Friday 23 July 2023
Distance 100k, elevation 8000 feet

Me and St C!

I first did this race in the East to West direction back in 2017, from Holy Island to Melrose. When the race organisers (Trail Outlaws) decided to switch directions to ‘race the tide’, to make it across the causeway linking Holy Island to the mainland before the sea cuts it off, the challenge appealed to me again. Besides, after a couple of stints volunteering at Trail Outlaws events in 2022, I’d earned enough credit for a free place.

After experiencing some ‘navigational issues’ in the 2017 race, I decided to recce the route this time. I knew some sections quite well from previous races (Jedburgh 3 Peaks ultra and Wooler marathon), so concentrated on the less familiar sections. I ran out and backs, and it was funny how different the route seemed in each direction! I’m so glad I did this though as on the day itself, reaching familiar ground was really reassuring. I barely needed my map at all in the race, whereas it never left my hand during the recces.

St Cuthbert’s Cave

Racing the tide times also meant a drastic change of schedule. From a respectable 8am start in 2017, to a less respectable 10pm! Night running has its own challenges, particularly from a navigation point of view, which as it turned out went awry very early on for a lot of us. At the start opposite Melrose Rugby Club, race director Tim warned us a) don’t follow the runner in front as they might not know where they’re going and b) don’t follow the yellow race signage at the start as that’s for another race the day after (3 Eildons race). Unfortunately I was in the Portaloo when he said all this! Not that I can ever hear race briefings anyway due to being almost deaf. Turns out not many folk must have been listening as around 30 of us quickly went off directly up Eildon Hill North, following little yellow flags up loose scree. Scree? On the St Cuthbert’s Way? That’s not right! After bashing through knee-high heather and scrub we eventually found our way back onto the nice, runnable SCW trail. One poor lass was spotted on the race tracker running in circles round the top of the hill. She was eventually retrieved but dropped out of the race.

Talking of trackers, this is the first time I’ve ever had to wear one. Those things are heavy, and have to be worn on the outside of your kit, near the top so they can pick up signal. Mine was taped to my race vest on my left shoulder, but settled into position over my collar bone, bouncing off it in a very annoying, uncomfortable fashion until I took off the buff from my head and stuffed it underneath it as a pad. Buffs are awesome, so many uses!

Bonjedward CP, with VIP Active Root!

As the race pack made their way through the darkness, I found it quite challenging to stay upright. It was raining quite hard for the first few hours, so all I could see was raindrops flashing in front of my headtorch. There are many obstacles along this first section: tree roots, nettles, over-grown foliage, wooden steps and bridges and narrow, rutted paths. All made a bit more tricky in the rain. However, after many stumbles and stubbed toes I miraculously managed not to hit the deck. I did not enjoy running in the dark though, and was very glad when I hit Cessford Castle at around 3:45am and switched off my head torch for good.

Cessford Castle (photo taken during recce)

I felt I was running quite well up until Morebattle, a lot better than in my recces in fact. I was remembering to eat and drink, and had arranged with the head marshal, who I know through volunteering, to pick up ‘VIP’ supplies of Active Root between the main checkpoints (thanks, Lee!). I reached Morebattle in just under 6 hours, so stopped for a few slices of watermelon (yum) then tried and failed to eat my peanut butter and jam sandwich. I didn’t linger though so binned my sandwich and headed out to tackle the highest point in the race, Wideopen Hill.

Wideopen Hill

I like this hill, it has a great view back to the Eildons in good weather (which it was, a wee bit too warm even overnight in fact) so I took a moment at the top to appreciate just how far I’d come. Wideopen is roughly halfway through the course, so a good time to take stock of how you feel. There was a lovely cool breeze and the rain had cleared but there was no spectacular sunrise, just sweeping views on all sides. I could see Kirk Yetholm from here and wondered if I’d see any summer Spine racers come in as I passed, as their finish line crosses the St Cuthbert’s Way at the Borders Hotel, Kirk Yetholm. They’d been going since the previous Sunday, making this race feel very short in comparison! I passed the famous Spine finish arches and headed up into the Cheviots. Two female runners passed me here, looking very strong. I was hoping they were both 45-mile runners (this race has two distances, 100k and 45 miles, the latter ending in Wooler) as they seemed very sprightly, whereas I was beginning to flag. I tried to keep pace but I lost sight of them just after we crossed the border into England. The descents were starting to hurt my legs, and my left hip flexor was complaining quite a bit. I wondered if I might have to pull out at Wooler if it didn’t improve. I took a couple of paracetamol and hoped for the best.

Approaching Hethpool

I caught up with one of the female runners again at the Hethpool check point. She complimented my tartan skort, so I flashed her the Saltire undershorts which made her laugh! I refilled my bottles with more ‘VIP’ Active Root and hobbled along the road to Yeavering. Talking of undershorts, Flanci ones have amazing pockets in them. I had my compass in one side and my phone in the other. However, I took my phone out to check it to find the dampness and sweat had made it take 70+ photos of the inside of my pocket. I took a zip-lock bag from my bum bag, wrapped my phone in it and stuffed it back into my pocket. Big mistake. The resulting rubbing caused a HUGE patch of chafing on my thigh which I didn’t notice until the last stretch of the race. Ouch.

