Seven Hills and Seven Beers in Three Hours

November 2015, as I was spending a vacation in warm and sunny Guatemala, and email from Alan Lawson took me to the presumably rainy Edinburgh. Some crazy lads had ran the Seven Hills course while sinking Seven Pints in between the hills. Alan added "I'm surprised that there were no teams from Rotterdam!" and over the years kept asking me when we'd finally attempt this.

No further group attempts were orchestrated in the years that followed, however. But the idea was there in the back of my mind. So this year I emailed Jim, basically threatening him that if the Scottish runners weren't having a go, a bunch of Dutchies would. He confirmed that indeed there were no plans, but that, as I'd hoped, they'd likely join us if we got the ball rolling.

For those too lazy to click the link above, the idea is you do the course of the Seven Hills race, and in between the hills you stop in a pub for a beer. You run in pairs (or more), because when you get drunk you need someone equally drunk with you to keep you safe. Like the original event, you choose your own route, and you also choose the pubs you visit (however, not doing the same pub twice).

Flash forward to November 16th and we find ourselves in The Kilderkin with 13 teams readying themselves for the run. Who'd have thought that running and drinking would prove this popular. Jim had made a starting order based on intel and intuition, which had my team (Leon and myself) in the final starting group, i.e. we were expected to be fast.

Getting ready at Calton Hill

A little after noon we set off, under the watchful eye of Alan Lawson, who'd come over just to watch a bunch of drunks run his course. Stopping traffic on North Bridge and the Royal Mile proved a little more difficult as it was just the two of us, rather than the stampeding bunch you'll see in June, but we managed to reach Ensign Ewart in good time.

Inside, we quickly ordered two pints (I think Belhaven Best, but might have been Edinburgh Gold instead), drank them, and left. Under 2'30, a feat we wouldn't repeat.

Leon already struggling with his pint

From the pub it was a short run to the Castle Esplanade, where Ronnie Sloan stood cheering us on. Down the steps and we'd only just hit 2 km as we entered our next pub, the Blue Blazer (pint of choice: Jarl by Fyne Ales). Most teams opted for a later pint, but we liked this one as Alan Lawson had shown it to us back in 2011, while we were over for the Seven Sober Hills.

Haymarket went fine, I think. We did run a few red lights, but so did the police officer I spotted. Without the whole tourist-dodging we had near the Castle, Leon proved to be faster and I struggled to keep up. Luckily he didn't chase the two teams that overtook us (Jim&Roly, Sasha&Alex), who had quite some speed on us. Then again we were one pint ahead and saw them stopping for a beer soon after.

Sasha and Alex passed us a second time near the end of the Corstorphine climb, where a third runner awaited them who guided them through the tricky descend. Well done for taking the challenge this serious. I made sure Leon was behind me as I like the line I know on the downhill. It's rather straightforward but a bit technical, and I had quite some distance on him as we ran onto Kaimes Road. Sure, he'd catch up, but I also took the time for some failed selfies.

 

On towards The Pub at the Corn Exchange. We passed Graham&sailors and noticed Jim&Roly catching up again. We got there first, though, and I quickly placed our order (two pints of Machlachlan's Best Ale) adding more beers to the order as the other teams entered. They wouldn't accept my charity, though, as someone slipped me a twenty which more than covered the expenses.

Meanwhile, Leon decided to take a closer look at the interior, slowly sipping from his pint. I teamed up with him because he's from the Westland (for the non-Dutch readers: a place known for excessive drinking), but he proved a-typical. As the other teams left the pub, I decided to munch on some jelly babies and kindly spur Leon on to drink faster.

We caught Graham and his bunch again passing under the railway at Slateford, where bad traffic caused them to pause for crossing. We skipped the Meggetgate shortcut due to the difficult crossing, and nearly went the wrong way as I'm less familiar coming from the other side. Banter from Graham, but we got on our way and headed for Craiglockhart.

Leon climbing Craiglockhart

Another team summited just before us and we passed them on the downhill. I thought they were shouting abuse at our route choice (not doing Fly Walk, essentially), but it later transpired we nearly got hit by a truck. Reached the Braids Hotel safe and sound (even though I nearly fell on the slippery deck near the entrance). Another Belhaven Best there and we saw the other Dutch team, Bob&Raoul for the first time.

