12 months ago I was due to run the Cateran trail race but damaged my leg, so my entry got deferred. Then followed months of very little running, so when this year’s race became imminent I really wasn’t sure about entering, for fear of missing the cut-offs, or worse still, being paired up for the final section – who knows who I could end up with as a running buddy!
But I checked the weather forecast and it was good. Next I checked accommodation options and since it is now run from the Gulabin outdoor centre, there is camping and plenty of food provided too – what a bargain! I had done it 2 years ago so knew the drill, I even had photos of my drop bags and expected timings, so the ‘prep’ was fairly simple. No excuses then. Except I nearly forgot the micro-pore – never forget the micro-pore…..
Arriving quite late on the Friday, I registered and pitched up next to a nice guy called Stanley, did my final prep and tried to sleep until the alarm at 5:30. And then it came…. What followed cannot be called ‘easy’ but I pushed on and check-point by check-point made it to the end, slower than my last go but that was not surprising given the total lack of prep. But I made it. Wow….I MADE IT ROUND!
What I didn’t know was that whilst I was ‘sleeping’, Gregor Heron had completed his first circuit (anti-clockwise) of the 55 mile route and was well into the second circuit (clockwise) in the crazy double-Cateran event. And I suspect by the time I ‘sprinted’ over the finish line he was taking a well-deserved rest!
For those tempted by the Highland Fling I strongly recommend taking a look at the Cateran Trail. Its a fantastic low key race (only around 85 participants) passing through such an amazing area of Scotlands finest undulating farmland, featuring plenty of wildlife, farm machinery and stiles to keep your mind occupied!
As for the results, well I wasn’t too worried, just happy to finish and still be alive, but my unassuming ‘camping buddy’ Stanley finished (having ‘got cramp around the 20 mile mark so the last 35 miles were pretty hard’) 3rd, a whole 1.5 hours behind the winner Rob Sinclair, who completed the course in an in-conceivable 7:18:52! The previous record was smashed by over 35 minutes. First woman was Elspeth Luke in 9:33:46, missing out on the women’s record by 2 minutes.
In the double, that Gregor was participating in, he finished a fantastic 2nd, completing the first circuit in 9:19 and the full race in 21:45, with the winner Pat Robbins completing in 20:39.
Full (provisional for now) results and information available at http://cateran55ultra.webnode.com/ and in the Facebook group.
Go do it!
Chris Henty