The "Duggan Machine" does it !

During this years WHW race Peter Duggan ran past me on hills a couple of times and I called him a 'machine', well this weekend he pretty much confirmed that when it comes to hills - he is. Pete ran the Ramsay Round a 56 mile (poss longer) loop which takes in 23 Munros and 28,500ft of ascent over Saturday and Sunday.

The Ramsay Round Route

A few weeks ago I offered to help Pete by running as a pacer during his attempt. He had 2 others pacing, a friend of his Jon Gay and Richie Cunningham the winner of this years WHW race. After various permutations on how best to tackle the route a midday start on Saturday was decided upon. I met Richie and we travelled up to Pete's friend Noel's place at Torlundy for the final preparations then it was down to Glen Nevis for the start. Traffic was abysmal so instead of the midday start we had planned, it ended up being a 12.10pm start. The midday start had been preferable as that's when Charlie Ramsay started his initial 23:58 run and Pete had his splits so it would have been easy to compare, as it stood we would just have to subtract 10 off everything.

Jon, Pete, Richie & me

I took the 17:50 train from Spean Bridge then had  leisurely walk in to Craiguaineach Lodge and waited. I wasn't alone though, I had a billion midgies to keep me company ! Pete and Jon almost took me by surprise, arriving at 20:20, well in advance of when I expected them, they were both looking strong and were in good spirits.

From there we headed up the long shoulder of Beinn na Lap into the mist. I was quite surprised by the speed of the ascent, the pace was unrelenting with Pete and Jon certainly not acting like they had been going for 9 hours.

Approaching the summit of Beinn na Lap

As we descended Beinn na Lap it got dark so time for headtorches then a big haul back up Chno Dearg, during which Jon announced the sole was coming off his shoe. Thankfully I had some duct tape with me so at the summit we had a brief stop and Jon was able to make some running repairs (pardon the pun!)

Summit of Chno Dearg

Pete and Jon were about an hour up on Charlie's time by this stage, but the next few miles were to be frustrating and tough. It was dark and misty up there and we had to really concentrate with the navigation to get to the top of Stob Coire Sgriordain, which we did eventually but probably lost 30 mins. The descent down to the dam at the north end of Loch Treig was torturously slow as it was steep rough ground, but we got there eventually. I know Pete found this loss of time annoying, but on the plus side if they hadn't got it already in hand then the leg would have been much worse.

We met Noel and Richie at the dam and had a refueling stop, Pete and Jon seemed in good spirits and the addition of Richie to the team would probably inject a bit of pace. I toyed with the idea of leaving with Noel here but I felt pretty good so decided to go over the next 2 tops then leave.

About 10 minutes into the climb up Stob a Choire Mheadhoin I was ruing my decision to continue. The pace of ascent was phenominal considering how long they had been going and I was struggling just to keep up. We climbed the 850 metres and 5km in 90 minutes and by the top I was beginning to flake. I had been concentrating on bringing food for Pete and Jon that I had overlooked my own requirements, a few sweets from Richie at the top gave me a wee boost which took me over to Stob Coire Easain and from there it was a treacherous descent into the Lairig Leacach.

Everyone knew that this was my bail out point, my job was done, so they went on ahead , the glow of their headtorches disappearing in the mist. I'd put trail shoes on and they were not the best on this terrain so I just took my time doing down the slope. It was such a relief to hit the track, especially when I looked up at Stob Ban which I knew the other 3 were now climbing, there's no way I could've gone up there.

By the time I was on the track it was day light and I now had a very pleasant, early morning, 6 mile run back to my car. As I came down the hill towards Spean Bridge I could see a blonde lady with a dark coat on standing looking out at the view. A bit strange I thought at 5:30 in the morning, but there was a tent not too far away so maybe she was from there. As I got closer she didn't move even though she must hear my feet scuffing on the track. This is what the 'lady' turned out to be -

I think if it had been dark when I had come across I would have wet myself, he was quite spooky in that still morning.

