Well that’s the end of the winter and what a send off its had this year, kicked right back into touch by 20+ degrees temperatures and long sun soaked days… Cold, wet and windy weather get back in your box! I don’t want to see you again until October!
Looking out over the Highlands
I used to love the winter, it meant Kayaking for the wettest of it and Ice Climbing for the coldest , whatever the weather there was always something to push me , I love the extra Ante’ the winter adds to everything , the danger of anything going wrong is far worse than in the summer , the conditions you face all factor in and make it far more serious thank most realise , everything must be checked and double checked.The daylight hours are short and its normally very cold so you need to be in and out with little fuss or you could be in trouble. Unfortunately since my shoulder injury I have been unable to climb or kayak, only my fight to become a better runner has kept me busy but c’est la vie I’m getting to old anyway !! … Feeling a little Melancholy the other night I started flicking through some old climbing books and found a newspaper clipping stuck between two pages, it was marking a climb on Stob Coire Nam Beith … It is very unusual for me to have done something like this because much to my regret, back in my ignorant youth I didn’t keep anything to remember the glory days, my halcyon years are lost to memory for the most part , and too much smoking of weed back then lost me a few of those to !!! Magazine articles, paper clippings, photos and even friendships have been lost over time and now I truly regret not even attempting to keep something , maybe now in the digital age we forget the effort required to store and keep safe memories , life beyond a hard drive seems way more complicated …… although my mum allegedly has a hidden stash intended for my daughter to read when she’s older.
back in the days before wrinkles ...
The clipping was from what now seems a life time ago , when as a fledgling Ice Climber I undertook a 3 star classic gully on the famous GlenCoe mountain of Stob Coire Nam Beith. My 3 companions Jim, Jock and Tam …. wow! that sounds like a warm up to a joke and I had headed off from the Scottish Borders at 4.30am on the long journey to Glencoe fully expecting a tough day out but not in the way any of us expected…
Here is my recollection of that day……
We arrived at first light, and looking up at Stob Coire Nam Beith from the car park below I saw a behemoth of a Snow covered mountain towering above me, full of steep Icy gullies and long fang like icefalls, was I really going to climb that? Was I ready? Although already pushing well into the E-grades on rock I had very little experience on ice that morning; this was soon to be rectified!!
Typical Winters climbing rack
Jim and I sat behind the car sorting out all our equipment , lots of it for Ice climbing , checked and double checked, there was no way I was humping a rucksack that heavy up a mountain to forget a vital piece of equipment and have to come back down empty-handed , no way ! Finally we were ready , crampons on and off we went, walking the 1800 feet up the icy mountain paths and through the slippery rock gardens to find the traverse that would bring us out at the bottom of Central Gully, this was the route we had chosen to undertake that morning, a 3 star classic and one that given our relative lack of experience would definitely be a test of our skill, nerve and character. It’s hard to remember how I felt in those early years , I think I was to stupid or at least seriously naïve to the dangers back then , now a days I am quite rightly a quivering wreck ..
Stob Coire Nam Beith
I was to lead the route, Jim was belaying so nervously I prepared to climb. Standing below the route I eyed my foe for a few minutes … Fuck it time for battle !!!Off I went , slowly picking a route up the Neve’ and Ice . Eventually I hit a difficult Ice step, maybe 30 feet of 90 degree steepness before a step over a ledge and into a gully above, I headed up and after maybe 20 minutes of slow deliberate climbing I took a rest in a handy nook before making the move to go above…. all of a sudden snow came down, lots of it, an avalanche!!! I sucked close to the wall, pulling my body as far into the recess as I could, holding on for my life as I was blasted from above by snow for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was probably only seconds, once it eased I lifted my head and looked below to check the lads were still there, they had dived for cover and thankfully they were ok but they were shouting up at me , Mark !!! Mark!! There was a body!! …..
Its a long way down .............
Shit!! a body ? I looked below and saw blood and what appeared to be a lot of it, it was smeared down the gully below and continued out of sight… Adrenaline shot through me , I remember shaking , I got myself together and quickly I started to reverse my route. After a while I had made it back to my companions. A body had come down with the avalanche and disappeared below, was he alive? We had to find out ! Tam had the flares so he set off a rescue flare high in the air; we desperately needed the Mountain rescue there as soon as possible. I started to set up a series of abseils and followed the gully to way below where we had joined it, following the snow and blood splattering as far as we could until it appeared to go very rocky and disappeared off into a sheer cliff face . I could see a body and it was caught precariously just above a chute which looked to drop right off the cliff face…Adrenalin was pumping again and I felt very nervous looking down at the body stuck between the rocks. We had to find out if he was dead or alive, if he moved and fell down the chute he was certainly dead!! I set up a last abseil and took my equipment down , I headed just right of him for fear of dislodging anything that could hit him, at first I couldn’t see his face for blood, his hair was long and blood soaked to, at first I thought head injury but later discovered his nose to be severely broken and responsible for most of the blood, he was jammed into some rocks , he looked like he had several possible breaks or dislocations, I couldn’t move him for fear of back or neck injuries so I secured him to the rocks he was snagged on, this way at least he couldn’t fall any further. My companions set off another rescue flare and we waited on the arrival of the Mountain rescue who seemed to be on the scene with no delay at all!! The Lochaber squad don’t mess around and are the number 1 mountain rescue squad in the U.K. , they get plenty practice for sure. I had a flask of hot orange and as the man regained consciousness I let him sip some to stave off any hypothermia and shock that was certainly setting in. We didn’t talk much as he was not able but I think he was better for me being there while we waited.
Scottish Mountain rescue at work ...
Eventually the rescue boys were on the scene , a ground crew arrived first, they assessed the situation and radioed for help , soon a helicopter was swirling over our heads. That was the first time I witnessed a mountain rescue and soon the injured climber was whisked high above to a huge Sea King helicopter that nearly blew us to our feet with its downdraft. The sense of relief seeing him head to safety was very emotional and as the adrenalin died down we began to chat about what had happened and just how crazy the day had been, welcome to Scottish Winter Climbing … No doubting that it was a horrible day to have been part of but thankfully one that spurred me on to learn, practice and practice even more the mountain rescue techniques which would later pay me back in full for the effort back then.
Sea King flys overhead
I read in the paper a few days later that his name was Andrew Porter and he was a climber from East Kilbride, he was in the Glasgow Royal infirmary and would recover fully from his injuries, he had fallen near the top of the gully and slid 400 feet down the front of the mountain before being jammed in the rocks just 20 feet from a sheer 500 foot drop.. As much as he was unlucky, he was VERY lucky… If anyone reading this knows Andrew , say Hi from me
It’s amazing the memories that a clipping can bring back….. If you’re out there now pushing yourself and having the time of your life, keep some memoirs, it’s totally worth it !!!!
Id like to thank Jim, Tam and Jock for being there that day ,and James Roddie for the use of some of his excellent photos … thanks James , they are a beautiful portrayal of Stob Coire Nam Beith ..
Marking the spot where Art O'Neill died high on the mountain in 1592
Art O’Neill was an Irish bandit who was arrested and held at Dublin castle, later escaping at midnight one cold January night back in 1592, his Ultra race follows the 35 mile escape route that he used , it runs through Dublin , up and over Blackhill mountain before ascending Arts Cross , the name they gave the mountain where Art and Red McHugh made their final stand against the soldiers chasing them, unfortunately also where he met his end …. One of my favourite Ultra races and a real adventure , with a starting time of 2am , a super fast and very steep road section through the country lanes heading up to the Wicklow mountains , then after checkpoint 1 it is off-road mountain running with navigation in the dark, this year the Sun rose as I was climbing Arts Cross … it was so awe inspiring that I said screw the race and spent 10 minutes just taking it all in …….
The summit monument of Arts Cross .... in the daylight
The Art O’Neil Ultra race……….
I had hoped to spend Friday at my desk with my feet up in the air but unfortunately the University had other ideas and gave me a Japanese student to look after instead, so my whole day was spent demonstrating and talking on my feet, eventually though my working day was over and I headed to the Marriot Hotel near Edinburgh Airport where I was meeting Lee , a kayaker from Ayr to hand over the last of my kayaking equipment … My retiral from kayaking was to be finalised only a few hours before my first ultra of 2012, a sweet and sour 24 hours it was to be .Deal done I headed to the airport and went through customs before jumping on Ryanair flight RY322 to Dublin, finally a little time off my feet …Waiting on the other side was my old friend Adrian Shanahan and his lovely girlfriend Carla, they were my hosts for the weekend and they were that and much, much more ….. The word awesome is used far too easily these days but definitely not this time, they were “AWESOME” hosts!!!
Runner gather in the courtyard of Dublin Castle ....
