It’s been a week since I was getting ready to leave for the start line at Milngavie for the West Highland Way Race. It still feels surreal to think that I have ran the route, a route I walked 5 years ago over 6 days, a route that broke me, breaking down crying wanting to go home. Who would have thought that 5 years later, I’d be lining up to RUN the entire route in 27 hours?! Certainly not me!

Training for the West Highland Way

If you follow my running journey, you’ll know that it was only in October 2022 that I ran my first marathon. It was then that I knew distance running was for me, with my eyes set on the West Highland Way. There is something so special about the route that really draws me in. But it’s not as straightforward as just buying your way in. It’s a very popular event, and you have to throw your name into the hat, and hope to get your name called out. Having completed the Devil Of the Highlands in August 2023, a qualifying race, my name went in. I must say, I was devastated when I got the email saying I was unsuccessful, but on the waiting list. I had told myself that if I didn’t get in, I’d still run it anyway, just self supported the week before. But thankfully it didn’t come to that. A couple days after Christmas I opened my inbox and screamed with joy! I had been offered a place!

Training for my first 100-mile race was brilliant, filled with great adventures. We explored remote parts of Scotland while traveling in our campervan. And confidence built through gaining some decent miles through my 3x3x3 challenge, 19 yards at Rasselbock Backyard Ultra, and the Highland Fling (the first 53 miles of the West Highland Way.

the start line of the West Highland Way

I felt really calm and relaxed the week of the race, knowing how much I had enjoyed the training, and that this was just going to be a big adventure. I had confidence in my ability to finish it, but was obviously nervous of the pain that I may experience and how I would cope with it. I tried to shift my mindset, and instead, get excited for this bit. It is why we do ultramarathons after all!

So off we set, after a wee bowl of 9pm Weetabix, in our trusty camper, with the dogs in tow. Milngavie here we come. Registration done, and time to spare, I decided to get an hour chill time in the camper, watched an episode of Game of Thrones with a coffee and a banana. A bit too relaxed however, as when I was getting Salomon race vest packed, I realised I had forgot to hand over my drop bags! Enter manic Kayleigh. I had missed the cut off, and some of the cars were already away. Thankfully some kind volunteers managed to take three out of the five bags, and Michael and I sorted a solution for the other two. What a great bit of adrenaline to start!

With a lovely mild start, and just a tad bit of drizzle, we all eagerly listened to the race briefing, and before we knew it, it was 1am and the klaxon sounded the start of the race. My pacing strategy has always been simple, slow and steady. Right from my first marathon, I embraced the “if it feels slow, slow down even more!”. I was glad to have ran the Highland Fling earlier in the year to give it a real test, and just hoped to replicate it here. Headlights bobbing around, keeping focused on the feet in front of you, and chatting away to those that would listen.

Pacing the West Highland Way

The first stretch of the West Highland Way is extremely runnable, and so easy to get carried away. Like the tortoise, I plodded along at an easy pace, munching on a banana or a marzipan-filled date every 30 minutes. I did suffer a bit of a gurgly tummy for the first few hours, and typically I’d just avoid eating to prevent that feeling of discomfort. But a lesson I learned from Rasselbock was that it was just the body not being used to eating in the early hours of the morning, and that lack of fuelling now would certainly come back to bite you later.

Since the race coincided with the longest day of the year, twilight came just after 3am. Hitting Conic Hill shortly after sunrise was spectacular. And we were not far off the first checkpoint at Balmaha, 20 miles in. My partner, Michael, was ready with the next food I was to take with me, a change into a t-shirt, and a good douse of Jungle Formula in readiness for the midge fest! A couple ginger nut biscuits were munched to help settle the stomach whilst getting some decent calories in too! Ginger will be later relied upon!

Fuelling the West Highland Way

Rowardennan was the next checkpoint. Originally, I didn’t plan to meet Michael here, but due to the drop bag issue, he met me with my next round of snacks. Salted hula hoops and more bananas! Whilst I had consumed a couple sandwiches (peanut butter and honey!), I wasn’t finding them appealing, and realised it was too much of an effort to force them down. Ditching the sandwiches was a smart move, and decided to keep calories to what I knew was going in nicely, bananas, crisps and biscuits! I should also note here that I always had 3 scoops of Tailwind (naked flavour) in one of my flasks that I topped up every 4 hours which sorted my electrolytes as well as some back-up calories.

