Up the Lairig Ghru with chafed Ba’s and a cauld Boaby ……….

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Mark Lyons

Up the Lairig Ghru with chafed Ba’s and a cauld Boaby …..…..

I’ve been pretty quiet since the Helvellyn hill race , my groin strain has been giving me serious issues and I’ve had to take a few long enforced rests , this has done my head in, especially as I really need to be clocking up serious mileage for the Gobi Desert race at the end of July .. but I’m back out on the move again and I’ve managed to cram a fair bit of mileage into the last 2 weeks , I’ve let my groin lead the way ,some might say it always has !!! , but this time for a different reason, I’ve just listened and let it control the pace , so far so good .. so now it was time for a test !

Lairig Ghru race topo…

This TEST was to be the famous Lairig Ghru hill race , described as “An ultra distance hill race between the police stations of Braemar and Aviemore, with 28 miles of spectacular scenery, run over an historic drove road rising to 2733 ft. between some of the highest peaks in Britain ,an awesome source of pleasure, pain and satisfaction. !!!” , that sounded amazing I thought and indeed it cuts straight through the Cairngorm plateau with Braeriach , Ben Macdui , Devils point and Cairn Toul all highlights of the journey , running through big country like that , this one wasn’t to be missed …..Kenny Short had told me about it originally after he ran it last year and with a tiny bit of persuasion had agreed to come with me … Excellent ! Bill and Ted off on another adventure ..

So on Saturday 25th of June we headed North to Braemar , I had booked us a room in the Youth hostel , picked up Kenny late afternoon and off we went .. Braemar or bust !!We arrived and checked ourselves in , it was nice , a beautiful old mansion set in large grounds and only a 10 minute walk from the starting line , perfect !! ..we were both hungry after the long drive and I couldn’t persuade Kenny to eat one of my emergency Pot Noodles , chicken and mushroom as well !! , just no accounting for taste ..  , so we nipped out to the local pub to sort ourselves with something to eat , when we arrived it was heaving , hill walkers , runners , local nutters and even a large cat on the bar!! , the menu was good so we ordered up a couple of plates of Braemars finest and sat down , Kenny ordered his usual single pint of pre-race Guinness … during our meal we met a young lady from Glasgow called Rachel , she was running with two friends Brian and Carol and they had all ran the “Fling” a few weeks previous , good on them as the Fling is a 53 mile run from Milngavie up the West Highland Way to Tyndrum , nice running ..We all got together and made a night of it , although I stayed clear of the Alcohol but they certainly didn’t , in fact they were all looking pretty bleary eyed when I left them ,a crazy crew !! I kind of wondered if they would make the starting line ..

Kenny and I on the starting line , Id like to credit this photo to Iain J Wallace , were pals on twitter and didn’t even know we had met … Ill know you next time though mate 🙂

Kenny and I were up early and ate our staple breakfast of oats and fruit , got to fuel up early to avoid and indigestion , I brewed my usual super strong coffee and we headed up to get into our race kit , I was deliberating what to wear as it was looking pretty grim outside ,I wondered whether to go with 3/4 leggings or halfs under my new vent shorts , Kenny was laughing telling me to go for the minimal Vent short only , like a true old skool hill runner , I thought about it , it felt good to be honest , like running naked , so I thought I would give it a go , minimal Mark , balls bouncing up the Lairig Ghru !! We headed to my car,dumped our excess kit and jogged down to the Braemar Police station which was the traditional starting line …

The place was jumping , there were nearly 150 runners , apparently the usual turn out is about 80 , they were putting it down to a new online entry and bus transfer , whatever the reason it was fantastic to see so many hill runners out to race in this classic mountain ultramarathon.It was raining hard and it was very muggy , I wished it was sunny but were stood in the Highlands , at least there was no midges .. We all lined up ready to go , there was a short speech by the organiser stood on top of his Land rover , made me think of Patrick Bauer stood atop his, giving all the Marathon Des Sable runners his morning speech , then BANG we were off , the first section was fast , country roads to Mar Lodge where it cuts off and onto to a trail leading to Derry Lodge at 9 miles in , there is a 1:30 cut off time here so I had to power all the hills and hit Derry lodge in 1:10 , it was nice to relax after this and I stopped by a river to fill my water bottle , already ~I was in awe of the incredible scenery I was running though , big mountains towered above me , little white trickles of water ran down their sides , the rain had filled the burns, this is it for me , when this awe takes hold I just seem to buzz inside .. I set off , fantastic I thought !