As we approached Dublin castle I could hear the music thumping hard and soon I saw the crowd of runners and walkers raring to go…. Over 400 entrants in 3 different categories, walkers, hybrids and Ultra runners…. Walkers are self explanatory, hybrids run the first 15 miles to checkpoint 1. before joining a walking group where they are guided over the next 20 miles of mountain terrain, and then the Ultra runners who run all the way and navigate across the mountain by themselves. I had to register before 12am so quickly changed in to my running gear , loaded my pack with all the necessary equipment that is required by the rules and headed into register my appearance , I was quickly asked to check my equipment and then sign the disclaimer before I received my number, I met Gearoid the main man , a fine fellow and ex Olympian rower, we hugged and he looked happy to see me back for another year.
Mark King , myself and Dominic .... strong runners indeed , Irish old skool hill men.
I looked around the hall for my friends Aiden Blake and Mark King who were also in the race, I found them quickly and it was great to see them, Aiden I had run with last year and after a year of hard ultra he was looking super fit , Mark I met in the Himalaya with his friend Stevie , I loved those guys up there , they were warm and funny and really made my Himalayan100 race perfect , unfortunately Stevie hadn’t been able to make it as he had a bad groin strain … Another brilliant find was Paul Kelders, a fella I met on twitter, an MDS 2013 competitor and in the flesh a friendly and witty Irishman of the best kind, it wasn’t long before we were all swapping tales, joking and having a laugh passing the time before the start.
Gearoid addresses the crowd ..... telling the story of Art O'Neil and Red McHugh
Pretty soon it was midnight and the music was turned down for Gearoid to tell the tale of Art O’Neill and Red McHugh’s daring escape before meeting their end on Arts Cross Mountain … he wished everyone well and the horn went up for the walkers to begin their challenge , a roar went up ad 300+ left Dublin castle courtyard with a 35 mile trek ahead of them , it was to be a tough night ….. Next up were the hybrid runners at 1:30am before we, the Ultra Runners were cheered off at 2am.. I waved good-bye to Adrian and set out on my first section from Dublin to Kilbride high up in the Wicklow countryside… this was a tough run following the city streets up and out of Dublin then at mile 7 a hill that climbs over 1700 feet and just keeps on going up and up !!! I started to meet the walkers at about 8-9 miles in and it was great to hear them encourage us onward and upwards….. Still I was very glad to get to the top and see checkpoint 1…
Climbing towards the Wicklow mountains and looking back at Dublin .. awe struck !!
Here we were allowed a “drop bag” full of equipment and quickly I looked for my bag… disaster!! it wasn’t where it was supposed to be, I looked everywhere but no…. I grabbed a steward and we both searched , eventually finding it in totally the wrong pile but hey these things happen , maybe someone thought it was theirs and dumped it back in the wrong place , anyway I quickly loaded up my rucksack with mountain supplies including my GPS and mountain gear …
Checkpoint 1 ....
I headed out into the dark , pretty much I was on my own now as the walkers were few and far between … it was a very cold clear night , the sky was alit with stars and it was a half-moon so visibility was good , I switched my head torch off for a bit to save my eyes as it was now 4 am and they were starting to tell me they were tired , I ran along a rough track for a mile or two before spying head torches below me , I thought I better get busy and check my position , I pulled out my GPS and switched it on … shit !! it appeared to be in some strange language , bugger , I couldn’t figure it out at all , the symbols just weren’t intuitive enough and I couldn’t change the language back, I must have spent the best part of 20 minutes trying before giving up , the only solution was getting my map out and going old skool, it wasn’t hard getting a fix on my position, just as well as I didn’t recognise where I was because the route was different this year from last … I ascertained that I had missed a cut off and should have been down in the valley , I ran back to see a couple of fellow runners heading down a field which brought me out on a country lane that I recognised as the start of a monster climb up to the cut off onto the rock path for Blackhill …
Where the hell in Ireland am I ??
I ground my way up the hill in 200 metre bursts as it was way too steep and long for me to run especially after now nearly 18 miles of steeps , I remembered it from the year before so had a plan …. By the time I hit Blackhill I was shattered, the lack of sleep was definitely taking its toll and I looked in the sky, the moon was still high, shit!! I desperately wanted the sunrise to lift my body’s natural energy and shake me out of my zombie state, although I must say there are some striking similarities to running with sleep deprivation and smoking a pot filled bong….allegedly
Leaving checkpoint 1 ... any speak Polish ?
I was trying to see the outline of Blackhill in the distance , I knew where I wanted to be and headed into the heather and grass tuft strewn hillside , if I fell over once I fell over a hundred times , was it the night , the lack of visibility or was it just because I was tired I don’t know but it was doing my nut in and at one stage when I fell , I put both my hands out to stop myself and my gloves went into a puddle of freezing cold water , my gloves started to freeze with the wind chill and I started cursing just being there !! Then I realised I started to think I was way to low as I was close to the river… I again tried to get the GPs to show me where I was but I kept getting stuck on the menus, then all of a sudden!! BINGO!! The map initialized and finally I I could see where I was , it was still in Polish but I didnt give a shit !! just so long as I could see the map and my position I was happy , unlucky for me I was to low and I quickly headed north to a break in the upcoming forest at a firebreak… I ran through and down a forestry track for a while and eventually I arrived at checkpoint 2 where I met Adrian and Paul Kelders who both looked to be having fun.
Mountain rescue organising safety cover ..
I quickly grabbed a cup of tea and headed out of the checkpoint and ran quickly along the trail to climb through a steep wood before hitting the fells of Arts Cross , there appeared to be 2 options for the ascent , a long shallow climb up the shoulder or a fast run into the valley and up the steepest part … I opted for the long shallow climb, hoping that after 30 miles of steep running it would leave my legs fresher for the run down the back side and to the finish … I was right and I topped out reasonably fresh and with one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen, so amazing that I had to stop for a while and take in the ambience, 30 miles travelled and less than 5 miles left … I wanted to finish yet I still wanted to be out here in the hills.
Wicklow mountain sunrise .......
From the summit it was navigating peat hags and deep bogs that looked like they might swallow you whole if you were to fall in , the year before this had been a frozen wasteland but this year it was wet and dangerous looking , I took a bearing and went for it … I had met up with Dominic on the run up to the summit and we formed a loose partnership over and across the bogs , he was a great guy and we ran the last 3 miles over the hill paths down the back of Arts Cross to the finish at Barravore below … as we approached the finish line it was nice to know my legs were still running easy and there was more to give if I needed it , I had been nervous as the Art had approached, the weather had been stormy and wet for so long and I had gotten so lazy this winter that my training had suffered badly, however I paced it out easy and a finish was never in question but all the same , hard training for 2012 starts now , nothing better than a hard race to get your motivation back …….
Dont ask .... haha
I’d like to say just how friendly the whole event is , the Irish runners are gentlemen of the finest degree and I was made to feel very welcome at every stage …. and you have to respect their abilities , they will not be beaten !!! Waiting in the hall before the starting gun there were whispers of certain English and Danish supermen amongst us over to take the crown from Eoin Keith , holder of the record and title, but in the end Eoins battle was not with them but with his own fellow Irish men in the shape of Paul Tierny and Greg Byrne …. power to those boys , they are outdoor athletes of the highest order.
Eoin and Paul head out of Dublin to do battle in the hills ...
Thanks to all at the Art O’Neil, Volunteers, organisers, competitors and spectators and most of all Gearoid!! That guy knows how to throw an Ultra race!!!!
The Art O Neil , certainly was a bumpy ride ...........
2011 has been another amazing year , one of both great success and heartbreaking failure. ..What with my decision to close my High street business’ due to the effects of the recession , the death of a close friend and the news that through injury I would never kayak hard White-water again it has had its low points but I held my head up and embarked on some madcap adventures of the running kind and along the way I met all kinds of charasmatic and crazy people , from meeting my adorable girlfriend Rhalou to running across deserts and mountains with forest monks and crazy Irish farmers and through it all tweeting the time away with the inspiring people of twitter. I’ve laughed, joked and cried my way through 2011 …. so to everyone who comes here to read a little of what I’ve been up to , Merry Christmas I hope you found something worth reading and it helped get you out the house …….
Enjoy the Holiday , eat , drink and be merry ……work hard later ….