When you’ve already run 50k

Climbing out of Yeavering and past yet another steep stile, I had a bit of a second wind. I suddenly felt really good and didn’t stop running until I reached Wooler. The male lead from wave 2 of the race, who started 3 hours after wave 1, went breezing past me on the way down to Wooler common. I passed the female runner from the Hethpool check point, but still couldn’t see the other one who passed me at Yetholm. As I reached the YH, there she was sat on a bench wearing a 45-mile medal and tucking into some food. I headed inside for a wee sit down and to try and eat something more substantial from my drop bag. A marshal asked me how I was feeling, and I realised that my hip flexor pain was no more. It had been replaced by a more generalised pain and fatigue from head to toe! Still, only 18 miles from here to the finish, so I knew I could do it now.

I ate some apple slices dunked in peanut butter, chugged a chocolate milk and chased it with a ginger and turmeric shot in a vain attempt to counteract inflammation. I stuffed my bacon crisps into my bum bag, where they remained uneaten, slathered on some sun lotion and headed out. The clouds had cleared and the day was beginning to warm up, as it was now 9am. I shuffled down steep Church Street and onto Brewery Road where it rises slowly up onto Westwood Moor. My nutrition choices and speed of consumption came back to haunt me, and my stomach was quite angry from here to St Cuthbert’s Cave. I must have fast-walked most of the way until the cave, but couldn’t see any runners in front or behind me, so didn’t panic. I actually had no idea where I was in the race at all, just knew I was on for a slower finish than my previous of 14:55hrs. Again I was glad I’d recced this section, as there is still some lingering damage from Storm Arwen that made some of the trails through Shiellow/Kyloe Woods quite patchy in parts. To get lost at this point would be soul-destroying! Soon though, after some hearty cheers from a group of female hikers, I turned down into Fenwick and to the last checkpoint at the crossing of the A1, greeted by the sound of cowbells.

A lovely marshal took my buff out from under my tracker, dunked it in a jug of cold water and tucked it back into my vest. Heaven! It was really hot now and I was pouring with sweat. Another marshal informed me that only two other females had passed here so far. “No way, it must be hot!” I said. This put the fire in my belly and I wondered, if I could just stay ahead of the only female in wave 2, I might even come third. So, over the A1 and out into the barren fields towards the causeway. After a bit of a long detour to avoid the railway crossing, I could see the start of the causeway. My god, does it look long and intimidating from here. The finish at the village hall seemed as far away here as when I’d first spotted the island just after coming out of the woods at St Cuthbert’s Cave. I tried not to focus on the distance and instead concentrated on the road just in front of me. The causeway doesn’t have good footpaths either side of the road so I had to jump out of the way of a lot of cars. I swear to god a friend of mine waved and tooted at me from a van here, but a later text conversation assured me I was merely hallucinating! I spotted the brightly coloured t-shirt of the female runner I’d passed before Wooler, so she must have run out of Wooler ahead of me. Then I noticed another female runner. She was walking though, so I hobbled slowly past her and kept my focus on the bright t-shirt in front.

Every now and then I glanced back and the other female runner was nowhere in sight. There was now a sizeable gap between me, the first lady and the third. The heat was getting intense and after what seemed like another 64 miles, the road turned up into Holy Island village. It was hooching here due to the great weather, and I struggled to see where the finish line was through the crowds. Eventually I spotted the top of a Trail Outlaws flag and headed towards it. Lee was there taking photos and I ran through the gate of Crossman Hall and up the slope to the entrance doors. A marshal shouted ‘You can stop running now!’ as apparently the finish was the gate itself! I collapsed on the grass and another lovely marshal brought me watermelon and a cola. Bliss.

Relief!

A minute or two later another marshal came over to tell me I was second lady in, but the wave 2 female runner was still out there. She ran in not long afterwards to finish in an impressive 12:51:36. I finished in a more modest 15:22:28, 27 minutes behind my previous result. Considering the heat, the hours of darkness and the rain, I was very happy with that, and it secured me 3rd female, 20th overall. I was not expecting that at all so I was over the moon, as you can see from the prize-giving photo!

Cheesin’

I had a bunk booked at Wooler YH so hopped on the shuttle bus back for a much needed shower. After a nap on the bus and another in my bunk, I was ready for food. Hannah, the lovely partner of Tim the race director, had cooked up a storm at the YH. She offered me some lasagne and gave me some ice poles to cool down. Just wonderful. Then later I joined them in the lounge for a couple of beers and a blether. They’d all been awake since Friday morning too, so I was surprised when I looked at my phone and it was suddenly past 10pm! I thanked them all and made my way to bunk for a restless sleep plagued by the usual post-ultra leg pain.

All in all another great event by the awesome team at Trail Outlaws. I’m spectacularly chafed, have bruised feet, am covered in random patches of sunburn but happy to have beaten that tide!

Results here: https://www.trailoutlaws.com/event_results/saint-cuthberts-way-results-2023

Turnhouse 2023 – A warm dry evening for a short sharp race. Perfect conditions but maybe a tad too hot for some.

This year we managed to cajole the 79 runners to stay on route with Jamie Crowe (Central AC) smashing Hector Haines’ previous 2011 record of 00:24:46 by 1 min 52 seconds. Kudos to Jamie for a great run. There were tears in his father’s eye, but I think that might have been his allergies.

A wee shout out also to Alistair Masson (Carnethy) who was yet again 2^nd, but like last year (sticking to the correct route) also managed to beat the previous course record. Alas last year, as a third of the runners had cut a corner, shortening the race by ca. 250m, we could not count the record time for last year.

1^st lady was Ellen Crombie (Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds) at 00:29:45.

Junior fun run (2 runners) was won by Rowan Tayor of Lasswade in 09:41.

Congratulations to everyone who ran.

