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Ochil200s 2007

First the headlines: Westies 2nd man, 1st vet and 2nd woman!

The day dawned grey in the west for this new long race. However we were promised better in the east and it was said to improve, so I wasn't too worried about the cloud lying on top of the Ochils as I drove east. They were wrong and I should have worried!

I wasn't feeling sharp, having a lot of running in my legs lately, but was looking to a steady long day. As it happened there were 4 Westies there, Chris, Ellie, Steffen and me and I think about 61 starters in the end, a good turn out for a new long and what was never going to be easy.

Well we were out of the cloud for the first two checkpoints, but from Kings seat hill onwards visibility was up and down like a crazy up and down thing. I started off ok, but never felt fresh. A slight detour getting to the base of Kings seat as I followed a crowd should have warned me to pay more head to my map not to other runners, but things were a steady plod for now.

The easy navigation along fence lines of the first few hills changed at about half distance, trying to take a good line from Buck to Ever I ran on my own in the cloud, a scary experience full of doubts in the mist. Then I saw a big group below me and though I had been sure of my line I headed towards them. Mistake! They were on the wrong line and luckily someone shouted them before I ot to them so I didnt have to climb back as much as they did. The field was well and truly spread now, with people running in several directions.

Across to Blairdennon was a wet slog across peat hags, and low cloud on a flat summit meant I just trusted the two local runners in front. Off Blairdennon the fun began and I think it was the same for everyone. I am still not sure how we got where we got to, but low cloud rain and the wind which had been in our faces for the whole race added to the cold and tiredness and bad choices. In the end, plodding through marsh I spied Dumyat in a break in the clag and headed for it. From there a bit of experimenting got me in a group of 4 to the dam at Jerah (I think) and then up the back of the hill, now in blazing sunshine.

The final run down the hill wasn't as much fun as I expected as I went over on my ankly a couple of times. I saw the guy in front of me go thigh deep in bog a chose a better line myself (thanks the bloke from Cambridge Harriers!) and at least 2 infront of us went down to Serrifmuir rd despite all our shouting. Finally the uni and the end with a mad dash to get under 5hours. I guess a better line might have saved half an hour but that still would have been well behind the storming runs from:

1 Andrew Symonds 3:00:32 (Carnegie)

2 Chris Upson 3: 08:36

13 Andrea Priestly 3:37:25 (Ochil)

22 Ellen Homewood 4:00:44

24 Steffen Gorgas 4:04:30

50 Jason Kaushal 4:59:16

I am not pleased with my run but it felt like a good sociable day out and maybe recce the end before next year.

All in all a great race with a bit of everyting, running, walking, mixed climbs and descents, good ground, soft ground, rocks, and navigation helps! Well done Ochils.

Posted by Jason Kaushal on Sun 26 Aug 2007 | 8 comments

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  1. JBK said...

    Oops just seen that should of course have read ochil 2000s not 200s

    Sunday 26th August 2007 3.23pm

  2. Johnston said...

    Fantastic results Westies! I've not even attempted a Long race yet, so you have my utmost respect.

    Ellen seems to have a particular aptitude for these longer races. I'm sure Chris will win a race soon. That must be a record number of 2nd places in one season.

    Sunday 26th August 2007 8.29pm

  3. Chris said...

    A great race. I felt lucky to get 2nd place as runners around me were dropping like flies, with dodgy route choices, getting cramp, and generally falling apart.

    Very much a time and place for following Rudyard Kipling's wise words.

    I was very surprised when Eddie annouced me as 2nd runner at the summit of Dumyat. I was assuming he couldn't count to 3, since I knew (or assumed) that Donald Naylor was way out in front, when in fact he was busy thrashing through head-high bracken.

    Ellie and Steffen both did well. But could have done even better if they'd paid more attention to their routes choices!

    And of course Jason did well just for showing good sport at getting round this tough new race.

    Monday 27th August 2007 9.58am

  4. Ellie said...

    Thanks Johnston, but I'd call it luck rather than aptitude! As Chris has kindly pointed out (several times), I could do with a bit of navigation training (he's threatened to send me off with Muffy on a course!). I was feeling pretty grotty starting out and became increasingly grumpy with each uphill step. In spite of trying some well-honed psychological techniques, I failed to engage my brain in more positive cognitive pattern and was cursing the socks off each and every hill runner responsible for 'inspiring' me to race that day. Like Jason, I was a bit psyched out by the mist that hung over the not so peaky peaks and so rather than stop and get my map out (like any hill runner with a modicum of aptitude), I tried desperately to keep up with the two men in front of me, who decided to take the longer route to Ben Ever then Ben Buck..when everyone else was flying out of the mist in the opposite direction...a tad disconcerting.At Ben Buck, when my sturdy chaperones let on that they hadn't a clue either, I finally put compass to paper and tried hard to remember what Chris had said about whether to swivel the map, your hips or the compass in the direction of the arrow...since nobody else was any more certain, the four of us headed off into the bog on a hopeful bearing...A few hours later, and after thrashing through head-high grass and bracken, up and down a few valleys on the heels of the same three kindly chaps, Dumyat emerged through the mist and I could begin to enjoy the run.It turns out we had taken a long westerly detour...but at least the other women must have equally fluffed up, affording me another bottle of plonk.Well done Jason, Steffan and Chris...let's arrange a reparative recce soon!

    Monday 27th August 2007 11.27am

  5. Chris said...

    Thanks Johnston. That's 2nd place at my last 3 Saturday races. Not sure if I can keep this run going on Saturday at Ben Nevis. Might be tricky since I usually struggle to make the top 50!

    Perhaps as punishment for all those who went wrong, we will need to have a post race recce of the Ben Cleuch to Dumyat section to re-acquaint ourselves with those Blairdennon peat hags.

    Tuesday 28th August 2007 9.08am

  6. Chris said...

    Results

    Wednesday 29th August 2007 9.04am

  7. JasonRS said...

    Jason "showed good sport"!?! I think I prefer being rediculously slow

    Wednesday 29th August 2007 11.35am

  8. Chris said...

    OK, I'll stick to rude rather than patronising!

    Wednesday 29th August 2007 3.35pm

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