West Highland Way Race

Late last Friday night  the relative peace of a car park of a suburban railway station on the edge of Glasgow was disturbed by a sudden influx of vehicles . They disgorged a motley group of men and women ,many rake thin with knotted calves and knobbly knees. They were attired in everything from baggy shorts to lycra leggings, they carried small rucksacks or bumbags and each one had  a head torch. At precisely 1 am on Saturday 199 of them set off through the underpass and through Mugdock Park beyond . They were embarking on a great adventure , a 95 mile long adventure to Fort William. The 2014 West Highland Way Race had begun!

Very quick sketch from Bogle Glen Crianlarich, whilst waiting for my runner 

My beautiful and courageous wife was running as were a host of good friends and acquaintances. Each one will have a tale of struggle and pain of highs and lows ,elation and despair . Everyone who reached the steps of the Leisure centre in Fort William within the 35 hour time limit  is in my opinion  a hero. This is not an 'ordinary' 95 miles, this is the West Highland Way; every terrain from the road to Drymen , Conic Hill , the rocks and tree roots of Loch Lomondside, Telford's cobbles on Rhannoch Moor and the aptly named Devil's Staircase.  The winner Paul Giblin smashed his own record with an incredible, inconceivable  time of 14 hours and 20 minutes. He received a well deserved standing ovation at the prize giving.
 My wife struggled with sickness and nausea in the latter stages of the race but still came home in a very credible time of 23 hours 54 minutes . One of our friends had a very hard time on the Rowardennan to Beinglas section and we feared that he had dropped out. However he appeared out of nowhere on the descent to Kinlochleven ,  pale faced and eyes bulging he was going like a train . Despite our attempts to follow in his wake he was soon well ahead.
Another friend had several falls before Rowardennan . I found him sitting on the grass with a bloody knee and damaged shoulder, his arms black with midges . We stuck him in the car with the engine running and fan on  full to give him some relief from the midges and plied him with tea and offered paracetamol. I was sure that he would and probably should pull out as he was obviously in a lot of pain, however I didn't want to influence his decision either way. After catching his breath he decided to carry on despite the roughness and remoteness of the next section. What's more he finished ! I'm full of admiration for his mental and physical toughness .

Before the race in the Real Food cafe Tyndrum

There is much more I could write about what was for me a brilliant if exhausting weekend ( and I was only supporting my wife not racing). The prize giving was a wonderful emotional occasion , 3 runners received extra awards for 10 completions . Everybody who finishes receives a crystal goblet and the last finisher gets presented theirs by the winner of the race which I think is a really nice touch. Well done to Ian Beattie and his team for another excellent event.