“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gable

Setting:
Kinloch Rannoch where the race registration, start and finish can be found is a lovely little village set in stunning scenery. It was still dark when we arrived but in the light of day the autumn colours were majestic.

Logistics:
The race started at 9.30, registration was from 8-9 for the marathoners, so Yan and I left Penicuik at 5.30 to give us 2hrs30 for the journey plus a bit spare.

Terrain:
‘The loch stretches 10 miles (16 km) from Kinloch Rannoch to Bridge of Gaur in the west and has a recorded depth of 440 ft. The course consists of a run around the relatively flat perimeter of the loch, as well as some more undulating landscape.’

On reading this I had thought, fab a nice flat marathon. Well by ‘relatively flat’ I guess they mean compared to the surrounding countryside and not compared to ‘Edinburgh marathon’. My garmin recorded a gain of 852 ft, which doesn’t suprise me as I felt like there were quite alot of ups and downs as we made our way around the loch.

Weather:
It was a bit cold and windy but fine once we started running, thankfully the rain didn’t come on until we were leaving.

Race:
Well organised with lots of water stations and pockets of support along the way. We were able to park very near the start/finish at Weller Poley Park and so shelter from the elements. We picked up our numbers from the Village Hall and had a bit of time to have a look at the loch and contemplate (it looked a long way to the other end!)

Running:
As you can see from my mapmyrun data I had a good start and was running around 8 minute miles in the first half, but this steadily worsened as the race went on. I think I may have still been tired from Glencoe marathon and I was still feeling a bit of bruising on my knee from the fall I had there. I also had clothing issues, I was wearing shorts with a thick seam around them and after the first couple of miles they had started chaffing my inner thighs. This became more annoying as the race went on and it didn’t matter how I tried to adjust them I couldn’t get comfy. At the halfway point we did a little out and back past the tip of the loch and the half marathoners joined us, then I started to count down the miles to the finish. There was a sign for ‘blind summits’ and I thought yep, this definitely ain’t flat.
Yan also found this a toughie, I quote: ‘Pulled out reserves I forgot I had on Rannoch Marathon. That was the gutsiest race I’ve had since my 20s. Well delighted. Glencoe swallowed me up and spat me out 2 weeks back, still feeling the effects from that race..and there was hills and blooming lots of them.’

Results:
Well done to Yan coming second in his category.

Position C.Pos G.Pos Gun time
44 Yan HORSBURGH 2 39 03:25:21
74 Rachel DRUMMOND 5 16 03:41:59 (Running for PSUK/P.Scotland)
121 Sadie KEMP 8 27 04:00:25

Full results: http://runscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Rannoch-Marathon-Provisional-Results-2016.pdf

Concluding remark:
This was a great day out, mainly due to having a wee road trip with my running buddy Yan.

Hating to go to races on my own, and of course infinitely preferring some friendly competition, I want to highlight the available Scottish hill racing competitions – specifically focusing on the Long Classic Series in the hope that I can inspire as many people as possible do more hill races next year.

As the club has road, trail and hill Grand Prix’s, there are a variety of [Scottish] Hill racing championships each year that people might not be aware of – here’s a quick summary of this year’s championships and races.

SHR Championship:

2016: Clachnaben, Jura, Eildon 3 Hills, Creag Dhubh, Merrick and the Pentland Skyline

Based on 4 best results – 1 race needed from short, medium and long + 1 other

http://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-001

SHR Under 23s: Something for Micheal and Julie for 2017???

2016: Dumyat, Clachnaben, Eildon 3 Hills, Creag Dhubh and Merrick

Based on 3 best results

http://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-002

Bog and Burn series:

2016: Kaim, Beinn Dubh (Luss), Whangie Whizz, Dumyat, Kilpatricks, Cort-ma Law, Red Moss Kips, Ben Sheann, Law Breaker, Maddy Moss, Cairn Table and Caerketton

Based on 6 best results

http://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-003

British Championship

2016: Donard-Commedagh, Merrick, Sedbergh Sports and Pedol Cwm Pennant

Based on 3 best results

http://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-005

and then there is of course the Scottish Long Classic series.

Ever since trying the Pentland Skyline for the first time in 2006 and failing (miserably – I was distraught) due to cramp, I have treated these long races with great respect and apprehension but nevertheless keep coming back for more.

There are now 10 races that make up this series and an individual’s final results are based on their 5 best races:

Stuc a’Chroin (22kms, 1500m)                                April

Slioch (20kms, 1180m)                                          May (2016: route change due to floods)

Isle of Jura (28kms, 2370m)                                  May

Trotternish Ridge (26kms, 2000m)                         June

Arrochar Alps (25kms, 2400m)                               July

Ben Rinnes (22.4kms, 1520m)                               July

Glenshee 9 (33kms, 1800m)                                   August (2016: shortened due to weather)

Ochil 2000s (33.5kms, 1400m)                               August (2016: new longer route)

Two Breweries (30kms, 1500m)                              September

Pentland Skyline (26.6kms, 1890m)                       October

I cannot remember if it was after Stuc a’Chroin or on the way up to Torridon for Slioch, when Duncan and I decided that this year we were going to try and get our 5 races in the bag. I have tried before but mainly due to injury always missed out by one. Increasing the number of races needed from 4 to 5 two years ago also made it harder.

There are many blog posts about most of these races which you can find on the Harriers blog so I will not go into any specific detail. From my personal experience, from easy to hard, I would order the races thus:

Ben Rinnes: although sounds long, this is a very runnable race. A good start to the Long Series and the Dufftown Highland Games is perfect to keep the family busy while you’re out on the hills.

Slioch: The shortest race but very technical (and wet this year) which slows you down significantly.

Stuc a’Chroin: Another technical race which results in slower than expected times.

Pentland Skyline: Mostly good tracks, so not that hard compared to others despite its length/height.

Two Breweries: Lots of variety, but longer than Skyline. Trahenna is an awful sting in the tail.

Ochil 2000s: Very runnable but the length does make this a tough long race.

I have never run: Isle of Jura, Trotternish Ridge, Arrochar Alps or Glenshee 9. All sound rather tough to me (> 4.5 hrs) although I do have a hankering to go to Skye for the Trotternish Ridge next year.

Glenshee 9 alternates with the Two Inns (24kms, 1770m) which is another technical race which takes longer than one would think.

So we made it………Duncan ran 6 races while I managed to finally get my 5.

Duncan: Stuc a’ Chroin, Slioch, Trotternish, Glenshee 9, Ochil 2000s and the Skyline.

Moi: Stuc a’ Chroin, Slioch, Ochil 2000s, Two Breweries and the Skyline

Of the 764 runners who ran at least 1 Long Series race, ONLY 23 runners did 5 or more.

Points are calculated by: (winner’s time / runner’s time) x 1000. Higher is therefore better.

Duncan came 11^th (751 pts average) in the series while I came in at 15^th (708 pts average).

Gillian ran 3 races: 632 pts average (which would have been around 19^th/20^th place). Next year Gill 🙂 .

Full results here: http://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Championship.aspx?ChampionshipID=C-006

Stuart, Mike, Jan, Tim, Billy, Andrea, Tracey, Mark and Gilly all ran 1 race.

