Ben Nevis Race 2014
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| James H Cahill | Sep 10 2014, 3:49pm | This is not an IMRA race, but it is an iconic mountain race which I was lucky enough to compete in last weekend and I thought it might be of interest to other IMRA members: A post on the IMRA site by Niamh O Ceallaigh, mentioned that she had partaken in the Ben Nevis Race a few years back and it was a great race to run. On the spur of the moment I made a note in my diary to apply for an entry when the entry opened in January. There is no online entry for the race, and when the forms for the upcoming race appear on the website, you have to download a form, print it off, fill it in and return it by post with a sterling cheque for your entry fee enclosed. This I did and then in mid February the provisional runners list is produced…...and low and behold there was my name. Well I had better have a look and see what I had got myself into…..and so a browse of the internet ensued. A race with a lot of history dating back to 1895 it runs up to the summit of Ben Nevis and back down with only two fixed points - the start / finish on the shinty pitch in Fort William and the summit of Ben Nevis a total distance of about 14km. How hard could that be I thought? Oh the innocence! The race starts at sea level (well 5 meters above sea level to be pedantic) and runs to the peak of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland) at 1,344m. Various entry lists appeared with updates as runners dropped out due to injury and were replaced by those on the waiting list. My name remained stubbornly implanted on the list. In fact for a very long time I appeared to be the only Irish entry. The final list was published and other Irish runners included were John Brooks, Brian Furey, Fergus Glynn and Liam Glynn, so I wouldn’t be alone. And so as the fateful day approached I booked flights, hotels, buses and then set off on my journey to Ben Nevis. I flew to Glasgow and there are regular buses to Fort William. Brian Furey tracked me down in the bus station and introduced himself. Given our different finishing positions in IMRA races (Brian is normally finished, fed and watered and gone home by the time I arrive at the finishing line!) we hadn’t met before. Travelling up on the bus to Fort William we were both impressed at the scenery and steepness of the Mountains of Scotland. Checked into our respective hotels I resisted the urge to hit the pub and on race day prepared on the morning with the breakfast of champions - the full Scottish Fry. Registration opened on the shinty field at 10 and I made my way over to see a junior shinty match in full swing. As 10 year olds beat the ankles of one another in the background with overly long curly hurls I joined the registration queue of 1….I was a bit early. Registration completed, I was given my runners envelope, souvenir tee shirt and a wee dram of whisky. The race would start at 1 and so en route back to the hotel I met Brian and we arranged to meet back at the start at 12. You are required to carry full body cover including hat and gloves, the runners registration card, wear your numbers (front and back), and wear a numbered wrist band which you hand to the marshals at the summit. There are no exceptions and not carrying the required kit is instant disqualification. You are also given a numbered “T†card which you hand to marshals at the start. Using the simple system of the numbered “T†cards at the start, the numbered wristbands at the summit, and the record of the finish line numbers, the organisers can work out when everyone has returned. Returning to the shinty field at 12, the race day was now in full swing. There are a number of tents - committee, bar, first aid, shops selling mountain running gear and the pipe band was warming up. The British legion was on site, with a replica model T ford similar to one which had been driven to the top of Ben Nevis in 1911. An impressive achievement which had taken 5 days. If a car could get up, I definitely could, although I did hope it wasn’t going to take me 5 days and I wouldn’t suffer a blown gasket or puncture en route. The rescue helicopter was on permanent standby all day and was circling Ben Nevis ominously. Brian went to warm up at about 12.30. I decided to preserve my energies for the mountain and opted for a 200m jog at 12.45. Jogging beside a lady wearing a Lochaber (the local athletic club) vest, she suddenly stopped and sighed, bent over and start breathing quickly. Assuming it was my manly presence, I asked if she was ok, and she said “what the f**k am I doing, I’m really scaredâ€. I asked if she had done it before and she said “yes three timesâ€. Oh dear, the locals from the area, who had done it before, were having start line second thoughts. She had given me a dose of her contagious fear! What the hell had I let myself in for! At about 12.55 the runners assembled with the pipe band in front. The pipe band struck up and we were paraded around the shinty field to the start, to the claps and cheers of the spectators, where we handed in our “T†cards. The starter, Ian Tasker, gave some race instructions, which I have to admit I couldn’t hear as I was right at the back of the field listening instead to the voice inside my head which was questioning my sanity. Why had I left the dram of whiskey back in the hotel? But no turning back now, the starters shotgun was fired which did nothing for my already nervous disposition, and off we went. One circuit of the shinty pitch and off on a 2km road run with a modest 80m of climb to the start of the Ben Nevis Trail head. I kept a very easy pace at the back of the field for the road section, as I had no idea of what awaited. At the end of the road, the Ben Nevis Inn is located and the “pony track†- a rocky rough