Glasgow to Edinburgh had been on my race radar for a while – after roads, canal paths are my favourite thing to run on, and 57 miles of canal paths sounded like my kind of race! I was also trying something different. My A race this autumn was TH100 in the US, four weeks later. Normally, I get into marathon shape as part of my 100 mile prep and run a marathon in the build-up, but this time the focus was getting into 50 mile/100k shape and seeing how that translated into a fast 100 miler.
Since Comrades, training had gone like a dream and it was one of those training blocks where every run was a total joy. Because TH100 was the A race, I only did a one week taper for G2E, but heading into race week my legs felt fresh and I was ready to race.
Racing an ultra in Scotland in October can mean anything weather-wise, but as race day approached, it looked like my 100% record of sunshine whenever I run in Scotland was set to continue!
A Fast Start
At 6 am, around 700 runners set off from the Riverside Museum, headtorches lighting the way for the first hour of darkness. My A goal was a sub-8:45 finish time. It felt like everyone around me set off like it was a 10k, but I ignored what was going on and focused on my own race, which was aiming to run around 9 minute miles with minimal slowdown in the second half.
Tom and James were crewing me, and I reached the first crew point (11 miles) in 1 hour 40 minutes, bang on target. I swapped bottles, grabbed some gels and ran straight through – anyone who has ever crewed me knows how efficient I am at crew stops!
Settling into my Groove
After the initial rush at the start, the pace around me had settled, and I was told I was fourth female. I left the crew point alongside third female, Perrine, and we ran together chatting for a while, not realising we’d end up spending much of the next 46 miles in very close proximity!
It was one of those days where everything was feeling really good – conditions were perfect, gels every 30 minutes, topped up with liquids to take on 80-90g of carbs an hour, my legs felt great and the miles were passing almost too quickly. Perrine and I traded places a few times, but I knew it was too early to get involved in a race and stuck to my plan.
Shortly before the Falkirk Wheel (the next crew point), I moved into third, then after another quick stop, Perrine and I left the aid station almost at the same time, where this time I eased ahead. Before long, I spotted first female just a few hundred metres ahead, and over the next couple of miles, I had closed the gap and taken the lead.
Getting Back on Track
Up to mile 40, it had all felt almost too easy. But around miles 41-42, I hit my only low patch of the race. I think I’d got a bit dehydrated and then drank too much too quickly to try and get myself back on track. Perrine passed me here, and I knew I had to let her go, even if that meant not seeing her again.
Fortunately one of the ‘skills’ I have learnt whilst running is being able to be sick on the go, so after that and some extra drinks from Tom and James, I started to pick up again, both in myself and my pace.
By the time I reached the final crew point at 50 miles, James told me I was only 90 seconds behind Perrine. As I turned back onto the canal path, I could actually see her ahead. Over the next couple of miles, I gradually reeled her in and passed her with about 5 miles to go.
The Final Push
With just 5 miles left, it was time to switch from pacing mode to racing mode. I knew it could go one of two ways – hold on for the win or blow up before the finish!
Because I’d paced myself well over the race, I still had something left in the tank, and miles 53–55 were some of my fastest of the day. I didn’t look back, just got my head down and focused on getting to the finish line!
After weaving through a wooded section, I finally saw the track and a 300 metre clockwise loop later, I crossed the line in 8:42:48 as first female.
Perrine finished less than four minutes behind, so whilst I’d made up over five minutes in the last 7 miles, there definitely wasn’t a moment I could relax until I crossed the line!
Post-Race Reflections
One of the first things James said to me afterwards was that it had been a masterclass in pacing and then racing. And looking back over the race, I don’t think I could have executed it any better.
My average pace for the 57 miles was 9:04 pace, my second half was just 10 minutes slower than the first, and I had only 2 minutes 48 seconds stoppage time over the entire race, which is down to my dream team crew and their elite level crewing!
I was very lucky in that nothing went ‘wrong’ – apart from a few miles feeling a bit dehydrated and nauseous, which barely impacted my race, it was one of those dream running days where everything just clicked.
I have to thank Perrine for giving me such a great race, and keeping me pushing until the very end – those kind of wins are always the most satisfying (even if they don’t feel like that at the time!).
Thank you to everyone at GB Ultras – this was my first GB Ultras race and definitely won’t be my last. And most of all, thank you to James for the coaching and for him and Tom being such superstar crew.
All photos from GB Ultras.
