UKC

Anyone else heading for Inverness (ish) tomorrow?

Random circumstances mean I'm getting a chance to go and limp round (not fast enough to escape the midges either...) for the first time since 2007. I have dug out an elderly pair of fell shoes unworn for many years, am hideously jet lagged, and the fattest and unfittest I have ever been (which is an achievement in its own right). What could possibly go wrong?

Getting excited now - mostly about the prospect of coming last in the Score!

Where do you reckon we will be? Tprridon or the Fisherfield forest are my best guesses...

Have fun everyone...

b

In reply to ben b:

have a good one Ben. No matter how fat and unfit if you make good route choices and nav well you can do OK

P

In reply to ben b:

Good luck and enjoy it! I wanted to run this, but achilles tendon problems have intervened. I heard rumours it was Dalwinnie way, but that may well be wrong.

In reply to ben b:

yup, I'll be there - Our first MM in a couple of years. We've previously done the C, then tried the score out (disastrously!) so this year we've dropped down to the D. I've been cycling a lot more than running recently, and battled with a few injuries, so just getting round will be an achievement.

In reply to ben b:
Yep, will be my first MM, doing the C.

In reply to Paul Atkinson:
Thanks! Unfortunately in the first leg of the long drive I mistook the M40 for the M4 thus an extra 50 miles on the journey to Ludlow... Then got list out the back of Titterstone Clee. I'm really stuffed then

Anyone on the score now knows they won't be last so I have done my civic duty...

Strath Carron - should be good and my munro bagging partner is hoping for a high value CP on the Cheesecake.

Good luck all

B

In reply to ben b:

Umm yes, in a very random twist of fate I'm ditching my coast path ultra for a mountain marathon this weekend....sounds a pretty fair swap in my books!

See you there

In reply to ben b:

My wife Mel and I are doing the Score Course.
Fully expect to be on Fuar Toll, Sgorr Ruadh, etc, but question is - will we be going as far as the big Torridon hills. No doubt find out tomorrow.

In reply to Grahame N:

I think a bus to Torridon is quite likely. Beautiful day too

Have a great weekend.

B

In reply to ben b:

Hurt like a hurty thing! My life that was hard graft. My first ever mountain marathon and ended up on the B course, hard slog with very little runnable terrain.

How'd everyone get on then?

In reply to Wonrek:

Well done on your first MM, and on a "B" too - tough start! Good effort. That haul up to the bealach halfway through day 1 was hard graft but at least the stalker's path was lovely running in its lower section. Haven't seen the day 2 B course but some friends gave up after failing to find an early CP.

I see Grahame N & Mel also placed very well - 10th in the score, very impressive!

b

In reply to ben b:

Thank you. Day 2 was by far harder than day 1. The slog up a near vertical gully on chean dearg was beyond soul destroying!

So little of the course was runnable to so just hard slog mostly. Still baptism by fire sounds good to me

In reply to ben b:


Thanks very much, it was a great weekend in the hills.
We had a good Day 1 which included the two Munros. On Sunday we went east to collect a couple of controls which in retrospect was a mistake, we should have gone for the bigger points further west. So we finished a couple of places down from our overnight placing.

Worked out we covered 52km and climbed about 3400m over the weekend - phew!

In reply to Wonrek:
14th on the C!
Fantastic weekend, sounds like our course was the most runnable, although the scree traverse towards the end of day 2 was less pleasant. The 450m of descent in 2km, mainly on soft ground afterwards was fun though.

In reply to Grahame N:

My legs were stuffed after 47km and 2000m, the thought of the extra 1400m of vertical is making me feel in need of a lie down! Great effort.

b

In reply to Wonrek:

I found day 1 harder by far! The technical whizz back down Maol Chean-Dearg was joyous, and the terrain slightly more runnable than the Saturday. Maybe I was just in the zone by that point!

In reply to patrick_b:

Day 2 was a killer on the b course. Probably not the best idea to cut your teeth on your first ever MM on a B course, two weeks after running a 100 miler I guess....