A Rachael Campbell (of the Penicuik Harriers) is also down as having ran the Trotternish Ridge coming in just behind Duncan???? Rachel…….a hill running dark horse????

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceResults.aspx?RaceID=RA-0303&RaceYear=2016

I love these long races. With a personal running limit of about 4 hrs (physical or mental??), I’ll never run an Ultra, but these longer hill races really do put you through your paces. They are a challenge no doubt, but there is generally a much greater sense of camaraderie compared to the quicker/shorter stressful events where everything is often rather rushed. I have made good friends on these races (a shared hardship??) and have quite a few nemeses which I try to keep ahead of. All of these races take you through spectacular parts of Scotland which one normally would rarely walk through – thinking of them as a journey (or even a quest?) rather than a race often helps with the mental battles when energy levels are low. The best post-race feed is definitely the Two Breweries (with free beer and loads of food) although Slioch is not that bad either. I hope more Harriers can be persuaded to run more of these next year. I’ll be bugging you.

Roll on 2017 – Stuc a’Chroin beckons.

Rob

Well folks: it’s done, 14 hills, and just like BBC, they decided to repeat a couple of them twice in the same day just to annoy the crap out of me. The training for this was difficult to take in as I didn’t do any, as per normal the signing up for a race with the Penicuik Harriers is normally based on the (just do it Tracy, you will be fine) philosophy, Thanks for that Rob Wilson. The bonus for this race is it’s on the home turf, a place I get the chance to train on every week, it was a relief to know that I had been up at least up half of them once
It was a really early start, Michael planning ahead was unsure if we would need to leave the night before to miss the traffic, but decided in the end to have a bit of a long lie before picking up Gilly and heading along the 4 miles of Edinburgh City Bypass to Hill End.

So, the race, 16 miles (17 on Garmin), 6200 feet total climb, that’s over a mile or 1.89km started 45 minutes later than the 11am start due to parking problems but at least that gave me time to think and reflect on the task ahead. Crappng myself even more.

Many Harriers would be lead in to a false sense of security by thinking this was a Thursday night Summer Hill Rep session, but no, they make you go on and on and on,

This is by far the hardest run I have ever done, the only thing that kept me going was the amazing support I had from my fellow Harriers. I could hear at every corner I seemed to turn or every hill top I reached, I thank you all. Sandra Vick, Alastair Hind, Scott Cairns and the kids at Castle Law Hill Fort, Hubby Mike on the top of Castlelaw, Yan at Turnhouse, Stuart Sanderson, Andrew Mcdermont, Jan Dawson, Kirsty Louden on the way round, Chris Downie, Mike Brooks, Amy Kerr and Bert Logan, sorry if I missed anyone but I as getting a bit tired.

The weather was kind, low winds, good visibility, the sun was shining, I can only imagine how much harder this would be had the weather changed for the worse.

So, Caerketton, Allermuir, Turdhouse, Carnethy, Scald Blaw, South Black Hill, East and West Git, Hoor Hill, Black Hill, Hells Bells, Sods Law, Then if we ain’t done enough they make you do Allermuir and Caerketton again.

A great, well supported race, never doing it again, ever ever ever. Until the next time.

Results

63rd Duncan Ball 3:11:19
82nd Rob Wilson 3:18:28 PB
167th Gillian Cairns 3:50:36
174th Billy Colvin 3:53:05
266th Tracy Philp 4:33;36
286th Mark Dawson 4:52;12
288th Gilly Marshall 4:54:58

15.2KM 670 climb (m)

I decided to give this race a try this year instead of doing the skyline due to having marathons so close I thought my knees would not cope with it. I am so glad I gave it a try, we were absolutely spoiled by the weather. It was glorious. I enjoyed watching the sheepdog trials that were going on before and after the race too.

The running is mostly a gradual climb that becomes a bit steeper towards the final push. There are some nice runnable sections although the heather makes it a little hard going. The route for the most part was marked by white flags and there were several marshals on the way to keep us right. It is an out and back route, with the return journey being almost completely downhill, allowing you to really push on the way back.

I was very pleased to win a prize (first VF40 and second lady) even though I know it was just because not many women were running. For some reason it was a very male dominated race. Next year they are celebrating their 25th race so it would be great if lots of harriers could go along to join in. All the runners received a free beer at the finish, what more incentive do you need?

There were also junior races and a fun run for the little ones, so something for everyone. 🙂

Results:
position time cat position
27 01:33:06 Michael Greens 17
38 01:39:39 Alasdair Hind 12
39 01:39:40 Gregor Gorjahc 19
47 01:53:29 Sadie Kemp 1

‘The off-road marathon is an epic trail run that ascends a total of 1,608 metres through the heart of Glencoe and into the foothills of Ben Nevis.’

I camped with my family at Glen Nevis campsite which was near race registration and the race finish. I didn’t sleep very well as I had a head cold and felt very shivery. Due to the clear sky the temperature plummeted overnight so when I got up at 6.00 on sunday morning the tent was frosty.
Billy kindly got up and put the stove on and made me a hot cuppa. I glugged this down along with a banana and 2 wheat free blueberry muffins. Then headed off to the Glen Nevis visitor center where a coach was waiting to take us to the start.

When we arrived at the red squirrel campsite, the race start, where Yan and Mark had opted to stay, it was still very cold and I was wearing all the clothing we had been advised to carry: 2 long sleeved tops, my waterproofs, hat and gloves and I needed them. There was free tea and coffee and snacks available which all the runners took advantage of. I took off my top layers and packed them away, I was feeling quite ill but I had been looking forward to this race for ages and was determined I was going to give it a try at least. I met up with Yan and Mark and the excitement grew.

At 9.00 we were off. Right at the start there is a hill as you are coming out of the campsite and up to the A82. There were marshalls there to help us across the road then we followed the track up through Glencoe. This was a great part of the race and I was enjoying the undulating terrain and magnificent scenery. As we came to the top of the Glen we were again helped across the road and started heading uphill. I was thinking, this is strange I can’t see the other runners up ahead but a small group of us headed up anyway, I felt my calves start to burn. At this point we heard shouts of ‘you are going the wrong way’ from the marshall below. We had missed the track we were meant to be following, so to my relief we headed back down and continued to contour along following the road. There were a few grumbles from the runners that it should have been better marked, to be fair most of the route was marked with orange arrows and there were plently of marshalls to keep us right.

Back on level ground I was making my way along quite happily, trying to picture the’ Devil’s staircase’ that lay ahead when suddenly I tripped over a rock and landed on the ground. I bounced up as quickly as I could and several runners asked me if I was OK. I was really annoyed with myself for falling this early. My knees were bleeding quite a bit but luckily I was just metres away from the first feed station. I limped along and 2 very kind marshalls patched me up and reassured me it was only 4 miles to the next station if I wanted to carry on and see how it went. At this point I was feeling really low and was tempted to phone Billy to come and rescue me.
I decided to try to make it to the next feed station. We started heading over the moors to meet the ‘Devil’s staircase’. It was very boggy and several runners were saying ‘this is rediculous’ ‘much worse than last year’ There had been so much rain on the days leading up to the race that the ground was water logged and we were going in knee deep at points. I was thinking if this is what its going to be like for the next 20 something miles there is no way I am going to make it. Another runner reassured me that the going would get easier once we were on the staircase. At least the ground was firm by then and we began snaking our way up the hill. I had been looking forward to this as I have never walked this route. The views were incredible, and as we reached the top I began to feel a bit more positive. I could see Mark up ahead and I tried to keep him in my sights.

