Hoka Highland Fling 2015

Hi, I've just entered myself in this race , 

ive completed long distance races before but not for 8 years , 

at present I'm doing 25 easy miles a week . Starting some serious training next week 7th Nov . 

Questions to forum, 

any advice on type of training 

any one completed race recently and can tell me more , on what to carry , how many feeding stopping stations there are( if any) 

any assistance/advice would be much appreciated 

Comments

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Great choice.  I've done it four times, but last time was 2011.  Event may have changed a bit since.  There were getting too many entrants for my liking and too many staggered starts.  You never really knew who you were racing against.

    Plenty of time on rough trails - the last 12 miles or so of this are quite brutal on your feet.  You can have drop bags taken to about miles 20, 27, 34 and 41.  I'd recommend the 34-mile one.  There'll be mandatory kit list but a 10L sack will be plenty big enough.  I've found I've needed to carry plenty of water.

    I expect more recent finishers will chip in shortly.

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    There looks to be a lot of entries, but the staggered start is no more as far as I understand. Everyone goes off at 06:00 now.

    The mandatory kit is a phone and a foil blanket I think so nothing major.

  • I'm in as a first timer too. Am going to spend the winter running up and down a steep hill near me, I'm not great at steep hills, so this is going to take some work!

    I will try to join some of the recce runs on the route, but that might be tricky lver the winter, as the days are too short for very long runs- I can imaging doing the southern end of the route, but I won't get to the last 12 miles, I don't suppose, until race day!

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    I went straight on to Fort William on two of the times I did the Fling, alone, unsupported, and through the night ...

     

     

     

     

    ... but lived to tell the tale. image

  • Yeah TRex, but you aren't mortal!

    Neil- Don't know whether you are anywhere near scotland, or on facebook, but if you are- try looking at the fling page- there are a few recce runs planned already.

    How's it going?

    I'm doing 4 weeks off running after my last race, just maintaining fitness with spinning etc, and started hill training with a brisk walk up the local hilss last week- ouch - DOMS of the gluts!. And got the HR up to 160 just with walking up the hill!. Brings it home that a lot of hill walking practice will be vital.

  • Just back from my first recce run- an out and back from /tyndrum , heading south. I was going very slowly, but still, 4 hours to do less than 16 miles is shocking!

    Talk about "undulating"!. Also we got ourselves into a dither about the coos, which were blocking the path, and spent a bit of time clambering over walls to avoid them.

    A great eye- opener into what I've let myself in for!

    Bit wet/ muddy in parts, new trail shoes ( cascadias) did fine. Wouldn't have been so happy in road shoes.

  • welcome to fun running tricialitt image

  • tricialiit - I take it the last 6-7 miles are a bit lumpy? I've only been as far north as the cut off from the WHW path to Crianlarich. Hopefully manage to recce that section before April. 

  • That last bit from the Crianlarich path to Tyndrum is a lovely wooded , but quite up& down path, followed by a very flat last mile or 2 after the road crossing.

    It's the ONLY bit I've recce'd- will try to get out a few more times, but it is more time - efficient to do hill trainig right by my doorstep, on the kilpatrick hills.

  • entered this too and can't wait image..

    starting to increase training now, but still got a way to go.

  • So - did  a hilly 5 miles this am, up to Loch Humphrey in the kilpatrick hills- 315m ascent, 325 m descent. About the same steepness as some of bits in the last 7 miles of the race route. Need a LOT more practice at the lumpy stuff!

  • No one else here? Been on a great recce run today Balmaha - rowardennan and back, in good company. Fantastic crisp sunny day- perfect.

    I'm still abit worried about some of the later sections- hoping to get up there sometime.

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭
    Tricialitt - Not been up recently but I'm definitely running the race now so will get up soon!



    From memory there's a bit of a drag out of Rowardennan but after then it gets easy running, then after the rocky lochside section into Beinglas it's rolling gravel tracks.



    I have only run that section once so my memory is obviously not to be trusted over doing your own run out there image
  • The guys I was with yesterday (Fiona Rennie et al) warned to expect to do 20 minute miles at the inversnaid section- it must be fairly tricky underfoot- I need to get up there, it's just that as far as I know, you can't drive near to the WHW at that section, so it's a case of driving in to the hotel, then going in which ever direction- which way should I head from theinversnaid hotel to find that tricky bit?

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Getting to Inversnaid is tricky in the first place!  Or you could get a ferry from Inveruglas (if it runs in the winter).

    The most technical of the trail is the 3 miles south of Inversnaid and about 5 miles north (after which it opens out).  From what I remember the trickiest bits are around Rob Roy's cave, i.e. north.  You could even take a short diversion to find the cave - I did one year.  The are some scrambling sections with very large rocks and like a chute you have to descend - hands on stuff - and at one point a large, slippery slab tilting you towards the loch far below.

    Inversnaid - which is mile 33 - is the best place to have a drop bag.  Rowardennan and Beinglas are very busy and a little chaotic.

    crag chick is right about the nav shortly before the finish.  After passing Strath Fillan campsite and crossing the A82 again you follow a river and then onto a dusty track.  It's easy to miss the right hand turn off this track to Tyndrum.  I'm not sure if there is even a way mark at this point.  Have a look at the map.

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    ??  Actually I am a bit tired this evening.

    I think you were on the red wine or something with that last post, cragchick. 

  • Thanks for the info about inversnaid. I must get up there- maybe once it's a bit less icy. I'm a bit of a wimp about scrambling, although I've done some semi- serious stuff related to rock climbing, so reallly shouldn't let it bother me. Having the co-ordination at that point in the day will be a challenge.

    I've recce'd the last bit, and I know what you mean about the risk of missing the turn there.

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    They're only brief moments, tricialitt.  A few unrunnable sections!

     

  • Fantastic 10 miles up the Kilpatrick hills this morning with 400m of climb, in the ice ( yaktraks on for the top bit). I'm hoping this sort of thing is good enough training if I can do it most weeks( unfortunately I also got some practice at falling over!- bit grazed/ bruised, but no major harm done). Would be good to get back up there later in the week if the ice goes away.

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭
    It's really not scrambling it's just running over a rocky section. A bit slow going but from memory of a run on that section last summer it's only a couple of miles and was definitely no scrambling.
  • Sounds reassuring- Perhaps I'm over- thinking it- am hoping to get up there and do a recce run from beinglas farm southwards at some point soon.

  • Did the  race yesterday- there was a group of blind walkers on the rough section- pretty brave of them.............didn't help our time, butwe weren't exactly speeding along.

    My speed along that section was pretty low- 21 mins permile, or so!

    Fun, though.

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