The next section was beautiful , totally runnable track up and into the heart of the Lairig Ghru , one water crossing was proving a little bit difficult for some but I stomped my way through and out the other side before another steep climb up and onwards to the boulder fields , it was getting mentally tough to , keeping an eye on the trail , avoiding stones , boulders and deep mud , keeping focussed and moving quickly can tire you out fast but up I went , picking my way up the track , calves on fire and sweat battering off my brow , it was getting colder as I gained height , my decision to go commando under my vent shorts was proving to be a hasty one and not only was I suffering from a spot of chafing , I was also feeling the cold !!! “Big Mark” was freezing .. haha , but I battered on to the top , near the top I met a cool lass called Jenny , she was from Kirkcaldy in Fife , we ran together for a while , fighting our way through huge boulder fields , as we hit the top of the boulder fields we were treated to an amazing sight , Aviemore spread out beneath us , we could see the whole town from there , we were stood nearly 2800 feet above it , looking down at what appeared to be a sun basked Aviemore !!! WOW !!

Aviemore beneath me , basked in sun…

I wasn’t getting to excited though as Aviemore was still over 10 miles away … we started out descent and picked our way down the hillside , running downhill isn’t the rest that most road runners associate with it , after nearly 18 miles of climbing my legs were killing me and the battering your quads take jumping downhill from rack to rock is painful and your toes can get bashed quite violently , at times I wished I was going up again but we made it and entered the Rothiemurchus forest , I was feeling it by now , my legs were starting to feel tight and my groin was shouting for a rest. I kept going though , although I was slowing down considerably , my lack of training was now showing ,this was what I needed though , to kickstart me back to full fitness , I need as many hard days as I can handle between now and the Gobi race , luckily it was fantastic running especially after the rockfest I had just covered , lovely forest trail soft under feet and undulating through a beautiful forest , I started to lose myself and thoughts of my daughter came in to my head , some times it nice to think of her laughing and playing , takes my mind off my sore legs , 5 miles later I fall out of the forest into Ski road , then a sharp turn left on the main road heading for Aviemore Police station , only 2 miles to go … and what a 2 miles it was !!! it was a long straight road , demoralising in the extreme , I was f***ed .. one foot in front of the other I tell myself , I can’t stop now !! get a move on you lazy bastard , I really was running slow here . I glanced at my Garmin , 10 minute miles , Its been a long time since Ive ran that speed on a flat road !! but at least I’m moving , I turn through a viaduct and up onto a ramp before exiting right in the middle of Aviemore High street , I run up the street to cheers and clapping from all the shoppers and people drinking coffees outside on the street , this spurs me on , then I could see it , thank god !!! I sprinted across the street and into the finish !!! Finally I can stop and let the pain subside , what a race ,what a place !!! Kenny was there , he congratulated me , he had run a great race and had waited to cheer me in .. I met Jenny , she too had ran a fab race , there was cake , soup , juice the works , I had felt good , my groin maybe holding me back but not giving me so much trouble as to stop me as in the Helvellyn shenanigans .. , that was a relief , the Gobi was still on !!! All in all one of the best runs I’ve had in Scotland .. loved it !!! loved it !!!

if you enjoyed reading this note then please have a further look at www.runner786.com andhttp://www.justgiving.com/marko3006/ ……….. all donation no matter how small makes a difference ….

Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Posted in mountain running, Ultrathon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 70 Wild Miles …………………………

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Mark Lyons

“The 70 Wild Miles is a triathlon consisting of a 47 mile cycle, 10 mile canoe and a 13 mile run. It is not a race as such, the real purpose being to assist in the fight against Cancer. So, if you’re the kind of enthusiast to whom the thought of cycling the 47 miles ,canoeing a loch for the next 10 miles , and finishing with a 13 mile run sounds like a fun day out – then this might just be what you are looking for! The added bonus is that it’s all for a good cause and there’s great scenery too – if the weather and your state of fitness let you admire it.”

Glencoe ..

