The Cateran Trail 55 Mile Ultramarathon
Saturday
19th May, 2012
The 55-mile Cateran trail follows many of the old drovers’ paths through the heart of Scotland.
Race Event Information
The route goes clockwise down the east side of Glen Shee. You pass
Forter Castle, around Auchintaple Loch, by Loch Shandra, through Kirkton of
Glenisla to Alyth. From there the route uses the official alternative through
Den of Alyth, West Tullyfergus to Blairgowrie. The course now rejoins the main
trail via Bridge of Cally, Kirkmichael and Enochdhu then over to join the trail
which leads you up Glenshee to the highest point in the race which is a 400
metre climb, enjoy the view on a clear day at the saddle then descend to the
finish back at the hotel.
Map and data taken from my Garmin Forerunner watch
The following data was taken during the race. However, my watch battery
life was drained after "12 hours & 46 minutes" of running
and resulted in only capturing "50 miles" of the race.
Booooo......
Time 12:46 Hours - Distance 50:15 Miles - Calories Burned 6,698
My actual finishing time was 13:56 hours.
Route - Drop Bags & Check Points
This is where the runner can leave a bag containing personal "Hydration & Nutrition". This also doubles up as an official Check Point. This is where the runner gives the Race Marshalls there race number, so that they can be tracked during the race.
Start & Finish - Spittal of Glenshee.
DB2 - Kirkton of Glenisa - At approximately (15 miles).
DB3 - Den of Alyth - At approximately (26 miles) - Marathon distance.
DB4 - Blairgowrie - At approximately (31 miles).
DB5 - Bridge of Cally - At approximately (38 miles).
DB6 - Enochdu - At approximately (49 miles).
The night before the race, I car shared with my friends Phill Owen, Anna Seeley and David Hetherington, doing our bit for the environment. !!!!
This was my first attempt at the Cateran Trail Ultramarathon and I have
heard lots of wonderful comments. About the beauty of route and the friendliness
of the people. You know what?, the comments were 100% correct!!!. Upon my
arrival I received a very warm welcome, which I immediately felt part of a great
team.
After a few beers that night, obviously just enough to settle the pre-race nerves. I set my alarm clock for 4 am, where upon wakening I quietly tooked into a "Tuna & Sweat Corn Pasta Snack". Not that I'm at all greedy, it was the start of my pre race nutrition. This was quickly followed by Porridge and Eggs served for breakfast at 5:30 am.
Just before the start of the race at 7am, a race briefing was delivered
by Karen Donoghue - Race Director followed by a casual walk down to the
starting line.
The weather on the day was good with lots of sunny periods. As this was my first experience of running 55 miles, I settled in to an easy pace that I believe I could maintain for long periods of running. I was pleased with the planning of my nutrition and hydration as this had resulted in me feeling strong and fresh throughout the race. Towards the end of the race on the final decent down to the finishing line. I did my usual 100 metre sprint finish over the finishing line.
Race briefing
The starting line, where all runners were starting to mass before the "3 2 1" Gooooo
Wonderful
and unspoilt highland scenery. This is why I love trail running in Scotland !!!
The
following photographs were taken on the day of the race and supplied by my
good running friend;
Karen Robertson.
Karen Robertson.
The final 100 metre sprint over the finishing line
Me and my
running friend David Hetherington at the end of the 55 Mile Ultramarthon and
still feeling fresh. I believe that we could have easily pushed out another 10
- 20 miles!!!!!!
My race number
On behalf
of all my fellow runners and myself. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all Volunteers, Marshalls, Management and Club Members. For their kind
hospitality and professionalism shown throughout the entire event. This was a great
day to be enjoyed by all.
The
following statement made by my chosen charity, Pawz for thought.
NEWS We are very pleased that Darren Barnes and David Hetherington will be running the Cateran Trail Ultramarathon, a 52 mile race held on Saturday the 19th May, in Scotland, on behalf of Pawz for Thought. Yes, that's a double marathon! They have been training hard (including running the recent Sunderland marathon) and getting lots of people to sponsor them. You can also make donations directly to Pawz for Thought, by selecting the blue PLEASE DONATE button on the opening page of this website. You can find out more about extreme running and the training involved, by visiting Darren-barnes.blogspot.com We wish Darren and David good luck and fine weather on the day, but we know that it's the months of hard training that will lead to their completion of such gruelling race.
My chosen charity for 2012
"Pawz for Thought"
“Keep on running & be
inspired”
Darren Barnes
Follow my running activities on
Twitter @enduranceruner