Happy to say no major issues although the look of panic on one of the runners when he dislocated his little finger and did not trust our 1^st aider as he popped it back with minimal pain just shows how important it is to have a calm 1^st aider on hand.

Next year I hope the Pentland café will be open again (Alex was on holiday) so everyone can have some post-race cakes/tea etc while waiting for prize giving.

Finally, apologies for those who entered on the day. Yes – it should have been £8 and not the £10 I told the helpers at registration. My cock up. The extra funds will be donated to the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

See you next year.

Rob

————————–

Main results:

Males:

Senior

Jamie Crowe                            Central AC                                                            00:22:53

Alistair Masson                       Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:24:02

Angus Wright                          Team East Lothian AC                                          00:24:15

M40

Gregor Lawson                        unattached                                                          00:30:23

M50

Justin Carter                            Cambuslang Harriers                                          00:28:29

M60

Micky Anderson                     Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:30:36

M70

Murdo Macleod                      Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:39:28

Females:

Senior

Ellen Crombie                         Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds             00:29:45

Polly Edwards                          Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:32:00

Emma Wilson                         Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds             00:33:33

M40

Wiebke Lammers                    Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:45:51

M50

Michelle Hetherington           Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:36:00

M60

Carole Fortune                        Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:40:45

RACE REPORT BY ANNE WATSON

We set off from Penicuik around 7.00am in damp, drizzly conditions. As we travelled up the M9, the surrounding countryside became whiter with a surprising covering of snow, and by the time we crossed Kincardine Bridge, the snow covered hills were barely visible through the mist.

Billy told us that the last time he ran Alloa, it was a bright sunny day. That would have been very nice to repeat.

There was plenty of parking in the town centre and ample shuttle buses to take us the one and a half miles to the race start at Lornshill Academy.

No need to register as the race numbers had been sent out in the post. Three gymnasiums provided plenty of warm space for changing and bag storage and the place was buzzing as people stayed indoors as long as possible to keep warm.

9.00am, the gun goes off and 1627 runners were on their way.

According to the guys, the course for the most part was great – gently undulating, picturesque and interesting with great support along the route.

I positioned myself at the bottom of ‘the’ hill which rises relentlessly around the 11 mile mark. It caused no problem for the front runners who barely broke stride, and many of the field coped with it well in their own individual way, spurred on by cowbells ringing and cheers of encouragement from the spectators. Others had to resort to walking or expletives, or both.

The top of the hill provided a well earned respite with approximately 400m or more of flat and the uplifting sound of two pipers. Then, a left turn and another deceptively long gentle incline before finally, a welcome downhill run to the school entrance and home under the finish banner.

This was a great, well-organised race, well supported by club runners and social runners alike. Local club Wee County Harriers sent out 37 of their members, 29 runners from Bellahouston Road Runners (another club in purple vests) and Central AC sent out both the men’s and ladies’ winners. Cameron Milne in 1:07:21 chip time (1:07:28 gun) and Jennifer Watson in 1:18:54 chip time (1:18:56 gun)

Our guy’s results – well Billy pipped Steve on the line!
Billy Dickson 1:52:34 chip (1:54:21 gun)
Steve Watson 1:52:38 chip (1:54:22 gun)
Chris Burns 2:29:38 chip (2:31:58 gun)

Well done, chaps. We’ll definitely be back next year!

Anne

Action from the National XC Championships. Photo: Michael Philp Photos

Entries have opened for our 10k road race, being held on Saturday 13th May 2023. Pre entry is on Si Entries or limited places will be available on the day. Come and join us for our “undulating” course with the best marshals around and some delicious home baking at the finish line!

This month we have been busy with cross country races, attending the Borders XC Series at Galashiels, Hawick and Chirnside amongst others. A massive 26 of us turned out for the race at Gala, including 4 of our junior members aged 9-12, all enjoying mud, mud and more mud!

Our ladies’ team at the Scottish National XC Championships took 22nd place with great running from Tracy Philp, Julie Hand, Zoe Robertson, Helen Osman, Gemma Towersey and Angela Graham. Our mens’ team placed 42nd — well done to Allan Jamieson, Allan Dunbar, Daniel Calvert, Ross Nicol, Duncan Ball and David Waldie.

Over in Falkirk, 8 of our die-hard members took part in a 7 hour ultra, running as many laps of Callendar Park as possible within the 7 hour window. A huge well done to all – Michelle Young ran 66k, Tracy Philp 60.7k, Lori Macrae 57.3k, Kieran Smith and Scott Walker 54k, Edite Gailite 47.2k, Susie Maxwell 40.5k, and Vicky Lyon 27k.  Kieran and Susie were “lucky” enough to count this as their “marathon a month” which Kieran is doing to raise funds and awareness for the charity Steps to Hope (helping people recovering from addictions), while Susie is just running for the fun of it!!

In social news, we celebrated retired coach Bill Bennet’s 88th birthday with a gift of afternoon tea from club member Melanie Dunbar at Brew 52 – check out the Brew 52 Facebook page for further (delicious!) details. Several easy-paced social runs were arranged by club members, and a pub quiz is planned for later in March at Penicuik Cricket Club, where we will battle for best team over some light refreshments.

Ever since I was a wee boy at primary school, I’ve been in the Pentland hills, I’ve watched in awe as the runners ran the skyline and it stuck with me. I’ve not always been a runner in fact I’m relatively new. But since I started I’ve had an ambition to run this race and what a race this is.

Looking at the results, the times are quick, there are no slouches in this race. My Celtman pal Fraser had also been checking the times and had asked what he had let himself in for. This made me even more nervous.

