Celtman 2012

[Don]

I'm sitting on the heather covered slope with my back against a boulder. I feel nauseous, my legs ache and i'm so far behind my expected time that i've missed the cutoff for the mountain by an hour. I can see the car park for T2A and now think of a DNF, or hours of painful walking in the dark through boggy Scottish uplands. Just how did I end up here!?

Ever since I decided to take up triathlon in 2009 i've been fascinated by the Norseman. I love the idea of the race more than the usual long course formats. Leaping out of the back of a car ferry into a fjord had some strange appeal. I remember being at the Big Ben Nevis Triathlon in 2010 and hearing Paul (one of the Celtman organisers) talk about an unofficial long distance race a number of years ago. Then last year the Celtman appeared and I signed up sharpish. Then begins the actual realisation that I have to get organising and training!

My race would not be possible with the amazing Berit & Mitch who volunteered to support me through the event. Being able to provide transport and the mandatory support runner meant that I could sort out the last two important things; accommodation and training. Accommodation in Torridon is not easy and I went out on a limb and rented a lodge with twelve beds! Fortunately this paid off and I soon found that I was joined not only by my girlfriend and support crew, but also Chris and Izzy and their support as well (Rob, Tom and Mary). So all that was left was to put the miles in...

Insert training montage of your choice.

Friday the 22nd of June rolls around and I find myself in Torridon, sitting on the floor of a church hall with around 130 other competitors. While the race briefing mostly inspired confidence there were a couple of items that seemed to have been left to luck rather than rigid organisation but as it was the first year it was understandable. Wavier signed, race number picked up and neoprene socks bought (water temperature was expected to be cold enough for them to be race legal). Next was our accommodation.

Balgy lodge became our race HQ and abode for the next several days. First things first there was an exodus to the beach to experience the water temperature. Cold. Then a lovely plunge pool located in a nearby river. The evening was then filled with pasta, preparation and panicking. Actually I don't think there was any panicking but I had to find a third p from somewhere.

So I got up at the stupendous time of 1.15am after three hours of sleep. Ate what I could and made final preparations before getting in the van for the short drive to Shieldaig for the start. Shieldaig is lovely small fishing village with just enough room for about 130 bikes to be lined up beside the old harbour. Midges made sure to give everyone a proper West coast summer greeting. Kit set up and on to the bus for the short drive to the swim start.

Swim start was a field at the side of the road, with lit torches guiding the way across the field. A piper magically appeared and played us onto the beach and into the water for a deep water start. An air horn blares and the race starts, heads and hands plunge into the water. Navigation is surprisingly difficult as the island ahead of us merges into the background. I stay wide to avoid any thrashing limbs. Suddenly the first island is passing to the right. The route had originally circled around the island but due to water temperature it had been shorted, so we head straight on towards island two. I seem to swim a good line as another swimmer meanders back and forth across my path, his bright white feet standing out in the clear blue water. Jelly fish lurk a couple of meters below.

It takes some time for the second island to loom large and by this point my hands have become numb claws dragging at the water. Round the top of the island and I can see small objects, people, on the peer. Before I know it i'm pulling myself up on rocks and staggering up the beach. Berit stablises me and we set off down the line of bikes. At this point my hands are so cold I can't even put on my gloves properly and i'm again glad of the support. Others are not quite so lucky. The midges are tucking in to an bonanza of pale flesh in the transition.

On the bike and away after an hour in the water. Feeling good as I take off up the road. Mentally i'd broken the route down into separate 50km segments in my head. This would make the 200km and around 8 hours of bike slightly easier to deal with. The road to Torridon from Shieldaig passes quickly but ends in congestion more reminiscent of commuter riding. Eventually the supporter cars thin and I continue with a quick pace, pulling out of Kinlochewe onto the wide road to Gairloch. I decided, somewhat rashly, that setting a higher pace than i'd trained for was fine because 'so long as i'm spinning easily, it's ok'. I reach Gairloch well ahead of schedule and straight into cramp.