walking path, which most tourists use to climb Ben Nevis, starts. As the path climbed there are a number of “zig-zags†and at the first of these a the field divided with approximately 50% staying on the path and 50% shortcutting up a steep narrow muddy climb. A runner in a Lochaber shirt ahead of me took the shortcut and deciding to stick with local knowledge I followed her. Rejoining the higher pony track another steep short cut option appeared and again I took that as most of the local runners were taking it. Rejoining the pony track again, runners ahead were now starting to slow and walk. I was still feeling good, given my slow start, and was passing lots of runners as I kept jogging up the hill. I did wonder if they knew something I didn’t and perhaps they were conserving energy. Passing people on the pony track came with its own challenges as the people ahead were taking the easier routes along the track and so to get past, you were forced to either jump up steeper rocks or tip toe along the edge of steepish drops. Not good for nerves or energy levels. All along the pony track scattered groups of spectators and also walkers cheered runners along. The Pony Track then leads off in a long sweeping loop which passes close to the halfway lochan, but the vast majority of runners choose to head to the open mountain, crossing the red burn and staying left of “the grassy bank†(more on this Anglo Irish Bank a.k.a “the bank from hell†later). We were now on a steep single muddy single track going straight up! Walking was the order of the day, but I was still catching and passing people. The steep muddy single track then reached an upper section of the pony track and we crossed over onto a steep rock, scree and boulder field, where again walking was the only way forward. As we ascended, the leaders (Rob Jebb and one other) appeared on the horizon, they were running down the scree bank and boulder field using all appendages for balance and moving at a pace that had to be seen to be believed. The potential for an outrageous and damaging fall seemed very high…….to put the steepness and rocks in perspective, think the steep side of the sugar loaf and make it about a 1km. No other leaders in sight until local favourite and previous four time winner Finlay Wild appeared in third place. He was descending fast to our left whilst the leaders had descended to our right. He was at least 2 minutes behind and given the pace and skill of the leaders, I reckoned he would have to settle for a lower placing this year. Meanwhile despite the distractions of the descending leaders, my ascent continued. We crossed the pony track a number of times and passed multiple false summits and then the ground leveled off a bit and I started running again, and suddenly up another incline and I was there….the summit of Ben Nevis in 1 hour 45 minutes. There is a 1 hour cut off at halfway (if you dont make it within the time you are turned back), a two hour cut off at the summit and if your total race time is over 3 hours and 15 minutes then they will not accept a future entry from you! These times are not generous. But I’ld be back down to the shinty field in no time (I thought). Turning around, the gravity of what lay ahead became evident quite quickly, the boulder and scree fields, were steep, very very steep. As I alluded to earlier - think the steep side of the sugar loaf and make it about a 1km descent. I found myself descending very nervously and was passed by runner after runner, each of whom was much more confident on the descent than I. The descent was not made easier by rocks, dislodged by runners above you, passing you at speed. At one point I kicked a small rock with one foot and then stood on it with my other, creating a one legged rollerblade effect, which did increase my speed but also my terror levels. Occasional fixed lines left and right, too which I was not fixed, did nothing to improve my disposition. At one point Mountain Rescue had set up a station where they were kindly distributing jelly babies, and whilst consuming some, I looked to my right and realised that they were manning a steep cliff drop. One stumble on tired legs and if you went over that drop it would be a body recovery and not a rescue. Eventually the boulder and scree field gave way to a steep muddy section and a large group of spectators waiting on the pony track below. I assumed they were observing our descent from the boulder field. Little did I realise they were standing above a whole new hell innocuously called “the grassy bankâ€. Crossing the pony track, a steep grass and mud bank dropped in front of me. For comparison think the steep grassy bank we run up in the Maulin race. Now make it about 800m, a bit steeper, through in a few rocks, and run about 400 people down in front of you to make it muddy and slippery as hell. I set off at my tiptoeing pace and again was passed by more and more runners. It was a steepness I had not encountered before and I couldn't pick up my pace. Then about halfway down I slipped, landed on my ass, and involuntarily slid about 50m down the hill, legs akimbo. However, despite the graceless nature of my descent, I had made up good ground on the runners in front. My pride and dignity were demolished already. So what the hell, I did the rest of my descent using a sliding, sitting, crablike descent that caught me up to the runners in front and then dumped me over a 6 foot drop into the red Burn. Emerging out of freezing waters of the red Burn we were now back on the pony track and I started to catch and pass some more runners. As we approached the zig zag sections, I followed local Lochaber runners down steep shortcuts whilst others stayed on the pony track. Finally the pony track started to become less rocky and steep and I knew the road section was coming up. A large