That is the opening sentence of the 70 Wild miles website …… if you end up looking your either going to think “FUCK that” or “WOW !!! I really fancy a go” , 15 years ago in 1996  a young Kenny Short decided he was having a go, he was fit and already a very good runner so off he went , trained hard to became better on a bike and learnt to kayak in preparation for his first attempt … this is actually where Kenny and I bonded our friendship as he developed his Kayak skills alongside mine on the white-water of the Highlands .. but that’s another story …………..Kenny is a very fit man , his prowess on the football pitch lead him to running , then triathlon and multisport events , now a days he likes a bit of  fell running thrown in to .. and only a few weeks ago completed the super tough 250 miles Irish Coast to Coast in an amazing 5th place ..he has been a supporter of the 70 wild miles for a long time now and has raised well over £10,000 for its cause over the years , always a top ten finisher and a well known face amongst the competitors who travel from far and wide to compete … and many from abroad , they actually have a special page on their website for its “great characters” and Kenny is right there.

So I was here on his 12th attempt , June 2011  , acting as his support , following him round with his kit and food , but mainly to make sure we got good photos …..seriously though it was great to be part of something as exciting and motivating as this event while I wait on my groin strain getting better and it fired up my desire to attempt it myself next year .We travelled North on Friday afternoon , choosing to camp at the Glencoe campsite to have full use of the facilities and to enjoy the excellent scenery that this campsite has to offer , it really is astounding , the Pap of Glencoe towering above us and Loch Linnhe leads west to the Sea , a truly beautiful spot !

Loch Linnhe ….

We hit camp , Kenny had brought along a brand new tent so we set about building it , it looked a cracker on the picture, can’t be too hard to assemble I thought  , 20 mins later as we were still trying to piece it together, I joked about how if our friends in the Borders could see us right now , two of their top outdoor athletes trying to figure out a 3 man tent .. eventually though we were done , thank god we were in a campsite and not up a stormy mountain top ..

the tent we “easily” erected ……..

We settled in for a while, had a brew and Mark Watson arrived with his son Corey , he was also entered in the 70′ and very excited as it was his first time, not just for the 70′ , he was a multisport event virgin, I had faith in him though , he’s a fit bloke and I witnessed him last year run from Valluouise to the foot of Glacier Blanc during a kayak trip we were on in the French Alps ,this is a 10 mile run that must climb 2000 feet , very steep !!  and he had been training since Christmas so I was expecting good things , we sorted out the details of the next day  and decided Corey would stay with me in support of our athletes……..Once everything was sorted out , off Mark went and like the Gypsy he is crashed out behind some bushes in his caravan , not before walking his greyhounds and tarmac-ing a couple of drives … lol

Mark Watson …

Mark had an earlier start than Kenny as it is staggered by estimated time so as not to have long waits on everyone finishing , because of this I didn’t get to see him start but Cory was there in the morning waiting on me to arrive.I helped Kenny ready his kit , he was looking good , not too much Lycra which is always a relief .. my friend and fellow ultra runner Davie Bell coined the abbreviation MAMIL , middle aged man in Lycra and it certainly is not a good look ………..

Kenny headed off to use his Dibber , a small ID device that takes your time through every stage , once dibbed he was off … the first section climbs from the Glencoe ski centre to the top of Rannoch moor and then down past Bridge of Orchy Hotel , then climbs steadily before descending down towards Tyndrum , it is here where the hardest section lies , not steep but a long long steady climb along the Dalamally road heading to Oban , its a long stretch and even felt long in the car but Kenny cracked away , passing bike after bike , at this point though I saw someone at the side of the road struggling , it was a guy and 2 birds , awesome , maybe a spare one for me !!!  but no !! all they wanted was someone to fix their puncture , I obliged and he was chuffed to bits , off he went heading towards the finish …  turns out they were a 3 person relay team just there for some fun and had borrowed the bike , obviously unaware of the fact you can get a puncture !!

I jumped back in the jeep and fired off to catch Kenny , we caught him with 10 miles to go , he was going hard , still blasting along , I over took him to try to get a picture , I pulled up at the bottom of a long hill , grabbed my camera and ……….. whiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  Kenny shot by me , superfast and with his nose on the bar to gain streamlinity !! , no photo here then!!  I shot after him and followed him to the finish , he nailed it in 1:58 .. super quick !!

Kenny passes ANOTHER bike !!!

I found Mark Watson and he had also had a good bike , Hawick certainly has a few lads out there at the moment doing some cool stuff …….

Mark and Corey …..