Reaching the top provided more delights we were so lucky to be racing on such a clear day.

I enjoyed the long downhill into Kinlochleven. By this point the air had warmed up considerably and I stoppped to take off my long sleeve and ate a packet of crisps.

After a breather here we started on the uphill climb out of Kinlochleven. Following this we had done most of the climbing and the route was more gentle. The track laying out in front of us did seem very long at times and I was glad there were so many feed stations with energy gels, lucozade and all kinds of goodies.

I was having issues with my gps watch it hadn’t started properly at the beginning and then went off at some point around halfway so I was guessing how far we had come. I caught up with Mark a couple of times and he advised me on how far we had come and reassured me that we had run further than my watch was suggesting.

Once I started to glimpse Ben Nevis in the distance I began to feel much better. I caught up with Mark again at the last feed station, 6 miles from the end and they even had iced drinks here which was perfect as it had got very warm by now. The last 2 miles were all downhill on forest track, Mark said ‘Im going to try to finish in under 5h30’ and off he flew down the hill. I was relieved to hear the sound of the PA at the finish coming through the trees, I was so glad I hadn’t thrown in the towel at mile 4.

It turned out Yan had a fall as well, and had also taken some time to help a fellow runner who had got into difficulties. I think we all found it a tough race, it lived up to it’s name as being one of the toughest marathons in the UK. It was worth it though. The scenery was amazing and the support crews along the way fantastic, I highly recommend it.

Results:
position Time Cat position Gender position
124 Yan Horsburgh 04:51:37 11 111
261 Mark Dawson 05:29:57 79 223
265 Sadie Kemp 05:31:16 20 39

We arrived nice and early as was suggested in the race instructions, so once we had collected our numbers, Yan, me and Michael went to a nice little coffee shop and enjoyed a drink. Michael was suffering from a head cold so was dosing up on orange juice, Yan and me opted for a hot drink, and Yan took it even further and had a bacon roll. I think he lived to regret this as he saw it again later during the race.
Once we left the warmth of the coffee shop we went back to the car and got rid of excess baggage. Michael continued to pre-hydrate with some lucozade.

Then we went to meet up with the rest of the gang for some prerace chatter. There was a cool breeze but in the sunshine it felt hot, and once I was running it felt very hot. I was glad of some water en route. I was so thirsty, was it the running or the after effects of the harriers social at the crown the night before? Answers on a postcard.

The 10K starts on the High steet and heads west, then follows a scenic route around the town, along by Linlithgow Loch and then finally ends in the Linlithgow Palace Peel. It is quite a hilly 10K, its well organised and chip timed. You can get your time printed straight after the race which is always good.

You also get a t-shirt (loving the green this year) and there were massages on offer for those that could bear it.

Results:
https://www.stuweb.co.uk/live/race.shtml#2442-4909
Derek NEWPORT 00:39:04
Yan HORSBURGH 00:39:52
Rachel Drummond 00:42:47
Michael GREENS 00:44:41
Charles Crawford 00:46:30 (recently joined, our 100th member at the club)
Sadie KEMP 00:47:48
Pamela NEWPORT 00:50:46
Julie YOUNG 00:57:09

I signed up to this race in haste on a cold February night when, as a new mum firmly mired in all that that job entails, I was looking for a challenge that would give my running the focus and kick-start it so badly needed.

Having watched the inaugural Glencoe Skyline last year with Gilly and Sandra, I was excited to see the introduction of two other races to the series: the Ring of Steall (25km, 2500m vert) and the Mamores Vertical Kilometre.  Quite sure that the Skyline and Ring of Steall were both well beyond my capabilities this year, I decided that the VK sounded very doable.  I’ve done this before: signed up to brutally short hill races, seduced by the distance and forgetting to take gradient into account.  As the days went by and I thought more and more on it, I realised I had signed myself up to something that would make Greenmantle and Berwick Law seem like pleasant rambles…

For those not familiar with the VK concept, the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) defines a VK as a race up a mountain with a vertical gain of at least 1000m, not exceeding 5km in distance.  The format is popular in the summer European skyracing calendar, but this event would be the first official ISF VK in Britain.

Fast forward through a summer of NOTHING BUT HILLS, and Friday saw me and my wee family arrive at Kinlochleven, me staring slack-jawed at the giant of a hill standing before me.  Na Gruagaichean stands just shy of 1100m above sea level, and my job that afternoon was to get from Kinlochleven to its summit as quickly as possible, via what appeared to be the steepest route ever.  I had hoped that many many reps of the Turnhouse path over the preceeding months might have prepared my legs for the onslaught that awaited them, but seeing the beast in the flesh brought me to the crashing realisation that I had massively underestimated the challenge ahead of me.  Gulp.

After registering (kit check complete, dibber attached, and £45 spent on an event hoodie!), it was time to ‘relax’ and wait for my start slot.  The race was a staggered start, the first time I’ve started like that.  Knowing I would be at the slower end of the field, I requested an earlier start time, and at 15:06 I dibbed my dibber and waved farewell to the people who had gathered to watch.  I had seen the first few runners go off before me, and was so relieved they’d gone off at a sensible pace (watching youtube clips of VKs had convinced me that everyone would be sprinting out the gates).

The first few hundred metres took me down the main road and then right towards the WHW and the waterfall.  From there, the climbing started, not steep at all, but horribly stony underfoot meaning that trying to gain any purchase was nigh on impossible.  I hate running on this stuff, I can never find a rhythm, so decided not to waste my energy so near the start, and began to power hike.  I was overtaken by a good number of people but I knew that if I tried to match them, I’d be wrecked before I even got to the proper climbing.

After the first 1500m or so, we emerged from the trees, up a better track, across a forestry road, where marshalls were holding open a deer gate to take us onto the hillside itself.  From here, I could see a line of people going up, up, up.  Straight up.  The sight was really quite breathtaking, and any remaining notion of feeling prepared went out the window.  I actually said “oh my God” out loud, and a marshall replied “yep, it’s incredible isnt it?”.

Nothing to do but crack on.  No path at all was visible, the course marked with a series of orange flags.  The gradient immediatly ruled out any attempt at running.  This would be hands-to-thighs all the way.  The terrain was mossy, boggy, heathery, tussocky, grassy.  In short, it was about as far removed from the familair Turnhouse path as you could get.What I found most exhausting was constantly having to look up to try to find the best line, and to make sure I wasn’t veering off course.  In my training, I simply put my head down and got on with it, but that just wasn’t possible here.  There were also areas where it was necessary to use hands to help pull up.

After what seemed like ages, we emerged onto the top of a shoulder, to be immediately confronted with another, rockier, shoulder up to the sumit ridge.  By now I was getting a bit light headed and my legs were demanding respite.  I shoved some dried cherries and apricots in my mouth and started to shake my legs out, willing them to find the energy.  Drizzly clouds were stating to form, and the marshalls encouraged me not to stop: “You can shake it out but you can’t stop!”.  Let me say here and now, the marshalls were fantastic, but at that point I wanted to shove both these guys back down the near-sheer slope I’d just hauled myself up.

