This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
http://www.glencoeskyline.com/
Seem to remember a bit of comment on this when it was announced.
Anyone doing it or otherwise involved?
Post edited at 00:05
In reply to DaveHK:
Was very tempted, but decided I'm not fit enough at the moment. I also don't like the fact that the route is fully marked - the only chance I have of moving out of the bottom 5% of these things is when there's navigation involved!
Was very tempted, but decided I'm not fit enough at the moment. I also don't like the fact that the route is fully marked - the only chance I have of moving out of the bottom 5% of these things is when there's navigation involved!
3
In reply to DaveHK:
There's an interview about it with race director Shane Ohly here: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7189
There's an interview about it with race director Shane Ohly here: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7189
1
In reply to DaveHK:
A friend of mine is doing it. He's a good climber and a good runner and he's thoroughly looking forward to it. He warmed up at the weekend with a quick blast round the Strathfarrer Munros.
A friend of mine is doing it. He's a good climber and a good runner and he's thoroughly looking forward to it. He warmed up at the weekend with a quick blast round the Strathfarrer Munros.
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
Personally I quite like the idea of not having to navigate!
Starting to get the pre-race nerves which I'm allaying with the knowledge that I've done comparable days, just not competitively. I'll just run my own race and my only goal is to finish.
> I also don't like the fact that the route is fully marked - the only chance I have of moving out of the bottom 5% of these things is when there's navigation involved!
Personally I quite like the idea of not having to navigate!
Starting to get the pre-race nerves which I'm allaying with the knowledge that I've done comparable days, just not competitively. I'll just run my own race and my only goal is to finish.
3
In reply to DaveHK:
Love the look of this! Would have loved to enter it this year as there's going to be some big names out there. Ironically I'm out in Chamonix for the UTMB that weekend.
Will be interested to hear how you get on and what you think about it as I'm pencilling it in my 2016 race calendar.
Love the look of this! Would have loved to enter it this year as there's going to be some big names out there. Ironically I'm out in Chamonix for the UTMB that weekend.
Will be interested to hear how you get on and what you think about it as I'm pencilling it in my 2016 race calendar.
1
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:
And they're off! Live tracking:
http://live.glencoeskyline.com/
And they're off! Live tracking:
http://live.glencoeskyline.com/
In reply to mountainbagger:
Have some got lost?
Interesting results but at the front as you'd expect..
Thought Jim Mann would be up further, really good run by Paris to still be in touch of Emelie..
Looks like Joe and Emelie have it sealed up now.
Have some got lost?
Interesting results but at the front as you'd expect..
Thought Jim Mann would be up further, really good run by Paris to still be in touch of Emelie..
Looks like Joe and Emelie have it sealed up now.
In reply to Roadrunner5:
Yeah, I often get a bit confused watching the tracking - sometimes hard to tell what's happened to people!
Looks like the OP did well (though I don't know what he was hoping for), well done Dave!
Yeah, I often get a bit confused watching the tracking - sometimes hard to tell what's happened to people!
Looks like the OP did well (though I don't know what he was hoping for), well done Dave!
In reply to mountainbagger:
Yeah it was very hit and miss early on as they said.. signals were all over the show. I think a lot was made of Emelie chasing down Joe but 8-10 minutes is a good mile so I doubt Joe felt overly threatened and coasted in. I'd say the biggest story was Jasmin Paris... just goes to show how good that lady is.
Be interesting to hear some reports of someone other than Talk Ultra.. looked a great event.
Yeah it was very hit and miss early on as they said.. signals were all over the show. I think a lot was made of Emelie chasing down Joe but 8-10 minutes is a good mile so I doubt Joe felt overly threatened and coasted in. I'd say the biggest story was Jasmin Paris... just goes to show how good that lady is.
Be interesting to hear some reports of someone other than Talk Ultra.. looked a great event.
Post edited at 21:45
In reply to mountainbagger:
Thanks. I had a good race. Binned it after the Aonach Eagach and put my tag on the collie. Was first to the bar in the clachaig .
Anyone seen a tired looking collie? We are camped at the Red Squirrel near the bogs.
Thanks. I had a good race. Binned it after the Aonach Eagach and put my tag on the collie. Was first to the bar in the clachaig .
Anyone seen a tired looking collie? We are camped at the Red Squirrel near the bogs.