We loaded the bike on the roof and set about getting Kenny fed and watered , Sean MacFarlane pulled in , he was Kenny’s number 1 rival , a very fit individual and fast …. Shawn is a very interesting character, a corporate lawyer who works part time , has his own allotment where he grows his own vegetables and likes nothing more than fishing from his sea kayak .. but at the same time a 37 year old dynamo of speed and a highly competitive athlete ….Sean had also been at the Irish Coast to Coast where he and Kenny had battled it out over 2 days ,  bring it I thought , that will only bring the best out of Kenny !

Sean and Kenny ………

I looked around at the other competitors coming in and I saw “Dangerous Dave” a kayak friend of mines from Glasgow , he was also entered and was looking fit , Dave was a fearless kayaker of old with a reputation for the nasty stuff , we have kayaked together a lot over the years and he has always impressed me with his boating skills so it would be interesting to see how he was getting on at adventure racing , he was loving it and this was the second time he had done the 70′ , I had a good chat with him and we caught up with each others adventures over the past few years.

Dangerous Dave …………

The Kayak stage is 11 miles heading North up Loch Etive , a tidal sea loch with a reputation for large swells , it was good to go though and all the competitors headed out on a mass start , I wasn’t going to be able to follow this leg so I jumped into the jeep and headed back the way I came.

I arrived back at Glencoe and headed down Glen Etive to the head of the loch , this is a glen famous amongst white water kayakers for the river that runs through it ,  drop after drop of sweet white water including some awesome waterfall drops , it’s also a beautiful place that really takes your breath away  whether kayaking , walking or what was soon to be the case , running up it !!

We arrived late and many of the Kayakers had already made it to the finish line , Kenny included , Corey and I had driven a 60+ mile round trip battling the highland weekend traffic , where as the kayakers had paddled a mere 11 miles up the Loch, however Kenny and Sean told me stories of stiff tides , cross winds and rescue boats flying past leaving huge wakes to be negotiated , they had found the conditions tough and felt it far harder today than past events. I kept my eye out for Mark Watson and saw him come in looking tired but happy to see the shore , he had found it tough but he was here smiling , well done I told him. The journey up that loch is a beautiful one but in a tidal loch where the tide is going against you and the crosswinds are throwing up waves and blowing you off balance I’m sure nobody was taking in the view.

Watson arrives in after the paddle of his life … awesome stuff Mark..

Most of the racers spent a good hour here resting and refuelling before embarking on the 13 mile 900 feet of climbing in the last section , this follows the Glen road to the finish line at the Coupall bridge , this bridge gets its name from the river Coupall which flows from the top of GlenCoe and crosses the Glen Etive road just before the exit to Glencoe.

The runners were soon to be treated to beautiful scenery yet they it was unlikely they would enjoy it due to the unrelenting nature of this sections never ending climbing , one by one they mustered themselves , dibbed in and off they went racing uphill to the finish line.

I saw Mark Watson head off , he shot away fast , excellent …. he disappeared into the distance .. Kenny eventually decided it was time to go so we loaded up his kayak and he stripped down to his shorts , he dibbed then off he went , he’s a superb runner and after all his hill running exploits I doubt this little run bothered him much , he was working hard through the steeps but he cranked his way through to record one of the fastest runs of the day ….. get in !!!

I had sat at the finish to photograph both Mark and Kenny and watched people fall over the line one at a time , everyone should be proud of themselves that day , I did not see one person slack off during the whole event , everyone put their hearts into it , everyone did themselves justice and absolutely everyone enjoyed themselves … that really is the sign of a very good event , theyre not all like that !!

Kenny cranks the steep lonely last section ……

The overall winner was Sean McFarlane who did amazingly well and put in some of his best ever performances , Kenny came in a  very respectable 4th place with only really a matter of a few minutes within the top 5 places .. Mark came in 17th ,which was brilliant ,  especially for his first foray into multisport racing , his run was a very good one which did him proud and sat him nicely in the rankings ……………….

We all agreed to head our seperate ways to eat , wash and get ready for the Ceilidh which was to be held in the Glencoe Hotel , in Ballahuilish.Kenny and I headed back to the camp site and chilled for a couple of hours talking about the race and what had all heppened in the Loch stage . Mark Watson arrived at the campsite to pick us up and we all headed to the Hotel where we met Sean and Martin , Martin is from Sweden and was a friend of Seans from his days working in Gottenheim , Martin comes across every year to join Sean on some crazy romp and he had done really well coing in 3rd in the 70′ , we sat down to share stories and have a few beers , the prize giving went quickly and eventually the band began to play , drunken athletes are a joy to behold , mad energy then a sudden death at 10pm .. so at that we were walking back to the campsite before midnight and I readied my self for another night of Kenny’s snoring …………

I really enjoyed my time at the 70′ and although not involved in the action I had another great experience , it took my mind off my injury for a while and kept my motivation high , gave me an excuse to take some photos  .. what a Great weekend !!!