Race morning and I had pre race jitters, everything was imaginary hurting, aches and pains everywhere!

Breakfast was overthought, kit overthought.

Finally I’m in my van and I’ve arrived. A short walk up to the start and spotted a clutch of speedy hill running harrier royalty, started to think I would probably let the club down with my effort. But reminded myself, I’m in it to finish as this is a big distance for me.

After the obligatory selfies we were of. A bit of a slow start as the sheer amount of runners at the start makes for a lot of jostling. Can I also note, this is the last time I saw Fraser and indeed all harriers apart from Tony. It was his first skyline also. We ran together for a bit from Castlelaw and passed cheering harriers at the car park, thanks.

We all know some days we feel great and climbs come with ease and steady, others are a struggle, I had the wrong day for a struggle, my legs were screaming on Turnhouse, my least favourite climb, but due to the talented runners in this race I pushed on as fast as my now terrible legs allowed. I was so so conscious of being way to close to the rear. I was not gaining any places, in fact slipping some.

Doubt had crept in already. I thought my second wind would kick in but only thing getting a kick in was me getting over Carnethy.

Harriers gate was empty, I usually stand here and cheer the runners. More recently with my wee one Evie. This time I’m a runner of sorts. They have left probably due to the fact I was way behind time and the wind was horrendous.

In my head I’m now quitting at East Kip, I’m working my way down and calling for a lift!!! the wind on the tops is horrendous and it’s a head wind. I’m definitely not making cut of, glances at my watch and my then new ever changing attitude of “no way am I not making cut of”kicked in.

West Kip! Wind is now blowing me over, actually blowing me over, I have 40 secs to make cut of. At the top I’m folding, going home, finished, I don’t care about the finish.

At the bottom, no way am I quitting, I’ve made it. The supporter crew fill my flask and feed me with snacks and sweets, I was very thankful for this and very thankful to have some flat to get the head right on the red road. Legs felt a little better but I knew the hills ahead. I started to gain on runners in this section, my down hill was keeping me in touch, my legs started to feel better! Ah wait ! Now I’m in bog and moss!! Legs have now changed their mind and fancy cramping up but hang on I’m on my arse sliding down towards black hill as it’s impossible to keep my feet. What a race indeed!!

From the top of Black hill I can see Bells, the least I say about this and the en set of cramp the better!! Are you feeling my pain yet? ?

Thank god now for a tail wind this helped me a lot, I found strength from now on the next couple of climbs.

Q, the weather, driving rain and cross wind but I can see Juliane at the gate, cheering us on, us as now it’s Tony and I swapping pain stories. We have just enough in the legs to make over the next section and down to the finish.

What a relief, I’d made it. Would I run this race again?

No ? or would I ??

As one of the club’s hill grand prix races (or maybe because people felt the need to do something other than eating and sleeping after the Christmas break…), Feel the Burns was very popular among Penicuik Harriers with a team of 11 travelling down to Selkirk.

The weather was brilliant (crisp and clear) and so was the organisation by Selkirk Fund Runners. Some of us were very keen for a PB (no names, right Rob!?) and some were just happy to be out running/ racing again. It was the first Feel the Burns and the first time on the Southern Upland way for me, and it didn’t disappoint, especially not the down hills.

I’m not sure if Rob got a PB in the end (I think he beat Michelle and that’s what counts), but our fast Gemma certainly had a strong race, I heard she was even happy with her down-hills 🙂

It was also good to have Sadie racing with us again, we all missed her lining up at the start line with us. Thanks again for Selkirk Fund Runners for putting up this race, everyone had a great day out and we’ll definitely be there again next year!

Photo credit: Michael Philp Photography (obviously for the amazing/ high quality ones only)

Its was double Cross Country weekend, so with the majority of the Harriers heading to the Borders XC at Paxton on Sunday, there were just a few of us flying the purple and white at Bathgate. The rain had been torrential earlier in the day and I did wonder what we would be running in, but the rain dried up and the sun came out. The ground however, most definitely had not dried up and was the muddiest I had run in for quite a long time.

I was the lone female Harrier running 2 laps – 5.1km and the for the men we had David, Dan and Allan running 3 laps – 7.8km. Dave was on finish line duties.

Big thanks to Des and Ross for the support (I have also pinched some of Des’s photos)

Credit also to Dan who the went on to run Paxton on Sunday.

Results
Gilly Marshall – 93 – 28.42

David Waldie – 110 – 33.59
Dan Calvert – 151 – 36.41
Allan Dunbar – 176 – 38.58

After a break of two years the Greenmantle Dash was on again and 109 runners and 17 junior runners from near and far enjoyed the short race packed with a bit of everything in bright sunshine and freezing temperatures. The worst of the flooding of the previous days had cleared, but the remainders meant for very wet and slippery conditions.

Well done to all the runners for braving the wall, the ice-cold river and the boggy field (and my nerves-induced broken English at the race briefing). Congratulations to Finn Lydon from Carnethy (15:57) and Morag McClelland from HBT (19:45) for their impressive wins. Special mention also to Sam Stephens from Doss AC (23:18) for the win of the Michael Greens trophy for his impressive downhill skills – having a great time dressed up as a banana. The trophy will be awarded every year now in memory of our friend, who we lost in 2022, to the runner who embodies Michael’s sense of fun and running spirit best.

Photo credit: Michael Philp

The post-race atmosphere in the Village Hall was great with lots of familiar and new faces, who warmed up with some soup and tea. Having organised the race for the first time – the day seemed to be a success (partly because of the amazing weather), apart from the minor catastrophe of the inaccessible beer keg (apologies for that!).

