Stuc A'Chroin 5000

2nd race in this years SHR championship and the SAL Championship Hill Race as well. The Stuc 14 miles and 5000' of ascent over rough mountain tracks. 206 set off from Strathyre only 193 finished today. The rain started as we were on the two mile run up the forest track towards the hill and stayed for most of the race reinforced by the wind as we climbed each of the ups that help make this race a tough classic. The marshals were stars assisting troubled runners and handing out water, jelly baby's and encouragement in testing conditions. The warm up continues through the forest onto the hill and the traverse towards Glen Ample, a boggy delight. A couple of hundred yards behind a running friend, just up for a run, not the race, fell and broke his wrist as he jogged along, a trip to the Vale Fracture Unit for us after the race. The drop into GA reverts to its usual straight down one this year, across the marshy valley to Beinn Each's climb, starts with a series of steep ups with a few 10 yard flattish sections to break it up. Up we go on a narrow overgrown trod beside an old fence,  Heather and fence posts are all used to help pull me up. We pass a few marshals before and after a short traverse across some cliffs then its onto the upper part, more exposed to the wind, jacket and gloves on to keep me safe and comfortable. Really wet and windy at the top, more marshals with water and sweets. Hesitant on the run down onto the ridge to the Stuc, unfamiliar and slippy in the mist. The ridge is two miles of rock hopping, the first mile undulating, the second undulates a bit more, up a thousand feet. The front runners pass on their way back down.Its survival stuff now, freezing, gale force winds, a mixture of driving rain and sleet, must buy a decent pair of gloves. A hypothermic runner passes me being helped off by two others, a bit more focus on taking care today means I don't notice the uphills so much, through a series of climbs and I'm soon at the last steep rocky section, someone takes a tumble coming back down, thankfully only superficial damage and they get up able to continue. Round the cairn and turn for the relative calm of Bealach nan Cabar, can't seem to push as hard as I would like and tiptoe down the muddy, rocky and snow covered ridge. A slight slip and the resultant blow of rock on shin slows me down for a while, happily the Bealach soon comes in to view and with it the drop back down Glen Ample's grassy slopes. Good fun along the narrow muddy track in the rain with only the short slippy drop to the valley floor to hold back on. Steady walk out Glen Ample's steep slope then running again across the boggy moor. Drop down in to the forest and a poor route choice, the wrong side of a tree, puts me in a deep bog, pull myself out, shoes still on and run through the forest to the track for the last two miles back down to finish in 3 hours 48. A big thanks goes to the 40 or 50 marshals who looked after us runners for hours in the freezing rain, all of them cheery and supportive. This was the 25th anniversary of the Stuc, my 10th, here's hoping for a few more.