Kenny races for the finishline … after 13 miles uphill !!

I’d just like to say that the 70 Wild Miles is 100% a fundraising event and everyone involved is voluntary , all the entrants have to raise over £300 each and all the money goes to Clic Sargent , a very worthy children’s cancer charity …….. please have a read of their website and consider even a small donation , everything helps …………………………………. http://www.clicsargent.org.uk/Home

Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Replacing Emoji...
Posted in Marathon des Sables | 1 Comment

The Sandbaggers Scottish Ultra ……

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Mark Lyons

The Sandbaggers Scottish Ultra ……

This is a tough and grueling multi stage Ultrathon  of epic distance and ascent  , 5 stages that would cover 150 miles and climb just under 20,000 feet . It would test all of its competitors to the limit …Ran by Dave Scott and Phil Briggs of Sandbaggers fame , it’s a race renowned for being tough , they are apparently nick named “The Evil Twins” for reasons that I would understand fully later on in the week …

I approached this race with caution , my feet were still in bits from the Marathon Des Sable and I hadn’t been able to run up until the Sunday before the start and that hadn’t gone well as it had given me a brand new blister  !!!  despite this off I went down to Glen Trool to have a go ….

I had agreed to pick up Jo Kilkenny and her good Friend Justin McLaurin from Dumfries railway station, however Jo had fallen asleep on the train and missed her Carlisle stop and had arrived in Glasgow !!!  ,so  as she headed back from Glasgow I headed directly to Carlisle to pick her up , Justin unfortunately had to make do with the sights of Dumfries for a little while longer , but it wasn’t long before we were all deposited in Glen Trool and meeting our fellow competitors .. everyone was a pleasure to be around , a fairly mixed bunch of male and female runners from all over the UK , all age groups from a young and very fit Mark Caddy to a few of us that should have known better !!

Amongst us was Donnie Campbell , a super talented young and without doubt soon to be legendary runner on the Ultra scène . He will soon attempt to run from Glasgow to Skye in one go , this is 184 miles of multi terrain , and after witnessing this lad run over the last week I have no doubt he will finish with something to spare !  :  find his cause HERE

Stage 1 .. Bargrennan to St John’s Town of Dalry     22 miles / 1787 feet


The day of Stage 1 was beautiful ,sun was shining and I could hear the birds chirping away as I got changed into my running kit , what a day to start off …..

BANG .. off we all went through the bridge and straight away on to a beautiful loch side path , undulating steeply up and down along Loch Trool , I shot off like I was in an 6 mile hill race , running all the ups and downs , cranking the steeps … then I realised I was in second place behind Donnie Campbell , steady on Mark !! .. you have 150 miles ahead not 6 and you certainly can’t be second place in a field of strong runners like these !!!  .. I slowed it down a notch and eventually  2 other runners passed me , fair go ,  these boys look like they can run a bit .. later on Jo Kilkenny caught me up and I stayed with her for the next few miles , we entered an off road hilly section with only a few hundred metres between us and she disappeared behind a dyke and I never saw her again , she can move over the rough ground so she can …

My blisters were giving me serious aggravation at this point and I couldn’t wait to get to the finish but after I gained the road again it was a long 6-7 mile section of country lane, I had slowed down considerably at this point due to pain in my heels , I later double taped them and had no problems ,just when I thought that the finish couldn’t be far the lane took a 90 degree turn over a bridge and a huge grassy hill climb presented itself to me … no way !!  I was knackered !! but I had to press on , up I went , from the top I could see the St Johns Town of Dalry , it was very picturesque and looked like it should be on a post card , a quick run along the top and on the other side a descent so steep that my legs threatened to collapse .. then all of a sudden the campsite was right there and I dived in to the finish .. I had came in 5th behind Jo .

We enjoyed our camp that night , it was sunny , we sun bathed by a beautiful river and shared tales of past experiences ..

