west-highland way race

21st june 1997

(Please Note:The author of the following literary work of art (i.e. MOI), was only the ED's fourth choice, after his more preferable choices didn't come up with the goods. Hence with the intervening six months from said event, and minus several million cerebral cells courtesy of the Westies Social Calendar, there may be some transmutation of the actual facts. Any queries or complaints regarding this should be addressed to the BB(c), Carrington St, Glasgow.)

( Now let's think, when was this bloody race, again-------- ?!£%&^**~#@--????? )

That's right, let's start on....

FRIDAY 20TH JUNE

Well to sum it up, final preparation went just like the last few years ..........a nightmare ! 8-9pm - Running up and down the aisles of Safeway Anniesland, throwing all my food for the next 48hrs, into a trolley, gave me some last minute training that I didn't want. 9-10.45pm - Sorting all my gear and throwing it into the back of the van gave me some last minute packing that I didn't want. 11-1.30am - Finally get some ZZZZZ's which I really, really did want.

SATURDAY 21ST JUNE

1.30am - After about two hours of broken sleep I'm up, feeling as fresh as a daisy. (Daisy the BSE ridden cow who's off to the knacker's yard). Between sorting the usual last minute hiccups and downing several large mugs of coffee, I'm "running" late. Manage to get out to Milngavie for 2.50am, just in time to miss the competitors race talk, and see them putting away the lap top computer (Hi-Tec this WHW race , or what !). "HHHOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDDD On"

"I've still to sign in" (or should that be "Log On"). Wee Jim (Stewart) signs me in and slags me on how I'm the nearest competitor to the start and yet still only make it by 10 mins. "Years of practice, Jim".

2.59am - Water the bushes then I finally bump into the other masochistic Westies who fancy some pain for the next day or so. Dave Rodgers is smiling and in good humour - (obviously he hasn't tried this race before). Stevie Bell has a grin and is more sedate (you can tell this is a 20 hr man). I'm told that Ronnie Gallagher is somewhere but don't see him (he must be in the blocks waiting for the starters gun).

3.00am - Off and running/jogging/walking according to ambition. I settle into my favorite position at the back and let the real athletes and neophytes stream off into the Alert and competent back-up is essential for darkness.(N.B. the following descripition of said walk/jog/run/"race" will be kept to extremus minimus otherwise we'll all be here for the next day). So the merry bunch meander through the Carbeth countryside, gradually becoming more sinewy as the early greyness arrives. I meet my backup, (Mother and Brother), at the scheduled stops and everything is going fine.

6.55am - Change of gear at Balmaha and I feel like a new "man" (we'll see how long this lasts). Keep it steady , just walk/ jogging up the lochside and now I start to catch up with people who I haven't seen in over six hours.

12.30pm - Get to Inverarnan at the top of the loch and just have a fairly short stop. Dave is in ahead of me, munching away. No sign of Ronnie or Stevie as expected. Keith and Sue are there to cheer us on. Head on up Glen Falloch and begin to feel rough (i.e. wanting to stop and puke). I manage to meet my backup on the A82 where the WHW crosses the road, and I spy my brother having some lunch. This I dutifuly grab off him and I wolf down his two rolls n' sliced turkey and wash it down with a large mug of tea. This makes up for not eating enough back at Inverarnan and is a welcome change to the cans of isostar that I have been constantly consuming. Dave, who's looking good, and Manny, go by as I stuff my face. As the energy gradually returns, I begin to feel better again and manage to pick it up a bit. Dave and Manny are passed again in Strathfillan and this time Dave is looking a wee bit jaded (that just shows you the effect that Manny has on people).

4.10pm - Feeling much better as I pass more competitors and manage a jog into Tyndrum. Feeling much much better as I meet more fellow Westies who are out supporting. Isabel, Pat, Jane, and Helen give a welcome smile. Whilst devouring another two rolls and a tin of soup (Stevie's tip for the run), they inform Dave and I that Stevie stopped at Inverarnan as he injured his ankle or something. Running Ronnie was still doing fine and streaking on ahead. Dave and his new stage partner Isabel, and I, saunter on towards Bridge of Orchy. Some more cans of isostar are downed at our stop, then I'm off after 3 mins on up the hill. (This makes a change to last year when I stopped for 30 mins for a shandy). Get down to Victoria bridge, have some more soup and potato scones, then my father, who's come up to spectate, adorns his 1950's shorts and proclaims that he's going to come across Rannoch Moor with me. Sh-- !, I think to myself, It's nice for the company but I'm feeling stronger and I hope he doesn't slow us up. In typical ironic WHW fashion, he's off like a shot (well, steady running), and I'm struggling to keep up with a jog. Needless to say, a few more competitors are passed going over the moor. (What's keeping me going is the promise from Manny of a pint if I get to Kingshouse).