Onwards.  This was my lowest point.  I finally understood the meaning of ‘unrelenting’, but there was nothing else to do but keep going up (on my way down, I saw a woman pulling out at this exact point, and I know how she felt).  It became rockier here, which made it hard to find a rhythm to sink into.  The pull up to the ridge was short, and once onto the ridge itself I could hear bagpipes floating down from the summit.  I began to allow myself to think of the finish, and there were some finishers beginning to come back down, yelling encouragement all the way.  It was thick cloud by now, with a wind and heavy drizzle.  I was still warm enough for this to be refreshing, but stopping was not an option as it could have got a bit hairy quite quickly.

Reaching the bouldery summit itself was a little anticlimatic: no line to cross, no arch to run under: just a miserable looking marshall holding out the dibber for me to dib, and that was it!  Even the bagpiper had given up by this time.  Quickly donning my jacket (er, Susan’s jacket, thanks Susan!), a hasty summit selfie with a friend, and it was time to go.  We had planned to wait on the summit for friends and to cheer later runners up, but the conditions forced us down after just a few minutes.  No place to hang about in a skort, the stormy summit of a Munro!

Going down was about as painful as going up, with much bumsliding and crab walking.  I attribute my swollen knees to the descent and the constant braking I needed to do, rather than the ascent.  However, we were able to enjoy the stunning view down Loch Leven, with moody lighting and the Pap of Glencoe in the distance.

Getting back down at about 6.30pm (with the last runners having just set off up the hill at 6pm!), I was delighted to see that my time was 1:38.  The organisers had estimated an average ascent of 90mins, so I was hoping for anything under 2hrs.  I think the field may have been faster than the organisers anticipated as I was firmly at the back of the pack with my 98mins (143rd/160).  Winning time was 42mins. I can’t even…

The rest of the weekend was spent feeling smug and sore, and enjoying the atmosphere as we watched and cheered on friends doing the other two races on Saturday and Sunday.

This race was a big deal for me, as it was the first one I’ve done since having a baby last year.  I had intended to race much sooner but never felt quite ready.  I would just like to say thank you to Bill for lots of excellent advice and training tips, and to Susan McF who has been a wonderful running buddy this summer, and full of encouragement.

The Merrick, at 873 masl, is the highest mountain in the Southern Uplands and after our last attempt at this race in 2013 where poor weather (understatement!) shortened the race (see link below), it was high time to get this classic race under our belts.

http://penicuikharriers.org.uk/2013/09/16/the-merrick-hill-race-well-almost/

The Merrick is also infamous for having the longest line of site in the UK where theoretically, on a clear day, one can see the summit of Snowden 144 miles away. Mike was rather sceptical about this!!

http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html#longlinesbrit

Weather-wise, luckily, this year Jan (The Rain Goddess) was not with us and the forecast was excellent (but see next week’s post on the Breweries!!) and two car loads of Harriers embraced the 2 hr 45 min journey down to Loch Trool. In attendance, Moi, Gregor G, Mark D, Chris D, Sadie K, Michael G, and it was great to see Mike B back after 5 months of injury.

The Merrick – 2016 Race Route

This year, the Merrick hill race was part of the British Championships so instead of the normal 30/40 runners, there was now just shy of 200 participants. Because of this, the organisers changed the route which normally goes out and back along the main tourist track. For this year (and hopefully for the future) they created a round trip, the first half being mostly the usual track and the return trip being rather rugged, gnarly and technical. According to my Garmin the new route is 13.6 kms with about 960m of elevational gain. Officially – 12.4kms (750km) – but I think that is the old route.

don’t you just love running in the hills on your own?

At 1pm, the race started and after about a 200m sprint along the single track road the first ascent started up a steep gnarly path up through deep browning bracken. It was very difficult to pass anyone – walking only – and it was classic bums in faces all the way up. My current “nemesis” – I always need someone to battle against – is “wee man” Walter Henderson (Shettleston Harriers) who squirmed past me on the way up. I was way too polite on this ascent – damn that English blood. I’d get him later…..I hoped!

Luckily, this first steep ascent was relatively short and the path soon levelled off and with relief, we started running towards Bennan. Unfortunately, here was the first of the route changes. The old route continued upwards to Bennan while the new route took a right with 1 km of forest road to sprint along. The worst part of the race in my mind. However, it was quick at least and once we crossed Whiteland Burn, we took a left and the ascent began in earnest. Once above the tree-line the gradient reduced to that annoying runnable incline where one feels guilty if you walk. I was battling a couple of women at this point and was determined to keep up with them. Compared to 2013, the ascent up to Benyellary (the 2013 poor weather turnaround) was a real joy and having passed the ladies, I descended off the summit with the Merrick beckoning in the distance. The visibility was excellent and I could see Walter about half a kilometre ahead – surely I could make that distance up.

The weather seemed to get sunnier as the race progressed and it was much warmer than I had expected. I ensured I had a good slug of water on the final ascent up to the Merrick summit as I knew there would be little chance for a drink stop on the return route. Despite excellent views from the top I forgot to look for Snowden as I was running with a group of 4 guys and competitively we plunged off the summit at a rather reckless pace. This was my favourite section of the race and we flew down the initial gentle non-technical descent. After about 1.5 kms, however, the route became much steeper and craggier which surprised the pants out of all of us, and 5 guys suddenly realised they were going way too fast for the terrain that we were plunging down. There were clear grunts and shouts as we all tried to rein in the speed a little to ensure control as the terrain got more and more technical. Luckily no one sprained an ankle and we kept a good pace down into the valley. At this point I noticed that Walter was only about 100m in front – game on!!!

The nature of the race changed substantially at this point. A short sharp ascent took us up to a gnarly open ridge heading SW up to Buchan Hill. There was not much path and there were deep holes, tussocks and lots of rocks to trip the unwary. I think all of us were suffering a little from the fast descent off the Merrick and it definitely took me a while to gain a semblance of rhythm and strength back into my legs. However, I lost no places and slowly gained on Walter and passed him (:-)) just before Buchan Hill. Now I just had to keep ahead of him for the final descent.

Running off Buchan Hill was far from easy. It was very technical, made more difficult as I was battling a whole bunch of runners. I guess for most of us it was sheer luck that we did not twist an ankle but I happily passed a few runners (one running with one shoe as his sole fell off the other) and bar nearly going a cropper on the hidden tripwire of a broken fence managed to get down to the valley bottom at a reasonable pace and no injuries. The final leg of the race is a ~300m run up a steep track which was awful. I had to walk some of it as my legs were juiced out. Frustratingly the guy with 1 shoe passed me just before the finish. I later asked him how he did it and he said his foot was so sore it was better to run quicker as he wanted to get it over and done with. Respect!

As of writing this, the results are not up yet, but I am very happy how the race went. I generally gained places throughout the race which is always a good sign. I’ll let the others make their own comments/observations on the race but overall I think we all thought it was a rather epic day. The weather was fabulous (a tad too warm maybe) and the new route tremendous – surely a new classic route on the hill racing circuit. I hope the organisers keep the new route. It is a long way to go for a race, but as one can enter on the day and it only costs £4, it is well worth the drive down if the weather is good.

