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Race Report : Cairngorm Ultra 2024

Cairngorm Ultra 2024 by  Jane Anderson

I had been up at Bob Scott’s Bothy in 2001 with my husband but revisited last year, wild camping with our boys.

I’d forgotten how stunning it was and decided to look into running routes to explore in the future and discovered there was a 60k ultra round that very area. Cairngorm Ultra, organised by High Terrain Events …. I was sold immediately…….and cost was reasonable at £62

 

With a little more investigation I discovered that you could camp at the start/finish point, Marr Lodge, for £10 a night making the logistics nice and easy and affordable to!My training leading up to the race was tough… I wasn’t really ‘feeling it’ and most of the long runs were forced (more often than not in some rather  unpleasant weather) and I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to the start line.
It was only the thought of the   stunning scenery and blue skies 🤞 that awaited that kept me going from run to run, week to week.
Then the trainers that I’d planned to wear and been training in gave up the ghost 3 weeks before and I couldn’t get the same pair so was back to the drawing board to find a suitable pair to get me round the route without any major issues. After a little bit of panicking and some online ordering of different makes, styles, sizes I finally settled on Saucony Xodus Ultra.

 

I got a couple of medium length training runs in them as I tapered, of varying terrain and they felt good straight out the box . On those last few training runs the weather Gods also took pity on me and showed face.  ☀

Suddenly I started to get my mojo back and started to get a little excited about the whole thing.

Next thing…. I’ve gathered the family together chucked them into a borrowed campervan and we’re there…… and so was the sun!

About 130 runners all buzzing to get going. The 8 o’clock start was perfect and being camped there literally meant I rolled out of bed and onto the start line! Even the husband rolled out to wave me off (unlike the kids who slept through it!)

The 6 check points were pretty much 5 miles apart, except from from CP4 to 5 (mile 20 to 29)

This was perfect for breaking up the distance into do-able, chewable chunks!

CP 3 & 5 were aid stations with water & goodies supplied by the event. (CP5 was also for drop bags if required.)

The race itself was a mixed bag of terrain. Some nice easy hard packed tracks, rocky sections, rooted sections, slightly boggy section and 2 river crossings to boot! (And the of course obligatory road section, that was only probably a mile but always feels like more, at the end!)

So you never got bored.

Not that there was any chance of that with the views that you were blessed with.

I did had to remind myself to look up and take in the surroundings every so often, but eyes quickly back down to prevent any dreaded face planting if on rocky/rooty sections!There was approx 3300ft ascent involved but nicely spread out over the distance. Only climb that I really noticed as such was between CP5&6, surprise wee climb that I wasn’t expecting but the legs were still feeling good so I was over it before I knew it!The route was well marked and friendly, happy marshals placed at critical points.

I always seem to end up running alone for a while and there were a couple of bits that I wondered if I’d missed a flag because I couldn’t see anyone in front or behind….then I’d spot a wee spec of colour in the distance and know I was on the right path! But that was just me doubting myself! 🤣 If I managed not get myself lost, then no-one will!

It was extremely hot on the day and I was feeling flickers of cramp by the time I’d got 10 mile in. As I was nearing 20m it had become more of an issue, coming and going and I was annoyingly having to walk it out quite a few times on runable parts of the course.I had taken on water right from the start and it was clear that I was going to have to fill my bottles from the rivers on route, which were a-plenty….. that is until you hit no-mans land mile 20 to 29….

I had filled up both flasks when leaving CP4 but within a short time I found that I quickly run dry again!

I did start to worry that this may be an issue because every stream I came across was  clearly undrinkable and I had no filter. But finally I came across one  burn that I was happy to fill up from.

These two flasks were empty again by the time I got to CP5!

I was very relieved to arrive there to get some more water on board.  The orange segments and water melon that were on offer were also a welcome sight and went down a treat!

There was an option at CP5 to do a short course (45k) still giving “ultra” status.

Quite a few took that option on the day. (Perhaps due to the heat.)

The last section from CP6 – 7 was on a gravel track and then short road section  back down to  Marr Lodge from the opposite side.

Lovely warm welcome at the finish line by the whole family….(yep the boys were up by this time!), the High Terrain Team and other competitors.

The event team were very friendly and approachable. Even  the next day when the stragglers, like us, who were heading off in the morning were still milling about and they were clearing up the site.

Was an absolutely amazing day and I was buzzing and burnt! (yep…. put suntan lotion on my face but neglected my shoulders! Dho!)

If I was going to do any ultra twice… so far…. it would be this one.