Set off on Friday morning for the Jura Fell Race, 7500 FOA and 16 miles. I hoped to break 6 hours. A drive to Kennacraig for the Calmac ferry to Islay then another ferry across the sound of Islay to Feolin on Jura, saved energy this year and took the bus to Craighouse. Another contrast to last year was the wind, low cloud and rain. Arrived at Craighouse on a dreich afternoon, got the tent up and went into the cooperage which doubles as race headquarters. The locals put on a good show of home baking for the weekend and spent a pleasant hour drinking tea, eating scones and cakes. Time for a rest before tea and a couple of pints in the Jura Hotel. Too wet for much of a walk after tea so an early night.
Race day and a pleasant surprise, bright and breezy, plenty of blue sky. Even though not everyone was through the Start Control the race starts at 10:30 on the dot, the rest of us throw the first of our 10 checkpoint tags towards the steward and set off. The first 5 miles take us over 2500 feet of climbing and the three summit checkpoints of Beinns, Dubh, Glas and Aonach, cut off times are strictly enforced, a runner passed me wearing long pink shorts, it would be good to beat him. I reached the first checkpoint in 53 mins, 7 minutes inside the cutoff. This section is typical of Scottish hills, an undulating mass of bog and rock, a contrast to the straight up and down of the Paps. Leaving Aonach-beinn we drop steeply for the peat bog crossing of Gleann Astaile.
Next its a steep rock and boulder roller coaster over the three Paps, 4000 feet of up and down over 5 miles. The first Pap Beinn a' Chaolais starts off grassy, then gets progressively rockier towards the top where its a mass of shattered boulders, admiring the views as I approach the summit, I am caught by a sharp shower of stinging hail, luckily this soon passes, I managed to cover my face but the rash on my legs is still there nearly a week later. The run off the top a fun steep twisty scree path, I arrive at the bottom too soon for the short boggy crossing to Pap 2, Beinn an Oir, pretty much straight up again through rocks, boulders and more boulders, at the top I stumble along the rocky path then take a sharp right at an old ruin down a rocky track. The last Pap, Beinn Shiantaidh appears impassable from the glen but you pick your way up gullies and ledges to another moonscape top of shattered rock, a tough descent down scree and boulders, towards the bottom you can pick up a number of narrow trods to take you round to the last climb, 600 or so feet in half a mile up Corra Beinn. At the top I look at my watch for the first time since CP1, 4 hours 53, gave me something to chase over the last 6 miles.
The three mile 1800 feet descent to Three Arch Bridge achieved in 34 minutes with a bashed shin and several plunges into peaty ditches left me 32 minutes for three flat road miles to the finish. I could see the runner in front and worked at closing him down, then another couple, the last one I caught had long pink shorts, he stayed with me and we worked together for the last mile and a half, he urged me to go on for the last few hundred yards and I crossed the line just inside 5 hours 59. For a feel of the route and terrain check out this link for pictures taken by another, faster, runner on his way round.
More tea and cakes and a couple of pints while watching the prizegiving before I felt brave enough for the cold shower. A pleasant evening spent eating and drinking in the Jura Hotel before another early night.
Got up early on Sunday for a walk back to Feolin, wet and windy so I was lucky to get a lift within a few minutes and meant I could get the first boat back to Kennacraig. The best place to sit was the front deck outside as the sun came out with the added bonus of a pod of Dolphins leaping around in front of us.
From Kennacraig I drove up to Arisaig and Camusdarrach Campsite to meet my better half and friends for a few days beside the sea. They had been there in wind and rain since Friday, I brought the sun. I even managed a swim on Monday. Some Jura and Arisaig pictures here.
We arrived back on Wednesday afternoon and by the time we unpacked I still had time to get to Old Kilpatrick for the evening Bog and Burn race, 6 miles and 1400 FOA. Light rain greeted the start and continued for much of the race, managed to wheezily run most of the uphills. Pictures here . The first half mile is on road, then a runnable climb up onto the hill for a flattish run across moor and farm track past loch Humphrey, a couple of minor climbs then round Greenside reservoir before the short drag up the Slacks, from the trig point at the top you head straight for the Clyde a slight route change over a new style instead of the coffee table to rejoin the outward route, finished just over 63 minutes.
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