Not long now before the big day on 6th November and I’ve been getting some more miles in. But the closer it comes, the more daunting it seems to me.
Last week, I did the West Island Way, seven and a half miles across Bute in the teeth of a howling gale, seeing the submarines and warships make their way along the Firth of Clyde and finishing down in the valley past the ruined sixth century Celtic chapel of St Blanes on which a 12th century Norman church, also ruined, was built.
That means I’ve completed a hat-trick of Great Glen Way, West Island Way and Cowal Way and such walking routes are a great asset to their communities. My walk from Muirtown Bridge to Dochgarroch and back on the other side of the canal was a great reminder of the scenic value of this underused route and British Waterways deserve credit for looking at further popularising the canal.
This weekend coming, I plan to do a circular walk of Glen Affric, some 13 miles along with my ‘coach’ Andrew Duncan, the accountant. I’ve been grateful for his company on my walking expeditions despite the fact that he’s a Ross County fan who keeps telling me how well they’re playing and how they’ll be in the SPL next season!
As well as pounding the Affric trails by the ancient Caledonian Forest, I’ll be walking later in the week at Tomfat Woods and Inverarnie, both picturesque walks just outside the city.
I read about the 100 year old Sikh man from London who completed a marathon in Toronto. How’s that for putting the pressure on me? But he’s a good few stones slimmer than me and my target is to get at least 13 miles in New York, which is the trigger for all my sponsors having to stump up for the ARCHIE Appeal.
I had a health check last week and they say I’m not fit but I’m not unfit enough not to be allowed to make the effort. I also had a second visit to Caley Thistle’s excellent physio John McCreadie who’s supplied me with all the necessary ointments and gels and a footwear check.
The New York organisers have sent me my bib number for the big day. It’s 66956. I have to be up early to leave my hotel at 5.30am to be at Central Park for 6am where breakfast of tea, coffee, water, bagels and power bars are laid on for all competitors. Not exactly a Highland brekky.
But after such an early report to the Park, I’m told that those of us who are walking have a start time of 10.30 am, which is 1am Inverness time. After the elite athletes begin racing, there is a two hour trudge forward from those us in the rearguard just to get to the start line. That’ll be an endurance test in itself. I think I’ll go down the night before and put my towel on the start line!
Catriona Cameron, owner of the Mustard Seed and The Kitchen restaurants in Inverness, will be walking with me through those vast canyons of Manhattan and beyond. But there are five hardier, fitter Inverness folk who will be running the marathon for ARCHIE.
Valerie Matheson is a nurse at the Breast Care Centre while Lorna Mackenzie is a nurse in Ward 11 in Raigmore. Laura Mackintosh, my astonishingly fit personal assistant and mother of two, ran the recent Monster Challenge and did the Great Glen Way last weekend.
Neil Cameron, Catriona’s husband, is also running, as is Northern Constabulary officer Tony Anderson who I suppose has experience of pounding a beat!
These brave and determined runners have my great admiration as they set off for such a good cause.
Four of the Appeal management team in Aberdeen are also running, making a total of 11 of us setting forth to raise funds towards the £1 million appeal to give Raigmore Hospital a state-of-the-art childrens ward.
We’ve all been tracking the weather in the Big Apple and right now it’s looking good with 55 degrees forecast for the marathon. That’s a bit warmer than we’ve been having it in Inverness!
So at least we shouldn’t freeze. But the clock is running down and the nerves are beginning to kick in. The city that never sleeps is beckoning...
* See Tuesday's Inverness Courier to read about David Sutherland's final preparations before he and the rest of the team jet off to New York.