group of about 15 or 20 spectators were just in front of me and cheering me on. Buoyed by their encouragement I picked up my pace as I approached and wondered if I should take a gel for the last section. With that I clipped my toe on a rock and took a “pearler†of a face first fall right in front of the spectators. As I lay face down in the rocks, it took me a minute or two to catch my breath and pick myself up. Spectators had kindly rushed over to check if I was still alive. Hauling myself off the ground I said I was fine and started running (I use the term loosely) again. I was hotly pursued by a lady saying “your not fine, there’s bloodâ€. Blood was the least of my worries, that fall had smashed my ego into about a million tiny pieces. A couple of hundred meters further and the Ben Nevis Inn and the road section loomed into view. I passed a few runners on the road and then was passed myself just as I came into the shinty field, and I just didn't have the wherewithal to catch my passer on the loop of the shinty field to the finish line. 2 hours 53 minutes and 3 seconds after I had set off I was back at sea level. Not the time I had hoped for but lots of lessons learned. A finishers medal and a trip to the first aid tent later, and I was ready for rehydration. They have there own electrolyte drink in Fort William. It’s called Cairngorm Lager and I found it quite good. It certainly took the pain out of my scraped knees and hands and even seemed to aid my badly bruised ego. Finlay Wild had unbelievably caught up the two minutes on Rob Jebb, a previous winner himself, and passed and beat him by 13 seconds in a time of 1:34:43. Lindsey Brindle won the ladies race in 1:56:36 So is the Ben Nevis race worth doing…….yes on so many levels. It is a real occasion, with lots of history. The bands, the helicopters, the tents, the Mountain, oh and the steepness of the descents make it a race to definitely put on your to do list. All the committee, marshals and runners are very friendly and welcoming and seemed very pleased to have Irish runners attending. I did learn some lessons: - I would position myself further up the field at the start, as passing people is a lot of additional work. - I would go out much harder on the road and early sections of the pony track as there is plenty of time later for walking on single track where you cant pass and you can recover. - Watch out for what the Lochaber runners are doing (white singlet, with two horizontal blue stripes), they really know the mountain. - I would bring the wee dram of whiskey to the to the summit and drink it to steel my nerve for the descent ahead. - Girls having panic attacks pre-race are to be avoided as the panic can be contagious. - I need to really work on descending prior to my next run up and down Ben Nevis. Anything with an incline of 30% plus is fair game, I’ll be the one running down it and I’ll probably ask people to roll boulders down after me for additional training. Next run, you say, will I be back? Yes absolutely, if they’ll have me I will definitely be back next year and want to beat 2:30. It is the most exciting, thrilling, scary, impressive race I have ever done and roll on Ben Nevis 2015. The BBC were covering the race for a documentary called Turas Tony in which Tony Kearney follows his father’s and uncle's footsteps by competing in the Ben Nevis race. It will be shown on BBC Scotland on New Years Day apparently but I am sure it can be seen online. It will be worth a look if you want to get a flavor of the race. I just hope my tiptoe descending or my inglorious face plant don’t feature……..if they do my slowly repairing ego will disintegrate once more. |
| James H Cahill | Sep 10 2014, 3:52pm | Please ignore the last bit of the report - from pipe band rescue helicopter tents - my cut and paste was not successful! |
| James H Cahill | Sep 10 2014, 4:10pm | In fact maybe a webmaster might kindly cut off the end of the report from "Pipe Band, rescue helicopter, tents". onwards to tidy it up if possible |
| Karen Devenney | Sep 10 2014, 7:55pm | Wow James that's a fantastic report, congrats on finishing in one piece, very impressive! |
| Douglas Barry | Sep 10 2014, 8:29pm | Cracking report, James. Has the course changed? I say this as the time back in 1983 was 1:25:35 (John - known as Jon - Wild) and this year's (Finlay Wild) was only 1:34:43 so that a big difference. That said Jon Wild was a british cross country champion, well up in the World Cross (top 20), and a finalist in the 3,000 metres steeplechase in the Commonwealth Games who had a tremendous turn of both speed and agility, and blitzed a large number of records on the fells back in the 80s. Douglas |
| James H Cahill | Sep 10 2014, 9:17pm | Hi Douglas, the course has not changed since 1971. The record is held by Kenny Stuart at 1.25.34 which he set in 1984 the year after Jon Wilds 1.25.35 time. Pauline Haworth set the lady's record that year also at 1.43.25. Neither record has been bested since then. In recent years (since 2000) the closest to the record was Ian Holmes in 2000 with 1.28.47. Finlay has now won on five consecutive years with his best time being 1.29.21 in 2011. Some other runners had mentioned that some of the loose small scree has disappeared off the usually run route over time. Previously it was possible to almost "ski" down the loose scree. That option is not now available and more careful running is required, perhaps that may explain some of the time differences? |
| Pól Ó Murchú | Sep 11 2014, 1:15am | Deleted that for you James... |
| Pól Ó Murchú | Sep 11 2014, 1:35am | Great report too. Wow sounds like some race...well done. Looking forward to hearing more of your stories over a beer sometime. |
| Stuart Scott | Sep 11 2014, 10:14am | Great report James! No wonder you were absent from SCTL! |