We weren't last at least lol! It was a total eye opener for my partner too who is used to finishing top ten in the A class.....

I loved the terrain even the tough gnarly bits but I'm not completely converted

In reply to Grahame N:


We did 55km and 2700m, also on score. Didn't pick a good route on Saturday (went round the back for the 50-pointer, then ran out of time) and were 36th, but much better on Sunday, 12th on the day.

Superb weekend, I was so pleased at the prize giving to hear Martin say he'd be back again next year, we were worried he might be giving up after the anniversary event!

In reply to Wonrek:

Sorry should have said, we were B course too.

Good effort for your first MM though - terrain like that isn't an easy place to start! Especially so soon after a 100m ultra! Yikes. It was my partner's first MM too but he's an instant convert! Something to do with coming 2nd probably..

In reply to ben b:

It was my 14th, this time C class and it was a good one wasn't it? I love the views of the Torridon from that side. We came our lately customary 2/3 down field after merely hurrying a bit and absolutely none of this new fangled training business! The eight hours drive and four hours sleep may also have contributed. It was great to see the old faces behind the Wilf's counter again, apparently they are only really doing the café in Stavely and the LAMM now. I also echo Simon's comments about being glad to see that Martin is thinking of carrying on, even if I don't, as I did fear this might be his swan song.

In reply to patrick_b:

2nd or not....what's to like about sleeping in a midge infested field, being eaten alive by insects, *that* pit when you could've just carried on and got the job done in a long day?!?!

In reply to pog100:
Ahh pog....didn't see you there, shame. I used to be known as clears from former UKC Halloween meet?

In reply to Wonrek:

Haha, all good points!

In reply to patrick_b:

And worst of all?

No sausages or ging gang goolies.....wtf?!?

Ultras rock

In reply to Wonrek:

An yes, I remember you! Burbage? John Lewis was there too? I didn't know you did this sort of thing. Maybe next time, if I do next time!

In reply to pog100:

That's the one! I didn't back then.....things change

My first MM I generally stick to trail ultras. I loved the course, truly loved that but less convinced by the 'wildlife' at the campsite

Do shout out, I will probably be seen in a field again in the future!

In reply to Wonrek:

It was a pretty dismal night in a tiny sweaty tent, I'll grant you, but how often do you get the excuse to sleep on bubble wrap or balloons otherwise eh?

b

In reply to ben b:

Lol, I saw one of those balloon ones, hysterical! I'm an ultra runner....Gucci gear only thank you 😜

In reply to:

A packable inflatable mattress for 90g? And a free children's entertainment resource. What's not to like?


b

In reply to Wonrek:

So you were the daft buggers we saw heading up that gully with the snow patch!? ;O)

Agreed that day two on B was pretty tough going...although the utter slog up to the bealach on Day 1 dented our spirits somewhat. Our route choice was pretty good but we suffered from not being able to move more quickly.

In reply to SFM:

Possibly......! Turns out it wasn't a *bad* idea, just possibly not the best actually the snow patch was fine, it was the slimy wet rock that came afterwards that was a little more sporting. But I'm a climber right, what could possibly go wrong :-D

The whole course was hard slog tbh, I was being overly cautious too which didn't help as I had another more important race the following weekend.

How'd you get on then? Doing the Marmot thus weekend?

In reply to Wonrek:


We are
Interesting weather forecast...

In reply to Simon Caldwell:

Enjoy! I'll be thinking of you from the comfort of my (tapering) sofa! I've got the North Downs Way 100 next weekend so indulging in some rest for a change. Sadly no mountains

Have fun and stay safe

In reply to Wonrek:

indeed....all routes can be soloed in mudclaws... :O)
we hmmed and hawed about tearing up the gully too but in the end went for the "safer" open hillside vertical grass option.

Think we came 40th in the end which is worse than last year. Time to review the training I reckon! In the Alps currently so seeing lots of Marmots :O)
Got a duathalon in September so need to up my cycling miles(i.e. actually do some!).