RING OF STEALL SKYRACE
As we jostled to keep warm and swat midges in the start pen, my training efforts flashed before my eyes: early starts, late-at-night runs and generally training in all weathers.
Not to mention injuries, poorly children and sleepless nights. With a 10-month-old baby and a two-year-old at home, I had often wondered if I would ever make it to the start line of the Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace. Part of the Migu Run Skyrunner World Series, this intimidating race is 29K in length and boasts 2,500m of ascent, with airy ridge running and technical sections involving hands-on scrambling. It follows the Mamores Vertical Kilometre race, which takes place the day before, and is a bite-size version of more extreme Glen Coe Skyline, which kicks off the following day.
Over 30 different nationalities were present from all over Europe, plus Nepal, Russia, Canada, USA, South Africa and New Zealand. In only its third year, the weekend-long series of events is already notorious and attracts world-class athletes too, including skyrunning’s golden couple, Catalan Kilian Jornet (you know, that guy who ran up Everest a couple of times in May) and Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg.
In the Ring of Steall race, 460 runners left the start pen at 10am to the sound of bagpipes. A short section along the road allowed the field to spread out a little before reaching the narrow West Highland Way and ascent up towards the Mamores Ridge. This section is standard trail-running terrain, albeit boggier the higher up you get. The race started well for me and I was feeling strong all the way up to the ridge (checkpoint three) – where the real skyrunning begins!
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Dec 2017
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