Ding, ding the thirteenth Highland Fling

By half past five last Saturday morning Milngavie Station car park was the annual mix of nervous laughter, old and new friends chatting, selfies being taken and queueing for the portaloos. This race is now the biggest ultra in the these islands, in terms of numbers, and this year was also playing host to the Scottish Ultra Trail Championships. There had been 861 names on the start list but I was fairly sure that number would come down to somewhere around 750 on the day, sadly that dropout rate included our own Jim Mearns who had reluctantly but sensibly concluded that both his foot and fitness were not yet up to running 53 miles on the WHW. The three amigos would not be together on the trail today.
Having previously run the race two years ago Ruth was this time treating it as her longest training run for the big one whereas I lined up for the sixth consecutive time, and my 35th ultra, with no set goal or target in mind other than to enjoy myself.

Please note we did not pop in to Greggs for supplies, steak bake anyone?

We had decided in advance not to run together as in 2016 but to run our own races because she will have to do just that come June, at least until Auchtertyre. Given that there isn't a great deal between us in our ultra pacing we weren't at all surprised to come into Balmaha together, some 19 miles into the route.

If Carling did views...

Half way down Conic, carefully watching our footing

Approaching Balmaha

Having initially dropped me on the climb up Conic (quote as I was passed, 'maybe if you shut up now and again you might run faster') it was on the much shorter and steeper ascent of Craigie Fort that Ruth finally attained the peace and quiet she so evidently desired, remaining within sight for many miles thereafter but eventually disappearing into the distance.

It's worth running ultras just for the views

I continued to struggle with every incline, losing places all the while and, frankly, was not a happy chappy. I don't usually mind running alone but in my current form I needed others to help lift my mood and so ignored Ruth's forceful advice and chatted to everyone and anyone even as they were passing me as she had done. By this method of distraction I found myself 14 miles up the course at Inversnaid where I committed the cardinal sin of not concentrating on what I was doing (and yes Ruth, talking too much - in my defence I did know quite a few of the marshalls!). I walked out of the CP eating, gabbing and leaving my bottle of water sitting on a table. By the time I realised it was too late to head back and reasoned I could get by with burn water - I know, I know, check for dead sheep upstream, etc, etc. However I got very lucky when telling another runner of my stupidity she immediately offered me a full bottle she had in her backpack. So a huge thank you goes to Lynne Zabek of Kinross Road Runners for saving my day (and gut?).

Another mood lift appeared when I reached Beinglas Farm unscathed, unlike last year's WHW race, in the shape of ultra-buddy Jim out supporting for the day and telling me that Ruth was only five minutes ahead. I'm getting to know him well, or so I thought, and didn't believe a word - I assumed he was being positive and upbeat for me. Looking at the splits later it turned out there were in fact six minutes between us so I have to say sorry Jim, I'll hang on your every word next time.
Leaving here chatting (sensing a pattern here?) I was still toiling on the big uphill sweeps and had to watch as yet another companion headed off. I began to sense a personal worst was to be my lot for the day but trudged on, hardly running at all, under the railway, the road and through cow sh*t, sorry poo, alley just before the forest above Crianlarich.

For the last couple of years there has been an unofficial checkpoint here dispensing water, coke, music, encouragement and hugs to all and sundry manned by Graham Kelly and Katie Hall whom some of you will know - it's a long and hilly few miles up Glen Falloch towards the finish and it was most welcome.

At the very edge of the forest (yes, at the top of that big hill, if you know it) were sat two ladies playing accordions complete with sheet music stand. Giving them a wave of thanks I suddenly realised one of them was calling my name. It turned out to be a running friend I hadn't seen for a while - she explained that since we had last met she had been diagnosed, treated and was now clear of breast cancer. I blurted out my own situation which she hadn't previously been aware of, we both became a wee bit emotional and hugged each other. As an aside I would highly recommend removing an accordion from your shoulders before trying to hug someone - it doesn't half get in the way!