Rowardennan to Inversnaid was a great stretch as the route takes you the low road along the loch side, whereas the Highland Fling takes you the high road. This meant you hit more technical bits before the real technical bit! And added approximately 20 minutes extra. But I really enjoy these bits. And I had a great conversation with a very experienced West Highland Way runner. Time flies when you’re deep in conversation. It was also here that I tried salt and vinegar peanuts for the first time. WOW! They’ll be a staple going forward. It’s important to have various tastes for your palate as you’ll get sick of sweet stuff, and even salty becomes a bit dull. Surprise it with some tangy sharpness of vinegar and you’ll be raring to go again! A few miles before Inversnaid, I did have a sleepy feeling start to take over, and a feeling of light-headedness. It was to be expected though, I had just missed an entire night of sleep! And when I got to Inversnaid I grabbed a wee sachet of Active Root that was in the leftover box and gave that a try to replace Tailwind for this next stretch. Ooft, it was another good move! Having a change in flavour, especially something I love like ginger, was the wake up I needed.

The Technical Bit of the West Highland Way

Onwards to Bein Glas, but to get there you had to endure the few technical miles along the loch side. The bit most people fear. And it certainly can take its toll for anyone with sore knees, hips or ankles. I had a playful mindset here, reminding myself that this used to be fun when we were kids, scrambling over rocks and up and over trees. I certainly wasn’t running this section, but I made a point of moving with purpose whilst having a bit of fun. There was a lady up ahead and I had tasked myself of catching up with her, and I’m glad I did. Megan, was from Colorado, and had come across to run the West Highland Way as her first 100 miler. We had some good miles chatting away and I was pleased to see her collect her goblet at the awards ceremony the following day.

I was in such good spirits here, feeling pretty fresh, and powered up the climb to Dario’s post, an essential stop to appreciate the views. It was now just an easy decent into Bein Glas checkpoint where the volunteers were absolutely incredible. Plenty banter, and they couldn’t be more helpful. A lovely cup of coffee (even had oat milk!) and restocked my bag before sending me on my way again to the half way mark where I would next see Michael and my pacer, Emily.

The stretch between Bein Glas and Bogle Glen is one of the more scenic bits of the first half, but is a section I was apprehensive about, finding it a bit of a struggle in the Fling and on a recce. But I needn’t have worried as I had the company of a lovely lady, Claire, and we just clicked, nattering away about everything. Before I knew it, I had reached one of my favourite bits, the roller-coaster that takes you down to the A82 just before Auchtertyre Farm. It is fun! Undulating through woods and across bridges, and with the forestry works clearing a large section of trees, you get the gift of some spectacular views!

I got such a buzz heading into Auchtertyre, seeing many support crew vehicles leaving and all saying hello, cheering and waving. And then there was wee Emily waiting for me as I came in to the check-point! I was pretty pleased at how I was feeling at this point, and quite confident I had another decent set of miles in my legs before things started to hurt. I took some time here to sort out my feet. I don’t typically get blisters, but alas, this race I did. Always best to be prepared, so I reapplied a Compeed, and then shoved a good amount of lambs wool in my sock to create a lush pillow to prevent any discomfort. It’s something I’ve not tried before, but so glad I had it in my toolbox!

My mood was quickly zapped as we were made aware that there was an accident on the road near Glencoe which meant that crew would unlikely be able to meet until Kinlochleven, the last checkpoint, and 30 miles away! I selfishly went into disappointment and worry. Emily was meant to start pacing me from Glencoe, AND I’d have to take all my food, full waterproofs, headtorch, with me. In that moment I didn’t fully appreciate how selfish I was, that the accident was fatal, and in the grand scheme of things, what was I to complain about. So off I went, with a bit of sadness. I used this time to listen to some voice notes and read messages (the one section I seemed to have signal!) which allowed me to get some emotions out. It was a weird feeling here as, although I was really disappointed and worried I wouldn’t see them again, I realised I was crying but out of pride knowing that I was running the West Highland Way and I knew I would get to the end no matter what.

