This is the first of a 3 part blog series on running the West Highland Way over the years.

Stories help us see our lives from new or fresh perspectives. When it comes to endurance I have discovered that long distance running reveals aspects of life and faith. In ‘The Metaphorical Trail Runner’ I shared how running tactics might reflect wider approaches to life. This series of posts narrates something of what one particular trail, the West Highland Way (WHW), has meant to me. I reflect on these series of adventures through the places, the people and the experiences. Specific accounts of actual races can be found at “West Highland Way Race Reports”.

The WHW is in Scotland and goes from Glasgow (Milngavie) to Fort William. It is a waymarked trail. The WHW Race takes place each year on the weekend nearest midsummer. Apart from brief breaks for food etc at checkpoints it is run non stop. Approx. 96 miles (154km) and about 4,300m of ascent and descent. From 2011 -21 I ran this route 7 times. Six times from south – north and once north – south. In 2023 the WHW was also part of a longer route speed hiking/ camping in the Highlander’s Return. In addition I raced the ‘Highland Fling’ first half of the route 9 times from Milngavie to Tyndrum. In short the route has formed the bedrock of all my long distance running experience.

Anyhow it’s now been 3 years since my last doing WHW as a race. Occasionally I still nurse the hope of doing it again. That may or may not happen. One side effect of doing such races is selective amnesia. Reflecting on the experience with rose coloured glasses. The joyous recollection of completing drowns out the anguish and trials endured along the way. Not to mention the sobering facts that I am older and less resilient. I cannot admit to myself that these truths have consequences. Hope springs eternal!

Whatever the future prospects of participating, the memory of these races remain etched in my psyche. Each race was unique in its own way. Yet the route itself is the same. Familiar parts of the trail such as rocks, hillsides and views remain in my minds eye. I can envisage the passing of each km. Can even anticipate how I feel at certain points. As mentioned there is also the sense that recalling the experience is like a parable. It frames the ups and downs as well as the milestones on the journey we all travel. You do not have to be a long distance runner to appreciate this. I think any true adventure, whether it is physical, geographical or even in the creative sphere speaks to our inner lives.

So join me as I prepare to head north from Glasgow…

The race always starts at 0100 on a Saturday. Hard to pick a more unusual time of day for commencing a grand adventure. Normally I would be asleep. During the day before I am very alert. Rest has also proved fitful the previous few nights. Am I ready? Have I packed the right things? Calorie rich foodstuffs, sweet and savoury. How can I predict what foods to eat and when (I have never succeeded). What are the right clothes and footwear? Does each person in my support crew know what they have to do and when? The list goes on. All in an effort to mitigate what I anticipate will be the struggles. There is also a dialogue going on between mind and body. The unconscious mind knows what’s coming and floods the body with signals to get ready. Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

At about 2230 on the Friday evening I turn up to register. The process also involves a weigh in. There is a risk of putting on weight which can be a sign of the kidneys retaining fluids. One can also lose weight. This may  mean the body is burning muscle instead of fat. There is a permitted % loss or gain and this is checked a couple of times en route. Exceed these parameters and you are taken out of the race. Hands are also likely to swell so remove ring on finger. It’s all another reminder that although a lot is in the mind the body is being pushed to extremes and has to adapt. 

In the hour or two before the race begins it has been wonderful to be hosted by friends in their home. Their house was literally across the road from the start. It is an opportunity to spend time relaxing in the warmth, literally and figuratively, of their home. My support crew are also present. They will help me get to Fort William on two feet. I will need their assistance practically and mentally. Leaning on their support for verbal encouragement in the dark hours; following their advice when I am not thinking straight and dog tired; appreciating their silent presence or conversation. As we anticipate the coming hours there is a curious mixture of relaxation and nervousness. Time seems to stand still. The calm before the storm. Yet the inevitability of its passing is real. Soon I will be called on to give all the mental and physical energy I can muster. 

There have been occasions when the start has felt like entering the ring at some gladiator’s contest. Except the fight is not to conquer some foe or competitor. No the contest is with myself. Will I commit to something that is beyond what I believe I can do? As a ‘back off the pack’ runner for me that means almost continuous motion for 28 – 34 hours. Mind and heart engaged in a battle to stay awake and focussed. 60% mind, 40% body. Whatever happens I will be changed by the experience.

“The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong….”

Ecclesiastes 9 verse 11a NIVUK

At 0030 there is a short briefing by the organisers. Not much changes from year to year – “there will be weather”, “look out for each other”. The occasion serves to focus the mind. It gives a reassuring sense that although each individual has their own race it is also a collective endeavour. 200 or so fellow companions in the race and several hundred support crew members are also on this odyssey.

In remaining minutes we gather at what is an inauspicious start line – the underpass of a dual carriageway. Lots of nervous energy. Some are chattering non stop. Others silent and contemplative. For many this moment is the culmination of 6 -12 months hard training. Some are even limbering up which I find amusing. Why do we need to prepare as if it’s a 100m sprint? For the majority of us except the elite we will be moving for many hours. I am careful to position myself at least 2/3rds back. That way not too many people pass me. At least for a few hours.

The countdown and then the start horn blows. Months of anticipation and training are now crystallised into that moment. Off through the underpass and a few hundred metres through the centre of Milngavie to the official start of the West Highland Way. The streets are lined with a few hundred hardy souls who cheer us on before the dark and stillness of the night surround us. 

The excitable chat continues for the first few km through the woods of north Milngavie. Not too far away are homes with sensible people slumbering in their beds. Even the birds are asleep, at least for another hour or so. Despite being midsummer it is often quite cold and rainy. 

Not for the first time I have questioned why I want to do this, again. Many things do not make sense. Comparing with those who are asleep and comfortable doesn’t help. Yet there is celebration in the moment. I am alive and in the race.

The achievement seeks us, not we the achievement. Therefore you are faithful to it, if you wait prepared. And act — when you face the demand. 

Dag Hammarskjöld, 2nd UN Secretary General – p144 ‘Waymarks’

Most of us are moving fast. Unsustainably fast. Strangers at the start there is now camaraderie as we move together through the night. Embarking on an endeavour that both lifts up and tears down in equal measure. Some compare estimates of how long they will take to Fort William. Others talk of previous races completed or not finished. Still others in a self deprecating manner, state that it is all about finishing. Reality is that most of us have a target time but not always willing to divulge!

Getting to the destination is the goal – not the time taken. Along the way there will be trials. There will be mistakes made. Ingesting the wrong food and drink. Getting nausea. Starting too fast and then dealing with fatigue. There will also be moments of joy. An energising sunrise (or two in my case!). 

‘…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith’

Hebrews 12 verses 1b & 2a (ESV)

YOU CAN READ ON AT ‘Steps In Time – Part 2’

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