Bottle change, extra food and a much slower pace are in order as I start on the next 50km to Dundonnell. I recover over this length to go back to my original timing, no big deal, and have another refresh at the top of the big climb. Bottle change, extra food and some more clothes before I head off again for the next 50km set. I arrive at the next stop a couple of minutes behind schedule, but again not big deal. I'm doing well and everything seems on target. So I agree to drop the next stop which was at 25km from T2...

Set off onto the Achnasheen road and then the rain starts. And the head wind. I start to feel chilled and the energy disappears and i'm crawling along the road. It's only 50km, but one hour, two hours and finally three hours pass by before I reach T2. I'm shattered and don't really want to continue, certainly not at a running pace. But there is no time for rest, if for no other reason than the midges! Shoe change, camelbak on and away. The climb out of T2 to the top of the Coulin pass is steep and gives me a chance to recover with a walking pace. The sun comes out and I begin to feel some energy return.

Over the top of the pass and it's mostly downhill to T2A. The pace is a mixed run and walk. Well more of a jog and walk. Or a little bit of jogging with lots of walking... 18km takes a tortuous 3 hours to complete. I get the ok from the mountain rescue checkpoint but I have missed the chance to take the mountain route by at least an hour. We continue along the road to the start of the low route, which is coincidentally the end of the mountain section for the high level runners.

And shortly into the low level route I find myself sitting down against a boulder on the heather-covered ground wondering if I should continue. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to lift my legs up some of the larger rocky steps. But after being force-fed some Soreen loaf and staggering on to the track, I actually did begin to recover. As we climbed up the runners came down in groups; ERC's Rosemary descended quickly with Izzy only minutes behind. After some time we reached another mountain rescue checkpoint and took our turn off into the lower route.

I should say that we had already walked round the high level route in March and, to be perfectly honest here, I would have preferred to have done the high level route than than the low. This low path, such as it was, wound it's way across some fortunately very dry bogs in a similar path to either a drunk or an excited child. Up and down, round and over, the path kept on going like the slow bit in Lord of the Rings with Frodo, Sam and Gollum. Eventually after many hours of walking and the dark cloud having dropped to twilight and the slight disorientation of so long awake led the white lichen to appear to glow, we crossed a bridge. This bridge led down towards trees which had a path leading to a road. A road which seemed almost as long as the past hours of off-road walking!

The lights of Torridon have rarely been described as 'civilisation' but after 19 hours of exercise and an arrival time of around midnight, it felt like a bustling metropolis at the finish line. So on Sunday morning I became a Celtman!

Next year I hope to be back for my blue, high level route, tshirt... to be continued!


I'd like to say thanks to everyone who made this race possible; Berit & Mitch for the support, ERC coaches and club members and of course Paul and the guys at the Tri centre for making it possible.

Don

[Chris G]

Ahhh, Don has beaten me to it but watch out, the one is almost as long as the race!!

2012 was going to be the year for me to attempt a sub-10 Ironman but then this came along and changed everything! An ironman(ish) distance race in Scotland and taking in a couple of Munros sounded to me like it couldn’t be missed.  Paul from Durty Events and Stuart from the Tri Centre were organising the race so I was confident it was going to be a good one. The course details were gradually revealed and we weren’t disappointed with the toughness: 3.8km swim in a sea loch, 202km bike route in one big loop (with your own support crew as no aid stations would be provided) and the run split into 18km trail run, 15km over two Munros (for which you needed a support runner) and then 7km down the road to the finish.

My training had gone reasonably well despite some ongoing hamstring and calf problems which curtailed my running to some extent.  My ‘warm-up’ race (Coniston Old Man) didn’t go well and my dodgy right calf was playing up again so I hadn’t really run for the 3 weeks prior to the race. My goals for the race were simple: sub 14 hours (1:15 for the swim , 7 hours for the bike, sub-2 hours for the trail run, 3 hours+ for the mountains and 40 minutes for the road run) and top 10% of finishers.

