Fort William Trail Half-Marathon

Another weekend, another race. This would be week 10 of my training schedule and fitted nicely with the plan of a '24km steady including 8 at marathon pace' description for the Sunday. OK, the race was on the Saturday but if I swapped the days round it would be doable. I actually skipped my Thursday run so that I'd have two full-days off before the race.

The race was part of the Fort William Trail Running Festival which was an inaugural event of trail races in the forest below Aonach Mor. No surprises there was a 5, 10, Half, Full and hill race being organised and if you really wanted to, could participate in all of them for superhero status. The Half was enough for me, and the advertised 13:00 start time meant I could drive up on the Saturday morning in good time.

Except, best laid plans and all that. Since it was the 'inaugural' event, the organisers hadn't thought of everything and decided to restrict race registration time to a short two hour window on the Saturday morning from 08:00 to 10:00. In response to the race information email sent earlier in the week, I asked if there could be some exception for people like me travelling a long distance. I received no reply, but I noticed other runners complaining on Facebook about the same problem. Thankfully the organisers agreed to keep registration open longer.

They also expected everyone to print out a section of the same email and fill it out as a medical form. More inflexibility - not everyone has a printer etc. Everyone was expected to carry a foil blanket? Another weirdism. And finally, there was only going to be one water station. I didn't see the point of that. Either enough, or none. Not one. So I brought my camelbak and prepared to be self-sufficient.

Of course, the weather was shite. Warm, very wet and still. When I arrived in the Nevisrange car park at 11:00 there was a very damp feel to the place. I hopped over the puddles in the car park to run across to the registration tent, receiving not only my number, but my T-shirt and medal at the same time. A bit daft.

I ate some lunch and togged up. At 12:45 I did some jogging round the car park just to stretch the legs before heading towards the registration tent for the brief briefing. There were over a hundred other runners, mostly wearing some sort of hydration pack. I headed to the start arch and we had a countdown. I stood very near the front.

The start at 13:00, the guy in the Ochils vest won it

Immediately we were onto an ascending forest track which separated the men from the boys. I watched five fasties heading off into the distance, but managed to hang onto a trio of younger males who were settled into a strong pace. After a couple of kilometeres we were reduced to three and we each rotated the lead. I became aware they were both French from their chat and attire. One of them kept clearing his nose which was a bit weird.

The nose clearer started to slow and eventually the faster one slowed to wait for his pal. I took the lead and kept at the pace we had been going at. At the same time, the path narrowed and eventually became an overgrown wet footpath beside The Cour river. It was fairly treacherous not being able to see my footing due to the bracken and puddled path as I splashed along.

Thankfully at 10km we emerged back onto a wider forest track and I took the opportunity to take my first gel. The Frenchies started to gain on me, now almost 50m behind.

After my gel I stepped up the pace and stretched away, sometimes glimpsing the next runner several hundred metres ahead. At 14km I passed the only water station which was busy with supporters and volunteers. They offered bananas and biscuits, but I just asked for my place and they said "Oh, 3rd, 4th or 5th!". Hmmm. I suspected 6th.

After the water station was a long descent which passed in a flash. I looked over my shoulder again - no sign of the French pair - they must have stopped for water. I was now on my own for sure and it allowed me to relax a bit. Soon I could hear the traffic on the wet A82 to my right; there must be a railway somewhere too. At 16km I decided I needed another gel and stuffed it down my throat on the run.

As the track neared the junction with the A82, the race route took a sharp left up a short steep hill which came as a surprise. I managed to plod up it until the track became an overgrown bracken path again. It weaved left and right higher and higher and I'll admit to walking briefly. It levelled off and was a technical MTB track heading towards the Nevisrange car park with the access road running parallel.

I heard some bells ringing and then shouts of support, then spotted the car park and a wee group of midgenet clad people waiting for me. I crossed the road, into the car park and followed a line of barriers towards the forest before turning left, under the MTB downhill track (tunnel) to the finish arch.

The RD congratulated me and asked how it went. I asked him my placing. 6th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crossing the finish line - wet but very happy

6 / 136 01:40:48