On getting a bit further down the track I looked back and saw that the Grey Corries were now clear and basked in sunlight. I knew the runners would not be far away from getting there and hoped they could make the most of the clear tops.

Early morning sun on the grey Corries

All the way down the track I'd been longing for a can of Irn Bru so when I got back to my car I headed in to Ft William and bought 2 cans which were downed immediately. Then it was back to Noel's where I had a shower then sat down to look at the paper, the next thing I knew it was 9:30am and I was waking up on the sofa.

I'd received a text at 8:30 from Richie saying that Jon had gone on ahead as he was flying, but Pete was on the summit of Aonach Beag and it would be a bit tight. All we could do now was wait, so Noel and I headed down to the finish at the Youth Hostel. Within half an hour of getting there we could see the black clad figure of Jon racing down the mountain, past the throngs of walkers. He crossed the finish in 23hrs 7 mins. I could tell it was bitter sweet for him as he was delighted with his time, but felt guilty at leaving Pete, even although it had been done at Pete's insistance.

Jon had given it his all

Now the time ticked by, would Pete make it ? It was agonisingly close. Through the binoculars Noel spotted someone with white shorts descending, but it wasn't Pete. Where was he, time was running out it would be awful to go through all this and not make it. The he hoved into view. We reckoned that from the point we could see him was about 20 minutes running time to the finish, but there was only 20 minutes to go. The Jon pointed out that they'd actually started at 12:10 so there was really 30 minutes to go ! From that point it was in the bag and Pete made it home in 23:50.

The happiest man on the planet !

Pete and Richie had become separated in the mist on the ascent of Carn Mor Dearg and Richie came home about 10 minutes later looking like he'd been out for a wee Sunday morning 3 miler.

Having had time to reflect on the weekend I am at a loss to know how these guys managed to do what they did. They were so strong for the whole Round, obviously there were lows, as anyone who does endurance events is only too familiar with, but they just kept marching on. I only ran 24 miles and climbed 8,500 ft, they ran over twice that distance and climbed 20,000ft more that me and pretty much dropped me 16 hours in to their run ! I hope in some part it was down in some part to me not having run a single yard since the WHW race - but I doubt it. One thing I can comfortably say is that I will never attempt a Ramsay Round. WELL DONE !!


PS - It has just dawned on me that there are no pictures of Noel on either my blog or Pete's. He played crucial role and his hospitality was exceedingly generous the way he opened up his house to us all. So here he is (2nd from the right in case you're wondering!) -

Post Race Musings

Now that I've had time to reflect on this years race there are a few things that I learned that I want to record so that next year I can read this post as part of my race prep, there's no point going through something like this and nor remembering any of the many things learned along the Way !! So I'm going to bullet point them - 

- Stay positive, you've done the training and the race probably won't be as bad as you expect. This year I had no real lows and felt good most of the day. Staying relaxed helps this which bring me on to ...

- Take it easy. Don't get caught up in the mass rush at the start. I was deliberately last over the line then stopped in Mugdock park for the loo, meaning I was on my own in the dark for this bit. I was 31st at Rowerdennan and 20th at Auchtertyre, you need to save something for the 2nd half, and I normally make up a lot of positions in the section.

- CRAMP. There are a few things I can do to tackle this ever present menace, so I'm just going to have to assume it will hit me at some point and develop a plan to deal with it.

   1. Drink enough. Despite it being pretty hot, my weight stayed constant from Auchtertyre to the end. I was drinking a lot but drinking on thirst, so it was pretty safe and not excessive.

   2. Try salt tablets. Marc gave me a couple and they seemed to work.

   3. Bananas. I was force fed these, but in managaeble quantities. A 3rd of a banana every stop is easier that forcing down a whole one twice during the race.

   4. Compression shorts. They might help with hammies and quads. I now have a pair of Skins so will try them out, nothing to loose (except £35 !)

