Highland Fling race report

Distance: 53 miles
Terrain: trail of varying quality from landrover to goat herding, and a little road
Ascent: +8000' (approx)
Time: 09:56:48
Checkpoint times: 02:56 (Balmaha), 04:24 (Rowardennan), 05:48 (Inversnaid), 07:23 (Bein Glas)
Position: 18/137

I thoroughly enjoyed this race, I suspect in large part due to meeting and talking to various people I know only or mainly through the West Highland Way Race forum and various blogs. There is a real sense of community about the people running ultras that came across on Saturday at the Fling. The more I run ultras the more I meet the same faces and get to know them just a little bit more every time. Combined with magnificent scenery, running couldn't be better.


View of the Crianlarich Hills taken from Auchtertyre Farm

Pre-race

I drove up to stay with my folks in Cumbernauld on Thursday along with my wife and baby daughter. The journey was fine and I was feeling prepared physically despite the recent calf strain. However we got to Gretna and I noticed the tendons underneath the front left side of my right knee were very tender to the touch. Aaagh. Not what you want before running 53 miles - but where on earth did that injury come from? I friction massaged then iced my knee at my folks house but woke up the next day with it feeling even more tender. As a wee experiment I tried running up and down a steep set of stairs and this made the tenderness go away. Strange I thought, I'll just have to see how it goes.

The next door neighbours had decided to have a fairly serious all night party on the Friday night so my wee brother only got a few hours kip. My Dad, sleeping right next to the awful blaring Boyzone, didn't notice a thing. Together we shambled round the kitchen at 4am getting coffee and food then were off at 4:40am to the start. I met a few folk at the start and got in the mood but with my knee problem knawing away at my thoughts. I can't DNF kept going through my mind after pulling out of the WHWR last year with injury at Kinlochleven. I'd just look like a big jessie if I DNF'd again.


Neil (wee brother, support crew) and me at the start

Milngavie to Balmaha

I got to near the front, just behind the sub 10 hour folk, next to a tall guy with beard and kilt. I asked if he was au natural underneath and he replied no before we discussed the risks of chafing in some detail. Then the official kazoo squawked and we were off, runners flowing up the stairs towards Mugdock park.


Flowing runners at the start

I wore my Garmin 205 until Rowardennan just to keep an eye on pace in case I got too fast too early on. The pace was just over 8 min/miles as I settled in to talk to Ian B and Tim Downie along the high street and into the park. Fast! The pace varied a little but didn't get much slower than 8:30/mile until Drymen. I had planned for 9:30/mile until Drymen but I felt comfortable and was keen to keep up with Ian B and John K as I knew they would be around 10:30 hours for the race or below, my basic goal for the race. A brief stop at Drymen to fill up water was followed by a similarly fast pace towards Conic Hill. I overtook John K and Ian B but still felt comfortable so decided to stay at the pace I was running rather than slow to their pace. In other ultra races I've found that my performance degrades over distance, and not really with how fast I set out so I thought I may as well get the miles under my feet now whilst I can do more than shamble. I arrived in Balmaha in 02:56 after a seriously wet and windy climb over Conic Hill - much, much faster than I had planned! Could I keep it up? Would I finish ahead of John K? Where was the fleet footed ultra novice Thomas?


A very wet and windy action shot from Conic Hill (photo - Murdo McEwan)


A quick refuel and chat with Murdo MacD at Balmaha

Balmaha - Rowardennan

I really like this section of the race, possibly more than any other section. There is lovely lochside scenery to your left, the relaxing sound of lapping water and the trail quality is good - with some interestingly sharp ups and downs.

It was here that I caught up with Craig Liddle, whose pancake filled stop at Balmaha was catching up with him. This was his first ever ultra race so he was experimenting with food and I think he discovered that lots of pancakes and cheesy crackers don't sit on the stomach too well. There was er a fair amount of wind of the burpy variety (luckily). Anyway, we ran together into Rowardennan (just over 1 marathon completed) and were getting on well so hooked up again to start the next stage to Inversnaid then Being Glas. Often I prefer to run and talk than to become completely lost in my own world.

Rowardennan - Bein Glas farm

The landrover track drag out of Rowardennan to the start of the forest trail that eventually leads to Inversnaid can seem to take an eternity but it wasn't so bad this time. The seemingly endless gradual incline and meandering twists and turns of the track can be quite a spirit downer but I felt strong and pretty chipper really. My calves really felt the lactic acid build up though and early on in the stage John K slowly caught us up, then slowly peeled away. I toyed with trying to stay with him but didn't want to risk blowing up, as I knew I was already going faster than planned. The competitor in me did think about it though! In hindsight I think I made the right decision.