Leaving them to get back to playing I suddenly remembered I had a recently acquired packet of honey stinger chews in my pocket, a reliable go-to source of energy for me until two years ago when they disappeared from the market. Two were quickly down the hatch and the transformation was almost instantaneous. You can make up your own mind whether it was the chews, the emotional and unexpected meeting with a friend, the cup of coke at the bottom of the hill or a combination of all three but - as Tommy Cooper used to say 'just like that', I could run again. Wow, it felt wonderful - I was initially running the downhills only but, gaining confidence, I surprised myself by running many of the ups too. I was charging past loads of runners at a ridiculous speed (for ultra running ) and would have to suffer some caustic comments should I come to a sudden halt yet began to run even faster. Unsurprisingly many folk commented later on the turn of speed I had found.

The longer this went on the more confident I became of keeping this pace going all the way to the finish and, despite my delight in Ruth beating me for the first time, began sneaking the odd look ahead to see if I could spot her red top - it wasn't to be though and the first I saw of her was when she called my name just after I crossed the line. I did so in 13.28.01, in the end only 54 seconds slower than last year, in 534th place from 673 finishers while Ruth breasted the tape in 13.24.39 - a pb by an incredible 1.08.28, some four minutes ahead of me and, of course, leading harrier. Chapeau Ms Kelly, as the cyclists say, hats off to you.

Ruth's smile says it all, no caption required

The male race winner was pre-race favourite and GB international Kyle Grieg of Metro Aberdeen in 7.06.58, which is 8.02 minute miling. Given that chunks of the route are difficult even to walk it begs the question of what pace these guys are running the remainder? Kyle was two minutes up on Rob Sinclair's 2017 course record of 6.41.13 at Drymen but paid for his (too fast?) early efforts in finishing a full 25 minutes off that pace, still an astonishing time from a man who only ran his first marathon in 2016.
The female race winner was last year's third place finisher Rachael Normand in 8.22 23, a mere four minutes ahead of her Carnethy club mate and training partner Nicola Duncan.

Anecdotal evidence indicates there was a high dropout rate on Saturday but, as seems to be becoming the norm these days, DNFs were not included on the published results spreadsheet. Perhaps race organisers are trying to be kind to some runners by masking the fact that they did not finish but I find it frustrating to be unable to view all the results. Everyone on the start line is taking part in the race and to pretend they didn't exist on the day is not giving the whole story. Seeing where and when some people's races ended can give a much clearer picture of the entire event and can also indicate the effects of the weather on that particular day. If I hadn't seen a friend standing in the car park in Garadhban forest with a blanket draped over her shoulders I wouldn't have known she was in the race at all. Simply making it to the start line of an ultra is a huge effort in itself and there is absolutely no shame in not finishing. You might carry an injury to the finish during a 5k, 10k, half or even a full marathon but not in an ultra. It will happen to all of us at some stage. Sorry, rant over.

PS All the very best to Robin Ramsay who is running 35 miles on Saturday at the Kintyre Way Ultra. Hope you smash it pal.

PPS The John Muir Way Ultra

I didn't blog about this race at the time simply because the weather conditions made it unpleasant in the extreme. We are all familiar with those times, few and far between thankfully, when a run or race is nothing but a chore to be over and done with as soon as possible. Now viewed from a distance of five weeks I'll briefly recall my day. 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I can honestly say that I have never been so cold at the start of a race in my life (and never want to again!) with the bitterly cold wind driving in off the North Sea across the seafront at Port Seton.

I've never raced with four layers on before

Not long after the start we had to contend with near-horizontal rain too just to make us even more flipping miserable, in fact it was so unlike a 'normal' ultra no-one was chatting much, not even me.
I didn't begin to warm up properly until the route turned inland at North Berwick, although not up the Law thank goodness, some 25k in. Unfortunately we now faced a good few miles along riverbanks which someone likened later to 'running on six inches of cold porridge', no doubt making for hilarious viewing but horrible to run on. Many runners came in covered in mud due to falling on this section, I had a couple of close calls myself. 

At last the end was in sight and I gratefully crossed the line in a poor time for a relatively flat 50k of 6.03.18. The female race winner was Nicola Duncan of Carnethy in 4.09.59 who went on to finish second at the Fling while the male race winner was Steven Rowntree in 3.50.56. Later, just to complete my day, I spent fifteen minutes struggling to get out of the field which was doubling as a car park and drove home with the car splattered in mud, oh how I laughed - not.
In retrospect I'm certain this would be a lovely route to run on a better day but definitely not on the 31st of March this year!