   5. Massages and stretching in the months leading up to the race. This year I only had one deep tissue massage, but last year I had several and felt they really helped. Also Gaynor kept telling my to stretch, I must confess I was telling her that I was, but wasn't really !

- I need to find a food that I can palate later on in the race. I had wee boiled potatoes which I enjoyed early on, but they got difficult later - maybe mashed next year ? From the Ski Centre I was struggling for any sort of apatite. Ironically there were energy bars that my mum had brought in the car, but because they were a last minute thing their presence hadn't really sunk in so my brain, so I'd forgotten about them, just like the energy drinks she had brought, which would have been a refreshing change from Lucozade.

- Don't stop - walk with my support wherever possible. Jamie Aarons did this and it was pretty effective. She wouldn't really stop, just keep walking and eating / drinking. And since I didn't need to sit down this year I could have done the same. It was quite incredible to see how much distance she could put on you when you stopped and she kept walking - 18 seconds maybe ?

- Walk in to Kinlochleven. The slope is so bad that walking the steep bits will not make much of a difference and might just safe the quads for the last 13 miles.

- Remember the sign that says Braveheart Car Park 3.2km is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE,  what idiot put that up ! Every year I look at it and it drains any enthusiasm I have at that point. The car park is only about 4 mins away.

- Music. I had my ipod with me this year, but it was in the car. I don't like trail running with earphones in as i like to soak in everything around me but the right track can give me a really big boost in training. If I was near the 20 hour mark again it might spur me on, so have music not just for the end, but as it takes up so little space and weight it would be handy to help endure lows at any point.

- First Aid Kit. Don't let the half of your support team that are leaving immediately after the race take the first aid kit ! The Sunday can be a very long day if you don't have access to the various strappings, tape and lotions that you so desperately long for.

- Post race massage. If having one (and I believe these help recovery a lot) then make sure the towel is out from under your knee before you roll over !

- Monthly mileage. For 2011, following a lot of comments on the subject of my low training miles, I plan to try and increase my monthly mileage. Don't know how I'll get on with it, because if I'm honest I'm pretty lazy and whilst I really enjoy the big long training runs, I really struggle with motivation for the smaller 10milers after work.

So there we have it, points learned from this years race. Who knows how next year will go, but I won't be able to blame forgetting about how I did this year. 

There are of course variables outwith my control i.e. the weather. People said this year was tough with the sun and strong northerly wind, but if I'm honest I didn't really find them a factor on the day. I don't think was running fast enough for the wind to adversely effect pace in the way it would on a 10k, and I didn't find to too hot, in fact some places were chilly, borne out by the fact I didn't change out of my Helly Hansen thermal top all day !! But it would be a different kettle of fish if we have the sun without the wind, or rain like we did yesterday. The joys of running in Scotland ...

Knee Shakedown

Today I gave my knee its first test since the race and spent the day hillwalking. I was a bit concerned about how it would stand up so we did a circular route from Glen Doll that had bail out options. We did 4 Munros covering 17 miles in about 5.5 hrs. I was wearing big clumpy Scarpa Manta boots so there was only the odd wee jog downhill as I didn't want to push it, but I can report that apart from the odd wee twinge the knee gave me no problems. It seems that the 3 weeks of relative rest has worked. Hopefully I'll get back out running on it again in the next day or two.














The route

It was a beautiful day and the route we took passed just to the south of Lochnagar on the 1 year & 1 day anniversary of Dario's passing. I was working frantically at T in the Park yesterday so didn't mark the occasion like others with a whisky but did so tonight with a dram from a bottle I was given on my 21st (yeah, I know, only a couple of years ago) which I save for special occasions.

It was a relief to find that my knee was much better than I thought it was going to be as I have volunteered to be a pacer for Peter "The Machine" Duggan's attempt of the Ramsay Round on the weekend of the 24th / 25th July. Pete has 3 pacers lined up, the first Jon Gay, I don't know, but he appears to have a not too shabby 1hr 52min Ben Nevis time. The third is a chap called Richie Cunningham, then there's little old me - gulp ! Hope I don't hold him back.