Craig and I switched leads between us and made very comfortable and enjoyable progress along the banks of Loch Lomond, running with Davie Bell from Inversnaid onwards. I even enjoyed running the goat herding quality track from Inversnaid to Bein Glas and as the sun began to break through the glory of the snow capped Crianlarich Hills and the surrounds of Loch Lomond kept my spirits high. This is why I run.

Running with Davie and Craig at my back made sure I wasn't tempted to walk except for the steep or prolonged inclines. However, as the photo below shows it was still bloomin sore coming into the Bein Glas checkpoint.


Davie, Craig and me (with the 'I have sore legs' face) coming into Bein Glas

I had been eating Jamaica cake and drinking coffee and water at support cew stops but by this point in the race was beginning to get pretty sick of sweet things. I reckon I'll try to cold beans idea suggested by a few other runners for the WHWR to break up the sweet monotony with something savoury but easy to prep and eat.

Bein Glas farm to Tyndrum (the finish)

Davie, Craig and I ran, OK waddled, out of Bein Glas together to take in what I think is the worst section of the race and of the whole West Highland Way - the rocky, muddy, relentless, boring track to the forest above Crianlarich. I would hate it if were not for the views of the mountains and hills. The mud above Derrydarroch was particularly fearsome so progress wasn't too quick and as we ran into the forest I began to think about whether we could make sub-10. I wasn't sure exactly how many miles were left to go until we hit Auchtertyre when I knew it was 3 miles. I tried to keep the pace up through the sharp ups and very sharp, knee destroying downs of the forest trail and we hit the flat before the farm with more than 30 minutes to go. Sub-10 could be on I thought.


Davie and me coming into Auchtertyre Farm

Craig was beginning to suffer a bit, having just run out of water. I only had two moutfuls left but knew my folks would be at the farm with full support crew less than a mile away so told him that he could restock fully at the farm, but if he was really desperate then just to say. He was happy with this so we trotted on. Craig began to fall behind Davie and I a little and as we entered the farm Davie went to get a proper drink and I just had a quick mouthful and grabbed a gel pack. I told my folks to look out for Craig (which they did - he was duly restocked and refuelled) and I upped the pace, looking at my watch thinking I have around 24 minutes to get 3 miles - 7 mile pace required and doubtful.

I kept up the pace at best I could between the farm and the end (thinking come on come on come on repeatedly) and sprinted the last few hundred metres in an attempt to get sub-10. It was a very sore and exhausting effort and I had no real idea if it was worth it. Was my watch faster or slower than the race clock? I asked and to my delight I was told that I had come inside the magic time, and by a few minutes, not the few seconds I feared in my ungainly attempt to sprint finish the race.


Surprise champagne presentation at the end of the race

Thomas, the novice ultra runner, was there looking as if he had finished for hours and John K had too, almost returned to normal. Davie B came in sub-10 with seconds to spare and Craig was just outside the 10 hour mark. Ian B came in shortly with a PB, Tim D then made 1st in the super vet category and Hugh Kerr came in over an hour quicker than last year. Great runs all round from the WHWR blog and forum community. Well played.

I felt a little rude that I had become consumed with the sub-10 target and zoomed off from Auchtertyre without telling Davie B, but as he came in sub-10 too I don't feel too bad. I asked and he didn't seem bothered at all which is good.


Support crew help me in my feeble attempts to take my trainers off

I was running as part of team Australia, which I have to admit didn't fare too well. We had one injury pre-race and one during the race (my dad then gave him a lift to Tyndrum) but we'll be back pommies - watch out! We did very well in the beer drinking stakes though I believe.


Happy runner with support crew (Gordon, left and Neil, right)

Many thanks to the organisers - I thoroughly enjoyed myself and look forward to 2009!

I particularly want to thank Davie Bell and Craig Liddle for their company for much of the race. Talking away to folk helps keeps your spirits up and the feet moving - thanks guys. It was really good to meet Thomas, Silke, Tim, Allybea, Andy Cole, Murdo MacD the race organiser (what a friendly man!), Jim the aussie, Keith the aussie and to talk to Mark Hamilton properly (well through a post-race haze). Good also to see Ian B, John K, Hugh K and Phil Robertson (sorry to hear about the knee!) again. All cracking folk.

And it goes without saying - many thanks to my support crew for the day - Gordon (Dad) and Neil (wee brother). It was their first time supporting and they provided great support, happy faces and ample provision of sundries.

And, yes, my strange knee tenderness is still there but I didn't notice it at all during the run. Most odd.