After a few miles, I got the message that Michael and Emily managed to make it to Bridge of Orchy and will be there at Glencoe. I instantly had a spring in my step, as Bridge of Orchy wasn’t too far away and it’s also mostly downhill. Another assessment of the body, still moving well, starting to ache but nothing too bad, and food is still going in well. And little whiny moment is done. So let’s pick myself up and bounce my way into Bridge of Orchy. I should mention that during this stretch I munched on a tomato ketchup roll! Again, the vinegary-ness of it was spot on!

After a very luxurious toilet stop (thanks Bridge of Orchy Inn!), it was a good climb out and onwards to Glencoe. I was looking forward to this climb as I knew the legendary Mike Raffan would be at the top of Jelly Baby Hill, and I was rewarded with a very special Vimto Jelly Baby! And don’t forget to take the opportunity to soak in the views here! Even on a grim day, it was amazing! It was nice to run down here towards Inveroran, but I was bracing myself for the long stretch along the Telford’s Road through the bleak (but also wonderful) Rannoch Moor. My stomach was also starting to play up again, so I shoved a couple pieces of sugar ginger down my throat and waited for things to settle while nursing away a banana. This trick would continue to work at any point I felt nauseous, typically after a climb.

I don’t know whether it was because I was expecting it to be tough, self-fulfilling prophecy and all that, but this stretch was definitely the low point of the race. It is a very long gradual uphill, and running is basically out of the question for a few miles before it starts to then become more undulating. It was warm, but it was also raining, so it was a difficult but correct decision to keep the jacket on and accept the warmness over becoming wet and getting cold later. This stretch was quite lonely, with a significant distance between me and the other runners. To keep myself entertained, I started talking out loud, playing games, and singing songs. It doesn’t take much to entertain yourself during such moments! But I knew I was waning. I had no real hallucinations, but at one point I did think a big rock was a Lidl bag! Perhaps that was a hallucination? Anyway, I had told Michael and Emily I wanted a coffee, some watery porridge and a 10 minute lie down when I reached Glencoe to give the body a wee reset.

Arriving into Glencoe I could feel my running style turn more into a fast shuffle as the legs were starting to ache, but I was pleased I was still moving well and the aches weren’t causing me pain. Emily and Michael were great, having everything ready for me, and whilst I didn’t sleep, the 10 minute lie down was epic. And I had that boost of knowing Emily was going to be with me now until the end. A quick guzzle of some coke, a fresh change of socks, and a warmer top on, we set off on our way towards the Devil’s Staircase. This is such an epic bit of the route, and definitely one of my favourites. The scenery around Glencoe is always breath-taking, and whilst the climb up the Devil is tough, it is so worth it for the views. Although we didn’t get many that day! This is where the queasiness took it’s toll again but I knew the ginger trick worked and was just patient, knowing that it’ll all be OK again in 15 minutes. And it was. I went from being quiet to a wind up doll that couldn’t shut up. The decent down into Kinlochleven is another spectacular section, feeling so remote and peaceful. We even had a deer jump out in front of us and canter away. These are the moments that remind me why I love doing what I do, the scenery, the peace, the memories, the adventure.

As much as I say the decent is spectacular, there is the few miles along the fire track that felt like it went on forever. It was a mistake for us to look at the watch as say “only 2 miles” as I had gone the whole way so far with no distance on my watch and just worked section to section. Anyway, we made it into Kinlochleven about 11pm, just in time for the bats to be out, one of which thought it’d be fun to fly right into my face! The last check point, we made it. 81 miles done, and I absolutely knew the finish line was mine. Another few scoops of porridge and a delightful guzzle of Coke, Michael sent us on our way, myself heading into the second night of running.

This was the last big climb, the one that everyone fears, the climb out of Kinlochleven. And it was pretty tough. I think I found this section tougher than I expected because you couldn’t see anything except your wee beacon of light. As mad as we are for running the West Highland Way in the dark, there were three lads carrying their bikes up this section and passed us again as they cycled through the valley to Fort William. Whilst I said earlier that I never hallucinated, I certainly had some faces appearing in the rocks. The way the moss and other colours hit the headtorch, your mind can’t help but make faces from it. It’s a weird feeling because you know it’s a rock, but there’s that split second that it looks exactly like a cartoon character or the grim reaper. There was one rock though that genuinely had a carving of a face in it, and I got Emily to verify this for me! One other notable “hallucination” was a quick panic thinking a stone in front of me was a giant rat! It is really quite funny at the time because you just laugh away at how your mind is starting to play tricks on you.