The goal for the (insane) 24 summits, 56 miles and 28,500 feet of climbing is to break 24 hours, which I'm sure Pete will manage. I'm really looking forward to helping him on the way and getting a good day out on the hill with it. Fingers crossed for the weather.

2010 Race Report

My preparation for WHW '10 had gone a lot better than the previous year, my training mileage had increased, I was injury free and I was feeling pretty good all in all.

My memory of the 2009 race is clouded by the last couple of miles when I felt dreadful, so to remain in a positive frame of mind for this year I had to keep telling myself that the other 93 had been pretty good, plus I had done an appalling amount of training and that year had not really run with a single person from Rowerdennan almost 70 miles yet still managed 21 hours 1 minute, so 2010 should definately be better.

I tapered well - quite easy to do when you're lazy, and only had a couple of easy runs the 2 weeks before the race. I didn't really waste any nervous energy getting worked up about the race and found it quite easy not to think too much about it. That had the benefit of keeping me calm, but on the downside it did mean that even by the Thursday before the race I'd not done any preparation. So a frantic trip was made to Tesco to buy goods on my way to work, then I did a late shift at which I was delayed and didn't get to my bed until 0400 hours, but slept till lunchtime on the Friday, meaning that my body was slightly better acclimatised for the ordeal ahead.

I had a race plan of going out really slowly and trying to maintain a constant pace. I had learned my lesson on the Fling where I went out far too fast and paid for it. I remember reaching the finish line in that race and thinking there's no way I could run another mile, let alone another 42, and my Fling time this year hadn't been far off my Tyndrum split the year I went under 20 hours so that was a bit of a worry. 2009 had taught me that you can have a bad Fling but still bounce back for mid-June. Looking back I feel the "not thinking about the race" tactic definately reigned me in and kept me calm at the start.


Prologue

This year my support plan was for my sister Gaynor to support me on the first half of the race to Auchtertyre then my friend Jamie and his wife Elaine take over. As it turned out Gaynor showed up at my house with my mum in tow. Mum had decided that she was going to do the support role from the start this year. Each year she does a little more, in 2008 she appeared at Lundavra, 2009 at Auchtertyre so I think in 2011 she might actually run it herself - go Moira !!

We arrived at Milngavie train station about 2300 hrs and parking was already at a premium. I registered, got my goodie bag, was weighed (83.5kg) then it was time to hang about until the 0030 hrs briefing. I took time to speak to a few people in the car park, had a lood catch up with Phil Tipping who wasn't running but supporting Ian Beattie. He was telling me about Ian's intriguing plan to only take water and Complan during the race ! I 've not seen Ian since so don't know how he got on.

Also saw Karen D who looked relieved to be running a race and not organising one. She was with George Reid who unbelievably had run the day before to the start from Ft William - madness ! And of course had a quick chat with John K who was looking very relaxed and feeling pretty good about the race.

As always time in that car park went pretty quickly and before I knew it the briefing was over and we formed up at the underpass. Instead of a minutes silence for Dario, we had a minutes applause, which I felt was a much more fitting gesture, especially at the start of 'his' race.

This year we had a countdown which we'd never had before, in fact on previous years I've never even head the gun / whistle / hooter or whatever's been used to start the race. I was right at the back with Mum and Gaynor and as last year was the last person over the line - did it take me 18 seconds to cross it ?!


















The Start (photo © Flip)

Spectators lined the whole length on the pedestrianised area then bang, we were in the dark of Mugdock Park.


Milngavie - Rowardennan

As soon as I was in the park a reasonable distance I needed a toilet stop. As I was already near the back of the field I watched in frustration as everyone elses head torches disappeared into the distance and suddenly felt very lonely. Once I was running again I kept telling myself to take it easy and keep it slow. I know from previous experience that too many people go off far too fast so seeing head torches away in the far distance at this stage didn't phase me at all, I was pretty confident of catching them in another 50 miles or so !