In reply to Wonrek:
Pencil it in for sure because it was a fantastic event. Really well organised and a great atmosphere. Lots of folks who finished couldn't quite believe what they'd done. I had no idea what to expect having never raced over anything like that distance before so I was chuffed to bits to come in in the top 40.
Good luck with your UTMB.
> Will be interested to hear how you get on and what you think about it as I'm pencilling it in my 2016 race calendar.
Pencil it in for sure because it was a fantastic event. Really well organised and a great atmosphere. Lots of folks who finished couldn't quite believe what they'd done. I had no idea what to expect having never raced over anything like that distance before so I was chuffed to bits to come in in the top 40.
Good luck with your UTMB.
2
In reply to Roadrunner5:
Apparently Jim Mann isn't great with heights. I wonder what happened to Es Tressider as it looked like he was 2nd at the start of the Aonach Eagach. Jasmin Paris is a seriously impressive athlete.
> > Thought Jim Mann would be up further, really good run by Paris to still be in touch of Emelie..
Apparently Jim Mann isn't great with heights. I wonder what happened to Es Tressider as it looked like he was 2nd at the start of the Aonach Eagach. Jasmin Paris is a seriously impressive athlete.
1
In reply to DaveHK:
Congratulations everyone who took part. Seriously impressive! Full race report here: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/news/item.php?id=69923
Congratulations everyone who took part. Seriously impressive! Full race report here: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/news/item.php?id=69923
In reply to DaveHK:
Es has had an up and down season by the sounds of it. I'm amazed he does so well living on the flats.
It's a pity they couldnt find a way off the back of B etive Beag, that up and down again seemed quite illogical. Looked a great race though.
Es has had an up and down season by the sounds of it. I'm amazed he does so well living on the flats.
It's a pity they couldnt find a way off the back of B etive Beag, that up and down again seemed quite illogical. Looked a great race though.
In reply to Roadrunner5:
When he told me where he was living, I did wonder how that was going to work.
Yeah, I thought that, but I wonder if part of it was trying to reduce the amount of height lost - going SW along Lairig Gartain would give a beast of a climb up Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
Delighted to see Mike Tweedley do so well.
> Es has had an up and down season by the sounds of it. I'm amazed he does so well living on the flats.
When he told me where he was living, I did wonder how that was going to work.
> It's a pity they couldnt find a way off the back of B etive Beag, that up and down again seemed quite illogical. Looked a great race though.
Yeah, I thought that, but I wonder if part of it was trying to reduce the amount of height lost - going SW along Lairig Gartain would give a beast of a climb up Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
Delighted to see Mike Tweedley do so well.
Post edited at 09:15
In reply to DaveHK:
It was great - thoroughly enjoyed it despite being a tail end Charlie.... The race was well planned and organised. What impressed me most was the line taken up the approach onto and off Curved Ridge. I've been up there many times on busy days with hoards of people all kicking stuff off onto those below, but the line taken really minimised any risk of that.
Runners bunched up a lot on Curved ridge so I guess (especially if race gets any larger) they may have to stagger things. It took me 20 minutes longer to do stage 2 vs doing it myself on a quiet day. I did get a nice breather and a chat though!
Feel for the few who were timed out at CP 10 and especially CP 15. Being stopped with 7k of road remaining must be utterly gutting.
Biggest risk on the entire route was the descent through Stob Coire nan Beith - those steps are lethal when damp. 'Runner slips on steps' doesn't cut it for tabloid sensationalism though. Just wish I was fast enough to have been there when they were (probably) dry......
Credit to the organisers, the runners and the many totally unconnected people who cheered us on as we passed and who didn't seem at all upset about there being a race on......
It was great - thoroughly enjoyed it despite being a tail end Charlie.... The race was well planned and organised. What impressed me most was the line taken up the approach onto and off Curved Ridge. I've been up there many times on busy days with hoards of people all kicking stuff off onto those below, but the line taken really minimised any risk of that.
Runners bunched up a lot on Curved ridge so I guess (especially if race gets any larger) they may have to stagger things. It took me 20 minutes longer to do stage 2 vs doing it myself on a quiet day. I did get a nice breather and a chat though!
Feel for the few who were timed out at CP 10 and especially CP 15. Being stopped with 7k of road remaining must be utterly gutting.
