Part 1 - Milngavie to Rowardennan

This may take a while, so I'll do my race report in sections. The following is how the race looked to me from a backup perspective. I'm sure The Runner will report on the running nitty gritty on his own blog.

Milngavie Station

It was news to me that registration would be taking place in the church hall. The Runner forgot to mention this! We arrived at the car park around 11.30pm. It was an amazing sight. I love the bewilderment on the faces of the locals as they stagger home from the pub and wonder what they've stumbled into! I loved seeing old friends again and meeting new ones. The atmosphere is just electric.

After registering we chatted to friends, took photos and double checked the equipment. We were chatting to our friend The Pastor who gets my award for being the most excited runner at the start. He was like a little boy waiting for a trip to Disney World! I must confess I thought it would wear off by the time he reached Rowardennan. The Bearded One arrived and came to join us but The Railwayman disappeared. He decided he wanted some chips and went off to search for a takeaway! He returned empty handed and hungry.

As the time drew closer to the start, the noise level began to drop. The serious business was about to begin. The runners gathered at the entrance to the underpass and waited. I wished The Runner good luck and asked how he was feeling. His answer was "I'd feel a lot better if I could do a good poo!" What's the difference between a good poo and a bad one? Sounds like a bad joke!

The runners set off to a huge cheer from all the backup teams. There was then a mad rush back to their vehicles. Like a scene from Wacky Races they set off in convoy. However, we waited a few minutes while I showed The Railwayman how to operate the handbrake, lights etc in our car. Maybe Mr Running Shop should have done the same for his backup guy (more on his car trouble later!)

Drymen

First stop for us was Drymen. We were there quite early as we hadn't stopped at Carbeth or The Beech Tree and found a good place to park. The Bearded One and The Railwayman disappeared up the track and left me to try and get 40 winks. I didn't get any. The Runner made a very brief stop here as his plan was to keep stopping time to a bare minimum.

Balmaha

At Balmaha we got the stove going and heated up some soup. A lady approached us and asked us to show her how to work her wee stove. Fortunately her midgie net hid her embarassed face.

This was where we got our first heavy rain. The Bearded One had the great idea of setting up our stuff in the bus shelter so The Runner wouldn't get cold from sitting in the rain. By the time he arrived it had stopped. He had another very quick stop but still had enough time to moan about the diversion and how The Pastor had overtaken him on Conic Hill. I wasn't very happy about the quick stops. He runs very conservatively in the early stages because he feels better later on in the race. I felt we didn't have enough time to boost him up and tell him he was going well. But it was his race so we had to go along with it.

At least the toilets were open this year but they had no lights. Peeing in the dark is quite an adventure. Let's just say I'm glad I had my wellies on!

Rowardennan

By the time we got to Rowardennan the steam was pouring out our ears as we passed several runners who were running along the road. We (and other backup teams) reported it to the marshals who then reported it to Mr Race Co-ordinator. Appropriate action was taken so everyone was appeased. However, when it was discovered that the toilets were locked the steam reappeared!

This is where we have our rolls and bacon. The Railwayman was starving (since he was deprived of his chips) so he had a couple of rolls and sausage as well. The midgies were especially fierce this year. By the time we fed The Runner and got the car packed up again, I had 12 bites on my hands and wrists and 2 on my face! I honestly never get bitten so was a bit annoyed.

Between Rowardennan and Beinglas I managed to get 30 minutes sleep. We dropped The Railwayman off at Ardlui where he was getting picked up by Mad Jim's backup guy. Mad Jim had hurt his ankle and dropped out so The Railwayman was able to get a lift all the way home instead of waiting for a bus. I promised to text him with regular updates on The Runner but sadly my phone failed to get a signal at many of the stopping points.

Next post will be from Beinglas to Kingshouse.