This article, previously published in Scottish Athletics's PB magazine, was given to us by Adrian for the website. Given the interest shown in the pages on Don Ritchie and Simon Pride, this should be of great interest to the Scottish endurance running community.
Adrian Stott with Don Ritchie and Willie Sichel
"Opinion amongst Scottish endurance athletes could well be split as to whether running ultra-distance events and challenges is inspirational and a natural extension of athletic ability or just simply utter madness. Whatever your standpoint, Scotland and Scots runners have a strong tradition of challenging themselves in ultras, and here is a personal selection of some outstanding performances, some classic events and a couple of self devised hill routes that are just 'Pure Scotland'. In all cases, whatever the distance, the athletes have asked themselves the same questions. Look at my event or my challenge. What does it involve? What training do I need to do to achieve my goal, physically and mentally? they have then, like athletes from any discipline, spent months and in some cases years working towards their chosen goal.
ALASTAIR WOOD'S LONDON TO BRIGHTON VICTORY. The London to Brighton Race organised by the Road Runners Club was the classic point to point ultra road race. Starting at Big Ben on the first stroke of the 7:00 am chime, runners went from the heart of the metropolis through the suburbs, and out into the countryside and continuing over the North and South Downs to finish on the sea front at Brighton. Since 1951 it had attracted not only the top British ultra runners but also the top American and South Africans. It had long been held that if a leading marathon runner were to have the courage to tackle the 55 miles of the Brighton he would do well. Step forward Aberdonian Alastair Wood, a GB marathon runner with a PB of 2:13. In the 1972 race he not only demolished a good class field but broke the course record by running 5 hours 11 minutes exactly. Sadly due to increasing traffic and organisational issues the event was last held on the roads in 2003. Unknowingly Wood was to inspire another Scot who would leave an ultra legacy for years.
DON RITCHIE'S LEGENDARY 100Km RECORD. The quiet unassuming Scot is quite simply an ultra distance legend. His achievements of the late 1970's and early 1980's are still revered all over the world. A competent club runner at distances up to the marathon (pb of 2:19), inspired by fellow Aberdonian Alastair Wood, Ritchie decided to attempt the classic 55 mile London to Brighton as well and in 1977 duly beat England's finest. 100 km (62.2 miles) was starting to be recognised as the international standard ultra distance by which performances could be compared. The Road Runners Club (organisers of the London to Brighton) thus organised a 100 km race at Crystal Palace track in South London (250 laps) in October 1978 inviting Ritchie and other top British runners of the time like Cavin Woodward and Tom O'Reilly. Ritchie ran what was probably his best ever performance to smash the existing 100 km world record and record 6 hours 10 minutes 20 seconds (average pace 5.59 per mile). Despite attempts by top Japanese and European ultra specialists, this is still the best time ever recorded for the distance thirty two years later!
SCOT'S SUCCESS AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 100 Km. In 1987 the International Association of Ultra Runners (IAU) established a world 100 km championships. In the inaugural event Don Ritchie, probably with his best years behind him, achieved a silver medal. In 1994, Trudi Thomson (Pitreavie AAC) having established herself as one of Britain's best had the race of her life to take the silver medal at the world 100 km championships at Salvona in Japan. She recorded 7 hours 42 minutes 17 seconds which still stands as the current Scottish record and third on the UK all-time list.
SIMON PRIDE'S WORLD 100 Km VICTORY. In 1999 Scotland went one better when Simon Pride (Keith and District) stormed to the gold medal at the world 100 km championships at Chevennes-en-Pallier in France recording 6 hours 24 minutes 05 seconds. Living only a few miles from Don Ritchie in Moray, Pride had been inspired and guided by the training and racing attitude of his illustrious compatriot. In an exciting last 10 km, he prevailed over the Frenchman Thierry Guichard by a mere 21 seconds! His time is still the Scottish (and UK) road record.
PAULINE WALKER'S THREE SCOTTISH RECORDS IN SIX HOURS AT PERTH ULTRA FESTIVAL. In 2008 by way of encouraging Scottish athletes to gain qualifying performances for the inaugural 2009 commonwealth ultra and mountain running championships, an uktra festival featuring the two championship distances of 100 km and 24 hours was held at the North Inch park in Perth. It was the first time in the UK both championship distances had been staged simultaneously at the same event. Carnegie Harrier Pauline Walker stole the show by setting three Scottish ultra records in the event. Having run steadily to reach 100 miles in 17 hours 12 minutes 22 seconds at almost 3:00 am. She then pushed on relentlessly to make the most of the near perfect conditions to also surpass her existing record at 200 km (124.5 miles) in 22:48:28 and for the 24 hour distance of 130 miles 607 yards.