Biggest risk on the entire route was the descent through Stob Coire nan Beith - those steps are lethal when damp. 'Runner slips on steps' doesn't cut it for tabloid sensationalism though. Just wish I was fast enough to have been there when they were (probably) dry......
Credit to the organisers, the runners and the many totally unconnected people who cheered us on as we passed and who didn't seem at all upset about there being a race on......
1
In reply to Ferret:
Was very surprised to see those checkpoint 15 timeouts. I'd have thought that if you'd got that far you should be allowed to finish. Were they definitely not retirements through injury?
Was also surprised at the people timed out after checkpoint 2, having taken longer to get there than I'd take with boots and heavy rucksack. How did they get through vetting?
Was very surprised to see those checkpoint 15 timeouts. I'd have thought that if you'd got that far you should be allowed to finish. Were they definitely not retirements through injury?
Was also surprised at the people timed out after checkpoint 2, having taken longer to get there than I'd take with boots and heavy rucksack. How did they get through vetting?
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
Yeh - hard to tell - CP 15 cut off - could have been injuries limping down or self requested but I guess there does come a time when they have to let marshals pull out and pack up etc.
As for CP 2 - I'm baffled by those. Some were up there well ahead of me, some a bit behind. I can only guess those may have been past injuries flaring up perhaps? There seem to have been no incidents so perhaps somebody otherwise fit and qualified set off at their normal pace, got to the top of the ridge but knew that something was in process of blowing up? I wouldn't read too much into the times though.... with the queuing on curved ridge somebody could easily have been going at a 'reasonable' pace and still look very slow there, and have an injury flare up. Or perhaps a few did over estimate their capacity for exposure, but I very much expect the vetting would prevent that. I did chat to a few people who said they had entered and had follow up questions about experience etc so the vetting was clearly as rigorous as it could be within (no doubt) the limits of peoples genuine honesty. A good record on sport ident helps show what you have done but people had to be honest about their climbing/scrambling/alpine style abilities as that tends not to be so clearly documented.
Yeh - hard to tell - CP 15 cut off - could have been injuries limping down or self requested but I guess there does come a time when they have to let marshals pull out and pack up etc.
As for CP 2 - I'm baffled by those. Some were up there well ahead of me, some a bit behind. I can only guess those may have been past injuries flaring up perhaps? There seem to have been no incidents so perhaps somebody otherwise fit and qualified set off at their normal pace, got to the top of the ridge but knew that something was in process of blowing up? I wouldn't read too much into the times though.... with the queuing on curved ridge somebody could easily have been going at a 'reasonable' pace and still look very slow there, and have an injury flare up. Or perhaps a few did over estimate their capacity for exposure, but I very much expect the vetting would prevent that. I did chat to a few people who said they had entered and had follow up questions about experience etc so the vetting was clearly as rigorous as it could be within (no doubt) the limits of peoples genuine honesty. A good record on sport ident helps show what you have done but people had to be honest about their climbing/scrambling/alpine style abilities as that tends not to be so clearly documented.
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
It said in the rules that the course would close after 14hrs had elapsed and that there would be no exceptions to this on the grounds of safety and marshals needing to get home etc. The guys who stopped at CP15 at 13hrs31 and later would have finished well after 14hrs so it made sense to pull them at CP15 rather than letting them complete. That's my interpretation anyway.
> Was very surprised to see those checkpoint 15 timeouts. I'd have thought that if you'd got that far you should be allowed to finish. Were they definitely not retirements through injury?
It said in the rules that the course would close after 14hrs had elapsed and that there would be no exceptions to this on the grounds of safety and marshals needing to get home etc. The guys who stopped at CP15 at 13hrs31 and later would have finished well after 14hrs so it made sense to pull them at CP15 rather than letting them complete. That's my interpretation anyway.
In reply to Ferret:
Can I ask what the vetting procedure consisted of? A friend of mine took up running a couple of years ago and has made herself a decent ultra runner (for her age), but has no experience of mountain races or really of mountains. She expressed an interest in doing the Glencoe race, but I'm not sure she appreciates the seriousness of the event.
Can I ask what the vetting procedure consisted of? A friend of mine took up running a couple of years ago and has made herself a decent ultra runner (for her age), but has no experience of mountain races or really of mountains. She expressed an interest in doing the Glencoe race, but I'm not sure she appreciates the seriousness of the event.