Ultra-Girl , Series 1 Episode 1 ……. The Yamaa Trust Charity Winter Ultramarathon
Rhalou poses in front of the Beauchaile Etive Mor .. Guardian of Glencoe
Last year when training for the Marathon Des Sable I was running every race I could get an entry into , I was scouring the internet for potential races to keep myself motivated in the goal of keeping to my 100 mile a week training schedule , I was entering hill races , road races , marathons anything !! and during my internet trawling I discovered a certain Dr Andrew Murray , apparently he was an ultra runner who used to live and work here in the Scottish Borders both in Hawick and Melrose and he was running from the top of Scotland to the Sahara to raise money for Mongolian orphans through a charity called Yamaa Trust , WOW!! I thought , amazing stuff !!, as an avid charity fundraiser myself I investigated further and it turned out he was also holding a charity Winter Ultra race from Kinlochleven to Tyndrum , over the Devils staircase and along the West Highland way …. all proceeds going to the Yamaa trust, right let’s get on this I thought!! but it was in 3 days time and the entry’s were closed !!! shit , but God loves a trier and I am certainly that , so I emailed a guy called Dave Scott at a company called Sandbaggers that night and he sent me an email back saying just to be there at the start with my donation and he would let me race , Excellent I thought… I have since got to know Andrew a little better and Dave Scott really well , I have now ran in both his fantastic Scottish Ultra and his Gobi race where I saw at first hand the amazing work they do with Yamaa over in Mongolia and I even fought the big bastard in a stick fight at a charity MMA night in Glasgow and later found out that the power of a polite email with a smiley face at the end was enough to get a battle hardened race organiser like him to ease his entry rules and let me in that fateful night , funny to think a lot of my adventures are owed to a little smiley face, so I turned up in Kinlochleven on what was one of the coldest yet beautifully sunny days in Scotland ever and had the time of my life ….. So this year I was definitely doing it again and so was my girlfriend Rhalou , she was keen to give it a go , to run a Winter mountain Ultra across Glencoe and beyond , potentially in horrendous Scottish weather , it’s not called the Yamaa Winter Ultra for nothing , this is no mean feat, I bow to her tenacity as she is a city road runner , albeit with a marathon and several half marathons under her belt , indeed it was because of a half marathon that our paths crossed .. so here she was going to give it a go in the aid of charity , a good story for her magazine Womensrunninguk and romance !!
Kinlochleven and the starting line ..
What with our holiday to Cyprus and various other social arrangements , not to mention the dark nights Rhalou has had to work hard to keep up her fitness , we ran a trail run local to me a while back to give her an idea of what off-road running was about and she loved it , apart from that however her closest off-road experience since has been a run up the beach in Cyprus so she inevitably was stressing a little leading up to the race , her RunDemCRew and Incline Accelerator outings were good training but not for running long , myself I was still fit from my Himalayan100 race so I was confident enough , so a fortnight ago I took Rhalou for run up the London Canals for about 3 and a half hours and she ran really well , I told her to start tapering in readiness for her Ultimate Ultra running challenge. I had originally booked us into some Micro Hobbits in Kinlochleven but had changed my mind at the last-minute when I saw the weather forecast , it was horrendous , snow , sleet , rain , gale-force winds and worse was to be the order of the weekend , so I picked up the phone , cancelled the hobbits and booked us into the Tyndrum Hotel instead , only 200 metres from the finish line to so we could collapse into the pub and not worry about getting back to Kinlochleven after a hard day on the hills.. this was to turn out to be the best piece of forethought ever as a certain Ultra-runner could barely even sit in the pub for long after her exhausting day !!! :)
The weather was looking a little Scoittish ....
We drove up on Friday night through serious wind and rain , this was not boding well at all for our race but we made it to Tyndrum OK and checked into our Hotel , there was a certain surrealism as we stood among American memorabilia waiting to be shown our rooms , it had transformed into an American themed diner since my last visit , crazy especially as it sat in the heart of the Highlands not on bloody Route66 … but the rooms were both dry and warm so no complaints from me .. we settled in and I made sure the equipment for the next day was checked and packed , yes! you need equipment to run in the Highlands in winter , no marathon with all its aid stations here and this was definitely not going to be a happy jaunt in the sunshine that was certain.
Rhalou and I ready for the off !!!
The Alarm went off at 6:30am and up we rose , porridge, breakfast bars and Lucozade sport down the hatch , dressed in our hardcore OMM mountain running gear and headed out to the car with our equipment , the weather had dropped slightly, the storm had passed early and it was a cold dry winters morning although still snowing on the high ground, result !!! .. the drive is about 35 mins from Tyndrum to Kinlochleven and the drive took us through Glencoe in the Semi Darkness , large mountains looming up each side of the road , a huge eery sense of foreboding as we approached the IceFactor in Kinlochleven where we would start the race. Other runners were gathering and it was good to see a lot of familiar faces including Donnie Campbell who ran an incredible 184 miles including the West Highland Way race from Milngavie to Skye in one push and has now set up a little business called GetActiveRunning , now that’s one Ultra coach who can put his money where his mouth is , and the infamous Dr.Andrew Murray himself , I introduced Rhalou to the intrepid duo as her partner magazine MensRunningUK had just run a story about the two of them in the December issue. Pretty soon Dave was giving the safety talk and we all lined up to get going.
lookign toward the DEvils staircase
No hanging around that cold morning and soon we were off , 50 runners belting out of the Ice Factor car park and round the corner to a small hill which lead to a bigger hill then an even bigger hill !!! and eventually we were looking at the huge climb that is the Devils Staircase .. this mountain pass was given its name by the soldiers who were part of the road building programme of the late great General Wade, probably because of the difficulties of carrying building materials up that stretch of the “road” , Legend has it that the De’il himself was said to have appeared and claimed a few of them for himself ………
Rhalou lookign down GlenCoe from the top of the Devils Staircase...
Rhalou and I climbed the torturous ascent and her road running credentials were proving no match at all for its difficult rocky nature but she dug deep and eventually we made the top of the pass , the view from here was breathtaking , to the west you look down Glencoe , to the east you look up to Rannoch Moor then Glen Orchy , two of the most beautiful glens in Scotland and we were about to run right through the middle of them .Rhalou the princess of urban running was smiling from ear to ear as she took in the view and celebrated getting to the top of the huge climb , I could see the realisation in her ace that she was actually enjoying herself. The weather was closing in though so we wasted no time and headed down the Devils staircase and the run up to the famous Kingshouse Hotel where we looked back on Glencoe and the mighty Beauchaille Etive Mor , the magnificent mountain which guards the entrance to the “Coe” from here we headed up and over the West Highland way drove path and across to the Glencoe Ski resort , 9 miles in and 19 to go I told Rhalou who was working hard to follow me up the hill , only 19 she said joking ……
Loch Tulla
We made a long slow climb over the back of Rannoch moor , eventually meeting Loch Tulla at the head of Glen Orchy , the weather at this point was horrendous , blizzard conditions and gale force winds , I stuck close by Rhalou chatting and joking so to help her confidence and with 20 years of mountain experience under my belt I knew it looked worse than it really was , she was doing great though , taking everything in her stride and the miles were drifting away as we approached the final hill before dropping down to Glen Orchy Hotel the 22 mile point , Phil from Sandbaggers was there to meet us and gave us a little encouragement as we headed up to Glen Orchy railway station where we would again join the West Highland Way and follow it all the way to the finish line at Tyndrum , we battered on into the wind and ran a fantastic section up on the hillside following a rough track flanked by towering mountains either side , the enormity of where we were was really apparent here , the highlands is a grand place , huge in its stature and we certainly felt tiny in comparison.
go go go .... UltraGirl
We plowed on and with about 4 miles left to go I could see how hard Rhalou was working ,pain was etched on her face with every step , she told me her legs were very sore with every step and starting to feel like Jelly but she dug in and kept going , I’ve spent a lot of time with Rhalou now , done a lot of great things together and I now have a growing realisation and admiration for the fact that under her guise as a feminine city princess there lurks an up for anything , take it on the chin and never give up free spirit .. she was certainly giving it everything on those last few miles although she was starting to doubt my statement of “not far now” , 26.2 miles of a marathon is a long way , 28 miles across the Scottish Highlands in epic weather , mud and huge mountainous climbs is a LOT longer … I was full of pride for her as we ran together down the last hill to the finish-line , we crossed in semi darkness and Rhalou was elated , she hugged me with the last of her energy before Karen from Yamaa trust presented her with a finishers medal , Rhalous first Ultra marathon was in the bag and in full Scottish winter conditions to boot !!! the birth ofUltragirlwas right there on a rain-swept night in Tyndrum ……….To be continued .
After nearly 8 weeks away including a Himalayan mountain race and almost 2 weeks in Cyprus followed by several weekends in London I finally had a free weekend to enjoy the Scottish Borders and its beauty, and I have to say absence makes the heart grow fonder !! I am lucky to live in a place where beauty is everywhere , you cannot turn a corner without seeing a view fit for a postcard , it may not have the epic grandeur of the Highlands but its in every way its equal in beauty and way more runnable if you crave great trails yet don’t want huge mountains and this weekend I craved just that .
The view from my garden…..