Results for the main race are available at the SHR website (https://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/RaceResults.aspx) and times for the fun run can be found at the end of this post. Watching the juniors conquering all the obstacles – most of them with big smiles – was a personal highlight for me and I can’t wait to see you at the Dash again next year.

Keep an eye out on “Michael Philp Photos” FB page (https://en-gb.facebook.com/michaelphilpphotos/), who captured the race with his outstanding photography skills.

The race would not be possible without my many helpers from Penicuik Harriers and local support – thanks to volunteers from Broughton and everyone who came to watch the race and to landowners for giving us the permission to run the race. We tried to stay local with our prizes, too (Broughton Village Shop, Claire Wilson Art; Broughton Ales), if you liked them – come back next year J. Thanks to Up and Running Edinburgh for sponsoring the bib numbers (runners get a 15% discount in the store).

Finally thanks to Dick Wall for allowing Penicuik Harriers to continue the race he has organised for the past 40 years!

Until next year (with hopefully the same glorious weather)!

Juliane

There was a fair turnout for the purple and white at Saturday’s cross country.  We were in the beautiful grounds of Stirling University campus, it was dry and sunny thankfully as still minus a tent we set up camp under a tree.  The course was the same for the men and ladies, 3 laps and a total of 8.7km. The ladies set off first and it was a fast field and I was quickly passed by almost everyone but kept pushing on, Tracy and I had walked a bit of the course before the race so I knew a bit of what was coming – after a bit of an uphill start, we were round the edge of a golf course, some down hill then onto a short section of path by one of the campus lochs, then onto a grassy area that took a large loop round a building then a bit of a climb onto a grassy track that led into some woods, up through the woods and back to the start/finish area and then round again and again! On the second lap as we came away from the building towards the grassy track a deer was running wildly towards us and I remembered the cross country race in Dunbar a few years ago when there were rogue sheep spooked by the runners and as they panicked and ran across the course ran straight into Tracy and completely knocked her off her feet, I was hoping that was not going to be the case again and was keep a close eye on where it was going, it took off into the distance and managed to avoid the runners and spectators and dogs close by and I put my eyes back on the route.  As I came round into the woods I could hear someone hard on my heels and was desperately hoping not to be lapped by the front runners however luckily the lady who passed me was on her second lap too and I managed to get to the start/finish area without being lapped.  The 3rd lap was really hard, I have not done cross country of this length for a long time as most of the Borders XC are around the 4 mile mark so the extra mile and bit was taking its toll.  It was such a relief to see the finish line.  The mens race had already started before I finished so we stayed and cheered them as they completed their laps.  While standing chatting and cheering on the men we heard that the rogue deer that we had seen on the 2nd lap had been through the start and finish area too and had crashed into one of the spectators there as it kept changing direction not knowing where to go, poor thing must have been terrified – but just shows you always need to keep your wits about you – if it had hit a runner with them both moving at speed it could have been a double KO!

Results

Women

49th – Julie Hand – 41m10s SF

90th – Tracy Philp – 46m53s F40

96th – Gilly Marshall – 47m49s F50

Men

63rd – Adam Gray – 31m53s SM

172nd – David Waldie – 37m05s M45

205th – Duncan Ball – 39m06s M60

234th – Dan Calvert – 41m11s SM

255th Allan Dunbar – 43m25s M45

258th Ross Nicol -43m54s M40

Team 20th

Thanks also to Dave who as always is there in his officiating capacity but has a good set of lungs to bellow encouragement as we come round 🙂

Photo credit for the rogue deer – Neil Renton

Been a while since I took part in any of the Nationals or District XC races, and have never done the relays so was looking forward to running as part of a team.  Michelle, Tracy and I were the face of Penicuik Harriers and as a masters team with a big V sticker on our backs, we only had to do 3 laps instead of 4 that the senior/junior ladies had to do.  Michelle started us off and was doing the first leg, a 3.8 loop round the grounds of Cumbernauld House, with a couple of sharp inclines and long stretches of muddy parkland, I ran the second leg and Tracy had the final leg.

I should probably mention that it rained – a lot!  Big thanks to Musselburgh AC who let us hang out in their tent and keep dry and also to Michael Philp who drove us all there and back, his camera was not so lucky and it was a one way trip for it as it died on the course.

The TDS race is a 146km race on the more mountainous trails around Mont Blanc than the normal UTMB route, and has an ascent of 9,100 metres. For this reason it is widely regarded as a harder race than the UTMB, even though it is shorter, and usually has a forty percent DNF rate.

It was gaining points at a few Scottish and English ultras that gave me the idea of entering the UTMB CCC race in 2019. It was a tough 100km race with 6,000 metres ascent and it was great to finish such a fantastic event. The views were stunning and I was told they were just as good on the other side of the route around Mont Blanc by a race organiser. With this I really wanted to try the TDS as I had enough points to enter it and it went around the other side of Mont Blanc than the CCC, although off the normal UTMB route as mentioned.

I was due to run the TDS in 2020 but because of the lock-downs over this period it didn’t take place. I could have taken part in the 2021 TDS but because of travel issues still remaining I put it off till now. Tragically there was a fatality in 2021. A Czech runner fell coming down one of the more technical parts of the trail at Passeur de Pralognan (Highest point). The race was stopped to anybody who was behind his position of just 150, so over a 90 percent DNF rate.

