Category: Races

Goals

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Everyone needs a goal or a target. Whether it’s work related, sport specific or just something personal, it’s always good to have something to work towards.

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Now that 2016 is coming to an end, the goals for 2017 are being set. I’ve had an incredible year and to be honest, I’m not quite sure how I can top it but I need to keep focused and the best way to do that is to set new targets. And then plan to absolutely annihilate them. I’ll leave the 2016 review for another post, but I still struggle to get my head round what a magical year it was. I get a real shiver down my spine when I think about what has been accomplished and I wish I could go back and do it all over again!
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Glen Ogle 33 2016 – RACE REPORT

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GLEN OGLE 33M ULTRA MARATHON 2016

TIME: 4 Hours 54 Minutes and 39 Seconds

Overall position 56th/349 finishers

11th/154 females

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Glen Ogle round 4. My last ultra/race of 2016 and a bee in my bonnet to finally push under 5 hours was the motivation I needed to get me round this race. I’d been ready for weeks, had felt good and confident when training and was ready for it until an almost race ending act of carelessness the weekend before race day. A round of Footgolf at Palacerigg with my friends had been a great experience, but as I’m the worst footballer in the world, 18 holes of toe punting the ball around lead to a ridiculously sore vastus medialis and lots of hobbling around in the lead up to race day. Not ideal, but I’m stubborn if not determined and nothing would see me pulling out of this race (within reason of course!).
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River Ayr Way Ultra race report

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The River Ayr Way Challenge

TIME: 7 Hours 03 Minutes and 21 Seconds

OVERALL : 20th/70 finishers (2 DNF)

GENDER: 3rd/16 females

I entered the River Ayr Way race in a total moment of madness. I’d heard really good things about the race from a couple of club mates who ran it last year, and then when I discovered they were going back this year to run the relay I thought I might as well stick in a last minute entry and join them for a lovely day out and run an ultra I’d never done before. Silly, silly decision. I manged to write the dates down wrong in my diary and only discovered the week before Glenmore that the RAW race was actually only 2 weeks after Glenmore, not 3 as I had initially thought. But never mind, the season is coming to an end and it was a pretty quiet race, so I thought I might as well give it a bash and at least enjoy a nice day out with my Wee County Harrier ladies.
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Glenmore 12/24 Race Report

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Glenmore 12 2016

TIME: 12 hours

OVERALL : 9th/37 finishers

GENDER: 3rd/17 females

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The short version – You turn up at a field just outside Aviemore, decide whether you want to run for 12 hours or 24 hours, pin on your number and run in 4 mile loops for your chosen time. And then party with an awesome bunch of people! There is only one word I can think of to sum up this weekend; Epic.

The slightly longer version began with a panic on Friday night when I realised I had a nail in my tyre and a slow puncture. It was too late to get it sorted and if I waited until garages opened in Alloa on Saturday morning it was highly likely I’d miss the start of the race. Luckily it was still inflated on the Saturday morning and after an early start and Craig telling me to keep my fingers crossed, I arrived in Perth just as the garages were opening and got a super quick tyre change at 8am. By 8:30am I was back on the road and on my way to Glenmore.
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RACE REPORT – The Devil O’ The Highlands Ultra Marathon 2016

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The Devil O’The Highlands Footrace 2016

TIME: 7 Hours 47 Minutes and 10 Seconds

OVERALL : 55th/256 finishers (5 DNF)

GENDER: 9th/72 females

CATEGORY: 6th/29 senior females

It’s 2:45am on Saturday morning and my alarm is screeching at me. Already the dog is awake and has her nose up on the bed: clearly she thinks it’s time to get up and that of course means breakfast! I shoo her away and go back to sleep for a further 15 minutes.

The start. Photo - Kirsten Cowling
The start. Photo – Kirsten Cowling

3am – My second alarm bursts into life and I dragged myself out of bed to get ready. I can’t even open my eyes but I somehow manage to get all my kit on in the right order, tie my hair back tightly and finish packing my bags before force feeding myself porridge and coffee. The coffee does the trick and before I know it I’m ready to hit the road North and back to my favourite running spot of the year; the wonderful West Highland Way.
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