The danger of being at the back is that you start to pass slower runners and I think this can probably subconsciously confuse & increase your pace as you pass. So again I had to hold myself back and run my own race.

It always surprises me how quickly the field spreads out and by Carbeth I was on my own. Running down to the old railway line that passes Glengoyne Distillery I heard an unmistakable scouse tone say hello, it was John K. I ran with him for the next wee while and we discussed how we both planned to run the race. The conversation we had still makes me chuckle as we both planned to take the first 50 miles easy then hoped to be strong in the second half. Only aft ultra runners would have this sort of surreal conversation, normal people just don't talk like that !

I always feel a bit guilty about Beach Tree Inn, Mum and Gaynor, like all previous support crews had made the effort to get there, find a parking space, get bits and pieces out the car , and as usual I run through without stopping - I do appreciate it honest !

About a mile after Beach Tree John stopped to meet his support crew and I carried on, I was sure I'd see him again at some point. I then fell in with a group through the really annoying bit with all the gates. As we approached the road at Gartness I found myself running next to a short stocky bloke who was puffing away heavily as if he was belting out a 10k. I wanted to tell him my rule of thumb, that if your running so fast you can't hold a conversation then your running too fast, but how do you tell a complete stranger how to run. He was never going to make it at that pace, I've no idea who he was or how he got on.

My head torch was off about 2 miles from Drymen, which was a relief as I'm not that keen on running with it. I had planned to be at Drymen in 2 hours and not the 1hr 39min I'd done in the Fling ! In both my previous races I'd been there in 1hr 58 min, this year it was 2hrs 3min, but I wasn't worried.

I slowly inched nearer a group over Conic Hill then passed them. I was finding that as I passed people I felt that I was going too quickly, but I had to keep telling myself to run my own race and that I had no idea who these people were and what type of race they were running. It was a beautiful sunny morning by now as I walked off the hill as per usual and was joined by an older chap, who made the mistake of running off in the Fling so joined me in the walk.

Into the chaos of Balmaha car park, I had half a banana, some malt loaf and a change of water bottle. I didn't stop, Gaynor just walked through the car park with me. Then it was off again onto my favourite leg along Loch Lomondside.















Sunrise at Balmaha © Fiona R - shows just how good the weather was

As the road at Milarrochy came in to view I could see a couple of people in front, one was the long blonde pony tail of Debs MC, the other chap I was to later learn was Dave Troman. Again I caught them up at a glacial closing pace and ran with them through Sallochy. Debs cheekily pointed out that by this point (about 20 miles in) I'd doubled my monthly mileage !!

I think I went past Rosie Bell at the wee bunkhouse beside the bridge then plodded on towards Rowerdennan. It was about half a mile out from the checkpoint that Pete Duggan went past me, running up a hill, I remember thinking to myself "that guy won't last if he keeps running up hills" - how wrong I was !

I had a very quick stop at Rowerdennan arriving there in 4hrs 52min, 10 mins down on my 2008 sub-20hr time. I remembered to take my head torch off this time as I'd been running with it on but not using it since before Drymen - muppet ! But I felt really comfortable and was confident with my pace. Another half banana forced down my throat by my support, a muller rice and more malt loaf, it was a very quick stop, which I was happy with, then it was off again on to the never ending stage along the lochside. Ben Glas Farm, and my next rendezvous with my support seemed a long way away....


Rowerdennan to Auchtertyre

Debs must've just looked at her food, if she had any at her checkpoint, because as I set out from Rowardennan she was miles in front of me again. On the long incline after Ptarmigan Lodge Pete Duggan went past me again. I don't know how I'd describe his gait, I'm sure many have tried, it's not a walk and it's not a run, a plodding shuffle ? Anyway it's effective and he ran past me up the hill in the company of another who was running the hills that I think was Dirk Verbiest.

