Ramsey Record

Last weekend, Jez Bragg was due to attempt the Ramsey Round . Jez Bragg is well known to the West Highland Way race family having held the course record for many years, he is also a very nice, down to earth person.
 I was meant to meet him on Saturday morning in the Grey Corries to give him a top up of coca- cola and rice pudding, but the start was brought forward to 3 am on Friday morning so I was unable to help due that unfortunate thing called work.
It was a good call though because the weather on Friday was excellent; sunny and clear whereas on Saturday the tops were shrouded in cloud and it was surprisingly cold.
After work on Friday we went to Glen Nevis Youth Hostel where the round begins and ends.
 To matter a Ramsey Round of the 24 mountains must be done in under 24 hours. Jez was hoping to beat the record of 18 hours 23 minutes!
We waited as the minutes ticked away , we knew it was going to be tight. Finally we saw a group of runners sprinting down the road . Jez crossed the line in an amazing18 hours and 12 minutes, breaking the record by 11 minutes. Unless you have climbed and run in these mountains it is difficult to understand how impressive this result is . In addition to the tough climbing there are exposed ridges to negotiate, steep craggy descents and every variation in terrain from snow fields to rock to tussocky grass and bog. Compared to the other major rounds such as the Bob Graham the Ramsey is remote with little road access for support crews.
At the finish there was just a small group of people to applaud Jez's outstanding achievement.Compare this to the hype of someone breaking the record for the marathon or distance cycled in an hour! Breaking the record of a big round involves so much more than superb athletic ability ( though this is obviously essential). Running fast over difficult terrain requires a lot of skill but navigation and route choice are very important too. In addition nutrition and hydration are a delicate balancing act on a long run . Add in uncontrollable variables; the ground conditions - how wet, how much snow (carry an ice axe and crampons or not?), the wind and rain, the visibility, the temperature. It is easy to see why so many Ramsey attempts fail. The secret I suspect is meticulous planning coupled with the flexibility to change plans to suit the conditions. This is exactly what Jez did and it paid off.
Link to Jez Bragg's blog