On Thursday night I sat down and began to plan a run , one that would take me over my favourite local hills and trails and on to the summit of the extinct Volcano that fills the view from my houses every window. I am lucky enough to live in a converted steading next to a working farm between Hawick and Melrose , sitting high on a hill I wake up to the most glorious views imaginable every morning , its inspiring to say the least. My planned run would have an escape route at 20 miles if I wasn’t feeling the love as this is often when my boredom threshold is hit , if I was buzzing I would continue to the Volcano and make it 31 miles in total.
31 miles of beauty …
Friday was a beautiful autumn day , soft light and sunshine , unfortunately it was also one that I spent looking out my office window stuck at the Uni until after dark !!! , I awoke on Saturday to gale force winds and light rain , I sat waiting for it to break as the forecast said it would be intermittent and eventually it did , I headed straight out the door , jumped my fence into the fields and headed to the Minto Hills ,after a few fields , a 5 bar gate and a bull I soon topped out on the first summit before heading over the sheep trods to the second , the view here is amazing , you can see the Eildon hills over at Melrose from here and on a summer’s night its got to be one of the most dreamy views in all the borders , from the second top I headed high up the fields to gain height and followed a horse trail over the hills to Ancrum , the Scottish Borders is horse trail heaven , they are everywhere !! in the Borders horse riding is huge and nobody who grows up here escapes it , some time in their life they will ride a horse , even I was schooled in the equestrian arts way back in my youth. Its been a long time since I have been on a horse but now I appreciate it for the amazing trail system that I run on most weeks.
Endless running possibilities ….
Some times I can’t believe there is no real trail running culture here , yes there are Kenny , Billy and the hardcore hill running beasts , but there is no-one really out hitting these trails … they are beautiful , accessible and 95% runnable , you can go far , climb hills that are hard but never to steep to require a walk , just drop a gear and slowly grind your way to the top. The scope for trail running events has to be huge , the horse trails are epic and there is no access problems , we are already the most travelled to county in the UK for our epic mountain biking so why no trail runners !!! maybe soon …….
Fatlips Castle … check out the new access road that climbs from the fields at the back
After skirting Ancrum I dropped down low and followed the bank of the river Teviot back along the valley floor before I began a steep climb up to Fatlips Castle , this is an old Pele tower and has the most outstanding view from its top .The castle is said to have obtained its unusual name from the habit of the members of the house to greet guests with less discretion than was considered decent at the time. One of the pleasures of a visit to Fatlips used to be that “every gentleman, by indefeasible privilege, kisses one of the ladies on entering the ruin. definitely my kind of castle … …… check the view out , I made this a few years back and required me to stitch over 100 images together.
There has recently been a £200,000 grant for its renovation and when I approached I discovered there had been a large access road cut through the forest in to it , normally I would go crazy at this kind of scar but this time it’s for good reason so I followed the new trail to the castle.I stopped here for 5 mins to enjoy the ambience.I looked at my Garmin and I had hit the magic 20 miles , from here I could make it home in 3 miles or I could head south to Ruberslaw the extinct Volcano adding an additional 11 miles , I was having such a good time that I had to think for the whole of 10 seconds , fuck it !! up the Volcano.Onwards !! , it’s a cracking climb up and has a full 360 degree vista of the Borders from its summit , on a cold winters day you can almost see the sea , it’s also reason I get crazy druids at my door !!! but that’s another story ……
The wind was picking up at this point and I decided to get moving , it was pretty much a slow descent for about 3 miles before a long slow climb followed by a very steep finish on the Volcanoes summit and by the time I hit the ascent path it was blowing a gale force wind right in my face , I normally run this path , its steep then it contours nicely then steep again but the wind necessitated walking and by the time I reached the top it was FIGHTING!!! I could hardly stand up ! I also noticed a huge black horizon line heading for me across the fields , a storm was coming !!! I didn’t stay long , just enough to take in what I been missing for these last few weeks , I was buzzing at where I live , it was just breathtaking !! peaks , rolling hills , forests , rivers , fields all stretched out before me …….. beautiful with a capital B !!!!!! The storm hit me with 5 miles to go but I didn’t care , I pushed on and soon I could see my house , I ran the final field and jumped my fence before sitting in the rain on my patio …… that was what Ultra running was all about for me , a mix of grand adventure, a beautiful journey ran on my feet , under my own power and as nature intended it !!!
I did a bit of tweeting along the way and many thanks to all who were following my progress , it’s always nice to have you onboard !!
remember all my blog posts are my own experiences and my interpretation, if you feel I’m wrong say so in the comments and we can also learn from your experience ………”
We had been travelling for 17 hours, over mountain passes 20,000 feet high and across a desert that appeared to stretch the entire length of India! , but now I saw it, far below us lay the mighty Tsarap-Zanskar river, this is what we had come for! And the scale of what lay in front made me feel that the life I had led before this trip , my years of kayaking , climbing and mountaineering were merely preparation for what lay ahead , a river so physically and mentally demanding that only a relative handful of people had kayaked it before us , it is a huge volume grade 4-5 torrent that rages through 220 miles of 2000 feet deep sheer sided canyon , a river where a single mistake could cost a life , where escape was impossible and a river that had a starting point of 14,500 feet in one of the most remote and inhospitable Himalayan regions of India , Kashmir
The Grand Canyon of the Himalaya …………………………
I have always focused my blog on running with occasional departures into inspirational people or equipment, mainly because I started the blog at the advice of my friend and Irish kayaking legend Adrian Shanahan to help in my MS Society fundraising when I started on my Marathon Des Sable goal , last night I found this old article , one of several that I have written in the past for magazines , after dinner presentations etc and I thought I would share it and some of my photos, hopefully I will blog more of them if this one is well received ….. for those of you who dont know , I have been a kayaker and climber for nearly 20 years , travelling to many far flung destinations in search of the worlds best rivers and rock faces , my shoulder injury now means I have had to leave that life behind but in its place is now running and all the adventures it has and is yet to bring so no regrets !!! I hope you enjoy the story, I certainly enjoyed the trip .. Unfortunately Chris Wheeler who was part of this trip later died in kayaking accident , he was an amazing character and an outstanding kayaker having ran many of the worlds hardest rivers , may he rest in peace and never be forgotten ………..
Arty kayak shot .. I was smoking some crazy weed man !!
Neil Farmer, my good friend and companion on many trips and expeditions had started to put all the pieces together a few years previous, he had done the research, worked out the logistics and sat bug-eyed looking at Google for weeks, he had again come up trumps, it looked like it would work, the team he had put together was strong, 7 good friends, all solid boaters with their own areas of expertise, and all great company on a trip. Andy Holtham , ex Ugandan river guide now living in Glasgow , Matt Brook an expedition boater from Stirling , Chris Wheeler a very skilled boater with more trips and experience under his belt than the lot of us put together , Colin Kingswood a guy who has guided on some of the largest rivers in the world including Chile and Austria , Dug Rae a young apprentice on his first big trip , and myself a kayaker who has chased the dream of far away beautiful white water for nearly 15 years .The only problem was that Neil and Andy were teachers with set holidays , meaning that we would have to enter the gorge during the peak of summer ,most kayak it in September at “low” level , for us though the water levels would be exceptionally high and it could easily be 45 degrees in the sun , the Himalaya is a harsh environment , even more so in the summer heat.
Leh .... Himalayan hub
Over the next 6 months all the pieces of an expedition are put together ,emails , telephone calls , flights , transport , equipment , maps , food , plans , plans , contingency plans and even more planning !!! And on the 24th of July we all fly to New Delhi airport and from there on to Leh, a shanty town in the Himalaya sitting at 13,500 feet, built on one of the old trade routes over the Himalaya, cashmere wool, salt, grain and cannabis are apparently the main products still brought across by Donkey trains, this is to be our base for the next 3 weeks….Walking off the plane in Leh the first thing that hits me is the altitude, nothing can prepare you for this, gentle acclimatization over time is the only way, we have to get all the equipment sorted and loaded into the awaiting transport, this proves a daunting task with limited oxygen, huffing and puffing we carry all our equipment from the airport to the trucks and then onwards to our accommodation.
Himalaya ....
Seeing the Himalaya for the first time is breathtaking , its on a scale that you could never imagine from photos , tv programmes , even people’s own description , you just have to see it for yourself to grasp it , it is rugged and harsh , yet has a jaw dropping beauty that no-one can deny. You get the feeling that you could pick up the entire French Alps and hide it behind just one Himalayan mountain.
Charming ... hsssssssss
Days 1 and 2 are spent just lazing around trying to acclimatize , looking at maps , taking in a bit of local culture and just getting our heads in gear for the mission ahead , trying to stay positive is very important on a trip where there is no room for fear or negativity .
Pretty fucking remote ...
Day 3 We head off to the river Indus for a warm up, the Indus is a huge volume river originating high up on the Tibetan Plateau and gave India its name. We run two 20km grade 4 sections and get a feel for the style of BIG water paddling , everything goes well and despite still acclimatizing we are all pretty much on form .