I arrived at Inversnaid at 07:20 am, I normally faff about there, but this year was much slicker, top up water bottle remove packaging from food and off, eating on the hoof. Went past a few people there who had stopped including one chap that was being patched up by the MRT.

I had come out of Inversnaid behind a group of 4 runners but soon found them a bit too fast so left them to get on with it. Although by the time I'd got to Doune Bothy I'd caught and passed them. I arrived at Ben Glas Farm and met Gaynor & Mum who force fed me another banana in an effort to stem any cramp, a change of water bottle then off again.

I felt great in contrast to how I'd felt there at the Fling, I can sometimes toil up Glen Falloch but this time it presented no problems at all. The last 2 years this stretch has been broken up by meeting my team at Derrydarroch or the old A82, but this year those points were banned so it was another long stage to Auchtertyre. As I walked up an incline Pete Duggan ran past me again showing no signs of flagging, it was quite impressive and I passed the comment that he was "just a machine on the hills"

Just after Derrydarroch I encountered 3 calves, 3 cows and a bull walking up the path in front of me. The bull wasn't bothered but the cows seemed a bit edgy if I got near the calves they held me up a good bit as it took me quite a while to get past them.

I ran easily along the track above the A82 remebering how I had been unable to even run the flat bits during the Fling a couple of months before. This gave me the confidence that the slow start meant I was getting my pace right this time.

I don't like Ewich Forest, it seems never ending and all looks the same to me so it was a relief to get out of it. As I headed towards St Fillans Priory I was Jamie & Elaine in their car. I thought they'd come to see me but were lost so Elaine got an awful fleg when I wrapped on the window ! I cruised into Auchtertyre feeling good in 9hrs 56min, and was now 11 mins up on my 2008 time.


Auchtertyre to Glen Coe

I was looking forward to my baked tattie at Auchtertyre, but this year there was none ! So I made do with my own salted boiled potatoes. My weight had gone down to 80kgs, but was well within the limits. Jamie and Elaine had arrived to take over the support role and in previous years I'd changed to my road shoes here but this year I kept my trail shoes on.

I'd planned to have a decent stop here, in 2009 I'd stopped for an age, but in the end I didn't need it so after no more that 5 minutes I was off again.

As I approached Tyndrum Debs was in front of me again - how had she done that ! ? Turns out she didn't stop at Auchtertyre and was stopping in Tyndrum. It was at this point that I was first aware of Marc Casey who was running just behind me. I ran over the Fling finish line 5 minutes faster that my finishing time in April, back then I couldn't have taken another step, yet here I was quicker to this point, and feeling good. Isn't the human body a strange thing ?














53 miles in and my support finally take a photo ! Jamie leading Marc & I across the road at Tyndrum

I climbed out of Tyndrum alongside Marc Casey, but we were both concentrating on the climb, and didn't converse. At the top the full force of the northerly wind hit and suddenly Bridge of Orchy seemed a lot further away. Marc was slightly infront then suddenly turned round and suggested we work together to reach Bridge of Orchy. Given the exposure to the wind and the sight of the track winding in to the distance I was in full agreement. Neither of us would be aware at this stage just how long this partnership was going to last.

Just before the path passed under the railway I felt my first twinge of cramp in my hammies. Marc reached into his bumbag and pulled out 2 salt tablets which he willingly gave me and I gratefully accepted. The cramp didn't come back till much later.

We kept each other going which made the miles to BoO much more bearable. Even though it's a stupidly long race if there's someone just infront of you or just behind you can end up racing them and put yourself off your race plan, so it was a welcome relief to work with someone instead.

A quick stop in BoO, the obligatory half banana, change of water bottle then off again. Marc was right behind me and we climbed together. On this leg we were passed by a runner (sorry I don't know who) who had been joined by his wife and 2 young sons for the short haul over to Inveroran, it wasn't rally pacing, but I bet it gave him a real boost.