Rob

RESULTS

196 runners – winning time 01:16:03

73rd: Rob W: 01:47:36

121st: Mike B: 02:02:11

152nd: Michael G: 02:12:29

159th: Gregor G: 02:17:06

163rd: Sadie K: 02:20:50

164th: Chris D: 02:21:35

183rd: Mark D: 02:42:13

Ever since I first heard about this race I have been inspired by it and was keen to take part. The idea of running around the entire perimeter of an island in one run over beaches and countryside just sparked something inside me. That and the fact we would have to make a weekend at least of it as you need to get the Saturday ferry to race on the Sunday and then can’t get off the island again until the Monday due to the timing of the sailings seemed quite exciting. The ultramarathon only started in 2014 with 40 runners and has steady grown over the past 2 years purely it would seem by word of mouth as those who have run it tell others who become equally inspired.

When I first looked into the race the Saturday ferry left Oban at 7.15am – pretty early, but we were going to stay in a B&B or hostel in Oban and although we would have to get up early, that’s still not too bad I thought – then we got the news that there was a cattle market or something on and so the ferry would now be leaving at 5.15am and you need to be there 45mins prior to sailing! Urgh Quick change of plan – we ditched the driving through the night plan to arrive at 4.30am and went with the drive up in the evening before, get our foot passenger tickets, have something to eat and then bed down in the car for the night. Everyone on the facebook page for the race seemed in agreement that the best place to park if you were going to abandon your car for the weekend was by the Leisure Centre so that is where we duly went. The car park was practically full – and the leisure centre was shut so this is obviously a well used spot to leave the car. There were a few cars with the tell tale condensation on the windows so you knew there were already some people bedding down for the night. We parked up and pulled out the sleeping bags, set the alarms and fell asleep. We woke up at 4am and the car park was already a hive of activity and you just knew they were all here for the Tiree ferry. There were bikes and rucksacks all around and a bit of chat between us, I felt like the race excitement was starting already. We cycled down to the ferry terminal and boy it was busy, we were nearly at the back of the queue of bikes waiting for the ferry. Loads of people were obviously cycling and camping and had big rucksacks, tents and sleeping bags and mats attached. My rucksack was probably larger and heavier than everyone elses and we were staying in a hotel! I really need to hone my packing skills if we do this again.

We were told that bikes normally get on the ferry first but I think they took fright at the number and put the cars and foot passengers on first and we were last ones on – there were not many seats left by the time we made it up and people were spread out over 3/4 seats ready to go back to sleep, we managed to get a couple of seats in the TV lounge and had to suffer Jeremy Kyle at 5.30am in the morning arrrrgggghhhhhhhh! I went out on deck and watched the waves go past it was much more relaxing. You could tell that most (if not all) the people on the ferry were here for the race and there quite a few familiar faces. Our ferry docked about 9.15am and off we all got. I was a rather unsteady cyclist with my giant rucksack cycling up the single track road.

We were staying at the Scarnish Hotel which was only a few minutes cycle from the ferry port, our room was not ready yet (well it was only 9am!) so we left our bags and went out to explore the island a bit. All the roads are single track with lots of passing places and everyone was very accommodating to other road users with lots of smiles and waves as bikes and cars pulled over to let each other passed. We did not get very far when the first wave of rain came over and before long we got very wet very quickly. We stayed out for a bit longer but as we were in jeans and no waterproofs we headed back to the hotel and sat in their upper deck which had a stunning view over the old harbour with some of the other guests waiting for our room to be ready. The whole hotel was booked up by runners so it was a good atmosphere.

Registration and the race briefing was at Crossapol about 3.5 miles from the hotel on Saturday night. Once again we jumped on our bikes and headed over. I registered and got my number, t-shirt and Tiree goody bag which amongst other things included our requisite map and some tasty fudge, postcards and a wrist band. I had not ordered a hoody but as more and more people were walking about the hall wearing theirs I started to wish I had so Alan fed up with my moaning told me to just go and buy one. So I did! Another hoody to add to the collection and as if I did not have enough stuff in my rucksack I now had more clothing to add to it.

Will Wright, who is the founder of Tiree Fitness and the organiser behind the Ultramarathon gave us the briefing, he is a formidable athlete himself who had earlier in the week run the course himself beating the course record in 4.37.39! We were warned to keep our maps with us and that although the course had been marked, the terrain is open, wild and remote and that any of the cows and sheep could have knocked the signs over or trampled them so there might be some missing, but as long as we kept the sea to our left and followed sheep tracks (there aren’t really any paths) we should not go far wrong. Briefing over we headed back to our hotel for food and sleep.

The race started on Sunday morning at 8am and with registration already done, we just had to arrive with enough time to leave bags in the hall and make the short walk down to the beach where the race would begin. Alongside the full Ultramarathon runners, were also runners running the distance as a relay either 2 or 4 person teams. It was overcast but warm as we arrived at the hall and bikes left we headed down to the beach. There was a big grey seal who kept popping up in the sea watching us all, he must have wondered what on earth was going on as he was there for ages bobbing in the waves. We had a big countdown, shouts of Tiree and then we were off. It had been raining overnight and although it was high tide the sand was damp so not too bad to run on. We ran along this first beach which was about a mile long and I was keeping a good pace and towards the front half of the field and holding my place, we came off the beach and onto a road which we followed for a couple of miles, the islanders were out cheering us on and I settled down, I realised I had maybe started a bit too quick and my legs were aching and I was breathing quite heavily. I don’t think there is any perfect shoe for this race as it is beach, rough ground or road – I was wearing my Salomon speedcross, they are quite old now so the lugs are pretty worn down but it’s still hard going on the roads but I could not face wearing my road shoes on the beaches so I figured it was my best option. I was starting to get a few people passing me and I was getting a bit disheartened, then another load passed me and I was cursing myself, the people I had been running beside were disappearing out of sight. I had had such a good run at the Devil where I was the one doing the passing and I thought I had got stronger but I just felt so slow and heavy and I was not mentally in a good place. I had to give myself a serious kick up the arse, here I was in a race I had been wanting to do for ages, on the most beautiful island, I had just run a 43 mile race a few weeks previously and had probably not rested properly in the meantime and I was only about 4 miles into a 35 mile race. I had better get myself in the right frame of mind now or I might as well chuck it in and go home.

