West highland way. A most scenic race, though think there’s a waiting list and need to do one of the halves first. But very epic
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How did I miss this! Well done, my feet are hurting just reading about it 
Glad you had a better year this time. Onwards and upwards. Toby is right about the WHW; stunning if you can sort the logistics 
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The logistics are simple - you start in milngavnie. And you run to fort William 
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Not this summer; maybe in the winter. Might do one of the longer events for a change.
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NC110 in Oct
Wendover Woods 50 is still open 
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No way i can hang with Emma, she is unbelievable at trail running
After my crash i have 2 options, a massive drinking spree or come up with plan B. Currently its just a plan.
The more that people tell me to cut my losses and abandon, the more i am determined to do it
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Don’t give up Matt - go with Plan B 
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I did the “alternative” West Highland Way Challenge race a couple of years ago, no waiting list, no crew required, optional bus transfer, made it much easier to do solo, though now they run it Fort William to Milngavie
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That looks amazing!
… I’d it wasn’t for my heel I’d be signing up now
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How did you get on - sorry, forgot to ask. Been reading the details…
Seriously want to do this but reluctant to sign up currently with Achilles issue. I could train most weekends on sections. Know quite a few of the stages from club events etc etc
I made a bunch of numpty mistakes which made it harder worker than it ought to have been, I wasn’t expecting a tropical heatwave. Had some real ups and downs but made it.
Here’s a write up I did at the time:
30 years ago I set off with some university friends after finals to hike the West Highland Way, unfortunately I started running a fever so had to pull out at Crainlarich, but vowed one day I would be back.
The original West Highland Way race intrigued me when I started ultra running, but the logistics of needing a crew put me off, then on a forum I heard of the [West Highland Way Challenge Race], this was the one for me !
The race started at midnight, I was running with a small group, looking up Conic Hill was a long line of head lights form head torches, then once up looking back there were even more ! When dawn came it got light enough to see so I switched off my torch without thinking about how dark it would be in the woods by Balmaha. So about 20 miles in I tripped over a tree root and banged that same knee. Looked superficial and I could still run so thought nothing of it other than cleaning it up. Later it started swelling and made bending more than a little painful, which was awkward as beyond Rowardennan it got quite technical. Was also feeling a bit out of sorts maybe not sleeping or dealing with pain, not sure. Thought about giving up, but instead tried some paracetamol and started on caffeine and thought I’d at least try getting to the next check Point.
Felt a lot better but still had to take the steps and drops with care. So decided to press on.
It was now getting hot and I ran out of drinks well before the Tyndrum check, think I started suffering from mild dehydration and was reduced to a slow walk.
Drank loads at the check and an IRN BRU from a shop and started running well again. Until I had the same problem again before Kingshouse Hotel, but this time it was much worse and I was feeling a bit woozy and reduced to a shuffle. Managed to get some water from another competitor and made it safely to the check. Took a long rest here to sort myself out, later checks were closer together and I now had an extra small bottle so carried on up the Devil’s Staircase at least up was in daylight. Down was dark and I had a bit of a crisis of confidence about nit wanting to damage my knee again so took it very easy down into Kinlochleven.
Determined to press on I was able to run the flats, power hike the ups but only gingerly take the downs. Eventually I completely ran out of gas, fatigue and sleep deprivation finally reducing me to a death March for the last ten or so miles. Shuffled in just under the 30hours (29:59) slower than I ought tohave been, but given my dodgy knee and dehydration I was well chuffed.
The views were exquisite and every one friendly, more like a ldwa event than other races I have done. Thanks Jim Drummond for putting on such a superb event.
At least I finished and having failed to complete the whw 30 years ago I have now ticked that box.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1598496531
(ignore the dodgy distance, Garmin UltaTrac mode added loads of wiggles I didn’t do)
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Well done - that’s the normal way up race report though isn’t it? This one you mentioned is from fort William down …
Yes - no support team is ideal. Bit of a faff if you have to task other people to following you around
Yes, they switched direction since I did it.