RITCHIE'S OTHER RECORDS. Although Ritchie's 100 km record was the 'jewel in the crown' of his achievements, his legendary status is well worthy of a second mention. Although not realising it at the time he is now generally acknowledged worldwide as being pivotal in pioneering modern ultra distance training which, accompanied by his modesty but total self belief and determination, led him in the course of his career to break the listed 'World Best Performances' at all distances from 30 miles up to 200 km (124.5 miles) ... ie 30 miles, 50 km, 40 miles, 50 miles, 100 km, 150 km, 100 miles and 200 km. The world 24 hour mark was the only major one that eluded him. Though, to be fair he did lower the world 200 km mark on three separate occasions in 24 hour races. His first 200 km record was in some ways his most memorable as it was the only world best performance, as ultra records are classified, he managed to beat in Scotland. This in true Ritchie tradition was achieved at an event, organised by your writer, at Coatbridge track on a very wet October weekend in 1983. The wind was so strong that it kept blowing over the trackside leaderboard. Andy Milroy, the renowned ultra distance statistician, when asked in 1999 to name his 'ultra runner of the century' fittingly nominated the quiet Scott from Lossiemouth.
NOREMAC AND THE SCOTTISH SIX DAY RECORD: Noremac was the name adopted by the Edinburgh runner George D Cameron who over 100 years ago when 'Pedestrianism' flourished was one of a number of Scots who fuelled by prize money and public fascination took part in multi day events up to 1000 miles in duration. In the 1870's and 1880's indoor events from sic hours to 1000 miles were staged on small indoor tracks. the 'Herald'sDoug Gillon in a recent article captured the spirit of the events: "From the Pacific West Coast of America to Europe to New Zealand, thousands upon thousands of excited fans screamed themselves silly as they witnessed the sporting spectacle of the Victorian period. The sight of scores of rugged men dressed in an array of colourful costumes making their way round sawdust tracks for up to six days and nights, captured the hearts of the sporting public." Behind all the outer show were talented athletes who trained hard to achieve some amazing performances and they were well rewarded with good prize money. At Madison Square Garden in New York in October 1882, Noremac (Cameron backwards!) set what is still the Scottish six day record of 567 miles.
Trail and mountain races and challenges
WEST HIGHLAND WAY RACE: Scotland's iconic long distance footpath which on mid-summer weekend hosts the longest event ever to receive a permit from SAL. For most readers 'walking the way' in a sensible timescale like a week with overnight camping or B&B us probably what comes to mind. The West Highland Way race gives you just 35 hours to travel from Milngavie just north of Glasgow through varied terrain to Fort William. Bobby Shields and Duncan Watson, two of Scotland's most experienced hill runners of the time challenged each other in 1985 taking 17 hours 48 minutes and 30 seconds. their now legendary exploits have been repeated now by over 500 people of all standards and the event now attracts ultra runners from around the world. The current race records are held by Englishman Jezz Bragg who ran 15 hours 44 minutes and 50 seconds in 2006 and Scotland's Lucy Colquhoun who ran 17 hours 16 minutes and 20 seconds in 2007.
THE MUNROS IN A SINGLE ROUND ON FOOT: While most walkers dream of completing Munros (all the Scottish Mountains over 3000 feet) in several years if not a lifetime, hill runners have other ideas, trying to do all this quickly! The fastest recorded round of all the 283 (2009 survey numbers) peaks is apparently held by Charlie Campbell, a Glasgow Postie, who between May 29th and July 16th 2000 ran, biked and swam (Mull and Skye!) all the Munros in 48 days 12 hours. Hugh Symonds set a record for completing the Munros completely on foot on 1990. His wife and young family supported him. Unlike Campbell he did not use a bike but did all the linking on foot as well although he stayed relatively dry by rowing to Skye and yachting to MUll. Symonds was one of Britain's leading fell runners of the time and didn't stop after his last Munro but continued on foot to the Lake District to 'bag' all the 3000 foot peaks, following that up with all the Welsh 3000's. Only as an afterthought he took a ferry to Ireland to complete a remarkable foot journey with the Irish hills. In 1994 Mike Cuddahy, another legendary ultra trail and hill runner, apparently having time on his hands when retired undertook what is believed to be the fastest complete journey of the Munros completely on foot a day faster than Symonds (66 days). He did however take ferries to Mull and Skye. The exact distance involved of a complete continuous Munro round obviously varies but Martin Moran records his winter round of 1984/85 of being 1028 miles with 412,000 feet (125,580m) of climbing. By any stretch of the imagination, doing the Munros at speed is am impressive achievement.
THE RAMSAY ROUND: The Ramsay Round is arguably the toughest ultra challenge in Scotland for which records are kept. The Lake District has its Bob Graham Round and Wales the Paddy Buckley Round. Phillip Tranter in 1964 established a 36 mile (19 summits) round of the Lochaber hills at Fort William. Edinburgh's Charlie Ramsay planned and completed a longer, far more demanding round of the Lochaber hills in 1978. By extending Tranter's route to 56 miles, 24 Munro summits with a total of 28,500 feet of climbing. As with all these classic rounds, the idea is also to do them in 24 hours! Everest in a day! Charlie on his own admission had to 'fairy leg it' down Ben Nevis the finsla descent to finish in 23 hours 58 minutes!! To date only 55 runners have completed 'The Ramsay'. Compare that with the few thousand who have completed the Bob Graham to tell you how difficult a challenge it is. The current men's record is held by Adrian Belton at 18 hours 23 minutes and the women's record by former Scottish and GB international Helen Diamentides with 20 hours 24 minutes. English runner Anne Johnson who holds the ladies records for both the Paddy Buckley and Bob Graham rounds is again planning an attempt on the Ramsay Round in 2010 after bad weather foiled her last summer. More information is available for this at www.ramsaysround.com .