Written by Peter Dorrington - https://petesoutdooradventures.wordpress.com
There is nothing dodgy about meeting other men at 5am in a railway station car park! (Tim Ross and myself prior to the start)
As I type this I am broken. I am shuffling about like a pensioner and my “nipsy” is so chaffed I feel like I have been passed round the showers in an all male prison. I am, however, full of pride and self achievement having yesterday completed the Hoka Highland Fling Ultra race!
The “fling” is 53 mile race along the West Highland Way (WHW) from Milngavie near Glasgow to Tyndrum in the Highlands. Its basically a double marathon across country trails with 7500ft of climbing thrown in for good measure. Most WHW walkers take around three days to cover the distance in the “Fling” you have a cut off time of 15 hours to complete it!
This started for me last October when my fitness freak mate Stevie Hill entered me in the race. He had done it before as had my other training buddy Ross, they had felt the pain yet decided is was fair to throw me into it! Not being much of a runner I started training in December and under Ross and Stevie’s constant berating and bullying built my distance’s up to 24 miles at a time. I covered about 400 miles and along with the others our focus seen us training in the wet and the cold through the winter. It was not braw but determination not to make an arse of myself pulled me through.
Coming down Conic Hill around the 19 mile mark.
So I will try and keep this brief. 5am saw me at Milngavie train station along with Ross and Tim (another member of our training gang I met through this stupidity) and despite a lack of sleep the excitement and adrenaline kept me awake and focused. The race goes of in waves a couple of minutes apart, the sub ten hours first then ten to twelve hours and then the rest. I should have been in with the rest but sneaked in with the faster Tim and Ross so that we could start together.
The first twelve miles is fairly flat and takes you to Drymen and a water station. I would be capable of running this in under an hour and forty minutes but I knew pacing would be crucial and held my speed back to save energy for later and arrived bang on schedule in 2 hours ten minutes. I took on some water and a mouth full of flap jack and cruised by. The next eight miles would see us really hitting the cross country trails including going over the Conic Hill. I kept to my plan and walked the hill before trotting down to the first feeding station at Balmaha approximately 20 miles into the race. I took five minutes and faffed, refilling my water bladder and having a bite of a sandwich and some nuts. My triathlon buddy Willie was there taking photos and posting Facebook updates for my friends and family and grabbing a chat with him was a welcome distraction. I pushed on feeling remarkable fresh and strong but after a punishing hill four miles later I had my first wobble. I have heard of marathon runners hitting the wall but this was more like a helicopter pilot dropping the bricks and mortar on me from on high! I slowed my pace for a mile took on some food and gels and pulled myself together and shortly after that I was passed by Hannah from my triathlon club who was running a leg of the relay race. She gave me a wee hug and some words of encouragement and it really got me going again. I ended up coming into the second feed station at Rowerdennan feeling quite together again and it dawned on me at this point that I had completed my first trail half marathon, marathon and trail marathon all in the one day. This was the have way point and I knew then I was going to finish, hey I only had another marathon to go! I was also given a massive mental boost by being surprised by my parents waiting to see me!
Half way there and looking not to bad!
I had covered half the race in around five and a half hours and was starting to think I might manage a time of around twelve and a half hours but I knew I would start to really tire and the terrain up ahead was slower and more technical than what I had covered to date!
The next seven miles or so to Inversnaid were my best. I felt strong, walking the hills and running the flats and descents just like the lads had trained me. The section flew by and I was soon at the feeding station but by now I was struggling to eat and I needed the calories. The energy gels were beginning to sicken me and I was getting by on seeds and dried fruit. I left the feeding station fairly quickly and this is were my race really started. The next section was horrible it was a relentless scramble through a rocks on a section of path following the loch side. It made for hard going and the running was sporadic, this was completely knackering and by the time I reached the final feeding station I was a mess. I wobbled in and noticed that a couple of the marshals were taking an interest in my condition and I was worried that they wouldn’t let me continue but bless them they filled my water made me eat and sent me on my way. I had twelve miles to go and had slowed considerably after the last section, I was still running but I knew I had a serious hill to come and it was playing on my mind. Stevie had fallen ill with a virus in the run up to the race and had with drawn. I wasn’t aware but he had driven up and was waiting at the 42 mile mark for me. Fortunately I was running when we met and he had a bottle of Pepsi for me! I cant tell you the lift I got from him, it was immeasurable. Despite what I say to his face he is a good guy really, even if he is faster than me, fitter than me and from Yorkshire!
The look of a haunted man. (Taken at 42 miles by Stevie).
A couple of miles later the two and a half mile climb through the forest at Crainlarich started. It really was time for one foot in front of the other relentless forward progress. I have never been so jaded or sore in any event and I had to pull myself through it with sheer determination. I got through it though, you have to don’t you? And with that it was four miles to the finish. I was determined to run in and normally this would take me half an hour but I was down to a shuffle and I had to grit my teeth and accept that it was going to take double that. I was passing people though and it looked like my early pacing plan had paid off. With half a mile to go I saw my son Fergus and my wife Rhona waiting for me and the emotion of the day spilled over. tears were streaming from my eyes and I was bubbling over with pride, excitement and pain.
Fergus helping me in!
I few minutes more and I passed the pipers playing near the finish (more bloody tears) and with that I was in the finishing shoot, onto the red carpet, crowd cheering and high five-ing, cow bells clanging and Stevie, Ross and Tim giving it ladly for me! (more bloody tears and some snotters aswell)
53 miles, 7500 feet and 13 hours and 51 minutes earned me the hardest medal I have gotten to date. Do this race If you can. The scenery is stunning, the marshals and organisation are beyond reproach and the camaraderie of the event is second to none.
Still standing!
So yeah I am broken, stiff and sore with cuts, bruises, blisters and an arse like a butchers window but it was all worth it – probably!
My knee support may have been cutting it to me a tad…….
In running this event my fabulous friends and family have helped me raise £600 to start a youth club for autistic children in Renfrewshire. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.