In reply to DaveHK:
Having been initially skeptical of this event I have to say it looks really impressive and would definitely be interested in running it next year.
Having been initially skeptical of this event I have to say it looks really impressive and would definitely be interested in running it next year.
In reply to Ferret:
Pacing is atrocious by some. It just baffles how quickly they will run the first few k seemingly unaware that they will ruin their race inside 6-8 minutes to maybe save 20-40 seconds at most. I've been overtaken in the first k by people who will struggle to complete and are breathing super hard and obviously cannot keep that up for hours, you feel like stopping and asking them what they are doing..
Perhaps a staggered start would be better. We do that at a few of races in the US which use high, technical and delicate terrain. Not ideal but you just set people of in groups of 5-10 a minute or two apart. We have huge conservation issues to deal with so racing in the mountains in the East is all but banned so basically have to do whatever they conservation bodies say.
> Yeh - hard to tell - CP 15 cut off - could have been injuries limping down or self requested but I guess there does come a time when they have to let marshals pull out and pack up etc.
> As for CP 2 - I'm baffled by those.
Pacing is atrocious by some. It just baffles how quickly they will run the first few k seemingly unaware that they will ruin their race inside 6-8 minutes to maybe save 20-40 seconds at most. I've been overtaken in the first k by people who will struggle to complete and are breathing super hard and obviously cannot keep that up for hours, you feel like stopping and asking them what they are doing..
Perhaps a staggered start would be better. We do that at a few of races in the US which use high, technical and delicate terrain. Not ideal but you just set people of in groups of 5-10 a minute or two apart. We have huge conservation issues to deal with so racing in the mountains in the East is all but banned so basically have to do whatever they conservation bodies say.
In reply to tony:
You were asked for experience in similar races (can't imagine many had that!) , other hill racing experience and mountaineering experience. I focused on my rock climbing experience as I thought that was the most relevant to the safety issue. I also included times for solo hill runs I'd done (not events) like the Welsh 3000ers.
> Can I ask what the vetting procedure consisted of? A friend of mine took up running a couple of years ago and has made herself a decent ultra runner (for her age), but has no experience of mountain races or really of mountains. She expressed an interest in doing the Glencoe race, but I'm not sure she appreciates the seriousness of the event.
You were asked for experience in similar races (can't imagine many had that!) , other hill racing experience and mountaineering experience. I focused on my rock climbing experience as I thought that was the most relevant to the safety issue. I also included times for solo hill runs I'd done (not events) like the Welsh 3000ers.
In reply to tony:
When you enter you have to demonstrate appropriate experience. Quite how the organisers prioritise factors and decide what they are happy with or not I'm less clear on (and wouldn't like to comment), and how you/they 'prove' certain things etc I have no idea.
I am a mountaineer who has started running in last couple of years (having done a marathon on road a few years back). I had a Lakeland 50 in a reasonable time under my belt and 2 or 3 other fell races in the 20 to 30 mile distance on sport ident so my running credentials are provable. Plus to do a 50 mile trailrun (and the others), one has (probably) done a good bit of unsupported long running too. I also stated my climbing/alpine background which is less easy to prove but hopefully (in my case) the wording or way I described myself indicated that I knew what I was up to. For this race (in my opinion) mountain ability is crucial,perhaps more so than simple running... a road runner or ultra runner who hasn't done any real hard fell or mountain races and/or who is not also a mountaineer shouldn't be looking at it.
I don't think it is necessarily vital to have done a similar race (indeed, having never raced outside the UK I would struggle to name anything in this country quite the same, even although Spine and Dragons back etc are seriously serious) - but I think it is vital to prove that you are both a mountaineer and a runner - without a bit of both you would be a liability. Perhaps the race reviews, descriptions, pictures now available may give her a better view of the nature of the race although I thought it looked pretty clearly to be not for those without mountain experience when I looked at it.
Perhaps the best indication is that I was surprised and delighted to obtain a place, and that's with 20 odd years of climbing, alpinism and general mountaineering and a couple of years of proving that I can actually run a long way, on trail and with a lot of ascent thrown in. If I was surprised and delighted, should somebody with little or no mountain experience even be thinking about it?
When you enter you have to demonstrate appropriate experience. Quite how the organisers prioritise factors and decide what they are happy with or not I'm less clear on (and wouldn't like to comment), and how you/they 'prove' certain things etc I have no idea.
