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McStecko · Joined: 28 Sep 2007 Posts: 294 Location: Crieff

As I write, my legs are just beginning to show the first weak signs of recovery from Saturday's race http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0202. I think this has to go down as the hardest hill race I've done - much longer and hillier than either the Pentland Skyline or Stuc a Chroin.

The race starts at Arrochar, goes up the glen for about 4 miles or so before climbing Ben Vorlich, Ben Vane, Ben Ime and Beinn Narnain. 4 Munros in the space of about 16 miles and with about 8000ft of climb.

To add to fun the terrain is rough, boggy, tussocky and rocky in varying degrees as well as being really really steep in places and on Saturday the clag was down to about 500m with visibility less then 50 metres for much of the time.

As a result, I suffered from quite a few navigational misdemeanors (including one that saw me clinging to a 5 metre high vertical rock face with both calf muscles cramping up) but somehow managed each time to latch onto someone that appeared to know where they were going.

Not everyone was as fortunate including one woman from Westies who was running with me for a short while and then veered off on a different route following Kate Jenkins from Fife AC with the result that she ended up wandering aimlessly around the hillside for an extra hour and a half! Kate DNF-ed...

I started the final climb up Beinn Narnain alongside the woman in second place. Half way up I started getting cramp in both inner thighs so that each step up sent the muscles into a painful spasm. Fortunately, she took pity on me and gave me a sachet of electrolyte powder which almost immediately stopped the cramping.

Coming off Beinn Narnain I again managed to go wrong but then caught site of the leading and second place women descending the hill. I set off in hot pursuit and managed to overhaul them both just before the bottom of the hill. As I hit the flat track to the finish however I discovered that the only speed I had was entirely gravity assisted and so had to suffer the ignominy of both women re-taking me in the mile or so run home.

In the end I finished in 35th place and a time of 4.51:11 - don't believe the official results http://www.shr.uk.com/RaceResults...?RaceID=RA-0405&RaceYear=2009 as they have me down in 38th in 4.57:11 (7s and 1s can look the same I guess...).

There are a couple of photos of me looking in varying stages of physical collapse:

On the 4 mile run up the glen at the start:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scot...8677065/in/set-72157620689258810/
Just about to start the climb up Ben Vane (munro #2):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scot...9432742/in/set-72157620689258810/
...and 1/4 mile from the end with Clare and Alayne pulling away from me:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scot...8591803/in/set-72157620689258810/

digby · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 77

very well done. spring in your steps as the line approached, nae doubt.

wendy · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 74 Location: crieff

Nope i guess i'll never understand the attraction of these races..!
A very well done and pity we don't have pictures of the rock climbing/clinging part. Laughing

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kaznicholl · Joined: 10 Oct 2007 Posts: 239

Phew!

Correct decision on my part I think!

Well done Phil. Hope the legs start to ease off soon.

Kaz