The stretch through the valley before Lundavra is another spectacular part of the route…in the daylight! It was quite sad not being able to see it, but I suppose a bit of motivation to complete the route faster next time 🙂 Emily continued to be the perfect pacer here, knowing what to say and when, and how to keep me motivated and moving. She even whipped out the salt and vinegar crisps and let me finish the bag! I told her earlier that I thrived off Sally McRae’s tactic of “pass, gap and bury”, finding a runner ahead of you and making a point to overtake them. It’s nothing competitive for me against those people, but it’s a game I play to keep me moving forward. And it works. Emily was great at keeping this game alive and even got excited when we started to overtake other women as it had only been men so far (the women are clearly better at pacing themselves ;)).

It is also so amazing to appreciate that she never once mentioned how tired or sore she was, and most definitely mentally drained having to put up with me for so long! But she did the best job, and we finally, 2am, saw the glittering lights of the volunteers waiting for us weary runners at Lundavra. They said we probably had another 2 hours and we’d be reaching Fort William, the finish, just as the sun rose. Grabbing a few delicious cubes of watermelon from them, we had that drive to get this done. The run was very much a granny shuffle by this point but it still made good progress.

We hit some big (probably not that big in hindsight…) steps which my brain ended up refusing to work my body into negotiating, so I needed a little helping hand from Emily to get me down. I stepped sharply down and felt an excruciating burst of pain in my toe, and it was the realisation that it must have been the double blister popping. OW! But it did well to get to this point. The lamb’s wool also got wet through the section previous and so the cushioning has been lost. I did have the fear that the final few miles were going to be agony, but it’s funning how the pain can quickly subside and you learn to just deal with it. After 15 minutes I barely felt it and actually forgot about the blister until I needed to peel off my socks before bed (sorry!).

We finally reached the final wee climb, which meant it was all downhill along a fire track and down to the road into Fort William. This stretch was a whirlwind of emotions. The fire track terrain was annoying, gravely, and the decent again felt like it took forever, but it was exciting seeing the lights of Fort William in the distance, and daylight breaking through the clouds. We kept singing the A-Team theme music. Emily also took the opportunity to blast out Lizzo’s Feeling Good as Hell as we flew past some other runners, annoying them very much, by singing it at the top of our lungs. You gotta do what you gotta do! And I did feel as good as hell in those 5 minutes of singing. I never thought of anything else. It was honestly fun.

Then we hit the road, the longest road in the whole world. In that moment it was! If I was on my own, I most certainly would have walked this to the finish. But Emily just kept me driven, we never stopped, and looking back at my stats, the last km was the fastest km in the whole 157km! If you’re lucky enough to run the West Highland Way, be warned for this last km, following many yellow arrows, left, right, up, down, round and round, to eventually see the flags outside the Leven Centre. At 4:08am, I crossed the finish line, 27 hours and 8 minutes after I started.

I did it. I ran the West Highland Way, and I had fun along the way. Despite being tired and achy, I never lost momentum. Although I had low points, I knew how to pull myself out of them. I never once doubted myself. And I paced perfectly. The last section we ran faster than most, so “fast”, we beat the trackers predicted time quite significantly. Which is brilliant! Except it meant poor Michael was still sleeping and missed the finish line.

One thing that was extremely apparent was how tough it is to be crew for this race. There is a lot of logistics, a lot of driving, and very little sleep. I am so grateful for Michael’s commitment and support to crew me on these adventures. And without Emily, I most certainly wouldn’t have had as much fun and would have probably walked a whole lot more. I feel so lucky to have them by my side, giving me everything I needed and more, to reach my goal.

It is a truly special event, and very much feels like a family. The race team, the volunteers, the other runners, their support crew, random walkers, everyone just made it feel truly special. I am so grateful I got this opportunity, and I am very proud to own (my first!) goblet.

I wrote this blog as a memory for myself. There is so much I have not captured, and will probably just remember randomly from time to time.

Below are some questions that were asked from the Instagram community. Please do leave a comment with any other questions you may have 🙂

Q&A

What did you eat?