I picked up Rob (my support crew) from Inverness and arrived at the superb house which Don had booked halfway between Torridon and T1 at Sheildaig. Rob and I sorted out logistics for the next day and then headed down to the briefing. The tone for race was set by Paul  with the first slide in the presentation – RTFM! (read the f-ing manual) but there were a few questions which suggested a lack of preparation by some people. Afterwards I had a quick bike ride down to T1 and back. I didn’t feel good which is always a good sign for me to have a good race (felt great in the few days up to Coniston Old Man so this really is a sign for me!)

I got up at 2:30 and after some museli drove down to Sheildaig to get eaten alive by midges!! I racked my bike and picked up my chip as quickly as possible before retreating back to the car and hiding. All too soon it was time to get ready and head down the get onto the bus to start (it was a point to point swim). There were yet more midges here so I tried to avoid them as well as Dougie Vipond doing interviews for The Adventure Show – I laughed at one thing he said as I was walked past which won’t make the show: “midgy b@st@rds!”. Once everyone had arrived, Paul gave us the great news that the water was “colder than we would like” and the circuit round the island had been removed! We were then piped down to the water and a huge Celtman! logo set ablaze. People eventually started to get in the water and , yes, most definitely cold – even for someone who swims in Scotland! A big blast on the air horn and we were off! I seemed to mostly swim away from the main pack who I felt were too far left and always had people off to my right so I hoped I was going dead straight. Sighting was easy to the first island but the second island didn’t stand out much against the background. Everyone else seems to have seen jelly fish – it was very clear – but I managed to avoid them all. Towards the end I could feel my body getting a bit cold (my feet and hands had been cold from the start) but I wasn’t too bad and the end was in sight. Getting out wasn’t overly easy and it was pretty rough underfoot. I ended up cutting my feet a bit so it would definitely be worthwhile wearing some neoprene boots. Rob gave me some good support (he had stayed in bed until 5am and run down from the house) and said I was looking good but I suspect he was lying!

Swim: 58.47

T1 was a struggle against numbness and Rob did as much as he could to help but I can’t believe it took as long as it did.

T1: 5.43

Onto bike and I made a conscious effort to take it easy on the first hills and even used that thing called the small ring ;-) I started to pass people and resisted the urge to go with a few who passed me. Three of us got into a pace line along the single track from Torridon and we were moving well despite a few inpatient supporters trying to get past a bit too quickly. The left turn onto the A832 arrived and we started to pass the first of the support crews stopped to hand out drinks. I thought I saw Gail Balfour (one of Scott’s daughters who was supported him and I know from years ago) and she recognised my ‘distinctive’ legs. Somewhere along here I dropped the other two guys but picked up a whole load of midges and found the disadvantage of an aero helmet – no vents to stick your fingers through to get rid of the ones trapped inside!!

Rob was due to meet me at the Gairloch Hotel but as he hadn’t overtaken me I began to get a bit concerned (and slightly pi$$ed off!) as Gairloch approached. Tom and Mary came past and I asked them to look out for Rob and send him on if they saw him. I passed Izzy up a hill and we exchanged a few words. Gairloch came and went and then a couple of larger hills. I was starting to look round for Rob now and was extremely relieved to finally see him towards the top of the second – he’d obviously planned this so I could ride the hills with empty rather than full bottles!!

The great thing about everyone having their own support was that there were lots of people out on the course and they (mostly) gave everyone some encouragement. You got to know which cars would be passing (and how closely!), who they were supporting and when you were riding away from other competitors.
I passed Rosemary on the hill out of Poolewe and then the leading lady on the descent down to Dundonnel where there were lots of people supporting and I got another bottle from Rob. The big climb of the day was next and I settled into a steady pace but was still passing people. One unfortunate guy had his bike in one hand and his saddle in the other but I think I saw him finish so he must have sorted it or got another bike.