Four pints in and we'd reached the hard part. Jim asked ahead and could confirm that the golf club would be open and willing to serve us (for those unfamiliar with the finer details of the route plotting of this challenge - it's a game changer). First, though, we struggled up Braids as a cross-country race was on heading in the opposite direction.

You bump into other teams as well, which adds to the fun

Downhill we took a very direct line, tumbling down through some bushes essentially, and found the golf club. Another Belhaven Best, this time from a can (though we poured it into pint glasses to make sure we drank enough, an extra can was already available for the required top-up).

We skipped Lang Linn Path, which I believe was the right call. I'll admit I used the gps for this bit, which I think is bad form in hill racing. Sorry, but also not sorry because as Dutchmen we were unable to recce. On the Blackford steps spotted Bob, and heard Raoul spurring him on. We'd seen them at the golf club as well, but just like in the hotel they'd left before we finished drinking. Now we we're definitely catching them, but they did the steep downhill (towards the duck pond) where we opted for the observatory.

Pub 6: The Old Bell (pint: Red McGregor)

We were making good progress. I really wanted to stay under the 3 hour mark, and I never worried we'd finish outside that window. However, a lot can happen on Arthur's Seat, so we kept going as fast as was somewhat sensible.

Gutted Haddie, because why not

And down again

As Leon was struggling a bit with the technical bits, I figured the Dry Dam was our best option. Quite a few walkers there making it harder to pass, but we managed. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if Leon was still in sight (and more importantly, if he could see me as I was doing the navigation). He caught up fine on the tarmac and we entered the Kilderkin together.

Two pints of Edinburgh Gold were waiting for us

The sub 3 was still very possible, so I forbade Leon to linger and within 6 minutes we were off for the home stretch. We missed the shortcut Jim had shown us (Campbell's Close) but our route (Lochend Close) wasn't much slower. We we're making it! Passing another team at the steep bit and then almost sprinting towards the trig point. Finish in 2:54:44, extremely happy.

Bit knackered, also 

Mark, Tom and Ivar

Raoul and Bob

Walking back towards the Kilderkin, Leon realised he lost his phone. Bob, Raoul and I did the sensible thing and got someone to take a photo of the three of us. Shortly after, a lady came up to us with the phone. We made her hero of the day and went back to the pub for chips more pints.

Little did we know, the real heroes of the day we're still out there. Dutchman Tjalling had teamed up with his Scottish mate, Archie. I figured the latter would work out a good route, but didn't know he lived in Glasgow and was far from familiar with the Seven Hills. Long story short, they did Arthur's Seat in the dark (no headtorches, either) and racked up a marathon.

Archie and Tjalling having a pint, 

with Leon in the background happy it's over for him

It was a great day out, incredibly fun. Was it because the Seven Hills is my favourite race? Was it the beer? Sure, but even more so it was getting out there with a fantastic bunch of people. This wouldn't have been as fun without you joining us. Thanks to all, and I look forward to the next time.

Pascal

Links:

Report by Jim (includes final results)

Photos and more reports (includes the tale from Archie and Tjalling)

Report by Peter

Biting Dust

So, you say you're a runner. Then surely you can complete a loop of 6ish km within the hour. In fact, you'll have enough left in the tank to do another loop exactly one hour after you started the first. And sure, a third and fourth loop won't be that hard.

You're a marathoner. Surely you could do seven of these loops. Roughly 42 km and you get a whopping seven hours to complete it. Easy, so you should be able to go even further. But how far can you go? At what point will you be so exhausted, either as a result of the kilometres you ran or caused by a lack of sleep, that you no longer can run the 6 km loop within the hour. That's the question Another One Bites the Dust asks to its competitors. And I was curious to find out what my answer would be.

To reiterate, this is no regular ultra. Instead, every hour we have to start the same loop again. Official distance 5,959 km. In reality a bit longer (my watch measured it as 6,3 km), as is apparently a tradition with the organisers: Stef and Tim of Legends Trails. You don't have to be fast (just average at least 6,3 km per hour, preferably a bit faster so you have time to recover and eat before starting the next loop), you have to be stubborn enough to keep going.

It's a bit of a diabolical concept, really. Designed to break a runner either physically, mentally, or both. Unsurprisingly, the first race of this kind, Big's Backyard Ultra in Tennessee, is hosted by none other than Lazarus Lake of Barkley Marathons fame.


