Getting sky high in Glencoe
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You wouldn’t think that ultra running makes a good spectator sport but the Glencoe Skyline, held for the first time a couple of weeks ago, surpassed the expectations both of those watching and, more importantly, those competing.
An ultra marathon is a race over a distance longer than a standard marathon, and it can be on or off road, or a combination.
The Glencoe Skyline race is as awesome as it sounds. Starting at the Glencoe Mountain resort, the race route climbs Buchaille Etive Mor via a moderate rock climb and traverses the Three Sisters before crossing the glen and taking runners back along the Aonach Eagach, another technical section of rock scrambling, before returning to the ski centre.
All this adds up to a massive 53km of running, the seriousness of the challenge compounded by 14,000ft of ascent.
I am probably years of training away from attempting a race like this so, to get a taste of the experience, I followed Inverness-based runner Johannes Felter. As a mountaineer and runner he should have the essential set of skills to compete in a race that proclaims to fuse alpinism and mountain running.
I arrived in Glencoe to catch Johannes as he passed the first low-level checkpoint in the Lairig Elide.
Athletes could be seen descending at speed from the Buachaille Etive Beag col and many still looked fresh as they turned the corner to head back up the pass towards the Three Sisters.
We learned later that the light aircraft circling overhead were in place to relay radio communications and make sure there were no radio blackspots.
The atmosphere around the race was great – at checkpoint five we arrived at the same time as a large group of runners equipped with cowbells who, while not racing themselves, were obviously taking the time to run a lower-level route between the checkpoints as they cheered and urged competitors on.
Despite the spread out and often remote nature of the course, the halfway checkpoint, the main focus for spectators, was a credit to the organisers. Free hot drinks and biscuits were available along with, brilliantly, a screen showing live tracking of runners as they made their way across the cloud-covered Munro summits towering above us.
I decided to walk up towards the Aonach Eagach to cheer runners on as they made their way up the final huge climb.
Being hill runners ourselves we didn’t want to distract the competitors as they sped down the steep technical terrain off Bidean nam Bian but rather see them at a slower speed as they ascended towards the ridge.
The first runner to pass us was Joe Symonds, the eventual winner, upbeat and modestly disbelieving as we reported the size of gap he had opened up between himself and second place.
Runners were a pleasure to cheer on as they passed – chatty and appreciative despite being nearly five hours into the race. Brilliant comments included “much better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than wandering round a shopping centre” and, from a local runner, “suddenly realised at that last checkpoint I could be home in 40 minutes”.
Johannes had the energy to ask how my short run the previous day had gone!
Noticeable among the frontrunners was Emelie Forsberg, a Swedish skyrunner who finished second overall and looked as if she was out for a weekend training run, grinning from ear to ear as she powered up the steep bracken-covered slope.
The success of female runners in ultra distance is an excellent topic of discussion as it’s been shown that as distances get longer us ladies just keep getting better!
This race showcased the best of mountain running and the organisers should be congratulated for staging such a successful event.
Even if, like the majority of us, this event is beyond our current abilities, it serves to inspire both through the amazing passion people have for running the hills and the majestic scenery Scotland provides for us to enjoy.
* For more information on the race, visit www.glencoeskyline.com
Reaping the rewards of positive energy
Johannes Felter recounts entering, training for and competing in this unique race
Last summer I heard on the grapevine that someone was thinking of organising a race over Curved Ridge and the Aonach Eagach. At that time I think it’s fair to say there was a bit of “event fatigue” going on, but I thought this could be special – several local well-respected runners had been doing the route for decades as a bit of a classic both in summer and winter.
Mountaineering instructor colleagues from Fort William were invited to review the event’s safety plans, giving the organiser a big thumbs-up, as did the National Trust for Scotland, which adopts a pretty tight approach to its stewardship of Glencoe.
At this point I knew the event wasn’t some big money-making jamboree. It had an authenticity and seriousness to it – basically it was a chance to bring together the equally left-field worlds of climbing, fell running and ultra marathons.
In the end I found it an easy decision to sign up. Cue several months of sweating out longer and longer hill runs, including some very tiring days over on the Skye Cuillin.
I tried making some unusual diet changes – raw vegetable juices for breakfast, no alcohol, and a strange addiction to a particular hummus wrap recipe that became my best buddy on long runs.
All the while the event drew nearer and the miles kept clocking up. I’d done some long hill races before but never an ultra marathon.
Inverness is the most fantastic base for hill running. My favourite training routes included doing laps up and down Ben Wyvis, and I also had invaluable help from a local physiotherapist.
On his advice I spent a lot of lonely hours in the garage doing core strength exercises with a giant rubber ball. The neighbours started to look slightly perplexed…
Finally, August 22nd: race day. I set off with the intention of starting slowly and giving out tonnes of positive energy and enthusiasm to everyone on the course.
I really didn’t have any psychological low points, just a succession of increasingly high highs. As the race wore on, a fantastic sense of companionship with the other competitors developed.
We all wanted the race to go well, and looked after each other just as you would on a normal day on the hill. How exactly do you “race” someone along a narrow scramble with long drops on either side? Simple – you cooperate and work out a way to pass each other. This is what climbers always do – “doing dangerous things safely”.
I’d urge anyone to sign up for a long race that really pushes their level. I feel a bit bereft now that I haven’t got my big training target – but I am trying to remember in my everyday life that if you give out positive energy, then sure as anything you will get it back, and it will keep you buzzing!
* Johannes Felter is a freelance mountaineering instructor based in Inverness. He is also regional development officer for Scottish Orienteering.