I am a mountaineer who has started running in last couple of years (having done a marathon on road a few years back). I had a Lakeland 50 in a reasonable time under my belt and 2 or 3 other fell races in the 20 to 30 mile distance on sport ident so my running credentials are provable. Plus to do a 50 mile trailrun (and the others), one has (probably) done a good bit of unsupported long running too. I also stated my climbing/alpine background which is less easy to prove but hopefully (in my case) the wording or way I described myself indicated that I knew what I was up to. For this race (in my opinion) mountain ability is crucial,perhaps more so than simple running... a road runner or ultra runner who hasn't done any real hard fell or mountain races and/or who is not also a mountaineer shouldn't be looking at it.
I don't think it is necessarily vital to have done a similar race (indeed, having never raced outside the UK I would struggle to name anything in this country quite the same, even although Spine and Dragons back etc are seriously serious) - but I think it is vital to prove that you are both a mountaineer and a runner - without a bit of both you would be a liability. Perhaps the race reviews, descriptions, pictures now available may give her a better view of the nature of the race although I thought it looked pretty clearly to be not for those without mountain experience when I looked at it.
Perhaps the best indication is that I was surprised and delighted to obtain a place, and that's with 20 odd years of climbing, alpinism and general mountaineering and a couple of years of proving that I can actually run a long way, on trail and with a lot of ascent thrown in. If I was surprised and delighted, should somebody with little or no mountain experience even be thinking about it?
In reply to Roadrunner5:
It's an experience thing isn't it? I got it pretty much right on Saturday but I've got it woefully wrong in the past!
> Pacing is atrocious by some.
It's an experience thing isn't it? I got it pretty much right on Saturday but I've got it woefully wrong in the past!
In reply to DaveHK:
You'd think so, but I think many just never learn and just aim to complete so seem convinced it works.
You see it on the roads too, it just makes no sense to try to bank time, physiologically it is suicide.
I'm surprised there was so many who could do the race and also how few were recognized names from fell running. There still seems some reluctance/resistance.
> It's an experience thing isn't it? I got it pretty much right on Saturday but I've got it woefully wrong in the past!
You'd think so, but I think many just never learn and just aim to complete so seem convinced it works.
You see it on the roads too, it just makes no sense to try to bank time, physiologically it is suicide.
I'm surprised there was so many who could do the race and also how few were recognized names from fell running. There still seems some reluctance/resistance.
In reply to DaveHK:
Yeah I just think there's more of a cross over from the trail/ultra running scene and some resistance from fell runners.
The calendars crazy nowadays though. But I just saw the Peris was this weekend, 53 runners did that iconic route. 5 quid a runner or what ever it is, maybe £200, get some radio's, food, prizes and it brings almost nothing it to the club/charities/area.
I think someone like Shane should run the route as a sky race earlier in the year. It's a superb rocky route which has as much of not more scrambling as some sky races I've done or know the route of.. (du Montcalm, Siere Zinal, Ben Nevis, Mont Blanc Marathon).
No one can own an actual race route so as long as it didn't clash it should be allowed. You can get support to Pen Y Pass and Snowdon summit and if you want to make it tougher just run it out to Eilio but then you miss the classic descent.
Yeah I just think there's more of a cross over from the trail/ultra running scene and some resistance from fell runners.
The calendars crazy nowadays though. But I just saw the Peris was this weekend, 53 runners did that iconic route. 5 quid a runner or what ever it is, maybe £200, get some radio's, food, prizes and it brings almost nothing it to the club/charities/area.
I think someone like Shane should run the route as a sky race earlier in the year. It's a superb rocky route which has as much of not more scrambling as some sky races I've done or know the route of.. (du Montcalm, Siere Zinal, Ben Nevis, Mont Blanc Marathon).
No one can own an actual race route so as long as it didn't clash it should be allowed. You can get support to Pen Y Pass and Snowdon summit and if you want to make it tougher just run it out to Eilio but then you miss the classic descent.
In reply to Roadrunner5:
Staggered starts are standard in orienteering. 1 minute for the massive events like O Ringen, 3 is the norm at average events. Sometimes 5 or even 10 for world cups where the field is much smaller. These work fine even for events where you have to find your own route, so on a marked course it would prevent no problem. It does make timing people out trickier, as it needs to be done by the reading the chip, not the clock. Or you have a definitive cut off time, that more than allows for those who started at the back of the field.