Deep breath, get your head straight, get on with it! With a better mindset I pushed on, we were at Hynish which is probably the wildest part of the island, 14 miles out to sea is where the Skerryvore lighthouse is, and I was passing the barracks that were built to facilitate building it which is now a museum, I have read all about it and I was quite excited to be passing it and recognising it from pictures I had seen. The sea around here crashes into the rocky coastline and we headed into Happy Valley, there is no path, just really rough tracks, the ground is boggy and the man in front of me lost his shoe and had to stop and dig around to retrieve it. The rougher ground is my friend and no one is passing me now and I even make up a couple of places, I look around me and I feel revived, sea stretching out as far as the eye can see, no other land to be seen, waves crashing over the rocks and beach below, clambering over rocks and I can see “the wall” up ahead. Tiree may not have much in the way of hills but it is not flat! We climb straight up having to use hands and feet to scramble up. Once up we carry on through the rough ground and before long we hit our next beach, all the beaches have their own individual characters and this one had big waves and great surf, as we ran along the edge of the surf line the people in front of me were dashing out of the way of the lapping waves but I just let it wash round my ankles and I ran splashing through the waves. I arrived at the first checkpoint at about 8/9 miles and one of the girls I had been keeping pace with handed over to her next relay runner and was gone, oh well at least I managed to pace someone who was only doing a quarter of the distance I was. I grabbed a drink of water and a handful of crisps and walked out the checkpoint eating and drinking. I was pleased to be through CP1, I had found the first section hard and despite everything I was still sort of on target for my hoped for time. I started running again, keen to see what else I would see on my journey, we had another beach section and then a lot of dunes, these were tough on already tired legs and I found myself slowing again it was a relief to see a yellow arrow now and again as it was hard to know if you were going in the right direction, the other runners were hidden behind the mounds of grass and sand and only occasionally would you see them appear and the disappear again. We were directed to a point where a marshall was standing and as we got to him he said “your just here to see the view” and then we went back more or less the way we came over some rough open grassland until we hit another long road section where I pushed hard to keep going, it’s hard running on the sand and dunes and you think when you hit the road section it will get easier, but if anything it feels harder! One more beautiful beach following the footprints of those in front and more rough grass and we hit the half way checkpoint. Al was waiting for me here and he did not get a very cheery welcome, I was sore and exhausted, the heat felt quite oppressive and the going was harder than I thought so I was running slower than I wanted. I had heard that a lot of people changed their shoes at this checkpoint but although I had them ready I decided that I would just stick with what I had, my feet were alternating between wet, muddy and dry and I did not see this changing so stuck with my Speedcross. I devoured the contents of my drop bag and grabbed some peanuts, got a wee pep talk from Alan and headed off round a field back towards the coast.

At this point, it is the narrowest part of the Island and although the sea was to my left, if I looked over to my right I could see the sea on the other side of the Island. I passed a sign saying Crossapol 3 miles – but I was taking the long way, i had another 16 miles to go. I don’t know if it was a mental thing at passing the half way mark, or the fact that I was now approaching 20 miles ( I always feel terrible between 15-18 miles regardless of the distance I am running) or maybe it was the chocolate milkshake that did it, but I was feeling better, and this section passed really quickly. As we hit beaches I was reeling people in and passing them again and I felt a bit lighter and my limbs were moving easier, I was picking my own lines along the beaches, some were quite rocky and some were covered in seaweed, the tide was going out so we did not have to run along the high tide line anymore and were running across the body of the beach, footprints disappeared almost as soon as your feet lifted of the sand, the sun was shining and I was smiling. We had a crazy stretch across a really rocky boggy field that had no definitive paths just vague sheep tracks that seemed to lead you into even boggier ground. I was trying to jump from rock to rock but I did not have much spring in my step so I was not exactly free flowing! I lost my feet in the bogs a few times and kind of gave up trying to keep my feet dry and just took the best direct line I could. Cp3 came into sight and I grabbed a coke and proceeded to miss an arrow and go the wrong way – I could see some other runners on the other side of the hillside so I cut cross country across more bog to get back on track. We had a fair bit of more rough ground and was spending a lot of time watching my feet so that when we came out on the next beach I was surprised to see where I was, Gott Bay, the longest beach section but definitely the homeward stretch, I knew that after the bay was the harbour, then our hotel then the final beach and finish! This beach was about 2 miles long and the tide was way out so we were able to cut across the middle, it was a bit like a mirage as the beach, the sea and the sky were all the same colour and it was hard to see where one ended and the other began, I loved this beach and had such a good rhythm going, I could see other runners walk/running but I just kept running splashing through the waters edge, then we came up onto a stretch of road and my legs just died, I tried to run but I had nothing in me so I just walked, I was a bit annoyed that I was walking but I knew this was a long road and thought lets just walk and get a breather and then get going again. I had a few runners pass me here and I chatted with quite a few who walked beside me for a while and then headed off again. I got running but it was not a graceful gait! I was so pleased when I saw the arrows pointing off the road and back onto the beach – our last beach! I ran this last beach, the whole time you could see the finish line, but it was still a bit away, I could here the crowds but I was not there yet, a little track of the beach and back onto the road and the final stretch – the finish line was lined with bunting and finishers and families sat on the grass cheering each and every finisher over the line. I picked up my heels and ran! Medal round my neck – phew, done it!

There was the most amazing spread of food cooked by Will’s wife lasagnes, chillies, soups and loads and loads of cakes. We stayed for some food and then jumped back on the bikes and headed back to the hotel cheering on those still out running as we went.

There was a ceilidh and prize giving in the evening at the hall with spot prizes too including a prize for some 2 islanders who in 2014 ran the 4 person relay, did the 2 person last year and this year ran the whole thing. It must be hard to train for these distances on such a small island! I was glad to get at least one dance in before we called it a night.

The next morning we packed up and caught the ferry to Oban which I think was occupied solely by those who had been racing. It was a sea of Tiree t-shirts and hoodies.

This was a most amazing race on a stunning island which lived up to all my expectations. I loved running the beaches, the open skies, the dunes, the fields and even the bogs. I was not expecting an easy run but it was more challenging than I thought it would be. I might need to come back and give it another shot now I know what to expect but I would need to stay longer!

Results
70 – 7.19.49

147 ultra finishers
No breakdown of male or female or ages in results.

17 relay teams of 2
10 relay teams of 4

If you are inspired to visit Tiree but don’t fancy an ultra, they do a 10k and half marathon in April

Www.tireefitness.co.uk

I travelled up with Billy the night before the race and we camped at Glen Nevis which is one of my absolute favourite places. It was quite breezy and there were intermittent showers that continued through the night, keeping me awake at one point. On the morning of the race, after a fry-up to set me up I went to collect my number. The rain was coming down in sheets and the policemen directing the traffic near registration were looking less than enthused to be there. I was trying to imagine what the conditions were going to be like up there in the hills if the rain kept up. Luckily this didn’t happen and the weather front moved on leaving behind thinner cloud so that at the start of the race the sun was trying to break through. I had opted to wear long sleeves as it can be so much colder up there on the Ben, but I was now questioning my decision. Oh well too late now, no time to go back and get changed.

Described as ‘The most daunting hill race in Scotland, with the roughest toughest descent.’ I felt just as nervous as last year waiting around at the start. Once we had been paraded around the park to the sound of bagpipes and handed in our red running cards there was a loud bang and we were off. This first part of the race was rather hot and I couldn’t wait to gain some height and get into the cooler air. By the time we passed the waterfall at the halfway point I was beginning to flag. Between here and the summit I managed to swallow down 3 gels and had drunk all my 500ml of water with added electrolytes. Thankfully at the top the marshals had water and I was able to get a nice long drink whilst handing in my wristband. Then for the downhill. Just as last year I lost a lot of places on the way back down but told myself to run my own race and not worry what other people were doing. I saw a few people slip and fall and I didnt want to join them. The route avoiding the grassy section suited me quite well although it was running with water from all the rain. Once off the hill and back onto the road I did my best to run the last section, I passed a couple of people here who shouted encouragement and Scott was there taking pictures. I had lifted my top up to get some air around my middle as I was absolutely roasting at this point so I can only apologise to anyone who witnessed that! I did get lots of complements on my socks though. They were compression socks that I bought the morning of the race and I think they really helped to prevent the burning calves I often experience on the uphill, I will be using those again! Later on in the evening Billy and I joined Chris and his entourage for a few drinks back at the campsite which was a lovely way to round off a fanastic day.