My goal

Mostly, I came to learn. I was interested in this type of race as soon as I first read about Big's, and when I found out about this 'local' (two hour drive) race I knew I had to try it. When I first discovered it in 2018, however,  it was two weeks before the start. Too late to enter. This year all my training was focused on a fast Seven Hills, but I didn't want to wait another year so I signed up for AOBtD anyway. Even without specific ultra training, I was sure I could last for a decent amount of loops and test my limits.

My approach to ultra has been conservative so far. All races I started I knew that I had a very high chance to finish. As a result I wasn't really sure about my limit as far as distance is concerned. My furthest so far, 70 km at Olne Spa Olne last year, went reasonably well. Surely I could go further, but how far? This should be a rather risk-free way to find out.

With what I knew about ultra's, I figured a few things:
-Eat a lot, you'll need the fuel. Don't wait 'till your hungry as you'll be too late.
-It's very much a mental game. Especially in this event where speed is less important.

So my prep involved bringing a lot of food (you never know what you'll crave, and the aid station at the start/finish might not serve it). And mentally I convinced myself I was going to win. Deep down I knew that wasn't realistic, but I didn't want to set another barrier. The event hands out medals to anyone who does 28 loops or more, and looking at the results I noticed many dropped out at exactly 28 loops, when this goal was achieved. My goal was to go as far as I could, I didn't want to have a finish line, not even one I was unlikely to reach.

Finally, I was curious to see how better runners than myself would tackle this event. And with another start every hour, they wouldn't be out of sight all the time.

Registration was as simple as writing down my name on this startlist

The Loop

After going round a few times, I had divided the loop in five sections. First, the easy road: tarmac then concrete. Running between some meadows until a left turn after a lone house. Next section was a single track, running between tall grass. I was glad we started with about 100 runners, as this meant to track was a little wider after a few rounds. Third section started with a cobblestone road, then onto some forest tracks (one of the few bits in the shade). It ended with a small climb. Nothing spectacular, but after two loops I decided to walk this uphill to conserve energy.

After the climb we were rewarded with a false flat downhill over tarmac. Then a left turn onto a tractor road. Sector five, by my reckoning, started with a right turn onto a grassy path. Then a narrow bridge (more like a balance beam as far as I'm concerned) and some off road through the meadows, ending up at the path we started on. Enough variety, not overly hard but very uneven (plus loose rocks) so you had to pay attention to your footing.


The Race

We started at 8 p.m. and it was still quite warm. Drank a lot, got familiar with the route and its characteristics, and tried to run at an easy pace. The bit with the tall grass I alternated running and walking, mostly because that's what those in front of me did. Didn't really like it but overtaking was nearly impossible here and would cost even more energy. Third loop I brought my headtorch after seeing others lining up with them at the start. Didn't really need it yet, but the fourth loop I never switched it off.

Also, we got burgers after loop 3

Fifth loop I wore a warmer shirt (long sleeves), as it got a bit colder. My stomach was a bit full, I could hear water splashing around as if I had my reservoir with me. Tried to tone down the drinking a bit. After the sixth and seventh loop I readied some food and gear for a little plan I had hatched. With the warm weather I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep during the day, so I wanted to try a little nap in the night time. After a fast loop 8 I went to my tent and laid down for 12 minutes. Wasn't tired enough to sleep, so I'm not sure if I actually came out on top here (the fast loop cost some energy).

After resting I grabbed everything I had readied and went for the start of loop 9. One mistake I did make was to bring an empty bottle, so I did this loop without any water. At 4 a.m. it wasn't all that warm, so I got away with it. Still goes to show how you can mess up these small things. It was a nice loop, with a spectacular sunrise.

Post loop 10 I decided to switch my shoes and socks. My left foot looked a bit battered. Dewdrops had clung to the tall grass and got my feet wet. On the left this resulted in what felt like a blister forming. Not much to do other than drying my feet and getting into clean socks. After ten loops in trail shoes I switched to road shoes. The course was dry (worst of the dew over) and didn't require extra grip. Especially in daylight it wasn't overly technical.