After being lucky enough to get a place in the race and the years passing over this time, it always felt like something ages away. When the time came to get all my mandatory kit packed and generally getting ready for the trip I did over stress the race a bit knowing it was going to be a big challenge. I was very pleased to finally stuff everything I needed to take on the run in my Salomon 12 litre race vest, even though it was bulging at the seams. I don’t know how other runners can pack it all into such small packs?

I got an EasyJet flight to Geneva and got picked up by Mountain Dropoffs like I did in 2019. For the CCC race I stayed at a camp-site, but I booked a bed in a dorm in Chamonix Lodge this time. It was really great but not very good for getting any sleep. I tried to sleep the day before the race but this wasn’t possible. I’d never run a two nighter before and knew this would be an issue as the race started at midnight in Courmayeur in Italy. I had booked the 21:30 bus and there was some confusion about pick up points, but I finally managed to find out that the pick up for the race for later buses had been changed to Grepon car-park in Chamonix. It was quite a short drive to the start where we dropped off our bags for the one drop-back point in Beaufort, and the end in Chamonix. There was then a long wait at a roundabout in Courmayeur before setting off up to the start area.

At the start there was the usual lively music, Boney M’s Rasputin being the one I remember most, then a very long fun 1,600 runner Mexican wave down the full race start from the back to the front, then we were off! It was during the day I started the CCC in 2019. Starting at midnight was far more atmospheric running through the small streets and lanes of Courmayeur which still had a very large crowd support to cheer us off. After heading out of town we were right into a steep climb up Arete du Mont-Favre at 2,417 metres. The head torches looked great zig zagging up the mountain for miles. I remember reading that the second check point was quite tight for cut off time (first check point had no cut off time), so I kept going as fast as I could without burning myself out at the start. I had printed out a page showing the cut off times and right enough, it was going to be close for making CP2, but I got there and through with just a quick top up of water. We headed off into a valley, but it wasn’t long till the next big climb up Col Chavannes 2,592 metres. Although it was super steep, I quite enjoyed the fast trek up as we were still quite close together in a long line zig zagging up. We could hear a woman shouting “Bravo, bravo, woohoo, woohoo!” endlessly. At first I thought who has the energy to shout that so many times being a runner, but I soon realised it was a marshal cheering us on from the top at around 4:00am. A grumpy guy behind me said ‘Shut the f*** up”, I replied to him “ I want some of what she has had!”. When eventually passing her at the top, I gave her a thumbs up and said “Bravo!” I would normally have taken a photo of the trig point as they look great, but it was too busy. It was still very dark as we headed down this very runnable trail and I was very pleased with my new Alpkit Qark head torch. I now had to get to CP3 at Col du Petit St Bernard by 8:30. It was great seeing the dawn begin to break as I ran towards the next mountains. At CP3 I had a little food and topped up water, then headed off into the nicely cool valley. The forecast was to be very hot today at around 32 degrees or so. They had not triggered the hot weather kit list, but I had taken it anyway as it was going to be very hot for a Scottish runner. This was to be able to carry two litres of water and have a Sahara cap (baseball cap that has material down over your neck) and sunglasses.

With it now being early morning I started to get great views back up to the mountains we had come from and stopped to take a few photos while I got my jacket off. The views were really stunning and the runners were much more spread out now. As I headed towards St Germain and Seez before CP4 I started to feel the heat. When I got to Seez I thought it may be CP4, but realised I had a few miles to go. I passed a spring with a water trough and dunked my head in it, it was so good to cool down. Bourge St Maurice (CP4) was quite a big town and we went to a large hall to top up water and get a little food. I was quite worried about cut off times, so I didn’t stay long. It was now about 10:45 as we headed up another very steep climb towards Fort de la Platice. It was almost 45 degrees ascent which went on forever! I had to stop for breath quite regularly, but so had everybody else. The heat was hard but there was a good pay off with the totally spectacular views looking down to the town which was surrounded by massive mountains. I got a message on my phone from Jan which really helped on this very tough section. Eventually we got to the top. I had filled up my 2 litre bladder pack at Seez just before Bourge St Maurice, so thought I didn’t need to do it at CP4. I had however drank lots getting up the mountain in the heat! When we eventually got to the top, the aid station had ran out of water! This was really bad as we now had the highest point to get to at 2,567 metres at Passeur de Pralognan. I managed to get a little of the last of the water and had three cups of coke as they had lots of that.

It was now very hot and we set off down a very runnable trail. It wasn’t long till we were ascending Passeur de Pralognan though, and it took ages to get up to the top. I was quite worried about how little water I had, so was just taking small sips. There were runners crashed out all over this section, lying baking in the heat. I thought you really can’t crash out here as there’s no bus pick ups for ages, and they’ll have to get up and head on later when they are more dehydrated. Jan sent me a text to be careful coming down from the top as it looked really steep and it was the section the Czech runner had fallen at last year. There was lots of information about the course on the UTMB live site. We were greeted by a friendly woman handing out more coke at the top. I then got a message on my phone from Juliane giving me encouragement for the race which cheered me up after such a hard climb. We were now at the highest point of the race at Passeur de Pralognan. I took one look down and knew it was time to put away the running poles as I’d need both hands for gripping onto the chains and ropes placed there for descending. I really liked this section and found it a fun scramble down. It was quite a job getting past people on thin trails at points, especially when some runners were still using their running poles where it was too technical to be of any use and slowing them down.