Onto the A835 and the memory of grinding up this section into a headwind on my recce ride was quickly forgotten as it seemed quite easy! The section down to the next turn at Garve seemed never ending but at least it was fast. Things then turned into a bit of a grind. I had mentally broken the ride down into sections and I was onto the second last but it still seemed a long, long way to go. I was also getting a lot less comfortable on the tri-bars now even though I’d decided a few months ago to ride my road bike rather than TT bike. I think it was the right choice for me as I was certainly using the drops to break things up a bit.

The final bottle pick-up at Achnasheen didn’t go well – I dropped it! Much easier to solve than in other races though – Rob just drove up the road and we did it again (at a slower pace this time!). One final uphill section and then it was fast descent into T2 but I did get caught in a rain shower for the final 5 minutes.

Bike: 6.37.57

T2 seemed to be a bit of a mess of cars but I managed to avoid them all and was then glad to have put in chair in the car so I could sit down whilst changing.  Rob thought I was just outside the top 20 – not bad but a bit of work to do.

T2: 3.15

[Chris G]

Part 2 -

I walked out onto the run eating a bag of crisps and then slowly got into running. Unfortunately my calf started to get a bit sore after 5 minutes but it wasn’t too bad so far. 1km in and the uphill started. I walked sections, partly to try and save my calf but also to try and ensure I didn’t  go off too hard as I sometimes do. At the top of the climb Beinn Eighe came into view with a bit of cloud on top. Through the first aid station and my calf started to get a bit worse but not enough to slow me down. By now a few people were going past (including the first lady) and a couple of them at speed. My calf then got a whole lot worse and I had to slow down a bit. I did briefly think it might not be a good idea to do the mountain section but as I was still running and not getting worse this though quickly went away. Onto the road and it was great to see Rob coming down to meet me.
Into T2A for a two minute stop (nice to sit down!) and a kit check. The hard work was about to begin! I knew from my recce that I’d now be walking for an hour or so set off at a good pace whilst having some good chat with Rob. We closed down a couple of people in front and some were catching us. Halfway up and I began to suffer. Rob made sure I was eating and drinking and then started making me count 100 steps at a time. He went in front for 100 and then dropped back for the next 100. He somehow made it to 100 steps when I was only on 75 and we gave another couple a good laugh about mincing up the hill! We finally made it to the top to the sound of bag pipes.

The next section was the ridge run round to the next top – mostly down, over and up boulder fields! A lot of time could be made or lost here and I didn’t know how I was going to feel. Rob went in front to try and find the best lines and we quickly started to overtake people. This really lifted my spirits and I felt fantastic! The looks and comments we got suggested amazement that we could be running at this point but if you’re used to it then it’s easy!! We found the small sheep path to avoid any extra climbing, went past the start of the gully descent and started to climb to the second top (making sure we ran past the camera!) The news at the top was that I was in 12th place – fantastic! Back down to the steep gully and after some careful climbing down it was a bit of scree run to the bottom and a quick stop to empty the accumulated rubbish out of my shoes.

By this point we could see a couple of runners in front – 10th and 11th places was in sight. Again, Rob ran ahead to try and find the best lines. Round the loch and 10th place was literally in touching distance!! Unfortunately the terrain then got a bit easier and both guys started to move away from me. I couldn’t respond and was wanting to be a bit careful (Graeme Stewart had fallen and broken his wrist on this section a few weeks ago). It started to get hard again and Rob was making sure I was still eating and drinking although my request for a banana was met with the option of a Powerbar banana, a gel banana or a Torq bar banana – not impressed!!

The road finally appeared, just a 7km road run to go! It still seemed a long way to go so I went back to counting 100 steps at a time to get through it. My calf was hurting and I was giving it everything I could but didn’t dare look back in case somewhere was there. I tried to think about the whole race but frankly I needed everything I had just to keep on going. Torridon appeared and I think I managed to pick the pace up a bit to finish strongly. It then all got a bit emotional!