Kinda chunky ....
Day 4 Today is to be the final 25 mile section of the Zanskar gorge, this is accessible by road and should give us a real taste of what is to come, it is tough, huge river features, whirlpools and crashing water everywhere, this one started to worry us, if this section was so hard what would the harder more remote sections of river be like.
A long way into nowhere ............
Day 5 is spent preparing our equipment and double checking everything, forgetting something like a water filter would be very serious, once we are all in the gorge there is no going back so nothing can be forgotten, we then set off on our 17 hour journey from hell, the roads in the Himalaya are more dirt tracks than roads and sat in a 6 wheel drive bus bouncing around for hours on end isn’t good for the back! Travelling over 2 of the highest passes in the world and crossing a desert plain the size of 1000 Wembley stadiums started to give us a real idea of how remote we were going to be in the upper sections of the river, even if we could escape the gorge, how long would we last in the 45 degree heat, we were at least a weeks hike to the nearest tiny village, nothing could go wrong or we were in very serious trouble!
Hmmmm ...... lets see now ..
Day 6 It is all go, we get on and kayak down to the start of the gorge, where the walls started to close in and the two mountain ranges come together, here we will camp, a last check of our equipment and then rest up after our long and journey to the drop off point, there wasn’t much chat around the camp, everyone was nervous with anticipation of what was to come.
Its looking gnarly ...
Day 7 As soon as we enter the gorge it all goes crazy, the river is huge, far bigger than we expected, the sides are all washed out so there is nowhere to stop, rest or inspect what lies ahead, we have to read and run from the kayak, It feels like we are being flushed down a giant toilet! , a few lucky escapes ensued and before we know it we have kayaked 30-35 miles of grade 4-5 in one day ! , we manage to find a raised platform above river level so we camp , the air this night is filled with tales of huge waves and man-eating holes, oh and of course smelly thermals .
Chris negotiates a steep.....
Day 8 Is spent fighting our way through more “toilet bowl” gorges and a long section of very difficult technical white water where I have to dig deep in my psyche and keep cool, even though I know the feeling of fear is trying to fight its way into my head , fear is no good , even a split second of hesitation can prove fatal in this type of environment ,everything must be done positively , fear will only slow your responses down and I have no choice , I must kayak this canyon because I cannot get out , so I must be positive , fear will only spread , your friends do not need to hear it , they’re having their own mental battle , fear has to be boxed and tossed into the back of your mind , the only way is forward , literally in kayaking ! , we made it through, nobody said it was going to be easy and it isn’t but we are all sitting in our boats and most of us are smiling, we grab the next available campsite, with the gorge looming 2000 feet above us it is getting dark within 30 minutes of the sun disappearing, so we had to move quick, still sitting in my boat in the dark was not an option!
Phugtal Monastery ...
Day 9 After a short hard section the gorge leads us to the Buddhist monastery of Phugtal , the monastery is built into the Cliff-face , high above the river , only accessible by walking up the river when it is frozen in the winter, it is the ultimate refuge and as a wannabe buddhist I was very excited to see it , we climb up and walk around , amazing , time is passing so we head back down to the kayaks and head down river to a horrendous section of un-runnable grade 6 called Reru falls , this is a mandatory portage and just one look was enough to know this wasn’t going to go ! , hours later we have portaged over and up huge boulders avoiding the grade 6.
now for some mountaineering .....
Day 10 The upper Gorge has opened out into a desert plain, it’s very weird to be sitting on a huge torrent of white-water snaking its way through a desert , this meant we are already half way , we are really eating up the miles , the huge water levels and continuous nature of the river has pushed us through quickly , we are a full day and a half in front of our schedule , already through the first set of gorges we decide to camp at the mouth of the next gorge , this takes us most of the day to reach and with no mountains to shade us it is hard going , the heat is over 40 degrees , the backs of my hands are blistering before my eyes and my dry-suit was heating up fast , rolling the kayak is the only way to get cool , 40 degree heat into 5 degree water , it was like running out of a sauna and diving in an ice pool.
a calm before the storm ....
Day 11 We are up early and straight to it , we kayak into the final gorge, keen to get out of the early morning heat , the gorge moves up another notch , tough hard paddling , in one section the gorge which is more than 60 foot wide squeezes down to 10-12 foot , and I’m shot through it !! , rapid after rapid loomed, there was no stopping! , 4-5 hours without a chance to stop and we are spat out at a place we recognise , it is the start of the lowest section , the section we had run nearly a week ago , things looked different though , it was much bigger ! , the river had risen considerably , almost 15 feet higher than before , we could camp here or we could go on and complete our journey , doing the final gorge in one day , this was unheard of , something to be very proud of !! , “If Carlsberg did kayak day trips “ , we decide to go for it and 3 hours later we leave the Zanskar gorge behind us and float out into the safety of the confluence with the Indus , amazingly 2 days faster than had been planned for.
let us outa here !!!!
That night we celebrate cooked food, rum, and beer and eventually when we can no longer keep our eyes open some uninterrupted sleep in a bed, it had been my finest trip and now, although I was glad to be standing on safe dry land, I was also very sad that the adventure was all over.
A motley crew ....
Leh temple
Leh marketLeh Monastery
Indians wondering what the big plastic things are for .
Natural selection is the non-random process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution resulting in the best biological solution for the given environment ….
Top Secret Testing …….
The lab boys at Inov8 sent me a TOP SECRET sample of their latest pack design and asked me to put it through its paces so I could give them feedback as part of the strict Research and Design process Inov8 put their products through … like mother natures natural selection it’s a process of trial , error ,re-think , re-make and trial again and again until eventually the Alpha sack hits the shops for us consumers to buy , and these days at a speed that would make Charles Darwin rise from the grave !!!
Inov8s new sack …..
I originally tested the Racepac 25 for them in March when I the Marathon Des Sable in one , now that was extreme testing and it passed with flying colours !! my review is here : Racepac25 … So I was stoked to get my hands on yet another of their new babies!! …Inov8 are named well and as usual the sack was full of Inov8tions and I was amazed by what lay in front of me as I opened the parcel …. It was my dream pack , all the things I like in all my other packs and more … I even loved the colour !! I wont lie , I love Inov8 products a lot , maybe that makes me biased slightly but I have owned literally hundreds of packs over the years from all the top manufacturers and I mean hundreds .. I am the Imelda Marcos of packs……. I have climbed , kayaked , dived and ran over every environment on this planet , I’ve had to be equipped for every adventure I’ve undertaken and I suspect I maybe the worlds foremost authority on carrying specialist outdoor equipment on my back !!! ;-) . so whether I’m biased or not I’m not trying to sell it , only make it better for us all …
Secret Testing ….
The past two weeks have seen me Hill running in the day and at night , running up the steps in blocks of flats for training , urban running and even mountain biking with it on and so far the sack has proved itself to be the most perfectly designed and super comfortable running pack I’ve used yet !!! Qudos to Inov8 again .. maybe there’s a few of things I’d change but that’s why I’m testing it and I’m sure Inov8 will look at making it better again for the next sampl !! Super Pack selection baby !!! Inov8 are the mother nature of pack design !!! ….
Official secrets act ….
I would love to tell you more but Ive had to sign a confidentiality contract that states I will be locked away for over 30 years if I divulge any information other than its a TOP SECRET SAMPLE ……. so sorry folks I like my freedom !!! :)
Have your chance to tell Inov8 below what you would like from a pack .. just enter your view in the comments below and you could be part of the input in the next pack design ……
remember all my blog posts are my own experiences and my interpretation, if you feel I’m wrong say so in the comments and we can also learn from your experience ………”
Running maybe simple but it definitely is not easy , whether you run 5km or 100km it’s all about you and what’s inside you , never judge yourself on another runners ability ,if you are giving everything you have then you are a champion, aspire to be better but never feel that you are no good …. you are the best !!
Movember 10k and the Incline Accelerators ……..
After my UrbanRunning experience with the RunDemCrew one of their stalwarts Glenn Hancock very kindly asked me to run with them at the up-coming Mo-running 10km charity event in Greenwich Park , he had organised a large number of the crew including Rhalou to represent and had an entry going spare , so after the great time they had shown me previously I was stoked to join them again. I stayed at Rhalou’s flat the night before and we woke early, or rather I did, the queen of ZZZzzzzz’s needs a little persuasion in the morning , there was no time to waste though as we had to be there to meet everyone at 8:30am next to a tea-hut in the park itself ,the first stumbling block was a closure on the DLR at Bank, this required us to run to London Bridge to get on the overland , then upon arriving at London Bridge we missed our train to Greenwich despite me walking into the lady’s toilet to tell Rhalou to move it !!! , girls enter a worm hole in time as soon as the toilet door closes behind them !! It wasn’t all bad though as while we waited on the next train we met a bubbly RDC girl by the name of Bridget , she was also on her way to Greenwich and was waiting on another crew member named Candie ,this young lady I already knew through reading her blog The Tortoise with No Hair and being amazed at her 7 Half marathons in 7 continents challenge that she is undertaking , great article about it all by Rhalou here: Run the World… Eventually we made it to Greenwich where another illustrious blogger and RDC member Bangsandabun was waiting for us , bloggers of the world unite for we are many!! Soon we all rocked up and found Glenn , he had done a great job as there were 44 runners here from RDC and we all registered then blew time as we prepared to race …
The Cookie monster
There was a great atmosphere near the starting line , almost like a small half marathon with lots of fancy dress. We met up with the rest of the runners from RDC and they to were all super excited and raring to go, I was impressed with a young guy called Atticus who humbly said he was going for 55 minute’s but finished with a PB of 45 minutes I believe , good going Atticus .. soon we were all lined up and I stood with Rhalou ready for the race start , the music turned up a notch and off we went , 2 laps round the park , I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice couple of steep hills in there to keep me happy , I kept Rhalou company and we soaked in the atmosphere, it was a real fun event and I thoroughly enjoyed myself … we finished together with a sprint across the line … there was a bit of after race buzz and some photos , Charlie Dark although not running in the event had come to see his prodigies cross the line and some photos were taken , all the runners will be congratulated, awarded their Medals and applauded back at their 1948 headquarters before their next Tuesday night outing , that’s what RunDemCrew is about after all , support and encouragement …. Thanks again guys .. yet again I had an amazing time.
The Incline Accelerators , London’s Uphill Elite …………..
On the Sunday Rhalou had arranged for me to join the Incline Accelerators , a group of runners dedicated to getting better at running uphill , this was right up my street and after a short run over to Dalston , I was introduced to Linda , an attractive Scots lass and founder of the group , I knew it had to be someone Scottish who could be so dedicated to running up hill !! we ran a few more miles to Springfield Park and I met the rest of the gang , some pretty fit people including Algy and his girlfriend Caroline , both very fast road runners … Linda gave us our first set of hill reps which we ran on a gradually steepening path which seemed perfect for the job , I really enjoy running up hill for some reason , maybe because I’m so bad at running on flat roads .. we progressed through our reps and Linda asked me if I had any favourites , they’re all my favorites to tell the truth , if I’m puffing and my calves are aching I love it !! I suggested a little one that Kenny gives me where you run a hill then come back to 3/4 then run harder back up , then come back to half before going back up hard then coming to 1/4 and giving it everything you have !! it’s a beauty and everyone seemed to enjoy it .. Algy sure had some turn of speed in his legs at the end and coasted by me at the top .. brilliant … after this we ran back to a little corner Creperie and had lunch … a great day again …. so my weekend with the Urban runners of both the RunDemCrew and Incline Accelerators was a brilliant one …. Runner786 thanking all of you .. now I really need to go run up some mountains soon
The Incline Accelerators rock Springfield ..
aparently its all about triangles …..
remember all my blog posts are my own experiences and my interpretation, if you feel I’m wrong say so in the comments and we can also learn from your experience ………”
It is the simplest most accessible of sports and running has now taken me to some of the worlds most far-flung places , given me wild adventures and made me dig deeper at times than even my craziest kayaking Epics… it is a sport where anyone from any walk of life can enjoy themselves, just go find a pair of trainers and then only you set the limits of what you can achieve or where you can go !! but first you must have the desire , the energy and ultimately the motivation to keep at it and this , not the running is the hardest part ... where do we find this motivation ?
Urban Running with the RunDemCrew ……………..
Rhalou had asked me to come and run with her friends in London on her “RunDem” night , I will tell no lies here , I was apprehensive to say the least and not keen on the idea at all, mainly because I’m no road runner and when I do hit the tarmac it’s on country lanes with some of the most beautiful views in the U.K , not the traffic congested streets of our busiest city , but I really wanted to keep her happy and she was certainly keen for me to come along , so the week after my Himalayan100 race I arrived at the Nike1948 concept store in Shoredtich to run with London’s coolest running collective the RunDemCrew and despite my reservations I was both inspired and impressed !! What I found was a group of like minded people from all walks of life , they group together depending on their pace then head out into the London streets for 6-7 miles of street running, but this is not where it ends , definitely not !! the feeling I had when I entered that room in Shoreditch was one of excitement , friendship , mutual respect , support and admiration , family even , there was a real warmth here and noticeably so …….
Charlie Dark runs to the beat with some of his crew ..
On my arrival Rhalou led me in to one of the large rooms that Nike uses as a showroom , we grabbed a seat and I started to take in where I was , there must be nearly 100 runners gathered together , a buzz fills the room and Charlie Dark the founder is the guy standing in front of us , he’s cool , articulate ,a natural motivator and in his eyes I see the delight when he begins to talk , first he searches out new members and we introduce ourselves so everyone knows our names and what we do, RunDemCrew is about familiarity , he then moves to the runners who recently ran in races , individually they are congratulated , awarded their medals , the whole room claps at their success , there is an intense feeling of encouragement , affection and admiration , I have rarely witnessed such a good predilection to outwardly good feeling from so many at one time. Rhalou tells me about the RunDemCrew youngers project , a main part of RunDemCrews focus and one of Charlie’s great loves is to promote running among young people , to give them reason , interest and motivation to run ,to make them proud , help them to achieve and ultimately to give them the strength to avoid some of the pitfalls of life … My father has run a boxing club for over 30 years , I have seen what this takes , respect to any organisation or individual who has the strength and is prepared to give the personal sacrifice needed to achieve this .. respect to Charlie and all at RDC.
Tower Bridge at night ….
Eventually Charlie explains the groups , you join Tortoises, Hares, Greyhounds and cheetahs depending on your pace .. I joined the greyhounds for my inner London running experience and I was shown my leader for the night and told to follow him out into the street in preparation for our run , every group has a leader and rear guard (someone experienced runs at the back to make sure no stragglers are left behind) … perfect I thought !! I’m just back from the Himalayas and if my legs go to Jelly at least I wont have to find a taxi to find my way back to 1948 … My run was to be the “Bridge run” , from Shoreditch we would cross the Thames , run the Embankment and head back over Tower Bridge .. I was expecting traffic , more traffic and even more !! but what I found was a beautiful brightly lit run through some amazing architecture and across a spectacularly lit Tower Bridge .. at night it is a real eye opener and I was enjoying myself immensely ,at this point taking in one of the sights of London by running over it at night with newly made running friends was feeling rather special .. I’ve worked in London on and off for years , I thought I had seen most of what it has to offer a long time ago , my night-time endeavours were normally seen through a taxi window , with an inebriated mind while falling about Knightsbridge with my customers , recently though I have seen a side to London that is very normal yet ultimately fantastic , this run was one of those fantastics !! After the bridge we followed the streets, underpasses , high-rise buildings , roundabouts and they all seemed to have a unique beauty when seen at night , a little rain helped make it all nice and shiny and soon we had arrived on the final stretch home , I was looking up a long street finishing at 1948 .. everyone is expected to give it their all up here and we sprinted home , the Cheetahs had made it there first and were lined up cheering us home .. it was uplifting , a great experience and the best part for me was running with these urban runners, everyone so friendly , everyone made me feel very at home from start to finish , thank you very much , if ever there was motivation to run , then it is right there at 1948 Shoreditch with Charlie Dark and his Run Dem Crew !!!
running , stick at it and you could end up anywhere ……….
remember all my blog posts are my own experiences and my interpretation, if you feel I’m wrong say so in the comments and we can also learn from your experience ………”
My Himalayan 100 race was out of this world , a roller-coaster of emotion from start to finish , its been a long time since I have had so many good things going on in my life , so much so that It was painful to think about leaving them behind even for a single day let alone weeks , yet I had to , I was competing in what has to be the single most awe inspiring race of any Ultra-runners life , a race totally unsurpassed both in its beauty and extreme environment !! … so I forced myself to pack up and headed out to India……. I was already riding on a sea of emotion before arriving in the Himalaya , so when the full force of what was in front of me hit , It was crazy , like a tidal wave smashing over me , tossing and tumbling, throwing me head over heals , I was constantly overwhelmed , one minute in control and rational , next minute tears in my eyes and a chest so tight I couldn’t breath , I was physically shaking my head to clear it and regain control , feelings so strong that they made my body ache were twisting me constantly and at every corner the most inspiring and jaw dropping views of magnificent Himalayan mountains would appear to mess me up even more , everything around me felt like a dream and it all seemed so surreal , yet it moved me to run beyond any ability I had previously , the pain in my legs seemed to be the only way to gain control of my head and my heart .. yet it was amazing … to be in that turmoil with its exaggeration of feeling ….. I saw things in such an amazing way that no matter how hard it felt , its was the only way I want to have experienced the race ……. truly a man is at his best when he is moved so strongly
Kanchenjunga …. The sleeping Buddha
The Himalayan 100 , running on the roof of the World…..
Getting there was the usual long flight nonsense , nothing like my Mongolia trip though so definitley not a problem!! I travelled down to London and relaxed for a few days at Rhalou’s house before shipping out to Delhi , then I grabbed an internal flight to a tiny airport near Bagdogra , a small town in the Darjeeling district of the lower Himalaya, close to the Nepalese Border. Here I met Joel , an american photographer from Running Times who was making a movie about the race , he was a super cool dude and we chatted about climbing and kayaking as we shared a jeep ride up and over the mountain passes to Mirik , an Indian town built around a lake , I use the term “lake” very loosely as it was a leech and crocodile infested pond with a tiger that occasionally roamed by , yet very alluring in an Indian way …. It was here I registered and spent the next two days acclimatizing and meeting the other runners , it’s not a big race , most years it is between fifty to seventy hard-core competitors , there were very good runners of all nationalities in the race , mostly from the USA, UK, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden,Brazil, Ireland, Czech, South Africa so although a relatively small event it really felt much larger and the chat was amazing, in an extreme race like the Himalaya 100 there is a lot of camaraderie , the motto as always is “look after yourself and everyone else when your out there ” , and more than a little fun was to be had between us all over the week.
Darjeeling
On day 2 I was offered a chance to visit Darjeeling so I grabbed it and jumped on the bus , Darjeeling is a Himalayan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is internationally renowned as a tourist destination, along with its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. I stole that bit from Wiki .. .. Getting there involved everyone jumping on 2 buses at 5:30am in the morning then negotiating super steep and precarious mountain roads , when 2 Indian buses meet head to head it is all hell breaking loose ,first a stand-off , then shouting , swearing and spitting before eventually someone moves over and a clearance of only an inch or two between buses scares everyone involved but we got there none the less , I enjoyed my visit and was amazed how a city could spring up on such a steep hillside , we visited Ghoom temple , travelled on the famous railway and saw the old British Colonial housing , it was like a piece of little England sat fenced off in the middle of a town made from rickety old Indian buildings , if there’s one thing India has in abundance it is surrealism . Heading back over that mountain pass in the dark was an experience all in itself to , I am constantly amazed by the abilities of these Indian drivers ..safely back in Mirik we were treated to a fantastic “last supper” before we headed to our beds in preparation for Stage 1.
.
Stage 1 …. Elevation Gain:10,291 ft … Elevation Loss:3,999 ft
Stage 1 .. Maneybhanyjang to Sandakphu , 23 miles …. Garmin watch data was whack in the Himalaya , constant searching on the Gps so distances etc are way off from actual , distances and ascents were greater than the data I am about to present but the pics are as my Garmin ……
Himalaya ...... oh yes !!!
I was picked up at 5:30am sharp , everyone piled into 2 buses and we were taken up and over the pass again , this time to a town called Maneybhanyjang sitting at 6600 feet in a jungle basin , staggeringly picturesque , mountains of green at every side , an infusion of Himalayan jungle and stepped tea plantation. The race was to start at 7:30am and I would eventually climb to the Sherpa lodge at Sandakphu for a 12000+ feet finish line .. WOW!! … this was to involve two insanely long and steep climbs and one huge descent , so the total ascent for the day was way more than I first thought and eventually went well over 10,000 feet . This was to be the toughest , most gruelling and painful stage I have ever ran , seriously !! Deserts are nothing compared to this day , it was remorseless !!! I loved it at first , hated it at the end and was very depressed in the middle , it was to be breathtaking in its beauty and back-breaking in its constant climbing. It was my first day of running and I was so excited to burst over the start line as the gun went off , I hit the first hills full of excitement and energy , I was very pleased to sit in the top 10 for most of the first 15 miles ,especially as there were some great guys among the pack , two Irish hill runners , Stevie and Mark were going hard , as was Deone from South Africa and a young swede called Lars , all superfast.
Lars going hard ….
I was doing well until we climbed to over 9000 feet then all of a sudden my legs started to burn and my breathing became short , I was sucking air ,it felt nothing like being out of breath , it was more like breathing through a straw , then the headache hit me and I knew it was altitude , I’ve been at altitudes over 10,000 feet many times , indeed I’ve been to 20,000 feet and had no problems but this time I was running , and up steep hills !! , it was obvious I was going to suffer , it was horrible , my muscles were being starved of oxygen and they were hating me for it , runners started to overtake me , suddenly I was out of the top 10 and drifting back , position doesn’t bother me , Im not that good a runner to ever win anything , I race to compete against myself but I kept telling myself … come on Mark your better than this !! move !! make an effort !! but there really was nothing there , I could get no work rate at all before my legs would again grind to a halt requiring me to pause and rest … on the steepest of the switchbacks I could get no more than 3 or 4 steps before a rest was necessary and deep breaths required to stop me feeling faint , I filled myself full of paracetamol for my now very dizzy sore head and slowly moved forward as much as I could …. fuck !! my legs are gone and its only day 1 , that was one of the thoughts going round in my head , I’ve underestimated this race and I’m going to pay , maybe even a DNF , no , no !!! , was another , suddenly a deep depression started to set in , at one point it seemed to take everything I had just to move 5 metres up a hill .. Ive been here before though and I know not to give in now , experience has taught me many lessons this year and one of them is that when you think your ready to drop , you still have lots more to give !!! so I kept moving and slowly I inched my way up through the clouds and over the last monstrous hill to the finish stage 1 , I was so relieved to see that finish line , so bloody relieved !
Sandakphu Sunset ….
I lay on the ground for what seemed like forever , waiting for my legs to ready themselves for standing up , and once I did I was moved by the beauty of what I was looking at , the sight of being above the clouds at sunset on this remote mountain top , the Sherpa camp despite its thin air and huge climb to get there was the most awe-inspiring place I have ever been in my life , and I’ve been places !! .. to the left Makalu , Everest and Lhotse , in front of me Kanchenjunga in all its majesty with the clouds inverting below us … its indescribable how I felt standing there , taking in the view , thinking of those I love and thinking of tomorrow !!
Start fo Day 2 , James , Mark and Johno … Sandakphu
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Stage 2 …. Elevation Gain:3,288 ft … Elevation Loss: 3,249 ft
Stage 2 .. Sandakphu trail , 20 miles ….
Stage 2 was to start at 6am sharp , I awoke at 5am so I could force some porridge down my throat , I had lay awake all night , my mind whirling , thinking of what lay ahead , wondering what my legs were going to be like when I stood up , thinking of Rhalou and my holiday to Cyprus when I returned , thinking of my family and how proud they are of me, everything was whirling round my head that morning , it was insane , but I need not have worried as I had awoken strong and recuperated , I trained hard and it counted for everything , my ability to run back to back marathon distances had not deserted me and I was fully recovered from the tough first stage and ready to go hard !!!
Everest ….
I walked outside the sherpa hut and witnessed everyone being blown away by the sunrise that was happening in front of us , it was staggering , Everest , Maklau , Lhotse , Kangenchunga all just sitting there on the horizon with the sun blazing up behind them , cameras were out , people were shouting and pointing , 50 hard-core runners jumping around like little kids … I’ve been lucky enough to have seen it many times but it doesn’t matter , every Himalayan sunset and sunrise blows me away , they are truly spectacular !
Lars .. running tall
The race started and we headed up and out the camp , the trail was rocky and very technical , just what I enjoy , it levelled the playing field a little between us hill runners and the speedy iron men , no speed here , agility and technique count for everything , I ran with Aaron an RAF pilot for most of the race and we even stopped to grab a few photos here and there , it was a long winding and seriously undulating trail run out and back from the Sandakphu Sherpa post , we ran most of the day in the shadow of the worlds highest mountains and I found so much power in this , my legs just flew , I jumped from rock to rock , climbed steep hills and motored downhill to finish top 10 … I was amazing even myself ,the miles of training had really came together for this great race … as happy as I had ever been I romped home with plenty in reserve knowing I was in good shape for Stage 3 The Everest Marathon , billed as 26.5 miles but in reality over 30 miles it was meant to be one tough day on the trail …. Bring that bastard on I thought to myself !!!
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Everest Marathon Stage … Elevation Gain:4,899 ft … Elevation Loss:10,409 ft
Stage 3 .. The Everest Marathon , 30 ? miles ….
Everest Marathon stage .. reputed to be any distance between 26 and 33 miles depending who is telling the tale , this stage is part of ultra running folklore with stories of crazy miles , a huge 6000+ feet super-steep leg killing descent from mountain top to dense jungle , a real adventure racers dream , let’s get it on was my cry !!!