At the bottom there were fantastic views up the valley with snow covered mountains in the distance. It took some time to get to CP5 from here, even though it was an easy trail. It was great to hear there would be proper provisions at Cormet de Roselend. I topped up my water fully here and had some noodle soup. I tried to get away again as quickly as possible and headed off at around 16:45ish. I remember a few river crossings next and it was obvious my feet were going to get a bit wet anyway, so I gave them a cold soak in the water which felt great. There was some further mountains to get over next but not quite as hard as the last few. There was a spectacular gorge later on with a fast flowing river. I thought I’d like to take a photo, but my phone was charging in my pocket, so I headed on just stopping for a quick look. There was an easy downhill section next before crossing another river to CP6 at La Gittaz. There were a lot of runners here topping up water and having something to eat before heading off up Entre Deux Nants at 2,100 metres. It was hear I had to get my jacket and gloves on again which I was quickly glad of as the top was a bit chilly. The route was fantastically marked by yellow reflective tape which our head torches picked up brilliantly. There was a group of runners having a rest at the top, but I kept on going into the dark.

I’m not really into night running as it’s the views that keep me going. I had taken my gels which were good for perking me up along the way. The next mountain was Pas d’Outray at 2,181 metres. It took ages to get to the top and the only point in the route where I had to search a bit for the trail markings in one section. This was the roughest ground at the top, lots of big stones like a Munro, but easy to get over. I could see the head torches going up and over the hills in front which looked great. I was still in quite positive spirits as we started the descent and was pleased to see CP6 at Beaufort below. It however took two hours to get down and the trail was a relentless zig zag down the mountain which was fine at first. It then however went into the forest section where it turned into an endless black route style mountain bike trail which was no fun to run on. With seeing Beaufort looking close I had put off having an energy bar or gel for a while as I was thinking of the main meal there which was the only point on the race there was one. This was my undoing as with it taking ages to get down this really steep section of around 1,440 metres, I started to really feel tired and zoned out a bit, I quickly come back thinking I’ve been here before! I instantly remembered a race report from an ultra running friend who had this feeling while doing the Spine Race. With his sleep deprivation he ended up having an argument with someone who wasn’t there, before heading off in the wrong direction as he was sure he knew the way when he didn’t. His race did not end well! It was good to have a warning about this and I headed on. My watch ran out of battery shortly after, quickly proceeded by my head torch which had a very dramatic cut out with no dimming beforehand. I knew where my second torch was, so I quickly changed the battery in my new one. I remember thinking how did I get through the CCC race with this old head torch, it was very dim in comparison. This section really was a chore and I went from positive to negative quite quickly. When a runner is behind you with a head torch pointing towards you in front, you see their glow and your own silhouette in front of you. This had obviously happened a lot through the night. What made me think I was going to have to be careful was at one point I saw two demand dragon silhouettes flying above each of my shoulders! Okay then, a bit trippy! I just carried on knowing I just needed some sleep. Unfortunately I had gone right off my electrolytes which had caffeine in them early in the race and was also right off sweet food which I’ve never had before. I was just having strait water and a few gels.

When I finally got into Beaufort I felt really knackered and on a bit of a downer. I sat down to have the pasta I had been looking forward to and could hardly keep it down. With me never having this happen before, it was a real shock and I just thought, if I can’t eat I’ll not be able to finish the next 30 miles. This was the first time in the race I had added CP distances together as I always try to avoid doing this to stay positive. I was into Beaufort CP7 with over an hour to spare, so I should have just rested a bit. Unfortunately I went to ask if there was buses back to Chamonix as I had heard there was from there, and just went through with it there and then, without waiting to see if I’d feel any better later. I went to crash out on one of the plastic covered mattresses and got woken for the 4:30am bus back to Chamonix.

Although I am disappointed about not finishing I knew it would be a very tough race. I’m pleased to have done two thirds of it and I’ll have better idea of what to expect if I get the chance to do it again. I’d still love to finish the other side of Mont Blanc from the CCC race. The views are really outstanding.

After getting back to Chamonix Lodge I had a long sleep and then went down to the centre to cheer the runners in. It was hard to see a couple of people I recognised from the course coming in, knowing if I had stayed in I would be passing the finish line now. On the positive side, with not doing the last 30 miles, my legs were great for climbing the Grand Balcon Nord above Chamonix the next day. This was a spectacular trail up 5,400 metre ascent over 15 miles, which took you high above Chamonix and right next to the glaciers. I had a chat with another few hikers on route and then had a beer at the Aiguille du Midi cable car stop. There was a fantastic shop with tables below the glaciers. It took some time to get down but the views were brilliant and it was an easy trail.

DNF at Beaufort CP7. 60 miles and 22,400 metres ascent (73,491 feet). 25 hours 49 minutes.
Had an extra hour and ten minutes before cut off time at that CP and my legs were fine.

St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra Marathon 100km from Melrose to Holy Island
Time: 19 hours 24 minutes and 55 seconds
Ascent 8,067 feet.

I was more than a little worried about completing this race after missing four weeks of training because of a broken rib on the Cuillin Ridge in Skye shortly before the race. This just left me one training week to get back into a little running.

The race starts in Melrose at 0:30 on Saturday morning. Jan gave me a lift down to the start area and I handed in my two drop bags and finish bag. One for Morebattle at 25 miles, Wooler at 45 miles, and a change of clothes for the end at Holy Island at 63 miles or so. It was quite warm even at midnight, but I did put my jacket on just before the race as I thought it would be colder shortly after when we headed up through the Eildon hills.

