usual smiley self. We jog/walk in the hills quite a lot and she seemed a tad slower than normal and not her chipper self. She was struggling already which did not bode well and my infamous jokey personality did not seem to help. Coming off CP3 we caught up Willie Gibson and Moira Stewart of Carnethy and basically buddied with them until CP5, swapping places depending on whether we were walking up or running down. From CP5, we had the first major route choice. Either a direct but hillier line or a longer lower route with some runnable track. I decided that the hillier route would be best as Andrea is normally quite strong walking up. Willie and Moira went low. Our route involved a rather long ever steepening climb up over a ridge. In hindsight, this was a mistake as it took all the final vestiges of energy out of Andrea who started feeling sick and getting dizzy. After a couple of pauses I decided to carry her backpack for the final 100m of climb which seemed to help. After a quick breather and fuel recharge for Andrea on the ridge top, it was a quick jog down to CP6. Only just under 4kms to go! Andrea appeared to have bounced back a little and we managed the final few kms with no bother and at CP8 caught up Willie who had gained about 10mins on us by taking the lower route between CP5 and CP6 – you live and learn!

Andrea had been a trouper and had really dug deep when some might have broke down. She thought we would be last but was gobsmacked when we learnt that we were 32^nd from 65 running pairs on the C course. We got to the mid-race campsite just after 3pm with plenty of time to pitch the tent and eat the masses amount of food we had carried. Alasdair was in already quietly buzzed that they were 5^th in the B course which was excellent. We later learnt that Alan had pulled out which was a real shame. Bar a couple of sharp showers, where all the runners dived into their tents for a quick snooze, the next 6 hours was a very relaxing affair with washing in the lake, eating, chatting and more eating. I went to sleep with a bloated belly and slept right through the 5.30am bagpipes.

Day 2

Day 2 route

We had always planned to leave at the latest possible time (7.30am) as I needed time to eat, drink, stretch and do “other” things that require potentially a lot of waiting time for the only 8 porta-loos that had been somehow brought into the area. I will never use the pit!!

The 2^nd day’s route started with a nice loosening jog westwards for about 1.5 kms along the track. Andrea was in good spirits and as we left late we passed many runners, so by the time we started the long 500m climb up to CP1 and the summit at CP2, it was clear that Andrea had her mojo back. This was the day for catch up! After CP2 the next few kms were a real pleasure with an initial easy descending ridge to the NW and then a tight left turn down into the bogs to the north-west where I initially thought that we would struggle to find CP3. Up to now, the routes had been generally dry, but this part was boggy, but once we found and passed CP3, we bounced through the heather and bog, contoured around to the north above the cliffs and then dropped down following a perfect line towards CP4 in the valley. Navigation from CP4 to CP5 was straight forward as we simply followed the river upstream. Andrea was starting to flag a little and I told her to eat, eat and eat more. I spent the whole section debating with myself as to the best route choice between CP5 and CP6. There were two routes basically controlled by two scrambles down a quartzite cliff. One option was longer, but had less elevation change with a contoured route along unknown rocky terrain, while the other route had some descent followed by a climb of about 200m but was more direct. The differences of such choices can be subtly important. The day before we had probably lost about 10 mins between CP5 and CP6, I think again in hindsight, we again lost a similar amount of time here. 10 mins do not sound much, but they can impact your final time greatly. Although a bit of a slog, the scenery was stunning with An Teallach to our left and above us the whole time. At this point we were quite happy that we did not have to climb it. That can wait until another year.  We made it to CP6 with no issues – overtaking a couple of teams in fact and managed to keep ahead of them on our jog down to CP7. We were almost done and spirits were very high at this point. We were doing well and we had surely gained time and places.

But then in the final kms it all unraveled a little. We contoured to the east and correctly stayed high, as I wanted to stay above the forest. However, we came across a deer fence (not on the map!) which went uphill for an unknown distance. I decided we should climb over and continue contouring. Inside the fenced off area, the plant life had gone nuts (I should have known – regeneration!! Smack on forehead!  Duh!) and we were stumbling through deep heather, scratchy bushes and the whole place had been clear cut at some point in the past. It was a kilometre of nightmare with Andrea starting to lose it and cursing me. We finally emerged on the other side (having to climb the fence again) and hit the final trail down to the road and the final CP. However, the path immediately plunged into the thickest rhododendron forest we had ever seen and many runners had gone the wrong way in this mess, so basically we had to crouch to get through. It was like caving. Just what you don’t need when you’ve been running for 6 hrs. Luckily, this was a short section and we soon hit the road and had a final 500 metres jog to the finish.

