The Hoka Highland Fling

My first 'A' race of the year, and also my birthday present (thanks honey), was the Hoka Highland Fling.  This year was a bit of a recce-race, as traditionally the Fling had every 2 years been the Ultra Champs race (like last year), and I wanted to give it a good crack next year.

There has been a fair bit of lead-up to this race.  It came at the end of a solid 16-week training block (courtesy of Marc Laithwaite and The Endurance Coach) with no injuries, and only a minor amount of irregular training just after the Hardmoors 55, which took me about 3/4 weeks to fully recover from.  So I was feeling pretty good about it.

The weeks leading up to the race were spent looking at the route, and the splits deciding how many gels to take, how many dropbags to use and how to divide my nutrition between them.  I ended up settling for 18 TORQ gels (mixed flavours, enough for 9.5 hours, just in case) spread between the starting amount and 3 drop bags, with 3 top-ups of TORQ Energy (4 units in total, Lemon Lime to start, followed by Pink Grapefruit, Natural Orange and my fave Natural Blackcurrant).  Packed my bag up on the Thursday night,with everything just squeezing in as I was going carry-on only (seriously, £15 for 15 kg, each way.  No, just no.).  Finished up work Friday and headed to East Mids airport with Mel and the girls, quick drop-offs and goodbyes and very shortly on my way to Scotland for the first time.

The flight, landing, and bus ride in to Queens St Station in Glasgow was pretty uneventful.  At the station though, it got interesting.  So, I managed to buy a ticket to Milngavie, race start and where I was staying.  Could I find the train?  Could I heck.  So after half an hour of scouring timetables and looking around, I asked a bloke and he said it was leaving from platform 8.  In 2 minutes.  It's downstairs,  and it's the last one of the night.  Best I run then!  Jumped on just before it left, massively relieved.  Arrived at Milngavie, and walked in what I thought was the right direction for the Premier Inn, where I was staying,  Luckily, it was.  Registered, bags dumped then off to register at the other Premier Inn (with the Braeburn Pub attached).  Job done, ready to go.  Except breakfast didn't start until 7am, and the race started at 6.  Best I wander to Tesco then!  Picked up some natural yoghurt and oat thing, and some strawberry milk.  Job done, tea time!  Settled for for a Double Bacon Burger with Ultimate Fries!  A bit of soul searching over whether to go with a matching pint of Hobgoblin, but didn't.  This was, after all, my first "A" race of the year so played it safe with an OJ and lemonade.  Unlike the guys on the next table who were also racing, and quite hammered.

A bit of last minute organising everything in the right piles, all the right gels in all the right places, and sleep.  Until 4am, when my alarm went off so that I could eat the amazingly tasty breakfast.  Yeah, it was pretty grim.  Mostly edible though.  Everything sorted, wandered off the the start with all of the dropbags.  Massive credit to the Fling organisers, everything went amazingly well, like a well oiled machine, and so friendly and nice about everything,  Quick wee, brief Hi to Chris Baynham-Hughes, listened to the briefing (can't remember anything about that) then wandered off to the start and made my way to the front (cue funny looks and a pointed question about my projected finish time thanks to my extremely toned and athletic looks!  8 hours was the answer, a look of disbelief was what I got back.  Ha!).

Countdown, 3, 2, 1..go!  Out through the town, on to the trail, and settle in to a nice rhythm.  Catch up to the indomitable Charlie Sharpe, and have a brief chat to him and a mate of his (who asked me which part of South Africa I was from!  The cheek!).  They dropped off, quick head count and I was in 5th (I think).  The trail for the first 12 miles of so was mostly flat, and managed to maintain a steady sub-7 along there (except for the hilly bits) and got to the 1st checkpoint (Drymen, just over 12 miles) in 4th place in 1:24.After that is a decent climb up Conic Hill, slowed a little up there (got through the first 1/2 marathon in 1:32 btw) and dropped a place on the way up.  Although it's a long drawn out climb, the descent to the Loch is quite steep.  In a fell race, I'd batter down it, on the edge of control, but at the start of an ultra I like to take these a bit conservatively.  Then a bloke nips past me quite fast, so I thought I had better speed up a little!  Ran past a bloke who said the guy in front was 2nd Scot (it was a Scottish Ultra Champs Race), then read my race number and was "Ah, Matty, the Dark Horse".  Cheers Grant MacDonald, no pressure there then!