Legs felt fine. Some tiredness but I had over 60 km done. End of loop 10 and during loop 11 I did have some dizziness. By walking a bit and downing some jelly babies I fixed this. Not sure if this was really the miracle cure I needed, but I wasn't dizzy for the rest of the race. This did start a new pattern for me: walking the first bit of the tarmac road (start of section 4) and eating some. It was easier to eat while walking and I could afford to lose a minute there (most loops were between 40 and 42 minutes, so I had plenty of time in between rounds).

Loop 12 was special for me, passing the 70 km mark I now ran farther than I ever had before. Unfortunately, I also started to struggle a bit more. Legs were tiring, my left foot hurt at times and it was becoming harder to eat properly (just small bites). Still managed to get a good lap time, but it didn't feel great. The running of loop 13 felt slightly better, but afterwards I felt worse. Changed into a fresh set of clothes (underwear, different shorts, and now a sleeveless shirt).

Nevertheless, loop 14 I didn't improve. At this point I realised the endgame had started. More walking, and a loop time over 45 minutes. Little less rest, and I had trouble eating so I knew that tank would be empty in a few loops. Despite not wanting to set a limit, I had calculated that we'd pass the 100 km mark in loop 17. Even with my legs hurting more, I could definitely still make that.

So loop 15 and 16 I completed in crunch mode. Walking quite a lot but by running just the few parts where I felt strong I could compensate plenty. Loop times went up, bit over 47 minutes and a little under 51. Though really, I was also very much losing the race mentally. It just wasn't very fun anymore, hadn't been for hours now.

Beforehand I had one rule for myself: never quit in camp (I got this from John Kelly). Plus I wanted to go past 100 km now that I was so close (at 6,3 km per loop I was actually at 100,8 km already, but I used 6 km to be safe). So I started loop 17, walking more than I really had to, hoping to finish just under the hour. Ideally, I would sprint the last part to heroically make it, then miss the next start due to not having any time left.

While thinking this over, I had to admit that mentally I was broken. Even though I had set out to push myself, now that I'd been out there for over 16 hours, I just didn't want it anymore. So walking the last stretch towards the finish line, I was almost disappointed I still had over five minutes to spare. Nevertheless I knew I'd quit, accepting defeat in the mind game this race plays with you. I even mentioned this to another runner. Glad I did, as he pointed out we had plenty of time for another loop. In fact, he'd carry on until he'd be timed out.

It reminded me, that's what I wanted. That's what I came here to do. No way I could quit with five minutes to spare. I could drink, eat, and get ready. So I did.

From the start of loop 18 I walked, as I had the last few loops. This time, I couldn't really be bothered to start running. The previous round had taught me that with very minimal running, I could make it, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted that. After a while I did pick up the pace, and noticed I was going at about 6,5 km per hour. A new challenge presented itself. Could I walk to whole way and still finish in time?

Walking as fast as I could, I went for it. The small climb I figured I lose a little time, but even there I noticed I was going fast enough. At that point I knew I wouldn't have to run a single step. With two and a halve minutes to spare, I made it.

In a weird way, I found this was a good reason to quit. If I could even make it while walking, then really my only way out of this was to quit in camp. Sure, if I kept walking my laps I would eventually encounter something major. Perhaps my left foot would deteriorate so much I couldn't use it anymore. Or the lack of fuel in my stomach would put a halt to my efforts. In any case, I wouldn't want to be away from the camp once that happened. So I accepted defeat.

DNF after 18 loops

Postrace

Some regrets about quitting, even though I got quite far and was happy with the distance. But still, I actually felt pretty good walking and perhaps... I suppose there's always a lingering doubt, especially after the pain and exhaustion subsides. Fact remains that I hadn't eaten properly for the last few hours, so even the walking pace wouldn't be sustainable for much longer. Plus I was quite tired, a few laps I had trouble keeping my eyes open (especially with the sun out).

Unfortunately, the warm weather had turned my tent into a sauna so I hardly slept. Just got a little shut-eye on a blanket in the shade. Hanging out there meant I got to meet some nice people who were supporting Jack, a runner who was still in the race. After a while I found myself helping out a bit as well, fetching water and other drinks. Jack made it to 28 loops, which got him a "participation medal" and watching him in between loops taught me a few things about ultra.