8.50pm - Arrive Kingshouse and there is El Capitano Manny with the promised pint. I had been thinking of something like a shandy but I'm presented with a 3 course meal in a glass - a pint of Guinness. Of course who am I to knockback a drink, so the drink was dutifully knocked back. Manny also says that Ronnie had to" retire" with feet problems, so it's just left to good old Dave and yours truly to fly the Westies flag. I head along towards the Devil's Staircase with my brother who's joining me on this stage. I'm feeling really queasy now so I guess a guinness on an empty stomach after 70 odd miles, isn't the perfect replenishment. The climb (crawl) up the Staircase is murder and I break into my emergency chocolate eclairs with more isotonic brew going down. It's at time's like this when you really appreciate company and my brother helps drag me on into the increasing darkness.

11.40pm - Plod into Kinlochleven and on this damp and dreary night it's even more gloomier than ever. Still there is a God after all as I see wee Jim Stewart snuggling under his blanket in his landrover. I take great pleasure in battering on the window and seeing the disgruntled face come to life. "Right, log me in Jim". Daggers are drawn and the check sheet filled in. (1-1 after the slagging from 21 hrs previously). Weariness prevails so the luxury of a twenty minute break is taken. More food & fluid is taken on board and just to keep it a family affair, my mother wants to join me on this final stage. ( NOTE : I can't actually remember meeting any other Westies at this point but I remember that I knew at this point that Isabel was joining Dave over the D/S and that Marvellous Man was doing the last stage with him - maybe Pat was in Kinlochleven and told me ?).

SUNDAY 22ND JUNE

(Far too early for sensible people). Slow climb up into the Lairig Mor and now the wind is picking up and more squalls of light rain prevail. We walk along at a steady pace, which is top speed for me, just following the bobbing of the head torch in the blackness. It feels quite eerie up in this lonely glen - stuff doing this section on your own at night. Looking far behind in the distance I can see other headtorches moving and I sense that it is Dave & Manny struggling on like the rest of us. At the junction at Lundavra a figure looms in the darkness. Neither party wants to say anything then a voice asks "Is that Charlie". I think to myself that some weirdo up here must know me, then I recognise that the voice is Isabel's. Pat is catching ZZZZZ's in the car at the road end, and Isabel is waiting in the gloomy darkness for Dave and his trusty companion. The first glimmers of light are appearing as we work our way through the final forest section

4am - it's not exactly paradise but the thought that the finish is only a few miles away drives me on. I now get the idea into my head that if I could just speed up to a slow jog then I might just be able to get in under the 26 hour mark. The long downhill jog out of the forest is agonising to already painful feet, ankles, and shins. At last the final mile of tarmac road is reached. A fellow competitor is just ahead and starts jogging faster - as if I'm bothered about passing him after 95 miles !

4.53am - Hobble in to the leisure centre and sign in. Great, I managed to get under the 26 hours and take 4 hours off last year's time. A quick change and shower and out to the van to try and get a couple of hours kip. This is impossible as the body is so on edge and then I hear Pat, Isabel, and Manny's voices outside.

6.53am - Dave has just got in and we all go back into the centre . Sit and swap stories whilst having tea. Manny crashes out for a while and looks in a more shattered condition than Dave. Pat decides to liven things up a bit by telling us she's lost her car keys. This keeps us busy for the next hour as we scour every inch of the Lochaber leisure centre, questioning people and putting notices up, etc., only for Pat to finally find them jammed down behind the radiator in the changing rooms - *£%T ! Manny emerges from his comatose state with a dose of the mega munchies (what's new), so we get together with the Fife boys and have an early assault on the Nevisport cafe. After some serious amounts of breakfast are shifted, we go our own way.

3.00pm - Prize giving. Much chatter and booze abound as the prizes are given out. It is just like a big family party/atmosphere as back-up, competitors, relatives and friends all mingle and there is a mutual respect for what everyone has done. Wee Jim is in usual fine fettle and the rest of the Calderglen Harriers have done a fine job again of organising the run. We buy the t-shirts which are a nice bright yellow this year, then we all go on our merry way.

POST-MORTEM

- So what about WHW '98?

- Will Stevie come back to beat his great time of '96?

- Will Ronnie's feet hold out?

- Will Charlie get under the Holy Grail of 24 hrs (or is he just looking through Guinness coloured glasses)?

- Will Dave relinquish on this year's statement of "NEVER AGAIN"?

- Will any other Westie be daft enough to enter?

Tune in again in six months time to find out.

HAPPY ENDURANCE TRAINING!

01 B. Davidson 17.55

02 D. Wallace 19.27

03 S. Gayter 21.03 (1st F)

13 C. Campbell 25.53

16 D. Rogers 27.53

Posted by Charlie Campbell on Wed 30 Nov -0001 | comments are closed

Category races