I think this would allow those who climb well to really capitalise, rather being slowed down or having a queue formed by the weakest scrambler/climber. The only other way is if you climb well is you risk blowing your legs out to get on the scramble first or at least early on. A bit like racing out of the first cabin and trying to get on the routes before the guides in the Alps.
> Perhaps a staggered start would be better. We do that at a few of races in the US which use high, technical and delicate terrain. Not ideal but you just set people of in groups of 5-10 a minute or two apart.
Staggered starts are standard in orienteering. 1 minute for the massive events like O Ringen, 3 is the norm at average events. Sometimes 5 or even 10 for world cups where the field is much smaller. These work fine even for events where you have to find your own route, so on a marked course it would prevent no problem. It does make timing people out trickier, as it needs to be done by the reading the chip, not the clock. Or you have a definitive cut off time, that more than allows for those who started at the back of the field.
I think this would allow those who climb well to really capitalise, rather being slowed down or having a queue formed by the weakest scrambler/climber. The only other way is if you climb well is you risk blowing your legs out to get on the scramble first or at least early on. A bit like racing out of the first cabin and trying to get on the routes before the guides in the Alps.
In reply to summo:
How did it work if you missed out CR? Were you still ranked in the main race?
With queuing it was probably quicker to go up the alternate route for the slower lot.
Very impressed by Joes race, I knew he was experienced at full on mountain running but thought Es and others would have got away early on...
Interesting to see how it grows as a sport now. I don't think the vk3000ers fully caught the imagination. For all Ian's comments re the safety concerns it was probably good for the hype around the race.
I don't think they need be quite so extreme though, I know race organizers in the U.S. Who are putting on sky races are being put off by the need for super technical terrain but it's really not the heart of the sport, just proper mountain terrain. Many races are just actually trail races; Siere Zinal is super tame for example. A great race in itself but absolutely no need to even consider using hands.
How did it work if you missed out CR? Were you still ranked in the main race?
With queuing it was probably quicker to go up the alternate route for the slower lot.
Very impressed by Joes race, I knew he was experienced at full on mountain running but thought Es and others would have got away early on...
Interesting to see how it grows as a sport now. I don't think the vk3000ers fully caught the imagination. For all Ian's comments re the safety concerns it was probably good for the hype around the race.
I don't think they need be quite so extreme though, I know race organizers in the U.S. Who are putting on sky races are being put off by the need for super technical terrain but it's really not the heart of the sport, just proper mountain terrain. Many races are just actually trail races; Siere Zinal is super tame for example. A great race in itself but absolutely no need to even consider using hands.
In reply to Roadrunner5:
Are you still talking about the Skyline? I wasn't aware of any option to miss out Curved Ridge?
There was no need to queue on it if you had some climbing / route finding skills. Although they said you had to stick close to the marked route there was still plenty of room to pass people and the less confident were happy to give way if asked politely and given space. I must have gained 20+ places on CR.
> How did it work if you missed out CR? Were you still ranked in the main race?
> With queuing it was probably quicker to go up the alternate route for the slower lot.
Are you still talking about the Skyline? I wasn't aware of any option to miss out Curved Ridge?
There was no need to queue on it if you had some climbing / route finding skills. Although they said you had to stick close to the marked route there was still plenty of room to pass people and the less confident were happy to give way if asked politely and given space. I must have gained 20+ places on CR.
In reply to DaveHK:
Yeah I thought Shane said you could take the normal route up the Coire? I assumed?
I'll see if I can find the webpage which said that? Maybe he never said it.
Yeah I thought Shane said you could take the normal route up the Coire? I assumed?
I'll see if I can find the webpage which said that? Maybe he never said it.
In reply to Roadrunner5:
There was a bad weather alternative course which took the Coire na Tulaich.
There was a bad weather alternative course which took the Coire na Tulaich.
In reply to DaveHK:
I'm amazed by that Dave. You must have got there a bit ahead of me & with fewer folk on the ridge. If I'd tried overtaking I think I'd have been lynched. Or did you give them a wide berth?