Run: 5.42.38

Total: 13.28.20 and 12th place – job done and targets met! I maybe could have gone 5-10mins faster if my calf held up but 11th was almost 13 minutes in front so I would have taken a lot to make up a place.
Food, chat and a bit of beer followed and we sat watching other people finish – Rosemary came in for second and Izzy just behind in third. We heard that Don was out on the low route but could be some time yet so Rob and I headed home and were off to bed shortly after.

Prize giving, t-shirt collection, photos and bacon rolls the next day were great and good to catch up with peoples stories of the day. It was really good to have the house on Sunday night so we could go back, relax and make plans for next year!! I have volunteered to support Tom in the mountain section so I’m definitely not racing next year – supporting sounds quite hard too though!! The rest of the day was a blur of sport on the telly (how fast does Alistair Brownlee run??!!) followed by champagne, beer, sloe gin and whisky!! I worked out the next day that I had gone to bed later than I had got up on Saturday morning!!

A few days on and the damage from the day is clear – the bottom of my feet are cut up quite a lot and generally a bit rubbed in paces, my left ankle is pretty sore (I don’t remember twisting it but it did take a few hits from falling rocks), my right calf hurts, I have lots of midge bites on my knees, I have DOMS in both quads but not as bad as I thought it would be, my back is a bit sore, I have a bruise on my arse from falling on the scree descent, I have a few cuts on left palm and a larger one on my right small finger. More importantly, I appear to have damaged some of the carbon on my front wheel! It looks like it has taken a hefty hit (which I don’t remember) so I guess I should be glad it survived to the end.

Overall, Celtman is a truly epic race in a stunning location. A lot of people seemed surpised (and frankly rather unprepared) by the mountain section. If you’re considering it then bite the bullet and try and get an entry (given this years race I think it will be over-subscribed next year).

Finally, I must say thanks to Rob for supporting me (I literally couldn’t have done it without  him), Owen (my physio) for getting me to the start line and the ERC guys in the house – racers Izzy and Don and supporters Berit, Mitch, Tom, Mary and Outi – see you there next year!!

Provisional results are here: http://www.durtyevents.com/uploads/9/4/4/5/9445925/celtman_2012_provisional_results.pdf

There are lots of photos on Facebook.

[mitch]

Now that it's all over, we can finally admit it.  We daren't whisper it before race day, it just wouldn't have been the done thing, but now we can say it: we did have our doubts.  The event was going to be long, the route tough, and who knew what the weather would have in store.  But now, as you've read, we can happily report that the van survived its first Celtman.

Well done to Don for battling through to the end, and to Chris, Izzy, Rosemary and Gavin for their great races.  Don will be back next year for his Blue T-shirt, but he'll need to find another support runner - I plan to be on the start line too. It's probably the only way to top the weekend I just had.

Mitch

[berit]

Great race reports guys, and an absolutely sensational weekend.

For anyone thinking of supporting next year, its worth bearing in mind that it's a whole lot more than just being a support runner! This only really dawned on us when we arrived a the house on Friday, and thought about everything we had to prepare before getting up at 2.45am to take Don to set up T1! We needed to make sure we had all his kit, and knew where to meet him on the bike. But we also had to be up and on the road from 3am until the end of the race, as well as ensuring that we kept ourselves fed and watered so we were prepared to support him through the 42km mountain marathon. Part of the difficulty was not knowing when this was going to start...or end. We were both secretly worried that our running might not be up to scratch after Mitch injured himself at Coniston and hadn't run since, and I hadn't managed to fit in any run training outside events either. We also had the niggling worry of whether the van would survive - having developed a hole in the exhaust and a 'wobbly gearstick' just the week before!