Bananas and crisps were my staple throughout. I am sure I went through about 15 bananas! Early on I at marzipan-filled dates and peanut butter and honey sandwiches, but I soon realised that these weren’t going down well. Other treats included salt and vinegar peanuts, watermelon, ginger nut biscuits, porridge, and Coke. I practiced my fuelling strategy throughout training and all my races. I eat every 30 minutes and aim to have 200-300kcal every hour. I also always had Tailwind in one of my flasks that I topped up every 4 hours so I always had enough electrolytes and some top-up calories.

Did you sleep?

Nope. I had a 10 minute lie-down at Glencoe (71 miles) at approximately 8pm, but I never slept. It did help reset the body though. If (when!) I do it again, I may hold out and do the rest at Kinlochleven.

What was your lowest low?

There were two notable low points. The first, after being made aware that the crash was potentially going to impact me not seeing my crew for another 30 miles. The next was the long slog through Rannoch Moor. The thing is though that neither of these points were proper low pain cave territory, and never truly got me down enough to ever doubt my ability or what I was doing. It was more just loneliness with a mix of feeling sleepy.

What was your highest high?

I think this is one of the hardest questions to answer because I genuinely had so many. Other than the obvious finish line feels, I think it would have to be singing Lizzo “Feeling Good as Hell” just a few miles away from the finish line.

How did you cope with the 1am start?

I made sure to get to bed early the Thursday night, and also had an extra couple hours sleep the Friday morning. Later in the afternoon, I had an extra hour in bed to rest. I made sure to not have any coffee through the day. We were due to leave at 10pm so I had a bowl of Weetabix and a coffee just before we left. I felt really rested and ready for the early morning start. The adrenaline gets you through the first few hours, and daylight starts to stream through about 4am so your body starts to come alive again so you never truly feel like you’ve missed a night sleep.

What was your longest run prior to it?

My official longest training run was the Highland Fling, which is the first 53 miles of the West Highland Way. However, I had completed just under 80 miles at a Backyard Ultra event in March!

What are the qualifying races?

The West Highland Way Race website states “By way of guidance (and using other ultra marathons as examples), completion of the following races would generally be considered to meet the criteria of ‘adequate relevant experience’:

Highland Fling, Devil O’ The Highlands, Cateran Trail 55, Skye Ultra, Glenmore 12 (where 65k or more has been covered), Glenmore 24 (where 100k or more has been covered), Great Glen Way.

What will you do differently if you run it again?

Honestly, not much! It’s rare for a race to go so well. So I would be very careful to try and replicate most things best I can. The things that we would look to improve on would be check-point efficiency. When you clock-up all the time I spent at check-points, it’d amount to approximately 1hour 45 minutes! Of course some of that time is necessary, but looking back, there was an awful lot of faffing!

How long did you train for it?

Officially since I got my entry, so 6 months. But technically, I have built a really strong endurance base all of last year.

Did you poop in a bush at any point?

This route was quite special in that there were numerous proper toilet facilities along the way. Many local cafes stayed open through the crazy hours to allow us runners and crew to use. So thankfully, the majority of my poop trips were in luxury. Although there may have been twice where a bush was necessary! Pee stops were endless though, and I suppose a sign of good hydration!

Any tips for someone considering it next year?

Do it! It is such a special race and one you should experience. With 12 months to train, it’s perfect to spend the time getting used to trails, and getting plenty hiking in too. A good few hours spent in the hills can be just as effective as a long run on the road. Start practicing your nutrition early. For any run longer than 60 minutes, bring stuff with you to try out. If you’re new to eating and drinking while running, it will feel awkward at first. But just like anything, you will get used to it. And get yourself used to your gear too. Avoid anything that gives you chaffing during your long runs, and if it’s unavoidable, use something like Squirrel’s Nut Butter.

What trainers did you wear and did you change them?

I wore Hoka Speedgoats. They’ve always worked well for me and I’ve not used any other trail shoe since I started running. They’re great hybrid shoes that handle short sections of tarmac as well as plenty grip and comfort on the trails. And for this race, I just wore the same pair throughout. I did three sock changes which helped keep the feet feeling fresh.

How do you get going again after stopping at check-points?

This is all down to the wonderful crew! You need crew that know when you’re just faffing around. You need them to keep you focused and kick you out when you’re overstaying your welcome. 🙂 By the time I got to Glencoe, around 8pm, after stopping, my body cools down quickly so actually getting moving again is a good thing! And don’t get too comfy. I made it clear to my crew that I didn’t want to sit down until at least Glencoe.

