The Highland Fling - an extraordinary ultra

The Highland Fling is a 53 mile ultra starting at Milngavie and following the West Highland Way to Tyndrum with 2,300m of climbing.  It’s a very special event that’s been going for 14 years and gaining a place out of the 1,000 available isn’t easy.  Fortunately I did and it’s perfect training for me as I prepare for the Tahoe 200 (www.tahoe200.com).
Only 750 made the start line and the weather forecast had been for rain but none appeared for the first hour.  I made the decision to go with my waterproof jacket and just as I was thinking of taking it off the rain started and was on for most of the run which made for treacherous conditions on tricky terrain.
The competitors gathered for the start and there was a great atmosphere at 6am, full of energy.  We headed out of Milgavie and into the lovely countryside.  It’s a relatively easy start and at CP1 Beechtree I had been running for an hour and 1 minute - was delighted to be cheered on by my friend Gill who’d got up early to encourage me - that’s always a welcome boost to your spirits.  CP 2  was Drymen at 20km with 255m of climbing from the start.  I was aiming to get under 11 hours and to do that I needed a fast start so I was delighted to complete that section in 47mins (1 hr 48 min total) considering I had another 64km ahead.  My coach Genevieve and her husband Colin were there to cheer me on and telling me I was doing great but in reality I was feeling tired with heavy legs.  Going on a 10 day cruise ending a week before this event wasn’t’t good preparation but my training had gone well up till then.
Drymen to Balmaha is, for me, a difficult section with 379m of climbing.  The rain was steady and you are exposed climbing Conic Hill but even worse is the descent where you don’t want to trash your quads and the wet stones present a real danger of you’re not careful.  Again Genevieve, Colin were waiting for me at Balmaha with my running pal Stuart.  This is the last time for a while I’d see anyone and words of encouragement were given as I restocked with gels, drank some flat coke and
stuffed a handful of mixed nuts in my mouth before heading off.  I still didn’t feel great, hadn’t found my running rhythm and couldn’t swallow the nuts - I ended up spitting them out after 5 minutes of trying to wash them down with water.  I was now 3 hours 11 mins into the race and couldn’t believe this amount of time had passed.  Normally my head is full of positive thoughts or no thoughts when running but for some unknown reason, possibly the though of my “holiday champagne training”, was causing doubts.  My legs just didn’t feel as they should but despite that my pace so far was good.
The next section is 11km to Inversnaid with 373m of ascending.  The tree lined route along the loch offers some shelter but you have to watch your step with all the rocks and the tree branches, not  helped by them being wet.  As you approach Inversnaid Hotel there is a bridge over the river with steep steps up to the bridge - this is where you start to recognise a few niggles.  My right hip flexor was starting to grumble.  1 hr 34m for this section gives an idea how your running needs to slow down to allow for the terrain.  When you get to Inversnaid there are almost no supporters but the marshalls go out of there way to make you feel welcome and help in any way they can.  They send you off with some hope because they know what’s coming next.  I didn’t manage any solid food but got half a bottle of fat coke into me - I was surviving on gels but my guts didn’t feel particularly good about any food.
The distance between Inversnaid and Beinglass (373m of ascent) is 1km shorter than the previous section yet took 18 minutes longer.  As anyone who has been done this section - it’s awful on a good day but with heavy rain it’s treacherous with loads of slippy tree routs and rocks that you are either scrambling over or carefully picking your spot to land your foot on.  You have to lift yourself up and lower yourself down some very tricky rocks.  There’s another “ladder” which is like a step machine on max elevation and there is no railing to hold onto.  That’s when my hip flexor started failing so from there on in if I needed to step up it was with my left foot.  My feet were soaking wet with the puddles and mud I had to go through and it was a thoroughly miserable section.  To put this into context you’ve run further than a marathon with tired legs and your clambering over rocks trying not to slip.  No wonder you are less than walking pace.  If there was a relief from the rocks then I ran but you’re talking 10-20 metres then you’re walking again.
It was a relief to come through that section and see the Beinglas check point with my Genevieve & Colin shouting encouragement and telling me to get my “game face on” as I must of looked bust.  My sub 11 hour target was touch and go at this stage and I knew it although they never said.  However I had a secondary target in mind as I knew a few club mates had done a time around 11.08 previously so if I couldn’t make the first target then I’d aim for the second.  My rationale was simple; without the targets I’d be as well walking in, as many people do, so I needed something to keep me moving faster than walking pace.  At this check point spectators aren’t allowed in so a couple of 100 metres shy of the CP  Genevieve told me to get some solid food in as I needed it.  I managed some cheese and pork pie and soon I was on my way and I waved back to them knowing my wife and son were at the next check point and that lifted my spirits as the rain continue to tip down.
The track to Bogle Glen is undulating and easier underfoot than the previous section.  I was trying to run as much as I could but the uphills were taking their toll.  At one stage I tripped and fell bloodying both knees - this wasn’t helped by the fact I’d done that 3 days ago so the scab was taken off as it was my hand - ouch.  It was miserable out there but I just wanted to get this finished.  In my mind I was trying to remain positive.  The “conversation” I was having was that this is where ultras come into their own.  You can only feel this tired, battered and bruised if you’ve put in those miles before now so this was ideal training for me with the Tahoe 200 approaching.  As I approach the check point I could here them screaming (abuse I think).  They’d been there for an hour and looked like drowned rats but a welcome sight.  I got a big hug for one of the marshalls, thanks Katie. It was now 9 hrs 41 mins into the race and I had just over 9km to go but the last section had the most climbing - 515m.
Heading up the hills you were met with water running down so your feet were completely soaked.  Fortunately I have been treating my feet for months and was wearing compression toe socks and the combination meant no blisters.  I’m sure there would have been some blister issues out there with all that water.  My memory of this last section will be the downhills, not the uphills.  My quads were “shot to bits” and I had to take it easy heading down the hills.  With the water and the rocks you had to be careful as you could easily injure yourself badly here with your muscles being so tired.
The lead up to the finish line has a slight incline which seems like a mountain and then you have the long run down the red carpet.  It’s a fantastic finish with music blaring out (YMCA), the commentator announcing your name, the cow bells ringing and your friends calling out your name.  I saw my wife and son but kept my focus on 10 yards beyond the finish line.  In 2014 I switched my mind off on the red carpet,  my brain thought it had finished and my hamstring blew so I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.  As I ran, well sort of ran, to the line I became aware of someone trying to pip me on the line so I force a few steps and beat him on the line to take 199th place.  I was straight into the arms of a Marshall who realised I could no longer support myself and quickly taken into the warm tent by friends Paul, Beth and Ellie who were there to look after the runners.  They got me warmed up and as it was too much faff to get my wounds seen to I got dressed and headed off.  In the end my time was 11 hours 5 mins and 36 seconds (beating my club mates!) which I was very pleased with considering my last 3 weeks of training.  I dug very deep to complete this race.  The last 20km had been slow, slower than my recovery runs but when you have 64 km in your legs with all the climbing and ascending you just need to do what has to be done.  Walking in would have been so disappointing although had I been injured it would have been the only option.
The Fling is my favourite ultra because it’s well organise, fantastic marshalling and a very tough course.  Thank you Jonny “Fling” and your wonderful team.
Now it’s time to recover, I lost 5lbs of weight on the run, and will analyse the statistics with my coach as we prepare for the Tahoe 200. To put that challenge into context it’s like completing 4 Flings in a row with 40,000 ft of climbing in 4 days non stop.  I’ve got my work cut out for me as there are 137 days to go.