Results:

02:09:54 Stuart Sanderson
02:41:09 Gillian Cairns
02:43:58 Kevin Anderson
02:51:13 Chris Downie
03:05:02 Sadie Kemp

This race was run mostly along riverside footpaths of the River Clyde, River Kelvin and Forth Clyde Canal, I had thought that would mean the route would be flat but my garmin tells me there was 605ft of gain. There were around 8 road crossings I think, one being a fly over. I took full advantage of the road crossings in central Glasgow where waiting for buses to pass gave me a much needed breather. The paths were quite busy in the second half of the race with dog walkers, cyclists and a few hundred people on a sponsored walk going in the other direction, luckily our route only clashed for a short time. Many people we passed shouted encouragement and none seemed to mind giving over their serene towpaths to a bunch of sweaty panting runners.
‘Along the way you go past some of Glasgow’s main tourist attractions:
Kelvingrove Museum, Riverside Museum, SEC Hydro, Science Centre, Tall Ship, Glasgow University, People’s Palace, Glasgow Green, Botanic Gardens, a whisky distillery, 4 whisky bonds and best of all… almost a dozen pubs.’
I enjoyed the variety in the race, as much as I love running along beside a canal it can get a bit tedious so to have all these sights along the way really kept the interest going and the miles melted away.

As far as my running went, during the first half of the race I felt great and passed a station where the marshal said ‘well done you are 3rd lady’, I started dreaming of getting my hands on a medal (they were only giving them out to the first 3 men and women finishers). Then a while later at the next station I was 4th lady, (the dream was still alive and I told myself maybe I would make up the distance later in the race). After the halfway point, where more and more runners started to pass me, reality had set in and I decided I didn’t need a medal as I had loads already and I just wanted to finish strong. My garmin was telling me I was slowing and I did my best not to get disheartened. In the final few miles my legs started threatening to cramp and at this point I did not care what my finish place or time was I just wanted to get to the end without collapsing in a heap, I’m generally not bothered by cramp but I think the miles of tarmac didn’t agree with me, I am better suited to trail. I usually bring ‘zero’ tabs with me to put in the water but like a fool I had forgotten to pack them this time and I was cursing myself as I felt my legs starting to twinge. I finally got there without any drama and glugged down a can of coke. Then it was off to Dumbarton Academy for a hot shower after which I felt restored and went back to watch the prize giving.

This was the first time this marathon had taken place and the organisers did a fantastic job. There were loads of water stations with gels, bananas, pretzles, jelly babies and coke (surprised it wasn’t Irn Bru). I didn’t carry any of my own provisions and only took a gel and some water in the first half. In the second half of the race I had a cup of water and a cup of coke at each station and a few gels too. The coke really helped as it is one of those things I often look forward to on a long hot run, but the gassiness is a bit troublesome. There was also hot food at the finish but as I don’t eat wheat the pasta etc wasnt appealing for me, but many runners were enjoying it. Billy and Michael chauffeured me to the start and picked me up at the finish. But as the race is run pretty much from Newton train station to Dumbarton East train station it is possible to leave your car at the start and then take a train back after the race. The race was well marked and marshalled, chip timed and we were kept informed in the run up to the race of a route change that had to be made. there hasn’t been a Glasgow marathon since 1988 when the old race was shortened to a half and there seems to be a great many runners who would like to see its return so I hope this race will be back next year.

Result:
66th out of 161 runners
10th female
6th FV40
Average pace 8:52/M
Scratch time 3:52:06

My mapmyrun data: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/1709277539
Full results: http://www.whatsmytime.co.uk/index.php/race-results/2015-09-16-20-02-55/2016-06-07-09-44-33/clyde-marathon

Duncan and I are trying to run at least 5 of the Long Classic Series (to get a final ranking). The Ochil 2000s was his 5^th but only my 3^rd. Still The Breweries and Skyline to go.

As mentioned in my last post, the race route has been [permanently] changed due to substantial forestry planting up valley from Menstrie. The new route is much more runnable, but with an extra 2kms and an extra descent/ascent of 200m, it makes quite a difference. An increase from 31.5kms (1200m) to 33.5kms (1400m) may not sound much, but when your legs are tired, it is like adding another mountain.

Ochils old and New (red)

The weather was mostly sunny with some clouds and was supposed to be about 18 degrees. I think it was sometimes warmer – hard to tell when you are running and there is hardly a breath of wind. It was definitely a sweaty race to be sure. I will not go into all the chafing and nappy rash!!

The Ochil 2000s race starts very gradually and to be honest, the first half of the race (to Ben Cleuth) is a real pleasure. Not really boggy, paths all the way and really quite fast – well – perhaps I went too fast – but the conditions were perfect. There were 62 runners and we all very quickly spread out – often it felt as if I was running on my own.

After Ben Cleuth, the race becomes more technical. The paths to Ben Buck and Ben Ever are less well defined (still runnable), and then the section over to Blairdenon Hill is through a horrible peat hag which can really destroy the diminishing amounts of energy in the legs. I luckily know this section quite well and managed to catch up a few guys. However, by Blairdenon (the marshal shouted I was 26^th), my legs were starting to feel quite fatigued. I had been running for 2 hrs 30 mins by this point and I think the profuse amounts of sweat poring off me was taking its inevitable hydration toll. I was armed with gels, muesli bars, salted peanuts and electrolyte which when combined, I think, saved me from serious collapse.

From Blairdenon I was now on the new section which Andrea and I had scouted 2 weeks before. The jog (not really running by this point) to Colsnaur Hill was uneventful except I helped a couple of runners who had not looked at the map and were disappearing down the old route and therefore I managed to temporarily make up a couple of places. The descent from Colsnaur is long. Very enjoyable (when fresh), but you can clearly see Dumyat to your right the whole way and you know that what you go down, you must come up. My leg muscles were wanting to cramp the whole way down, but managed to keep a steady, albeit slightly slower than ideal, pace.

As I started walking up the steps from Menstrie, I could not help thinking that Menstrie would have been a great place to have the finish line, but alas, there was still 5 kms to go and Dumyat!!! The initial climb out of Menstrie is quite steep and my legs protested and I had to stop as a wave of cramp rippled through my thighs. After a couple of minutes of attention seeking screams and grunts, my legs realised that no one was around to provide sympathy and they settled down. I then sucked down a gel, crunched on some peanuts and drank electrolyte. Amazingly, my legs seemed to behave after this and I managed to get up Dumyat (passing another runner who had worse cramp than me – I gave him some peanuts) without too much fuss.