There was just a short race briefing before heading off. St Cuthbert’s way is well signed on the most part, but there were areas that were not obvious, especially in the dark. I had taken a GPS and uploaded the course on OS Maps on my phone, but didn’t want to use that too much as the battery wouldn’t last. A few miles in I had to check the route for St Boswells Golf Course, quite a few runners were going up and down the streets looking for the right turning. A quick check and I was back on track.

Right after running through the golf course we were into very thin tracks in the dark next to the river. Tree routes and overhanging branches at night were quite a hazard. I had my first face plant around here, flying through the air after tripping on something. My head torch was quite good but not enough to light up more that what was directly in front of me. The trails were rough in parts, so easy to not see stones or tree routes in the dark as long grass overhung the thin trail in sections. I think most runners were having the same issue and there were quite a few bashed legs.

I had tried to get a couple of hours sleep during the afternoon before the race, but couldn’t. I felt a bit tired at the start, but it’s strange how adrenalin kicks in and you can go for ages. I don’t really enjoy night running as I like a view, but knew dawn would be around 4:00. I got chatting to various runners along the way and we were soon at the first check point at Dryburgh at 5.5 miles. Another big tumble and also a few tree branches in the face as I looked down at the trail before the sun came up though! The sun rise was quite a sight, beautiful oranges and reds above a small loch with the trees silhouetted in the foreground. Now we could see better I was a little more confidant about not getting lost and wasting time. The next check point was Bonjedward Road crossing at 16.25 miles. I filled up my two front of running vest water bottles and extra bottle on my hip as quickly as I could. I normally take a 2 litre bladder pack for my vest but have found this quite time consuming to get filled and get it back in my back with other running kit. There was a couple of runners pulling out here and waiting for a lift back.

With the day now properly warming up, I was very glad I took the extra water bottle and some salt sticks. Morebattle was the next check point and I looked forward to some savoury food I had packed there, energy bars can be too sweet to have a lot of. My jells I had packed were working well for me too in the heat as the weather forecast predicted 20 degrees and it was starting to feel very hot! Morebattle was a beautiful village with some fantastic scenery around that area too. I was enjoying the vast open views up the hills after Morebattle and took a few photos around the half way point up Wideopen Hill. Navigation was going well with the Harvey map but I had to double check a few points.

Running in the thin trails in the dark had taken up more time than I was happy with, so I pushed on to make better time in the daylight. This had paid off by Morebattle, but I started to get zapped by the heat over the large number of hills in the baking sun over the next couple of check points towards Hethpool and Wooler. I was getting really exhausted with all the ascents and found this section very tough. At Hethpool the marshalls were brilliant, filling up my three water bottles. This helped a lot as I sorted out my vest pack for fitting them back in. I was passing a few runners now that were limping and clearly were going to finish at the next CP. I had thought going through one of the various cumbersome deer fences that I was really close to getting heat stroke and wondered if I could make Holy Island! However after having some drinks and food at Wooler where my second drop bag was I felt a lot better.

The race has two starts. Most runners in wave one at 0:30, but a second at 4:30 for the fast runners who can run it within 14 hours. It was after Hethpool and Wooler that I started to get passed by these super fresh speedy runners that looked like they had run a mile or so. They were very friendly as they passed and the locals were also great for giving support along the way. There are also two distances in the race. A lot of runners I spoke to were running the 45 mile version from Melrose to Wooler, then the full 100km route to Holy island version.

It was hard passing some 45 miler runners in the bars in Wooler, knowing I had almost twenty miles to go! Cold beer would have been so good in the heat. I was popping the salt sticks every ten miles or so, they really helped me not get cramp.

One of the runners I spoke to at various points in the race was a woman that previously worked in Run and Become in Edinburgh. I ended up running with her and a few others from Wooler onwards which was great for a chat to keep us going. The race was on to make the next check point at the A1 road crossing by 18:00. We now had a few heavily wooded sections with a lot of trees down over the trail. It turned into a bit of an obstacle course for a few miles. Kneeling down under fallen trees isn’t the best for legs that have done 55 miles or so at that point. After getting under and over these, it was an easier trail for a bit before losing the route in very dense forest. I had to check my OS Maps again which was telling me we were in the right position and to keep on running right ahead, another runners watch said the same. What was in front of us was a big ditch followed by thickly packed pine trees though! It was only after scratching ourselves through lots of branches within the densely packed trees we found the track just a few metres to the left! A bit of a set back after pushing ourselves on, now all that time had been lost! We made the A1 check point in time and were greeted by very helpful friendly marshals again.

From the A1 it was now just 6 miles to Holy Island. It was easy to think this was now in the bag, but I wasn’t getting into a false sense of security. There were quite a few points to possibly go off route yet. We did walk for a little but had to keep on making ourselves push on as we could still be timed out. The last 5K along the causeway just went on for ever and the end didn’t look like it was getting any closer. I pushed on as hard as I could in the last two miles or so as my watch battery was now dead and I didn’t really know how far that distance was. As I got closer to the finish there were lots of cars passing beeping and cheering, and then people in the street congratulating us. It was brilliant to finally run into the finish line and know we had done it! Tim the main organiser of the race gave me my super bling medal and split times sheet. I was super surprised though to also get a race trophy (all finishers got one) along with the great finishers T-shirt.

I only just had time to get out of my running kit in the toilets and into my finisher bag clothes I had packed, before going down for the bus back to Wooler. Jan picked me up from Wooler and drove me back home and had even packed cold beers!

It’s a great race and super well organised with very friendly marshals. They were stricter than I thought with cut off times as a few runners were timed out at the A1 crossing and one very unfortunate runner was timed out within a mile of the finish!