Down to the first Drop bag location (Balmaha, 20 miles in), where I found out just how efficient the Fling crew are. 20 metres out, they shouted my number out, by the time I was at the checkpoint my back was ready and open.  Without fail, all checkpoints.  Brilliant.  Refilled my drink bottle with a pre-mixed TORQ energy, stuffed more gels in and then back hot on the heels of that Scot.  Re-passed him over a small technical section, then we reached the flat and he took off.  Mostly because he was a sub-2:30 marathoner.  It was about here that I realised that I was a bit warm, and a bit dehydrated.  Actually, a lot dehydrated.  I started having a mild panic as I opted to skip the next drop bag location, and I wasn't going to get any liquid for another 14 miles!  and then I thought - "dur, they've got water there. Refill with that".  Seriously.  So I chugged happily away then sped up a little.  Along here I was passed by another couple of runners and slipped back a couple of places, but picked up a couple (the sub 2:30 runner, and a Nepalese bloke who was running with no water or food).  I ended up running with the Nepalese guy for a few miles.

Into Rowardennan (Mile 27), quick top-up with water, then back out, in 5th.  There's a long climb up out of that checkpoint, right on the edge of runnable, which is my weak point.  Passed here by another bloke, but me and the Nepalese guy kept each other going, plugging away and finally got to the top and was rewarded by a nice, long descent to recharge the legs.  I can't remember much else about this section, apart from drinking loads of water, refilling, and then looking around to find out I was running solo again.  Where did he go?  And when?  (Turns out he retired at the next checkpoint after pulling up with hamstring cramp.  As soon as he starts eating and drinking properly on the run, he'll be dangerous!)

Inversnaid.  Dropbag.  Back on the TORQ Energy drink! (Note for next time - pre-mixed drink at EVERY drop bag!) and a few more gels, then on to the bit I was waiting for - the "technical" section.  This was talked about in hushed tones on the Facebook page, and I couldn't wait.  I love rough ground, as I'm generally faster than most across it.  3 people caught me just before it, I perked up then dropped them within minutes. Loved it.  Finished all too soon though, then Charlie Sharpe and A.N. Other caught up just before the last drop-bag location.

Bein Glas Farm (42 miles)  In there together, Charlie and the other bloke a little quicker through (I had pre-mixed Natural Blackcurrant to decant into my bottle!) and set out to chase them.  Checked my gel stock (6), how far to go (12 miles) then decided.  A gel every 2 miles.  Rewards more often, what's not to like!  About a mile out of the checkpoint, with the bloke I didn't know moving really well, I was passed by the first relay runner, which spurred me on a bit, and noticed that I was catching Charlie.  We ran together, having a nice chat, up the hills all the way to Boggle Hole.  It was a surreal experience, because everyone we passed knew who Charlie was.  15-20 people, all cheering Charlie on, by name, even without his number visible.  Literally the most famous ultra runner in the UK.

Charlie stopped briefly at Boggle Hole (I am told this is actually Bogle Glen) as he had a friend waiting for him there.  I had a brief conundrum - do I wait and run in with him, or do I wobble off.  I wobbled off, then set about putting as much space between Charlie and I as possible (sorry mate).  Some cracking undulating trail, then a great descent down to the road.  Across the road, over the bridge and hello, there goes the relay runner and the 6th place runner. And oh my goodness (not my actual thought) does this road go all the way up that hill?   No?  It turns left?  Whew!  And chasing again, pulling 8 min miles on the flat bits, and feeling not too bad!  The relay runner was getting closer, I was knocking back gels, it was going well.  Back under the road, path alongside the river, run past a bloke who says:  just over a mile to go.  Check watch, 7:48.  I can make sub 8!  Yes!  Run faster!  Time tick by...must be close..no...no it's not.  He lied, cruel person.  2.5 miles.  Not just over a mile.  So with about 800m to go, I crashed.  Hard.  But then I heard the pipers, choked up a little, heard the finish crowd and forced myself to pick it up to a respectable pace through the crowd.

Finished, 7th place, 8:04:01.

Extremely pleased with my result, wouldn't have been possible without being fuelled by TORQ, 17 gels and 2L of TORQ energy, amazing stuff.

In for a shower (bonus about being near the front, no queues!), massage, some amazing tomato soup then a fantastic baked potato and a beer (nearly grabbed the 11% one - that would have been very brief, and very messy) and a chat with Charlie Sharpe (8th), Simon Darmody (10th) and Chris Baynham-Hughes (ran it 4 weeks or so after an ankle operation!).  It's amazing what friendships you strike up with people you see only a few times a year at random races!

On the first bus back with the intention of getting the pint of Hobgoblin I missed out on Friday night...failed, didn't leave the room.

All in all, a fantastic and really well organised race.  Would recommend it to anyone.