Did you train in the night to practice for the West Highland Way?

I didn’t train specifically for night-time running. However, with running my 3x3x3 challenge and the Rasselbock Backyard Ultra, I had plenty experience of running through the night. I also love it very much! You just need a good reliable headtorch with plenty battery. I spent a long time researching and settled on the Fenix HM65R-T and it is perfect.

Did you had a plan for food or did you just eat what you fancied?

Both. I made a spreadsheet with the food I hoped I would be able to eat between each checkpoints. But I also had a list of food to offer if I was needing something else. And it also depended on the time of day. So for example, the 8pm and 11pm times the suggestion would be porridge and coffee rather than the sandwiches. And earlier in the day, when it was warmer, I’d not fancy the biscuits that was on the plan, but instead fancied watermelon and salt and vinegar nuts. The crew need to keep on top of things though and need to know when you’re not eating enough, and to make sure you get plenty of calories in to keep you going.

Any navigation skills required?

Nope. The West Highland Way is very well waymarked and is another reason why it is such a joy to run.

How did you look after your feet?

Typically my feet look after themselves. But during this race, I started to get hot spots early on. Before the first checkpoint, I pulled myself to the side and popped on a compeed. I changed socks three times which helps to keep the feet fresh. At halfway, my compeed had come off so I cleaned the blister (that had formed another blister on top! Fascinating…), and reapplied another compeed. I also stuffed my sock with lambs wool which created a really lovely cushion to prevent any discomfort. This lasted until about 94 miles where the blister popped! But at which point I wasn’t too bothered as we were so close to the end and the blister could wait until then 🙂

How important were your crew and what did you value most from them?

They were essential! Firstly, it is mandatory to have crew. You need at least one person from the start, and then from halfway, you need two, one of who is capable of running the last two sections if needed. Michael was perfect as crew chief. He knows me extremely well, and he can be extremely direct with me when I need it. He kept things organised and was in charge of getting the food and drinks sorted. Emily was my pacer, and without her, I am sure I would have found the last 26 miles much more challenging. I will never forget the way Emily kept me driven and running the last few miles right to the finish, and I am so grateful to have shared that experience with her.

Any mental coping strategies?

Lots! And I wasn’t sure they would work, but they did. Firstly, enjoy it! It sounds so simple, but if you see things in a positive light, look forward to the bits most people dread, it is likely you won’t find it as difficult as others. For the technical bits, remind yourself of how much fun it used to be as a kid, scrambling and jumping over rocks. Speak to people if there is anyone around. And if not, talk to yourself. Speaking out loud is extremely effective. Give yourself a pep talk. Vent all your troubles but also verbalise everything that is going well. Do a body check, and remind yourself that even though you may be sore, you’re not any more sore than you were before. Sing songs. Make up random nonsensical songs. Smile. Laugh. Have a mantra – “there’s only one pace that matters: forward!”.

Did you need to take salt tablets?

I’ve never had additional salt tablets, and normally just rely on Hi-5 electrolyte tablets. But as Tailwind had electrolytes too, and plenty salt and potassium in the food I was eating, I never took on anything else. Looking back at previous ultras and long runs, I would get swollen fingers, but I never did throughout the West Highland Way, and it was very warm! So I believe that the balance on the day worked well.

How did you keep your watch and phone batteries charged?

I use a Coros Pace 2 which has a phenomenal battery life, up to 30 hours in activity mode. So it lasted the whole run! My phone needed a wee charge so I took a battery pack with me during one of the stages. I also avoided using it and put it in airplane mode when I knew I wouldn’t need it for a long period.

Do you have a coach?

I started with Pyllon Ultra in September 2023 with the West Highland Way as the goal. My coach at Pyllon was Grant McDonald, and he provided me weekly training plans, a mix of long runs, hill and speed work, strength, and mental coaching.

What’s next?

More backyards! I have Golspie Backyard Ultra booked for November, and will have that as my last big goal this year. My minimum goal would be to beat my previous best of 19 yards. But now with the West Highland Way under my belt, I know the 24 yards will be my minimum. The important thing with backyards is to not set a target, as you ultimately are preparing your body to stop when you reach it. So my goal is to win! Let’s just hope Mike Raffan is there 😉