We took 6hrs 16 mins for day 1, and day 2, supposedly shorter, we ran for 6 hrs 19 mins. We have checked the routes and both days were about 23 kms. Alasdair told us that the stated distances on the website were straight-line distances – not actual :-/ . Our overall time was 12:35:28, coming in 35^th of 57 finishers in the C course. Although we had run strongly on day 2, we still lost places which we were a little gutted about. Even 15 mins quicker we would have gained 5 places, so these subtle route choices really are important.

Overall, despite day 1 being a “bit of a chore” for Andrea, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Although Andrea said on the way home she would NEVER do a MM again, over breakfast yesterday she did concede that she was tempted to do the D course with a female of similar speed, leaving me to find an equal male partner so I can immerse myself in my competitive nature. So – the search is on for partners for next year.

Now to recover for Slioch on Saturday.

Rob and Andrea

This Scottish Long Classic hill run starts at Flodigarry in the north of Skye
and follows the Trotternish Ridge all the way to The Storr and finishes at the
Storr Lochs Dam. This year it was a mere 17 miles in length as opposed to the
18 mile route of last year – the difference being the final descent off the
Storr.

For all you budding geographers and geologists, the ridge itself is a classic
escarpment with steep cliffs on the east side and gently sloping ground
towards the west. The rocks start off as Upper Jurassic shales changing to
basalt lavas for most of the rest of the ridge. It is basically a very long
landslip caused by the heavy basalt bearing down on the weaker Jurassic
sediments. The Old Man of Storr is a basalt pinnacle resting precariously on
some slippy Middle Jurassic Limestone. It is apparently sliding slowly towards
the sea. Hopefully there won’t be any Japenese tourists underneath it when it
goes!

As last year, I drove up to Tore on the Black Isle the night before to get free
B&B at my parents house. To be in time for registration at 9:15 I had to get
up at the unsocial hour of 6:20am. However, at that time in the morning, the
drive from Tore via Achnasheen to Kyle, the Skye Bridge and then up to Portree
was mostly traffic free, and only took 2 hours.

Registration at Portree High School was buzzing – with a record 150 runners
(there were only 36 last year due in part by the Scottish Natural Heritage
restictions). This year, the organisers must have re-negotiated the limit as
the race was a SHR Championship event.

The kit requirements are quite stringent and you have to carry both a survival
bag and extra base layer in addition to the standard stuff. By the time I had
filled my new, larger camel back with 1.3 litres of carbo-drink, my rucsac
weighed a ton.

At 9:45 we were given a briefing with helpful tips for the best route and how
not to fall off the sheer basalt cliffs. And at 10:00 we were on the buses and
lumbering up to Staffin Bay and Flodigarry. The start was decidedly cooler than
in Portree with a keen breeze, and I immediately put on a long-sleeved top, being
absolutely sure that just a skimpy running vest wouldn’t be enough – and no
chafing, hooray.

At 11:00 after a brief enjoy yourself and “ready, steady, go”, we were off! After
my much-too-fast first few miles of last year, I started off really steadily and
concentrated on my own pace and ignored the fact that there seemed to be loads
of runners in front (expected at Championship events). The first mile or so
followed a nice little track up towards the ridge. The sun had come out and I
was beginning to regret the extra layer. I didn’t want to lose fifty places,
so I stuck it out and told myself that it would be cool on the tops.

The climb up to the first checkpoint at Meall na Suiramach (531m) was straight-
forward enough and it was nice to drop the first tag into the orienteering
basket – we were on our way! The descent down to Checkpoint 2 (Quiraing car park)
was just like something from the Breweries or Skyline. As well as marshalls with
water, there was one guarding a massive hole – obviously this huge cavern had
gobbled up some runners in the past.

Now the 5 miles or so to Checkpoint 3 at the Trig Point of Beinn Edra (611m).
Again mostly moor, heather and long tussocky grass with not much of a path. It
seemed to be a bit more runnable this year, but perhaps it was because I was
going slower! The weather was now perfect, the sun had gone in, there was a
cooling breeze and visibility was excellent – we could even see the hills of
the Outer Hebrides.

A mere 3 miles and three more hills to Checkpoint 4 at Beallach na Leacaich and
a welcome water stop. And then ever upwards over another two bumps to Checkpoint
5 at Sgurr a’ Mhadaidh Ruaidh (hard work all this Gaelic spelling) at 593m.
Navigation was still pretty straightforward and with the benefit of past
experience, we seemed to be picking out the more runnable routes.