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I’ve run in bits the route to Ben Lomond area… know conic hill, Balmaha etc very well, then devils staircase up to fort William. That’s really nice all of that section. Only sections I haven’t done are the bits in the middle. I’d love to do it
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Great stuff Doug
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Well done on the Endure 24 !
Didn’t mean to hijack your thread though.
Thanks Doug, no problem at all
Read this post at the time and knew I had to come back and revisit when I was on TT properly to give it a proper read. Sorry it’s taken me a week!
Really chuffed to perceive a more positive tone. After all the support you’ve shown me including with Aus move I’m happy for you, especially after the struggles of last year/work/identity.
I’m glad this has been replied to, but I still need to echo those above.
You’re not an ultra-runner.
You’re a person.
A person with an SO and a LO.
A person with friends and extended families.
A person who’s had an interest in travel.
A person who’s swam-bike-ran a fair bit.
A person who’s enjoyed surfing.
A person who like motorbikes
A person who has interest in music.
Pretty sure you’ve mentioned fishing before before I zoned and went to sleep
Being an ultra-runner is one part of all that.
I grew up being told/telling myself I was a swimmer and an even better student.
Then living knowing I’m not good enough at swimming (plus physically over-trained worsening MH) & chosen a degree just for sake of going to uni, not attending any lectures for weeks that turn into months. Graduate, move back to Teesside in 2012 post-recession and on the dole with no real jobs available and no impetus to get a career.
Point being is that defining oneself in one way can only lead to bad outcomes, especially when that’s no longer there. Granted it’s very multi-facected, but I’d say that singular identity is a large factor behind the mental health problems in elite sport.
What does it mean to ‘be’ an ultra runner?
Someone who does ultras is an ultra-runner in my book, so long as they can wear it as just one hat in a wardrobe even bigger that Poets. I’ve already said I couldn’t do that distance, and training for it would scare me more than training for an ironman.
Is that not enough? Makes you equally as much an ultra-runner as I am a triathlete.
The question isn’t whether you are an ultra-runner, but whether you want to be an ultra-runner at the expense of all your other things.
Apologies if this is a golden chalice that makes you question things all over again. But I don’t want another set of threads like last year’s 
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Talk of the West Highland way reminds me how nuts you ultra guys are, and how it’s a different sport from “normal” tri running with an entirely different set of demands.
Couple of years ago I thought I’d have a crack at it- have told this story before but maybe not the full shame. Anyway, I got the early morning flight from Bristol to Glasgow. That bit was fine. Having arrived at Glasgow airport I looked at the map and figured the easiest way to get to Milgavnie (pronounced like somewhere entirely different, it turns out) would be just to run.
Saw on Google maps there was a ferry over the Clyde near the airport. Ran there. It was completely shut and boarded up. Another look at Google maps - there’s a tunnel under the river. Ran there. Got to the entrance of a busy motorway running into the Earth with no pavement. Thought no way am I running through that. Didn’t realise there was a separate pedestrian part of the tunnel with a different entrance until it was pointed out here later. Ran all the way to Glasgow city centre to get across the river. So by this stage I was already about 20k into my run, and hadn’t really started.
Destination for the night was Rowardennon YHA. Ran there. The path along the side of Loch Lomond got quite hilly. I was wearing trail shoes with not much cushioning, which was a mistake as the first 30-40km of my day turned out to be on roads or pavement and the next bit on hard packed path. Legs were shredded by the time I got to the YHA after a 70km day. Here is the leg from Glasgow city centre:
Next day the plan was to run all the way to Glencoe YHA. About 70km. How hard could that be? Well, very hard, especially when your knees and quads have been turned to guacamole by a bloke with a rolling pin. I jog-walked a painful 22km, again along Loch Lomond, super hilly, legs felt like they had been murdered. Shuffled past a pub in Inverarnan at lunch time, went in for a pint & never came out & that was the end of my attempt.
So much respect for you guys who (a) can run those distances, and (b) want to. You are a tough breed!
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