Midges everywhere. We had arrived early to get near to the front of the narrow start and were keen to get moving. There was no need to indulge in warm-up exercises, as you were continually moving trying to escape clouds of midges. It was a real relief to be underway at 7.00am and at least provide a moving target for our little biting friends.
We had already completed the first section of the route twice in training and were confident we could jog most of the way. Ahead of us lay 17 miles of the Rob Roy way from Drymen to Callander. About a mile in we had a bit of a scare, as Ross felt particularly unwell. I guess the sight of so many people in lycra could turn anyone’s stomach. He managed to soldier on and soon found his form. Once again we had been blessed with dry weather, which made life all the more pleasurable. When we reached the first checkpoint at Aberfoyle we were making good progress and were well ahead of our target time of around 8 hours for the event.
After the scare we received on the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike we were all fitter and better prepared for this challenge. Confidence was high, despite what lay ahead. We made the transition at Callander in 2 hours 45 minutes. Once again LJV was there as support team along with Grant’s wife Lindsay. A quick change and a bite to eat and we were off again, this time on bikes for the 38 miles to Kenmore.
Things started reasonably well until one by one the team members started to struggle with cramp. We tried to cycle as a team but with midges biting each time we stopped to regroup and the continual stopping and starting causing muscles to cool, the group splintered into two. By the time we reached the checkpoint at Killin, Grant was suffering very badly with cramp and tried to relieve the problem with a massage. This provided only temporary relief and as we left the checkpoint Grant stopped. After much discussion he decided that he would call in the support team and the rest of us would continue. The final 16 miles presented a challenging hilly section along the shores of Loch Tay. Ross and Mark were still suffering from cramp and continued to work together whilst Alun pushed on.
Alun crossed the line in 6 hours 51 minutes with Ross and Mark only 9 minutes behind. Surprisingly Grant arrived only a few minutes later. Somehow he had managed to push through the pain and complete the course. The mystery remains to this day exactly how he achieved this…
With the entire team across the line in less than 7 hours 10 minutes we had smashed our projected time. What made it particularly nice was to find our families at the finish line to welcome us. We had been thrown off the scent when an earlier text message said the lure of T K Maxx was too strong and they would not be at the finish line.