The next section was obviously going to be the hardest and included the two
highest and steepest hills of Hartaval (668) and The Storr (719). Although
they were tough, they were not nearly as crippling as last year as I had paced
myself better and didn’t have heat stroke! The route off the Storr was also
pretty straightforward – SW down a tussocky slope instead of North down much
rockier terrain. Although we did miss out on the spectacular pillars and canyon
beside the Old Man of Storr. To get off the ridge itself, we were directed down
the steep and rocky Bealach Beag. Near the bottom of this I tried to pass a
couple of ‘slower descenders’ but in doing so I stupidly went over my ankle and
had to hobble down the rest of the slope. Fortunately, I hadn’t done too much
damage and ran along the last half mile or so of tarmac road without a problem.
I say without a problem – the rest of my legs were killing me. On to the dam
and a very welcome finish!

After a brief rain shower during the last mile, the sun had come out and it was
very pleasant slurping soup and tea and chatting with people I recognised but
couldn’t remember who they were. Somebody spotted my Penicuik top and said
that he frequently had competitive bouts with Rob. My time was about 3:40 and
a lot quicker than last year’s time of 4:20. Even with the better running
conditions, shorter distance and better pacing, that was quite surprising.

Although there was the temptation of free food at the Portree Community Centre
at 6:30, I decided to head off promptly as I wanted to get back to Penicuik
that same evening.

Although it is a huge trek up to Skye from Penicuik, it is definitely worth
the trip with a well-organised race (Skye and Lochalsh Running Club) and
stunning highland scenery. Next time I’ll go even slower and take some
pictures! Hopefully my ankle is OK for Slioch next week!

Duncan.

Once again we’ve created a wee video record of this year’s race so you can remember the day, the course, and to see what you looked like when crossing the line! Thanks again and well done if you took part.

Please note, the timer shown on screen is an approximation of official times and should not be regarded as accurate (although it should be within a few seconds). The official results with your time and position etc are available here on our website. Thanks.

If you want a direct link to this video on YouTube instead of the one embedded above, please click here.

Rob’s Perspective

At 21kms and about 1400m of climb, this race does not look on paper to be too daunting. However, the technical nature of the terrain for pretty much the whole race makes this a real challenge. This is the third time I have successfully survived Stuc (let’s not mention the 1st!) and it still proves a tough race.

Conditions were perfect, sunny with a mildly stiff and cool easterly wind on the ridges which helped alleviate some of the warmth of the sheltered sections which was around 17 degrees. As this was a UK and Scottish championship race, there were lots of runners which the organisers admirably catered for without any apparent stress. This is, traditionally, a well-marked race (navigation is not an issue even in bad weather) with lots of marshals all over the course. They also carried in literally 1000 litres of water. I felt guilty saying thanks but no thanks as I was carrying my own 1.5 litres of electrolyte.

With so many runners, the first few kms through the forest was a real traffic jam and I started way too far back in the pack which really annoyed me at first as my usual strategy of sprinting off was not possible. So – I was stuck somewhere in the middle I guess and had little chance to make up places. I kept telling myself that many people tell me to start slow and I will benefit in the end. Well – we would see this time.

Runners started spreading out a little once we left the wood and I managed to set a good consistent pace for the traverse along the fence towards Glen Ample. I made up a few places on the descent into Glen Ample, but kept looking ahead at the big long climb out. That ascent is never fun and in the heat was a sweaty affair – one always hoping that the bum directly in your face is not going to let rip at any time. Finally, at the top of Beinn Each, after a welcome “Hi – you’re a legend” to the ultimate mobile spectator Chris Downie, the ridge section started with 3 kms of rather technical jogging towards the main summit. I have never ran this section without snow and thought in the hot dry conditions it would be easier. However, it was much more technical than I remember and my legs seemed all over the place. Climbing up the sharp jagged rocks up to the Stuc summit, I thought how the hell would I come down this without tripping. All I could do was suck on a gel and hope it would be OK.

On the turn around, the descent was not too bad – I took a slightly different route to the left and managed to get a semblance of speed back into the legs. However, on one of the short steep climbs up, both my inner thighs cramped quite badly and I spent a couple of frustrating minutes trying to regain control of my legs while panicking a little that I still had 9 kms to go. I stuffed myself and sucked on lots of fluid. Luckily, the descent back into Glen Ample is not that steep (mostly downhill diagonal contouring), so my legs gave up being a pain, and got on with the job and I managed to make up a little lost time. The relatively short sharp steep climb out of Ample was problem free which was a huge relief as many a runner gets unstuck at this point with cramp. The last 5-6 kms, was almost a pleasure and I managed a reasonable pace. On entering the wood, I realised that I was well under 3 hours and actually was not doing so badly, so I focused on not tripping on the hidden logs and getting stuck in the few boggy bits (much dryer than last year) and even passed a couple of people.