When we got going, supporting the race was incredibly exciting and we absolutely loved it. Knowing so many others from Edinburgh really helped to keep us entertained too. What we hadn't thought about was how little time we'd have - we had planned to take it in turns to cycle sections, and also to have a few power naps on the way round. As it was, the sleep deprivation and winding roads full of cyclists meant that we had very little extra time to get to the meeting points, and we certainly didn't want to drive on our own to allow the other person to cycle. It was a relief to get round the 126 mile route...but that was only the start....

I was going to support Don on the first half of the run, and Mitch on the second (munro section). Unfortunately Don had developed a sore back on the last part of the bike, and had lost a lot of time so we waited more than an hour after we expected him - that meant that one of my jobs was gone - getting him to T2a by the cut off was no longer possible. However, when we got a text saying he was in a lot of pain so may not continue, the focus changed to getting him round. I tried to keep talking through the Coulin pass to keep his mind off his physical and mental pain - I'm pretty sure he was sick of my voice by the end of it! When we got to the tarmac road at T2a, I was brave enough to ask him about whether he was going to continue...he had no answer for me...but at least he didn't say no!

At this point, despite being totally knackered, I decided that I wanted to keep going to do the second part of the run also. Partly I just really wanted to see the whole thing through and get to the finish with him, but partly I was worried about how he was doing. I knew there was a big mental battle going on, and that made it hard for me to judge how he was physically. One thing I was sure about, I wouldn't want to be up a hill with him alone in the dark with all the responsibility of making sure he was safe - so I didn't want Mitch to be in that position either! I also had the feeling of responisbility of knowing I was medically trained, while Mitch wasn't. I asked Don if he minded if I kept going, and he seemed OK about it, so on I went. He started badly, and I was really doubting for a while if I should be persuading him up the hill, or getting him down asap! He was making sense tho, and had no specific injury, so we nursed him on through weakness, nausea, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and pain. Things began to pick up, and although he wasn't able to run again, he went at a good pace and got round the low route to arrive in Torridon at midnight. By then I was hallucinating too, and overcome with emotion at the sight of the finish gantry. I felt like I'd done something special...something epic..but it was only a small part of what Don did. That's why I have to do it myself next year! Don - I'm proud of you - I've never seen someone in such an internal battle as you on the side of that hill. See you next year with a blue T-shirt on!

In summary - a big commitment, a long and tiring day, but an amazing thing to be a part of and I'd definately recommend it to anyone who is lucky enough to get asked for 2013.

Berit

[Dunks]

Excellent reports guys and well done!

I was support for one of your fellow competitors and had a very enjoyable day. I think every competitor has low points in these types of events and that's where the support crew really come into their own.

Loved every minute and even got in a great training ride for the Innerleithen 100 on the Sunday 

[rbyde]

Hi everyone, great reports!

And here's mine:
http://planetbyde.com/2012/06/26/celtman-the-race/

It was a great weekend, made all the better for all the supporters, other racers and everyone's encouragement. Thanks!

[chris a]

chapeau to all concerned, major effort all round, can't imagine what you all put yourselves through - well done to Izzy and Hugh from the Tri Centre.

[Heyman]

Great race reports - reading them through, my smile's getting broader and broader, well done to all,

Iain Mac.

[rbyde]

Good race write up on Tri247 that gives due weight to both the men's and women's races - that's what I like to see! 

http://www.tri247.com/article_10289_The+CELTMAN%21+report.html?region_id=&category=

[Rondo]

Great reports, what an EPIC event. Amazing results...............how do you top it?

[Chris G]

how do you top it?

I'm trying not to think about that

[Jonny May]

how do you top it?

I'm trying not to think about that

Triathlon Scotland's latest newsletter contained this item on Alan MacPherson's bid to become the first Scot to complete an Ultraman World Championship - http://www.triathlonscotland.org/newsArticle.cfm?id=786

[Kirky]

N mine:

http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2104899

[alistairsmith]

Awesome racing chaps and great reporting to boot.  The internal battles are always the best Don.