The final 4 kms descent was a slow and careful affair. I played a little game trying to identify which legs muscle were trying NOT to cramp up. Bar a brief cramp at the style, I managed to stumble down through the woods and was very happy to reach the track and road at the bottom. I gained an extra place as the guy in front of me got a little lost and went for a run around the Uni. He was one of the guys I had helped earlier, so I guess he owed me 🙂 .

Congrats to Duncan for coming in as 2nd SuperVet – a tough race with the heat and a great training race for the Breweries and Skyline to come.

Full results here:

Duncan: 20^th: 03:53:58

Moi: 25^th: 04:16:35

Rob

The Ochil 2000s is the next Long Series hill race (Aug 27^th). It is longer than the Skyline (31.2kms), but has less height gain with ~1200m.

More details at:

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0203

http://www.ochilhillrunners.org.uk/static.aspx?id=o2000R

If you want to enter, online registration is here:

http://www.ochilhillrunners.org.uk/RaceEntry.aspx?id=1712

However this year, there has been a route change as the final third of the race has been mucked up by substantial woodland planting up valley from Menstrie. For those of us who ran it last year, this plantation was a nightmare and would prove ever more difficult as the trees grew:

http://penicuikharriers.org.uk/2015/08/23/ochil-2000s/

The organisers have seen sense and changed the route. last Sunday, Andrea and I went to have a scout of the new route and here is my brief summary of the new route with implications for the whole race.

So – the 2016 Ochil 2000s route is the same except for the 6-8kms section between Blairdenon Hill and Dumyat. The figure below compares the old route in blue and the new section in red. Because of the drop down into Menstrie, the route is a tad longer and there is now more elevation loss/gain to Dumyat.

Ochils old and New

The next figure details the new route. Run SSW from Blairdenon and keep the fence on your right and continue straight down into the small valley and cross the small stream. Don’t contour to the east as you’ll get snarled up in the bog. Coming up out from the small burn, cross the fence (there is a new one) and keep the fence on your left. There are subtle signs of an old track, but importantly is far less boggy on this side of the fence. Navigation is now easy and you simply follow the fence and wall line until Colsnaur hill where there will be a checkpoint. This is a much less technical section than the old route and, although for me at least I will have been running for about 2.5 hrs, should be quite runnable even with the slight rise.

Ochils New

From Colsnaur, turn right, head west and down (you can see the Lossburn reservoir in the distance) and follow the thin grassy track (with some switchbacks) until you cross a new track road (not on map – I have eyeballed it in) where there us a deer fence gate. Keep running SSW downwards until you hit a track. Follow this track for about 400 meters and when it turns sharply right, keep straight and follow another grassy track down past the Dun. After about 500 meters, this track will itself turn right and will soon join the main track. Bar a few “short cuts” through some of the hairpin bends, you basically follow the track down into Menstrie. On hitting the road, turn right, cross the river and after a few 100 meters or so, you will see some steps up to the right that are the beginning of the track up to Dumyat. We did not bother to scout that as I assume the route will be obvious.

So – implications for distance and height of the new route.

From Blairdenon to Dumyat:

Old: ~6.3 kms, ~470 m loss and 230 m gain

New: ~8.5kms, ~670 m loss and 440 m gain

The new route is much more runnable but is longer and has more climb. My gut feeling is that it should probably not be much different to last year’s mess but hopefully less tiring on the legs. We’ll find out in 2 weeks. It might be possible to take a more direct line off Colsnaur across Menstrie Glen – certainly, the old Dumyat Dash route went somewhere through there – but I would be loath to experiment without a further exploration.

Rob

I had entered the Glenshee 9 Long Classic Series race months ago partly to bag
some munros, but wasn’t sure if I would be on holiday or not. As it panned out,
we got back from North Devon at 7pm on the Saturday night with just enough
time to find my rucsac, compass and gels. I had a quick look at my emails and
found one from the organiser stating that due to the forecasted strong winds,
the course had been changed to a shorter ‘low level’ course. Rats. I almost
thought about not bothering, but since I was vaguely prepared and needed a
run, I printed out the new route and didn’t drink too much alcohol.

It took only 2 hours to drive up to the Glenshee Ski Centre and yes, it was
quite windy! I went in to the cafe to sign on and was shown yet another slight
alteration to the route to avoid disturbing the grouse. So the route now was
just under 15 miles and most of the way up Carn an Tuirc (to about 960m) plus
all the way up Carn Aosda (917m) (OS sheet 43). And 8 checkpoints in total.

We were off at 11:00 and straight away were climbing west quite steeply past
some ski tows up to Loch Vrotachan at 800m (checkpoint 1). Then north and a
long grassy and heathery descent to the scenic Beddoch Burn valley
(checkpoint 2). Two miles along a landrover track and we were crossing the
Braemar road at checkpoint 3. Straight across and we were now heading east up
a small valley, climbing gently on a reasonable path for a mile and a half
followed by an enjoyable descent down to Glen Callater and Loch Callater
(checkpoint 4). This was turning out to be a very pleasant run! I was probably
working a bit too hard though as I was trying to keep up with a couple of
other runners who looked as though they knew where they were going.

The wind up to now hadn’t really been an issue and I was wondering what all
the fuss was about. But it was now certainly whistling down this valley and
I tucked in behind another runner along a sort of squodgy path beside the
Callater burn.

We could now see the spectacular coire nestling under Carn an Tuirc and
turned south west and upwards through bog and heather. The marshalls at
checkpoint 5 beside Loch Kander noted down our numbers and gave us an
encouraging grin as we started the very steep ascent up to the main ridge. Wow.

I was beginning to be quite relieved that we weren’t doing the whole 9 munros
– I would never have made it at this sort of pace. On to the ridge and into
a howling gale and a slow grind up to checkpoint 6. I knew that the summit
of Carn an Tuirc wasn’t far off and was sorely tempted, but the marshall
pointed me around the northern flank instead. Rats. Another time. We traversed
around the big hill a bit too high and hit some spiky scree – slower but good
practice – and suddenly we could see across the main valley and the obvious
lump of Carn Aosda in the distance. It was about a mile and a half of gradual
easy descent on heather and then another path back down to the road.

It wasn’t quite so windy in the valley and was now quite warm in the
sunshine. At checkpoint 7 I was feeling pretty knackered and scoffed down a
gel. Now for the steep climb up the last hill, Carn Aosda. About half way up
I was starting to struggle badly and maybe should have eaten another gel,
but I slogged on, getting slower and slower.

At last the slope eased off and the heather and grass gave way to rocky
scree. But now out of the shelter of the hill, the wind really became a
problem and the last 100 metres or so seemed to take hours. It was like
being on the summit ridge of Everest with everything in slow motion. I had
pinned my number on using a record 8 pins, but by now most of it had been
ripped off.

I finally made the summit but must have looked quite bad because the marshall
(I assumed he was a marshall wrapped up in numerous polar layers) asked if I
was OK.

Wahoo, just the descent beside the ski tow back down to the Ski Centre. My
legs were now so wobbly that two other runners passed me easily, but I didn’t
care too much, I had made it!

20th out of 66 runners and 2nd M50 in 3:18:30 wasn’t too bad a result and I
later saw on the news that the adjacent munro to Carn Aosda, The Cairnwell,
had recorded a windspeed of 100 mph!!

Duncan.