I crossed the finish line in 3hrs 12 mins which is a 9-minute improvement on last year and a PB. The conditions were almost perfect (a tad warm) so they certainly influenced the results overall, but hey – who’s complaining! It also shows that a slow start for a long race may not impact your final time – maybe a lesson there!!!

Rob

Dunc’s Perspective

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this race as it was both a Scottish Championship and British Championship event. I wasn’t even sure that I would be able to sign on on the day with so many extra runners. The Organiser had sent a scary email to Rob suggesting that the roads would be clogged with tourists and we arrived at Strathyre almost 2 hours before the start. However, the weather was warm and sunny and we were even eyeing up the river as a possible cooling down feature post race.

The start was a bit mad with 360 runners trying to queeze along a narrow path. It was a relief to find that the horrible forest bog of last year had dried out significantly and was mostly runnable. I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Des and went off too fast but soon settled into a steady pace. Most runners were wearing only vests and it was almost too warm until we got to the first ridge and met the cooling easterly breeze.

I have done this race twice before and had the advantage of knowing how much to push and where. At the top of Beinn Each the top of Stuc looked further away than I remembered, but the ridge turned into a most enjoyable technical jog. With so many runners, there was quite a lot of jostling for position which probably meant wasting valuable energy, but who cares, it was fun. The race leaders pounded past whilst the summit was still a long way off and then not that much later, there was Des – no point in trying to catch him now!

The view from the top was superb but very fleeting and then the technical descent back towards Beinn Each. Twinges of cramp started to afflict my thighs on the traverse back down to Glen Ample, and I sooked down a great quantity of carbo drink from my camelback (with added electrolye solution). To my surprise, the horrendous climb back out of the Glen was less gruesome than normal and I didn’t lose any places. Into the forest at last and I almost enjoyed the last few miles. Nobody was passing me and it didn’t seem necessary to go into the usual ‘chase Stuart’ mode, and my legs were still almost functioning (and without cramp) at the finish! Not a PB but still under 3 hours, so I was quite happy.

I must have actually pushed quite hard as I was still feeling a bit queasy an hour after the race and could only manage some soup and a cup of tea. Rob on the other hand must have a cast-iron stomach as he wolfed down a massive hamburger at the Cafe (which was still open at six o’clock). And I won’t mention Des who was spotted relaxing with a pint in the sunshine outside the pub as the rest of us limped past on the way back to the car. I was still in far better shape than 2012 as Rob didn’t have to make an emergency stop at Dobbies on the way home. A grand day out indeed!

Duncan.

Gill’s Thoughts

This was my first attempt at Stuc, and I was trying very hard to think of it as a fun day out in the hills, with no pressure to aim for any particular finishing time. I’d heard enough about the race to know that it would probably be at my upper limits of hill running – and it didn’t disappoint!

We arrived super early which was great in some ways as we chilled out in the sun, but had me settling into a ‘I’d rather have a coffee and admire the views’ mood, instead of what should have been mild terror. Mike Brooks appeared on his bike to say hello, while out on an epic trip of his own. Eventually 1pm came and we got ready to start. Andrea and I headed nearer the back of the pack with the idea of saving our energy for later in the race.

The first two or three miles was slow as we were moved on to a very narrow trail through the forest, but I decided that this would mean I’d be able to pick up the pace later. I’m not sure that ever really happened, and in some sections I was really aware of moving more slowly than I’d have liked. However, thank god I didn’t push at the start because my legs were completely knackered anyway for the climb out of Glen Ample. I had no idea how steep this climb would be, and although I usually love the uphill climbs, my legs were not behaving as they should have! Still, the scenery here looked so amazing in the sun, so I dug in as best I could. Our lovely Chris Downie was at the top of Beinn Each, which helped so much – thank you Chris! Somewhere along the last push towards the main summit Rob came flying past. I’d completely missed Des and Duncan!

I met my lovely running friend Lesley from the Cosmics shortly before the summit and a few of us had a bit of chat as we navigated the rocky climb. I was just relieved to know I’d reached the halfway point and again the views up there were amazing. I found parts of the descent from there really tricky, although the dry conditions helped. Chris was back again, handing out water with other marshals. The final climb was really tough, and my legs although not cramping had turned slightly to jelly for the last downhill section back through the forest. I enjoyed most of this part – until I managed to go off the little track for a few metres and then had to climb back over some chopped tree branches (I heard later that I wasn’t the only womble to do this). Two runners overtook me at this point, so I did muster some speed and caught them again before the finish. So I did finish – phew!

This race is so well organised and there were marshals with water and jelly babies all along the route, just fantastic. I hope I can run it again next year (and maybe run more of it than I did this time!). Well done to my fellow Harriers!

Gill

Andrea’s Musings

I only decided to run Stuc a’Chroin as I am a sunshine runner and it was a VERY SUNNY day, and as a survival test for the Lamm mountain marathon in 3 weeks (partly hoping I wouldn’t). Based on my previous long race disasters, I knew fine well that this one was no walk in the park, so I set my modest goal get to the finish line running rather than crawling. The race started extremely well: my strategic line up at the tail-end meant that I was mostly walking the first mile through the narrow forest path. I quite liked that pace, but I did wonder if I would make it back to the finish before sunset.

The next 3 hours were a real joy – the weather was stunning, the views amazing, my legs felt strong and I just felt DAMN GOOOD! Just as I started to tire a wee bit, Chris Downie appeared at the long ridge to keep us going. How does he manage to always appear at the right place at the right time? The ridge was tough, but trying to get out of the way of the speedo’s like Des or Duncan gazelling over the technical rocky path already on their return route somehow passed the time. Before I knew it, I was also on the jolly route down to reach the last big uphill at Glen (quite) Ample. That would have indeed been ample for me.

On my way up that cruel steep slope my mood suddenly changed – I became blissfully aware of my many blisters at the bottom, top and side of my feet and of my energy levels dropping. Feeling already too nauseous to eat, I decided to pop a gel, which kicked in immediately: I felt sick as a dog on that nice bouncy downhill path to the finish line that did not seem to get any closer. These last 45 minutes easy downhill seemed longer than the last 3.5 hours mostly uphill, and it didn’t help that I was overtaken in the last km by a man well in his seventies. Nevertheless, I achieved my goal to run through the finish, albeit a bit green in the face. Thankfully Rob, Duncan and Gill had patiently waited for me, and Des gave me an energizing hug on the limp back to the car.

Andrea

Results:
Des 72, 02:42:04 MV50
Duncan 119, 02:57:53 MV50
Rob 178, 03:12:32 MV40
Gill 270, 03:44:29 FV40
Andrea 322, 04:14:07 FV40

Before I joined the Harriers, I didn’t know what a “BQ” was (a Boston-qualifying marathon time), or anything about Boston marathon at all really. It was only after finishing Loch Ness marathon in 2015 that Vicky mentioned I might have qualified for it. Sure enough I had, and seeing as my brother moved there the same year, it seemed like a great excuse to give it a go and visit family at the same time.

I soon realised just how well-respected this marathon is. It’s 121 years old, folk cheat to get in, and some spend their entire running careers trying to qualify for it. It’s a huge event in Boston, held on Patriots Day each year (a public holiday), along with a Red Sox game and a Boston Bruins hockey match. The bars open at 8am and the whole city has a party. The place was buzzing already when I arrived on the Friday. I was glad of a few days there before the race to get over any jet lag and explore the city, which is stunningly beautiful.

On the morning of the race, my brother drove me to Boston Common to get the shuttle bus to the start at Hopkinton, a pretty little town to the west of Boston. The shuttle buses were proper yellow school buses and I might have gotten a bit too excited about getting the chance to ride in one! I took a seat next to a guy from Brasil who now lives in Boston, and had a nervous chat about the race. The long line of yellow buses racing along the highway was a sight to behold, and after what seemed like ages (but was only an hour) we arrived at the athletes village in Hopkinton. The weather was already hotting up, with temperatures predicted to hit 21ºC. That’s the trouble with spring marathons, you train all winter in the cold, wind and rain, then rock up to the actual race and get thrown off by the heat! I caked myself in factor 50 and chugged down some Tailwind before the start to make sure I staved off dehydration. Armed with another couple of bottles of Tailwind in my running belt, and 6 pieces of Kendal mint cake, off I went to join my corral at the start line.

The race goes off in 4 waves, with your wave assigned depending on your qualifying time. The faster your time, the earlier you set off. I was in the second wave, and at 10:25am we were off. Despite the wave system, it still took me 4 minutes to reach the start mat. The route then infamously drops for two miles, but it was so busy there was not much you could do except go with the flow and wait for the throng to spread out. At about two miles in there was a huge bikers bar, whose patrons had already spilled out, drinks in hand, to cheer us on. The support all along the whole route was like this – one big supporters party with hand-made banners, cheering crowds, music, trays of orange slices, ice-cubes, sweets and bags of encouragement. I’ve never experienced anything like it. There was a row of kids on mini trampolines bouncing up and down and clapping, people spraying garden hoses, plenty of little hands (and big ones too) proffered for a hand-slap, and inexplicably at mile 8, Father Christmas! The famous ‘scream tunnel’ at Wellesley College didn’t disappoint either, with about a half-mile of shrieking girls holding banners begging for kisses, with reasons such as “Kiss me, I use tongue!”, “Kiss me, I’m gay!”, “Kiss me and you’ll run faster!”. A few game souls took a moment to grab a smooch, but I gracefully declined!

My pace was pretty consistent for the first half of the race, hitting the half way point at 1:42 and on-course for a PB. The heat was getting to me a little though, and I was taking water at every mile – a few sips and the rest poured over my head. I spotted a guy running in a kilt at mile 9, a proper woollen kilt which was swinging nicely in front of me. I ran up beside him and asked if he was Scottish, to which he replied in a strong American drawl, “No, but my grandparents were!”. I said I was from Scotland and gave him a fist-bump and massive respect for running in it, and he said he was regretting the decision a little as he hadn’t realised how heavy it was! I dread to think what the state of his legs were at the end, I hope he was wearing shorts underneath.

Just as things were starting to hurt at mile 16-17 and the Newton hills were beginning to kick in, I heard my name being bellowed from the sidelines. My mum and brother were there, and it was amazing to see them. I hadn’t expected to as it was so busy, but it gave me the boost I needed. The infamous ‘Heartbreak Hill’ is at about 20 miles in, but it was the hill just before it that I found hardest. Nobody warns you about that one! I was beginning to get pretty fatigued, and had a headache but no energy to take a paracetamol out of my running belt. Heartbreak Hill came and went, and I was looking forward to the relatively kind descent of the route into Boston from here on in. I tried to focus on the crowds, who were shouting my name (which I’d printed on my vest) and really encouraging everyone that passed them. Despite the heat, I was still getting the chills from the vibes of the crowd. I concentrated on the creative handmade signs – “Remember you paid to do this!”, “Toenails are for pussies!”, “Chafing is sexy!”, “Good job random stranger!” and at least 10 signs saying “You’re running better than our government runs this country!”. Just awesome. My face was hurting from smiling.

At mile 21 my quads started to spasm really badly. I had to stop a couple of times to press my palms into them and try to stretch them out. This is the Boston College area though, and these guys don’t let you give up! They roared my name and encouraged me to keep going, and as soon as I set off again they gave me a massive cheer. At this point I stopped looking at my Garmin, forgot about my PB and decided to just finish the race, even if I had to crawl. This was the Boston marathon, just being here was a privilege! Man up an get it done, Dawson!

At mile 24 I had settled into a graceless limping running style, but at least my quads had stopped rippling. I passed my sister-in-law, niece and nephew who were holding up a beautiful home-made sign with my name in gold letters. What a boost! The CITGO sign which looms above mile 25 was soon in my sights. There were quite a few runners lying at the side of the course being attended by medics here. How sad, to make it that far and not get across the finish. One more little hill that felt like a mountain, a sharp right turn onto Hereford Street then a left turn onto Boylston Street and there it was, the finish line. What a sight, and the noise! You feel like an Olympian as you stagger towards that line. Amazingly, despite the crowd being about ten people deep, I saw my brother and mum again and they cheered me over the last few feet. They’d just made it to the finish by train a few minutes before, what a pair of troopers! My Garmin had died about 2 miles ago, so after I’d collected my medal and guzzled a bottle of water I checked my phone. 3:36:06! 10 minutes shy of my PB, but despite the tough course, the heat and the stops to deal with my quads, I was very happy with that. And it’s another “BQ”.

The Boston marathon was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The main reason was the crowd and volunteer support. Bostonians really love their marathon! You are made to feel like a hero from start to finish. I’d do it again just for that, I really did not stop smiling the whole way. My sister-in-law is already searching cheap flights for next year!

Official time 3:36:06
Overall pos. 8654
Gender pos. 2205
Division (age category) 279