A final stop at Victoria Bridge and a refuel of the water bottle, we gave Marc some water, then it was on to Rannoch Moor. I'd had no lows by this point and really enjoyed the race thus far, so was kind of expecting to be hit by one soon and was sure if it was going to be anywhere Rannoch was it.














Here comes Rannoch ...

It's along haul on to the Moor, the climb is gentle but lengthy so Marc and I would pick a target then run to it, then walk a bit then run, etc. We crested on to the Moor and could see a handful of runners that we started to reel in. The first was Jamie Aarons who was running really well but going through a bit of a lull, so we forced he in to running with us and she kept going.

On the climb up from Ba Cottage we caught Dave Troman (I don't know where he'd got past us) then we caught "The Machine" who was also experiencing a bit of a low. The run into the ski centre is pretty rocky and unstable underfoot so maximum concentration was required. I arrived there in 14hrs 17 mins. I always feel that once Rannoch Moor is out the way I'm almost finished, daft I know 'cause there's still 25 miles to go, but it's a massive relief.














Who says men can't multi-task. Jamie doing support AND eating a cornetto - what skill !

Last year I stopped for around 25 minutes at King House, this year I still felt really positive so took my half banana, but was now starting to lose my appetite and couldn't really manage much else. My right knee had been hurting a little to I strapped it up at this stop and it didn't bother me again. After no more than 5 mins I was off with Marc again. Jamie Aarons hadn't stopped at all, eating on the hoof and was now a dot in the distance.


Glen Coe - Finish

The last 2 years I have struggled between Kings House and Altnafeadh, but this year it was no bother at all. As we ran through the Kings House I was surprised to see Jamie's mum and dad there, they were spending a couple of days in Ft Bill so had travelled down to watch. Support Jamie ran out to meet us & took requests I asked for some diorolyte to stem cramps as I could feel them brewing. A change of water bottle then off up the Devils Staircase. The name's a bit of a misnomer, it's not actually that bad and if you just keep walking it's over surprisingly quickly in about 25 mins.














Posing for the camera and "pretending" to run up the DSC.

It's a surprisingly long descent into KLL and Marc was struggling a bit here so told me just to go on. I felt a bit bad leaving him, but he'd been running well and was sure he'd catch me up. I caught Jamie A just after the path hits the track, it must be one of the steepest tracks in Scotland and it quite difficult to run down. With hindsight I should maybe have walked the steeper bits to save my quads.

On arriving at KLL, in 16hrs 41min I was weighed - still 80kgs, so must've been drinking enough. Another half banana, then off towards the desolate Lairigmor. It's quite a climb up from KLL but I just kept plugging away, passing Jamie A again then just kept putting one foot infront of the other. I was starting to feel a bit weary here, but nothing too bad. I heard footsteps behind me and expected to see Jamie, but it was Marc. So we found ourselves running together again in to Lundavra.

About a mile shy of the checkpoint we caught Sharon Law, or the "Gibbering Midget" as Debs MC so affectionately calls her ! She was struggling but as ever incredibly cheery and was still going to finish in a good time.

Lundavra was only a quick stop, then we were off. As Marc and I entered the Nevis Forest I knew I was in trouble and was hit with cramp. I think I was paying for the descent into KLL, whereas Marc who had taken a bit longer was still going strong. I was conscious that I was holding Marc back but despite my protests he insisted on sticking with me.

As we neared the exit to the forest Jamie A appeared behind us. I told Marc to crack on and thankfully he did - with ease, Jamie also glided past me. Despite it being all downhill to the finish I really toiled as my quads were just shot to bits. I'd been at Lundavra in 18hrs 33 mins and knew that in 2009 I had a bad last leg but ran it in 1hr 25min, so I knew getting under 20 hours would be close.

Unfortunately my quads were shot and as much as the rest of my body was willing I just could not push it any harder. As I got to the Braveheart Car Park I knew that I was not going to get under 20 hours, I'd started my stop watch at the begining of the race, but just couldn't bring myself to look at it, because I knew I'd be agonisingly close. With hindsight I wish I had it might've spurred me on.