Stage 2 .. St John’s Town of Dalry to Wanlochead    35 miles / 5400 feet


We awoke to horrible cold and wet weather which as the day went on was to deteriorate to a full on gale force storm .. but onwards and most certainly upwards ….

BANG!! .. stage 2 started with a fast run in over great cross country paths then up over the very steep Ben Brack Hill , Jo and I had been running pretty much the same pace and decided to stick together through the bad weather , I was glad of her company as it was a long 35 mile day … we worked hard and climbed , climbed and climbed this day , it seemed like we ran forever up hill , the only time I consciously stopped moving for a rest  in the whole race was climbing the big hill to the top of Ben Brack .. 600 metres straight up !! fucked !!! there was a huge Stone arch on top of this hill , for what I don’t know but it was cool ..  we made good time together and we eventually passed through  Sanqhar past the Black Lochs and up into another  steep wild section of hills , in the last 5 miles heading to the old mining town of Wanlockhead we encountered severe weather , gale force winds and driving rain , we ran into camp to be welcomed by Dave and Donnie with warm cups of coffee and tea … I was exhausted and hit the sack for an early night … I awoke later in the night with my tent collapsed into my face, the winds and sheet rain were doing their best to rip my tent off the ground , there was nothing I could do , then SNAP .. my tent pole snapped and the whole tent fell onto my body , shit !! ,I was still dry though so I just lay there , fell asleep again and sat it out till the morning .

Stage 3 ..  Wanlochead to Moffat .. 24 miles / 3700 feet

This was to be the worst start of the week , in fact if my mates in the Mountain rescue had seen this they would have been sending us back to our tents with a smacked arse , entering the high hills in such extreme conditions , however we are not Sunday stroll walkers , we are extreme athletes , no ?  well you get my drift .. we have screws missing ..

So off we went up through Wanlockhead and into the Lowther hills , driving rain , gale force winds and 20 foot visibility .. Jo and I ran up the hills and onto the high moorland , this was tricky , trying to navigate in these conditions and run at a decent pace , we slowed it down and fought our way through the weather , we caught up with  Mark Caddy , currently in second place , he decided to stay with us for a while , we hit the next checkpoint and discovered that Andy who was in third place was lost on the hill , nothing to worry about though as he was experienced and would find his way eventually .. we battled on and eventually hit the Daer reservoir , a beautiful distraction to our battle with the weather before heading ever upwards and into another set of steep climbs and 20 metre visibility , eventually we fell out of the mist into an amazingly beautiful forest run where we made good pace and ate up the miles quickly back to our campsite .. this was only 24 miles today but it had felt like 40 !!!

Stage 4 ..  Moffatt to Traquair via St Marys loch .. 36 miles / 4000 feet


This was my favourite section of the whole run  , maybe because it’s my back yard but definitely because it was the most picturesque scenery we had ran all week ,  the weather broke around 11am so as to reveal the Borders beauty at its best .. running along forest paths , up windy sheep trails between hills , up over hill tops and glorious sunshine , I was buzzing !

I issued them with special passports !!

Jo , Mark Caddy and I running as a group again , eating up the miles , it really was an experience I enjoyed immensely , seeing St Marys loch as we came over the hills above it , running alongside it up the south bank , I even tossed my rucksack at one point and dived in .. I just couldn’t resist it … although I later came to realise that this may not have been my best idea ever but who knows …  then up and over the hills above St Marys to enter the Tweed Valley above Traquair where we would spend the night next to Traquair House .. AWESOME !!! only 20 miles to go tomorrow , I was in 4th place and was feeling strong ..  I couldn’t have felt better …………….. well at leat until 2am that is !!!

*** WARNING *** those of a squeamish nature should not read below … I always write as I feel it was , warts and all I don’t hide anything or hold back .. so read on at your pearl !!  this is not pretty !!

I had something going on earlier with my stomach , a feeling , like a nervous stomach , one I thought was related to hunger , sugar drinks , gels , one dehydrated meal to many .. who knows ?? but something was tickling it !