Totally agree with the comments of people nailing it in the first few miles. Absolutely nuts. I had quite a few people sprint past me between the start and the A82 and then slow right down! And carried on doing this till past the Kingshouse. I reckon Alan Smith is a great example of how to pace long races - he always starts really slow and then winds it up all the way to the end -or at least sustains his pace. Legend.
That said, I think being fairly near the front going on to curved ridge would help to avoid the worst of the queues. But obviously need to be fully aware of the potential damage a fast pace its going to do later on, which some definitely aren't.
I saw a few on CR who were really on the edge of being safe / competent - sliding around trying to smear on wet rock when there was a great big crack to stick your feet in. A bit worrysome at times.
I'm amazed by that Dave. You must have got there a bit ahead of me & with fewer folk on the ridge. If I'd tried overtaking I think I'd have been lynched. Or did you give them a wide berth?
Totally agree with the comments of people nailing it in the first few miles. Absolutely nuts. I had quite a few people sprint past me between the start and the A82 and then slow right down! And carried on doing this till past the Kingshouse. I reckon Alan Smith is a great example of how to pace long races - he always starts really slow and then winds it up all the way to the end -or at least sustains his pace. Legend.
That said, I think being fairly near the front going on to curved ridge would help to avoid the worst of the queues. But obviously need to be fully aware of the potential damage a fast pace its going to do later on, which some definitely aren't.
I saw a few on CR who were really on the edge of being safe / competent - sliding around trying to smear on wet rock when there was a great big crack to stick your feet in. A bit worrysome at times.
Post edited at 09:14
In reply to GraB:
There are a couple of write ups if you want to read 'a view from the middle' in addition to the organisers, BBC and newspaper reviews. Unique shot of CR I got while have banter with most (not all) of the happy people there:
https://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/
http://carnethy.com/
I set off too fast, but there again so did most folk, but had a great 2nd half to the race making up 22 places. Ref Alan Smith - agree about the legend and such a nice guy. 93rd on the Buchaille (I beat him to there at least) and he finished 31st! 7 heads on the second half - but there were all super fasties...!
There are a couple of write ups if you want to read 'a view from the middle' in addition to the organisers, BBC and newspaper reviews. Unique shot of CR I got while have banter with most (not all) of the happy people there:
https://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/
http://carnethy.com/
I set off too fast, but there again so did most folk, but had a great 2nd half to the race making up 22 places. Ref Alan Smith - agree about the legend and such a nice guy. 93rd on the Buchaille (I beat him to there at least) and he finished 31st! 7 heads on the second half - but there were all super fasties...!
1
In reply to 2ba:
Here's my interview with Joe Symonds for the BBC Radio Scotland's Personal Best programme...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0670lc9#playt=08m13s
I thought it was a brilliant day from a spectator's point of view.
Here's my interview with Joe Symonds for the BBC Radio Scotland's Personal Best programme...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0670lc9#playt=08m13s
I thought it was a brilliant day from a spectator's point of view.
1
1
In reply to GraB:
I was only about 7 mins ahead of you at the top of the Buchaille so maybe my overtaking made up more places than time and being patient wasn't too detrimental? Looking at some of the pics there were more bottlenecks on CR later. I just picked an alternative route that was still close enough to the flags to avoid any notion of being off route. I figured that was one of the places I could make up time and places so I was determined to do so!
> I'm amazed by that Dave. You must have got there a bit ahead of me & with fewer folk on the ridge. If I'd tried overtaking I think I'd have been lynched. Or did you give them a wide berth?
I was only about 7 mins ahead of you at the top of the Buchaille so maybe my overtaking made up more places than time and being patient wasn't too detrimental? Looking at some of the pics there were more bottlenecks on CR later. I just picked an alternative route that was still close enough to the flags to avoid any notion of being off route. I figured that was one of the places I could make up time and places so I was determined to do so!
1
In reply to DaveHK:
Is that right?? Well good to know for next year its not necessary to nail it to get to the bottom first... maybe not hang around too much either, but run steady with a view of what's to come - what I tried to do.
Is that right?? Well good to know for next year its not necessary to nail it to get to the bottom first... maybe not hang around too much either, but run steady with a view of what's to come - what I tried to do.
In reply to GraB:
I'll tell you who else ran a great race, Will Manners. Just behind me at Achtriochtan and 22nd at the finish.
I'll tell you who else ran a great race, Will Manners. Just behind me at Achtriochtan and 22nd at the finish.
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...