Anyway Gaynor came out a couple of hundred yards to meet me and told me how close I was closer to breaking 20 hours than I thought, so I sprinted the last bit down the road and across the Leisure Centre car park.














The End is in sight

My time ? 20 hrs 17s .... I was GUTTED, to run for such a long time and miss out by such a small amount. I think I would have been inconsolable if I didn't already have a sub-20 under my belt. It was sooo frustrating !

I'd finished in a credible 13th place, out of an eventual 109 finishers, an improvement on last year anyway. Marc had left me for dead, finishing strongly in 11th place and a time of 19hrs 51mins.
















The Team


Post Race

After the race Mum & Gaynor, who had stayed the entire day, headed back to Dundee and I had my massage (see the entry on my recovery for the story there). In 2009 I had a Steven Redgrave moment when I said, no video, that I was never doing the race again. Whilst getting my massage this year Jamie asked the same question and this time I felt a lot more positive.

The last couple of years I had camped and wasn't doing that again so this year we had booked in to a hotel. Jamie's mum & dad came back to the hotel and the 5 of us had an Indian carry out in my room, which Jamie managed to spill most of over my bed. I managed a couple of drinks in the bar then it was bed. The hotel had kindly given me a room on the second floor, and there was no lift, so it took a while to get there !

The next day we went for a swim in the hotel pool which eased the legs somewhat then it was prizegiving. It's absolutely right that everyone who finishes should be recognised by going up individually to collect their goblet, and it was a nice touch to have the winner present the last placed runner with their goblet. I was surprised by the number of 'no shows', but maybe some people have long journeys home.

Looking back I really enjoyed this years race, I felt positive & happy throughout and amazingly had no real lows at all. I don't know if it was because I felt I was running well that kept me positive or if being positive made me run well - chicken and egg I guess. I definately think running with Marc for the majority of the second half helped, I'm sure he'd agree, it's just a pity we couldn'tve crossed the line together.

Definitely planning on running 2011 and hope yet to run the Speyside Way and River Ayr Way races later in the year to qualify me for the SUMS. I learned quite a bit during this years race and will post a 'Learning Points' entry in the near future.

Recovery Update

Firstly I'm still writing my race report and hope to have it on here in a few days, but I've already been saying that for a few days, so we'll see what happens. It's usually published around November time !!

This year my post race recovery's not been great and I still can't run. As expected the day after the race I had very stiff legs and between my toes was tender, although this hadn't bothered me during the race. I have previously used vaseline between the toes but that usually requires a couple of applications during the race. This year on the recommendation of John Kynaston I used Sudocrem, lashing it on at the start and did not require to reapply at all during the day. Top tip - thanks John.

All the above was expected and I knew would disappear after a couple of days, however I also had an incredibly painful right knee after the race. It hadn't really bothered me during the race, it's usually my left knee that gives me jip, and the pain was quite significant that if it had occurred during the day I'm sure it would have caused some discomfort during my run.

I've always accepted the offer of a massage at the Leisure Centre and believe this markedly reduces recovery time, however this year whilst lying on my back I had a rolled up towel under my knees then when I rolled over on to my front it was directly under my knee cap. My legs by this point were completely spent meaning that I did not have the strength to lift them at all. This resulted in my lower leg cantilevering out, unsupported and I think I may have hyperextended my knee slightly.

I've been managing to do a bit of cycling as that does not involve straightening my leg, but running is a no-no. It causes a sharp pain in my knee cap which I hoped would've gone away by now, although it is getting slowly better. It's really frustrating as I'd like to do the Speyside Way race in 5 weeks and the River Ayr Way Challenge in September, fingers crossed.

By the way, I've considered my running future and am 99% certain I'll be running the Big Race again next year - got the 20 hour demon to beat again !