I ate a bag of crisps, scrounged half a fish supper from a Marshall rather than eat a dehydrated meal , I even drank a load of coke to try to ease it if it was a tummy bug but something was definitely going on in there and it wasn’t going away. I was feeling hot and agitated ,  couldn’t sleep then at 2am I felt it , I was going to be sick .. instantly ! , I jumped up and crawled over Paul my tent mate , I couldn’t get out quick enough .. it was pitch black and pissing down with rain.. instantly I was violently retching everything that was left in my stomach out onto the wet grass , 20 minutes I was out there , my stomach felt like it was inside out , eventually it subsided and I was able to get back into the tent , but only for 10 minutes before it was game on again but this time from both ends .. fuck !!!!  I was outside a load of tents , being violently sick , shitting foam and freezing to death in bare feet as they were to sore to get my shoes on quickly enough … this went on for hours , my tent mates must have been up all night , for this I am sorry but it was a near death type experience .. if it was possible I would have shared lavvy roll with god !!!! , I could not even hold down a drink of water .. I eventually ran out of bodily fluids to evacuate and I was able to lie in the tent for a few hours come sun up .. I was severely dehydrated and weak , I could feel a slight temperature building , I knew I was not in a position to head out into the hills .. so I made the decision not to carry on , I pulled out 20 miles before the end , I was gutted , .. later in the day as my fever rose and my health deteriorated further I knew that it had been the right decision.

I was later diagnosed to have a Cryptosporidium parasitic infection , something that I must have picked up during the race … it was NASTY !!  lets say say no more  😀

Id like to thank Sandbaggers , Dave Scott and all for the fantastic race , every Sandbaggers event I have been to has had a magical element of fun and great people in attendance , organizer’s and competitors alike ………. thank you and Ill see you in the Gobi !!

NOTE: Later that month I returned to continue my crossing of the Southern upland way and completed it in good style. It is a truly superb crossing of Scotland and walk or run its worth the blisters 😀

Posted in Sandbaggers Scottish Ultra, Ultrathon | 9 Comments

A reminder ……..

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Mark Lyons

That really is a beautiful song and the message in that video is portrayed to perfection …

 

I have been training hard and really enjoying the whole momentum of what my Ultra challenge has become , its given me back the confidence in myself and my abilities that was maybe lost when my climbing took a back seat to business and the level at which I was climbing began to slip , it felt like maybe I was past it , getting to old and scared to take on the challenges of extreme rock … but I had been an E5 rock climber ,a lofty grade of skill and danger and staying there doesn’t come without a lot of determination and training , something I had little time for as my shop grew and became more than one , the addition of the kilt shop really took its toll as it was a summer season business so my climbing just fell apart , I wasnt happy , even my kayaking which had already hit its peak several years back was slipping further , lack of practice takes its toll and last year in the Alps BANG !!! , a dislocation from a mistake that would never have happened several years ago put me out !!!  but Cest La Vie , it’s the reason I’m now an ultra runner !! the reason I just ran the Marathon Des Sable , but not the reason I was stupid enough to sign up for the Scottish Ultra , the toughest multi stage race the UK has to offer .. AND the Gobi desert Race in July … what the fuck was I thinking !!! my feet are still in tatters since the Sahara and they will probably fall apart on day 2 , pull out people have said  to me but I can’t , it’s not in my psyche’ to do that .. ever , no matter what !! not without at least giving it a shot , but most of all it’s a mark of respect and Charity !! I took the Scottish Ultra and Gobi Desert race on in an attempt to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis and the amazing people who help anonymously behind the scenes , my own awareness being brought about after a life changing event that a very good friend of mine has gone through , a friend whom I respect so very much and part of me wanted to do something to show him my appreciation of his friendship , we had a hard time once but we moved on and have never dwelt on the bad time both he and I had to endure , a very good friend indeed !!

This is a very tough year to raise money , charities all over the country are struggling due to lack of donation and I fight hard to help , and so far we have raised well over £2000 for MS Borders and I certainly hope to raise a lot more , everyone who has donated and everyone who now gives a second thought to Multiple Sclerosis because I made them a little bit more aware are what drives me to man up and  run on the sore feet to complete challenge number 2 , its a 150 mile 5 day race across the most Beautiful part of Scotland that is “The Scottish Borders” , this year the race starts in Glen Trool and finishes in Melrose only 10 miles from my house , I know this county well and it certainly wont be easy , its got hills , lots of them , energy sapping long grass and heather .. our equivalent of sand !!!

 

So on Wednesday Morning at 8am I will be on the starting line of the UKs toughest foot race not just for fun but because it means so much more than just running …..

 http://www.justgiving.com/marko3006/

Replacing Emoji...
Posted in Marathon des Sables, Ultrathon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments