 Gerard’s team, The Barbies, has won the annual pub quiz many times during the Challenge's 14 year history, but it’s the scenery, friendship, fun and stress-free environment that bring him back each year. He tells us more.
Tell us a bit about yourself I am a young-at-heart Vet60 mechanical engineer from Gloucestershire, with 2 grown sons. I enjoy travelling, reading, music and, of course, a bit of running. Tell us a bit your running history. What kind of running you enjoy best? I actually shunned all sporting activity until I reached 40! A bit of (initially reluctant) gym work led to me start rowing for Gloucester, which unfortunately I had to give up due to tendonitis in 2000. I then needed another way to stay fit so I turned to running. I never have been (and still am not) a good runner but competing takes me to places, home and abroad, I would not normally visit. I prefer road running but do occasional cross-country if the event is right. I’ve now started competing in sprint triathlons, which seems a younger person’s sport but I haven’t come last yet! How many times have you been to CWC? I have only missed two - the very first one and the one that was cancelled. So that makes it 11? 12? (Editor – probably 13!) How did you first hear about CWC and what made you come to the event for the first time? I saw an article in Runners World. This must have been a review of the first Challenge, but as a new runner I didn’t think I was capable of completing the event at that time. However, I have always loved North West Scotland and decided to take a holiday and just have a go! I took it easy that year and did the short runs. I found the locals and the competitors very friendly and encouraging. I was asked to join a marathon relay team (they were obviously desperate!) and The Barbies pub quiz team also adopted me. I was a winner that first year – obviously in the pub quiz, not the marathon! Tell us what makes the event special to you? What makes you come back? The scenery. The camaraderie. The friendship. The fun. Getting away from all the pressures of general life - you are so far away from it all in such a beautiful place, which is so de-stressing. Many of us return every year and it is such a great reunion. And of course the ceilidh. What is your favourite race or run at Durness? Believe it or not the marathon. Running out to the lighthouse is such a joy. To have the opportunity to run in such beautiful scenery is bliss. I have now run it in all weathers but that feeling is there every time. Unbelievably, it still remains my fastest ever marathon. I can’t really explain this considering the terrain but it must be due to the lack of event pressure and that uplifting feeling - good for the spirit and the soul! What is your favourite part of the week, or favourite thing to do in the area? I can’t split out one thing. The whole week is so good. What are you most looking forward to when you return? See earlier answers about why I come back! Describe Cape Wrath Challenge week in three words... Fun. Friendship. De-stressing. Tell us about your all-time favourite run (that's not in Durness!) I can’t name one in particular because running has given me the opportunity to take part in unusual races, in beautiful places and the opportunity to run where you wouldn’t normally be allowed access. All those races become special for their location or the type of event.  After starting out running between lampposts, 11 years ago, Carole Fraser has progressed to running to the lighthouse and back on the Cape Wrath marathon and enjoying bracing sea swims in Balnakiel Bay. She tells us about a case of mistaken identity, plus what makes the event special to her.
Tell us a bit about yourself I’m civil servant and have lived in Scotland over 30 years. We live in Fife, with the Lomonds nearby for runs plus beaches along the coast for when you fancy a “Chariots of Fire” moment. Tell us a bit your running history. What kind of running do you enjoy most? I started 11 years ago with a ladies group, running from lamppost to lamppost. I progressed to 5k and 10k local races with a mixture of trail and road running. After a few years, inspired by friends, I thought I could do a marathon with training and chose Windermere because it’s around the lake and I wanted my first to be in England. That was 2009 and I must have got the bug as I then ran Inverness the same year too. Now I prefer running mainly on trails and hills due to getting a stress fracture a few years ago when I couldn't run for 5 months. Because of this, I’ve completed a few triathlons and now include biking and swimming in my training for a bit of cross-training. How many times have you been to CWC? Four times How did you first hear about CWC and what made you come to the event for the first time? A running friend Jane Askey (who everybody knows at CWC) first told me about it. She was on holiday in Durness a few years ago and saw it advertised. On one of our training nights, running around a field, Jane asked if I fancied giving it a try and the rest is history! What is your favourite race or run at Durness? My favourites are the hill runs and 2 years ago I completed the marathon. I really loved going over to the Cape. Running the marathon, there is always somebody passing by, either going up to the lighthouse or going back to the boat so you are always getting support from other runners, plus the marshals are great, providing jelly babies and sweets. I have even been offered a gin and tonic! The views from all the races are fantastic but in the 10 mile Around Durness run, when you come over the hill and look over the harbour, it is truly amazing. You then run by the golf course and over the beach, with the cows if you are lucky. All the evening events are well attended and great fun too. What is your favourite part of the week, or favourite thing to do in the area? The first night welcome reception breaks the ice for new people and everybody joins in. Then the beach run with the children is great fun, especially if you enter into the spirit of things and wear fancy dress. Since I’ve been attending the CWC, the weather has been good for the beach run, so a few of us hardy souls always go into the sea for a swim afterwards. What are you most looking forward to when you return? Meeting up with all the regulars who go to CWC. Last year, I even met a couple who live near where I originally come from and they thought that I was my sister (I’m a twin) and were looking at me as if they knew me! My sister’s husband cycles past their house every day! People in Durness make you so welcome even though we invade their village for the week. Our first year, when the oven in our cottage wasn't working, a local lady who didn’t know us cooked our pies in her oven! The ladies who do the catering for the ceilidh and the lunches after the races are amazing and the ceilidh on the Saturday night is not to be missed! Describe Cape Wrath Challenge week in three words... Fantastic Fun Week! Tell us about your all-time favourite run (that's not in Durness!) Windermere is my favourite as it was my first big run and to my surprise my friends came down to support me on the course, so we all had a great weekend. Is there anything else you want to tell the CWC Community? I can’t wait to be back in 2016!  A talented national archery competitor in his youth and previously a photographer for the Bank of England, Don Ford is the only runner to have come to all 14 years of the Challenge and run every single race. He tells us why he’ll be back for the 15th event..
Tell us a bit about yourself I live in Essex, a little village called Tolleshunt D’Arcy, 2 miles from the Blackwater estuary. We’ve been here 10 years and always lived in Essex. I’ve been retired 17 years after working almost 20 years at the Bank of England, Debden, in the design department, as a Technical Photographer. Tell us about your hobbies, aside from running DIY, for myself and family! Keep fit, walking, spin-classes twice a week - there just isn’t enough time for everything. I’d love to get back to model making (ships and planes) and painting, which I did in my youth. Photography is now just a tool, not a hobby! At school, I loved football, cricket, hockey, athletics and was in the archery team, shooting for Essex as a Junior. I was 11th Junior in the Country, three years running, and awarded a ‘Junior Master Bowman’ medal. Unfortunately as a Senior, my equipment wasn’t suitable for competing at a higher level (lack of finances), and whilst giving an archery demonstration in a local sports centre I was introduced to squash which was going to rule my life for the next 10 years! Tell us a bit about your running history Through playing in the Bank’s squash team, I heard about and joined their ‘Running Section’, which meant cross-country runs most lunchtimes. I’ve been a member of ‘Orion Harriers’ over 35 years! I love cross-country best - no car fumes, soft ground, mud, and thanks to this, I’ve avoided serious injury. I’ve run over 50 marathons – London 15 times, Berlin 4 times, Paris, Copenhagen, Cologne and the famous Athens Marathon, along with The Cape Wrath Challenge and other UK races like the ‘Tough Guy’ and ‘Grizzly’. What brought you to Cape Wrath Challenge for the first time? A colleague from the Bank, Pete Deadman (another CWC regular) had found this unusual race in the far north of Scotland (CWC) and two other colleagues and I entered. It was to be the first time it was run, but was cancelled due to ‘Foot and Mouth’, so we transferred our entries to the next year. How many times have you been to CWC? I’ve been every year; next May is the 15th time! I am the only competitor that has run every race and I always do the long option, including the 30 mile ‘Ultra’ in 2004! Tell us what makes the event special to you? What makes you come back? Seeing ‘Old friends’ again - many have also been 14 years, and of course making new friends. In the village hall, at Sunday registration, it feels like we’ve never been away. It’s a strange feeling - it’s like a family. I love the ‘Extras’ – the Quiz night, egg races, Ceilidh practice, beach BBQ etc. But the highlight of the week is the buffet and ceilidh on Saturday night. It’s a fantastic evening, with food second-to-none. What is your favourite part of the week, or favourite thing to do in the area? I love the runs - each is different, various distances, off-road and road. If you don’t want to do the long option, you can pick the shorter run, (not an option for me yet!). There’s no pressure to race - just run as you feel. As I do every race, I have to run 60 miles during the week and at my age (70), that’s a Challenge in itself!! I also enjoy walking from Durness to Balnakeil Beach, over the dunes, to see the Puffins, then back along the sand, before a hot chocolate in Cocoa Mountain. I’ve also climbed Ben Hope, the most northerly Munro, on our free day. What is your favourite race or run at Durness? The Marathon to the Cape. It’s on a rough track from the ferry to the Lighthouse, and because we start at different times, according to our predicted times, I leave in the first group, as my target is 5 hours. This means I see everyone at sometime. The faster runners leave 3 hours later, so I see them on my return from the Lighthouse and finish before them. First in the shower and HOT water - that can’t be bad! The first group is usually small, so I often run without anyone in front or behind me - a very strange feeling, quiet and alone. One year, running to the Lighthouse in fog, I heard a rumbling noise in the distance, which turned out to be a herd of deer, running flat out, crossing just metres in front of me. Describe Cape Wrath Challenge week in three words... That’s hard! How about RUN in FANTASTIC SCENERY, or FRIENDLY SUPERB WEEK. Tell us about your all-time favourite run (that's not in Durness) The Bridge Race, a half-marathon from Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. We ran over the new bridge before it was opened to traffic and there were 80,000 competitors, all allotted starting times to avoid a mass start, then later bussed back to the start. Anything else you want to tell the CWC Community? I’d like to thank everyone in Durness for their kindness, help and friendship, They put on a great show for us, many make us sandwiches, cakes, coffee or tea after each race in the village hall, others will be marshalling or organising drink stations and the school children love supporting us on the ‘Around Durness run’ and taking part in the ‘Beach Run’ in fancy dress.  When he’s not tearing across the South Downs, you’ll find Chris Clarke speeding along the Solent! 2016 will be his tenth Challenge and he tells us what brings him back each May to the Far North …
Tell us a bit about yourself and your hobbies I’m a Male Vet 60, retired, and divide my time between living on the South Coast and Bedford. As well as running I enjoy dinghy sailing on the Solent. Tell us a bit your running history. What kind of running you enjoy most? I’m a member of Biggleswade AC, having joined in the early 80s. I run and race over a range of distances on road and cross-country, from 5k to 40 miles. I’ve run the London marathon five times, my first in 1991, and most recently in 2015. As I get older I’ve been enjoying off road running more and more, especially in the South Downs. How many times have you been to CWC? I have been to the last nine CWC events and aim to come back in May 2016 for my tenth! What made you come to CWC for the first time? I first heard about the Challenge from our Club Chairman (Nigel Bush), soon after it started. A few of us ‘down south’ thought it sounded like fun, but trying to fit a week’s running holiday around other family holidays didn’t quite work. However, the first winter after I retired, I entered as I didn’t have an excuse not to. Tell us what makes the event special to you? What makes you come back? It’s an event like none other I’ve heard of. On my first visit I was encouraged by the welcome of both local residents of Durness and the visiting runners. Everyone, without exception was so very friendly and I love coming to Scotland. The thought of having a holiday and a week’s running was too good an opportunity to miss. The social programme is also so good, very varied, with something for everyone. What is your favourite race or run at Durness? The Monday half marathon along the edge of Loch Eriboll, whatever the weather: it is such a fantastic location for a road race. What is your favourite part of the week, or favourite thing to do in the area? There are so many; seeing old friends, both locals and runners, meeting new visitors each year, being in such fantastic surroundings, and it’s also a chance to get away from it all, to get some peace and quiet. What are you most looking forward to when you return? See previous answer!! Describe Cape Wrath Challenge week in three words… Fellowship Friends Scenery Tell us about your all-time favourite run (that's not in Durness!) There are a few, but a race I’ve done most years since 2007, is the Meon Valley Plod, a 21 mile cross country race in the South Downs in February, usually with lots of mud, and made more interesting by having a number of route changes over the years. Anything else you want to tell the CWC Community? Thank you for coming up with the Challenge in the first place and then having the dedication and commitment to keep inviting us back.  A Family Affair: Lorna Pettifer and her dad, John, have run in seven Challenges, whilst mum Diana, is a familiar face to all, marshalling and taking care of post-run jelly babies and oranges. Lorna tells us why they love returning to Durness..
Tell us a bit about yourself and your hobbies.. We are from Essex, John is retired (although he wasn’t when we started coming to CWC) and Lorna is a civil servant. Apart from running we are building a model railway - very slowly. Tell us a bit your running history. What kind of running you enjoy most? We started running late. Lorna decided to run a marathon before she was 40 and John started running soon afterwards. How many times have you been to CWC? Seven times! What made you come to CWC for the first time? We heard about it from runners we knew who had done the event. At the time we thought that it would be too much of a challenge but then decided to give it a go. Tell us what makes the event special to you? What makes you come back? The whole atmosphere of the week! The running is great and there’s lots of encouragement from other runners and then there are the evening events, which are great fun. We have won the ‘smelly trainer’ (booby prize) at the Quiz night 3 times! It is great to see people from previous years and catch up. What is your favourite race or run at Durness? The 10 Mile ‘Round Durness Run’ - beautiful scenery. What is your favourite part of the week, or favourite thing to do in the area? We really enjoy the Egg Race Challenge - we do that every year and actually won once. What are you most looking forward to when you return? Meeting all our running friends from previous years and finding out what they have been up to - and seeing those who organise the event of course. Describe Cape Wrath Challenge week in three words… Fun, inclusive, scary! Tell us about your all-time favourite run (that's not in Durness!) Majorca Marathon - again combining running with a holiday. Anything else you want to tell the CWC Community? This is an excellent event, inclusive for supporters as well who often enjoy helping with marshalling. You can choose to do as much or as little as you like but it is addictive - you will want to do it all. A lot of hard work goes into this so please keep supporting it to keep it in our running calendar! |
AuthorLily Dyu Archives
April 2016
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