Running - Road warm up/down 15:00 [1] 2.4 km (6:15 / km) +40m 5:46 / km
slept:7.0 shoes: Mudclaw 300 'Classic' green
OMM 2016, Galloway Forest Park. Teamed up with Jim Mann again.
I saw Jim had DNF’d the Glencoe skyline and his results all year haven’t been as good as last year. 6 weeks ago he told me he’d had pneumonia over the summer and was doubting his ability to make the start-line. I sounded out potential replacements (at Jim’s suggestion) but trying to me and Jack Wood in a tiny tent would be uncomfortable! (Jack was back-up 2 after Pez). However after a couple of weeks Jim said he was much more confident and a 2:20ish Langdale whilst in heavy training confirmed this and we were on. Then I got sick on Monday and I thought it was game over. A quick recovery meant an extra day rest which was good, but I was aware anything could happen after about 3h on day 1.
Anyway, after getting caught behind a wind farm upon leaving Dumfries (really) we were a bit late to Glentrool for the 3.5-mile walk from our car to the start. We jogged the first mile and a bit, assigning the Swedes (Bjorn, 2012 winner, and Sebastian) and the Parkinsons, and loads of other people commenting on the size of Jim’s sack. How personal!. Only missed our start block by an entire other start block and were off at 8:45.
Running - Trail race 6:17:44 [3] 40.0 km (9:27 / km) +1800m 7:43 / km
shoes: Mudclaw 300 'Classic' green
OMM day 1. 33km/2500m direct. Ran prob 38-40?
The mist was down and after a track run we were off on a bearing from a gate into tricky, vague terrain looking for a crag with a big path that appeared to not be on the map confusing me. We hit what looked like the hillside we wanted, which had plenty of crags, but no controls and many people milling around. Wondered east a bit, climbed a bit and found Harold (bugger, don’t want his nav ‘expertise’ rubbing off on me) but also a knoll with a control on it. Using the Swedish technique we relocated and headed up the hill another few hundred meters. Crag, control, and fairly substantial wall next to it. Check map and there is a very feint ruined wall symbol that blends into the grid-lines. Had I noticed it life would have been so much easier!
Anyway, probably less than 7mins lost and now onto the long leg to 2. A round rote-choice looks heavy going so we go direct over the highest ground of the area. We pass a group of elites (Stirk, Higginbotham & Near, though I don’t notice who anyone is) but they come back past to us as shave off a massive 5m climb contouring round the summit of Merrick getting stuck in rocks. At least we know how passable rocky ground is now. First bit of rougher terrain as we drop onto the side of a spur, passing Nicky Spinks, and see a couple of people on a likely-looking rocky spur which holds our control. Main take-home is that the ground is a lot lumpier than the map suggests, and in clag will be dangerous (Bjorn lost time here despite it being clear and being on the correct spur).
A short leg to 3, a seemingly big re-entrant on a hillside, loses us another handful of minutes as there’s loads of folds on the hill. We were actually just above the control but continue north and get a nice loch view before heading back and finding ~5 other pairs on the control. Push out up the hill and can see the vague valley we want towards 4. It’s really rough and on a gradient you feel you should run but ground is too heavy. We take a more direct line than other pairs, including a pair now up ahead moving at a similar speed to us. Up the headwall into the mist but nail the tarn - sorry, lochan - CP4. Now a safe contour around - looking for another reentrant and we know how I like those! - to a lochan then hold height. Starting to worry about where we are when Shane and Duncan run towards us so keep going and find the CP5 1.5mins later (along with Jess Tullie who I didn’t see). Back out in the same direction, Jim with Shane and Duncan in his sights so I tell him to calm it a bit.
6 is the other long leg on the course and we opt to go around this time. Nice wall to follow and easy approach to control, where we cross-over with Shane and Duncan again, but only 1min out from the control this time. A nice sweeping line along a loch with little beaches before we head back into terrain and mist, when Shane and Duncan pop out from our left. Up from a col into scrappy ground and mist towards number 7, quite pleased to have some better navigators with me. We’re a bit high and the feature seems very small but control 7 is given away by a camera tripod being on it. We hit a due S bearing out, trying to avoid poor ground but failing and hacking along craggy, slippy ground until we pop below the mist a little right of planned, but on the big valley before 8. Clamber up the hill, Shane and I discussing recent results, and top out. “There’s the loch!” says Shane, pointing at a massive one (ours is very small), and he and Jim start heading down the hill before Duncan pulls them back (I was waiting to see how far Shane got) and we loop into CP8. On the way out we find another marshalled control and the marshall points us at a dirty great trod (we would have found it anyway) which leads us all the way along the ridge to 9, flagged again by a cameraman 200m before the control.
Last few controls in now and I decide to try and make a move on the next hill. Jim drops off a bit on the descent but regains, then a steep gnarly headwall comes into view. There’s a gully running up it to where we want but the hill looks massive! Hit it and eat some food, before easing a bit of pressure on. I pull away fairly easily but Jim can’t come with. I lead us across some technical misty stuff which is popping out nicely and we hit number 10 easily. Another down-and-up, this time Shane and Duncan lead up the brackeny hill and once we get number 11 it’s downhill and flat all the way I set off with Shane and Duncan, but there’s no Jim behind me. He was hanging in on the climbs but has little for the running. A small faff locating 12 (on top of the knoll, not by the side as stated) and I carry both bags over the line. A few more minutes put into us here see us 18ins down, but pleased to be ahead of the Swedes (13mins), and 23mins back to Chris & Tim in 4th should see a podium secured with a standard day 2.
Note
Overcamp is mainly beef jerky, Chorly cakes, forgotten-i’d-packed-it mini cheddars, seeing if our wire stove works (yes, if a bit unstable), replacing all our pegs with sticks as they work better, multiple wees, balloon beds going off around us and sounding like gunshots at an Alabama wedding, and having a snorer in tents either side of us (was one of them Jamie?!). 1 tiny blister is compeeded as a precaution. Jim is envious of my spare socks (after last year now considered a necessity).