Runners start to gather for the start of the Everest Marathon stage ..
A 6am start , a sunset above Kanchenjunga to inspire us and we all lined up at the start , other runners had joined us just for this stage so there were fresh legs and eager faces among us !! you could feel the excitement in everyone , see the faces of nervous anticipation and listen to the silence for once among us all .. then it started !!! …Off we all went at full pace , everyone was going hard on this one , it’s the “special” stage so we were all letting rip !! the pace was furious and a few of us bunched for a while before spitting up as our natural pace separated us … I clung to 6th place and pretty soon I was out on my own , the top 5 had at least a mile on me by the 15 mile point but I was going strong , I was savouring the last day at altitude and the mind-blowing scenery , at mile 20 I was still on my own and I found the descent path , this was a super steep and extremely technical descent worthy of a hard-core Scottish hill run ,but over 7000 feet of it !!! like 2 Ben Nevis races back to back !!! many runners arrived at the finish with cuts and bruises because of the severity of this descent .
The Descent took us straight down the mountain and through this …..
I burst into the path and soon I was jumping from rock to rock on what felt like a never-ending rock climbers descent path .. soon the rocks were giving way to jungle and single dirt track , still obscenely steep though !!! , it was also getting hot , really hot !! sweat was pouring off me as I ran through the thick undergrowth , thinking I had a good lead on 7th , I eased off as my legs were aching from the constant downhill , but then I heard the sound of heavy breathing and crashing foot steps , I glanced behind and about 500 metres uphill was a huge muscular figure , it was the giant Spanish Ironman Davide’ and he was hot on my heels , , 6 foot 5 , massive chest muscles popping out his running top and an orange bandanna tied round his head !! every time I looked behind it was like Rambo chasing me , I worked hard and gained another few hundred meters but he clung to me all the way through the slippy paths , then across a big rope bridge I caught a glimpse of him gaining on me !! aaarrgghh !!! my legs were giving up and he was going to have me !! I clung to my lead until the last 2 mile road section and his Iron-man speed gave him the edge , he caught me , but he wanted to run with me to the end , “come on my friend we run together” he said , he was a great guy and deserved to beat me , I told him to run on , he had beaten me square , Ill see you at the finish line I told him , “you are a gentleman” he said , no! , you are!! , I said , .. he laughed and shot off … I tried to keep up but my legs had all but given up .. it was no shame to be beaten by an athlete like him .. I followed the dirt track until I entered a village , the locals were all cheering , then I saw it , finally !!! yes !! yes !! the finish .. I fell over the line … I had run it all and finished top 10 in the Everest Marathon stage .. the epitome of my running career so far .. I was congratulated by everyone and handed a drink , I sat down exhausted and we waited for the other competitors to finish one by one, cheering and congratulating them as they came in !!! I was so emotional at this stage that I could hardly talk without my lip wavering ….. one of the most enjoyable moments in my life !!!
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Stage 4 … Elevation Gain:3,363 ft … Elevation Loss: 3,178 ft
Stage 4 .. only 13 miles but by God they were tough !!
Although short in relative terms this stage was to be one of the most painful , it started fast as it went steeply downhill all the way for the first four miles , painfully steep down hill running to be exact and on road !! everyone went off fast !! even the slowest of the runners fancied their chance on this one , my legs were sore from the Everest marathon the day before , I had went hard and gave it my all , especially on the enormous descent , the Spanish Ironman had forced me to cane it even further and in the first 500m of this stage I knew my legs were feeling the abuse I had given them badly , I dug deep, bit my tongue and ran like a mother fucker to keep up but it was no good , the pain was just too much , my legs to stiff and my will was too weak to allow me to run hard on this the most horrible of sections , it was also my nemesis !! a road !! the runners who had notched their miles up on the roads had the advantage here and all I could do was give it my best , by the time I had hit the bottom of the hill I wasn’t even in the top 10 but I couldn’t have cared less , all I wanted was to stop running down hill !!!
Horrible !! nasty !! steep switch back road descent !!!
The road runners were blasting off in front so I settled into an easy pace and ground out the flat , running through jungle , over rivers and through the little mining operations that I think the road was built for , it was slippy though and at one point I slid off the path , shooting downhill through the steep jungle slope for about 20 feet , I dug my feet in but it wasn’t working , I shit myself !!
watch out for leeches , tigers and water snakes ..
luckily I slid to a halt and then set about climbing back up before setting off again aware that my mind had wandered somewhere else , careful Mark , get it together !!! finally I hit the long hill , time to regain some places from those roadies !! I bit my tongue again and prepared to grind but my legs were having none of it , so I was forced to run/walk the final ascent !! seeing the finish line that day was a relief and I was so glad it was only 13 miles !!!!
Stevie and Mark from Eire ..
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Stage 5 .. 17 miles to heaven !!
Stage 5 …. Elevation Gain: 5,169 ft … Elevation Loss: 5,064 ft
Finally it was time to run the last stage , a 17 miler with a steep climb of over 2500 feet to start then a long torturous descent to the finish line .. this was the final stage , where you see who has endured , who has it left in them to go hard !!! I woke feeling excellent , Stevie the Irishman and I had massaged each others legs the night before and what a difference , they felt energised and ready to rock , thank god !! We all lined up at the start ready to complete the final stage back to Maneybhanyjang , finally we were here , completing the course , the final stretch … We all went out hard but soon the hill was separating us , I dug deep and cranked the hill , I love a hard hill !! this day was no exception , I had power from somewhere and I was using it … up I went passing some of the weeks front-runners , I hit the top of the hill in 5th place and was determined to stay there , I ran with everything I had , 6.30 – 7 minute miles all the way to the finish line , my legs were aching , I twisted and turned my way up and down a long torturous track thought the jungle , breathtaking scenery and the thought of finishing had me so emotional , I was mustering everything I had to keep going , I turned a corner high on the hill and Maneybhanyjang came into view , I felt it well up inside me , I felt tears in my eyes and I felt my legs speed up and another burst of energy carried me down the hill , closer and closer with every turn , as I approached the town several young Indians started to run down the hill with me , then more , they were chanting .. I felt so emotional at that point that I had legs so weak that I feared I might have tripped and fell on my face …… then the finish line !!! they had the banner out and I ran through it , Yeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss !!!! Himalayan 100 , you are mine !!!!! ……..
Crossing the finish line ..
I shook hands with the four runners who had came through before me , everyone was so happy and emotional , it was the perfect end to a perfect race …. we stayed at the finish line for a while and cheered everyone as they crossed the finish … everyone was ecstatic , tears , kissed , hugs and encouragement .. at that moment in time it was the happiest place in the world , what a place to be , under the Himalayan mountains , surrounded by happy people !!!!
Once we were all finished the race organisers took us back to the hotel in Mirik where we would have a prize giving and party the same night , we ate , drank and got merry …. after this I have tales of packs of wild dogs and Indiana Jones style midnight Jeep rides down mountains to make my flight home but I’ll save that for another day ……
Id like to say that during this race , we were housed and fed like kings , all you could eat buffets of Indian food , veggies , chips , porridge , you name it and it was available to us , even in the Sherpa camp we were well fed , what a difference this was to eating dehydrated food in a desert !! It was a hard race but made easier by a few luxuries along the way , my thanks go to Mr C.S Pandey who organises this race every year , he pays for schools , builds house , teaches young poor Indians with the money … amazing … go run in this race !! you will have the time of your life and you will be helping the world …………………
Thanks also to Joel for the use of some of his images in this blog post … looking forward to your movie mate
Thanks to Inov8 for the Roclite 285 , this incredible shoe took me over the whole course without a blister or bruised nail !!!! awesome shoe !!!
Beautiful , humble and grateful … help them if you can
Well that’s my big year of running over and Id like to thank everyone who supported me , helped me , donated to me and just generally was patient with me …. its been a year of amazing experiences and beautiful people !!! thank you all so much ..
Mark Lyons …
Indian Wisdom ………..
remember all my blog posts are my own experiences and my interpretation, if you feel I’m wrong say so in the comments and we can also learn from your experience ………”
… Feeling a little Melancholy the other night I started flicking through some old climbing books and found a newspaper clipping stuck between two pages, it was marking a climb on Stob Coire Nam Beith … It is very unusual for me to have done something like this because much to my regret, back in my ignorant youth I didn’t keep anything to remember the glory days, my halcyon years are lost to memory for the most part , and too much smoking of weed back then lost me a few of those to !!! 
Magazine articles, paper clippings, photos and even friendships have been lost over time and now I truly regret not even attempting to keep something , maybe now in the digital age we forget the effort required to store and keep safe memories , life beyond a hard drive seems way more complicated …… although my mum allegedly has a hidden stash intended for my daughter to read when she’s older.