As expected, the medal at 28 loops was a finish line of sorts to most runners still in the race. Only one, Merijn, opted to go for loop 29 and thus won the race. It was inspiring to see how deep these runners could go and I was happy to be around. Atmosphere at the camp was great, which made the waiting time pass rather quickly. Still, when I return to this event, it won't be for the camp. It'll be to run 6,3 km. And again, and again, and again...

Two Foggy Munroes

Two Foggy Munroes

On the Tuesday after the Seven Hills, I went for a slightly longer run. If you just read the race report: I'll be a bit more brief this time and mostly share pictures.

The Route
My plan was to start in Strathyre, go to Stùc a' Chroin via Creag a Mhadaidh and Beinn Each, then make a small loop over the summit of Ben Vorlich back to Stùc a' Chroin. After that mostly downhill to Callander, where I was staying.

For the first part of the run I consulted the route of the Stùc a' Chroin Hill Race, though I opted for a more gradual ascent over forest roads to start with. Hill races have a tendency to take a direct line to the top and I prefer to start with less steep climbing to warm the legs up first.

The navigation went quite well. I did lose sight of some of the paths I was on, but looking back I never deviated far from my intended route (which I had loaded into my watch).


Creag a' Mhadaidh
Not sure if this peak is well known or not. Spotted the name on the map and I would pass it regardless. Most of the rain had passed when I started at noon, just some drizzle here and there. Mostly though the paths were wet and surrounding vegetation made it impossible to keep my legs dry. Also: fog.

 Nice gradual ascent to start with

Might be where I'm heading, hard to tell in the fog

After a while I had to leave the easy wide road, and took a narrow path towards a fence. From then on I could follow the fence and do a little off road to the top of Craeg a' Madhaidh. Still fresh it went quite well and just under one hour I reached my first summit of the day.

Creag a' Madhaidh

Not sure if this burn above was supposed to be the path, perhaps I lost the way altogether. The downhill quickly became off road for me. I knew there was a wider path at the bottom, so it wasn't worrying. Just meant it took me a bit longer to descend as the wet grassy slopes were quite slippery.

First sheep of the day

Looking back during one of the less cloudy moments

Beinn Each

Not sure why this one is named "Beinn" rather than "Ben", but to each their own I guess. Very steep uphill with an easy to miss path. So I found myself a bit lower than I should be and did a wee scramble to make up altitude.

Off path here

But it did offer a nice view

Not able to run the steep bits I noticed a butterfly

(inspired Peter Buchanan)

Higher up the path was a lot more visible and I made my way to Beinn Each. Noting that the summit of Stùc a' Chroin was covered in fog, I enjoyed the views I had as much as possible.

Clear and visible path, no problems here

Stùc a' Chroin

Spectacular views are hard to capture with a (phone) camera

Stùc a' Chroin (1)

No major navigational errors on the way to Stùc a' Chroin. Even though at some point it was hard to see more than a few feet in front of me.

Technical path, yet easy to follow

Frog didn't dare to move. Thought himself invisible.

Looking back to Bein Each

Summit!

Over three hours in, this dog walker was the first person I encountered

For some reason Stùc a' Chroin gets two cairns

Ben Vorlich

Next stop was to be Ben Vorlich. The whole run (if I could still call it that, as I'd been moving rather slowly) was taking longer than expected, but I didn't want to miss out. Legs felt fresh enough, I mostly lost time by missing paths or taking extra care on slippy parts. So when it turned out I had good reception on the top, I texted my friends that I'd be late. Glad I didn't shorten my route, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss these sheep in the fog.

After a steep downhill scramble got me out of the fog, I went back in climbing Ben Vorlich. My second munro of the day and the highest point I would reach.

White stripe running through various part of rock 

Rather chilly up there so I donned my new hat.
Almost lost it due to the wind.

"I searched up on the mountaintops, it wasn't there"

Stùc a' Chroin (2)
On the way back to Stùc a' Chroin I passed another walker. Only the second person I saw after roaming the hills for almost five hours. It wouldn't be until I reached a farm road that I'd encounter more people.

Why hello there

Still foggy on the Stùc a Chroin summit(s)

It was mostly downhill from here. In a good way. Finally I could run at a somewhat decent speed again, and I was keen to make up some time. Dinner was calling. I had plenty of food with me, but craved a warm meal.

The last bit was rather uneventful, over tarmac. Roads I was already familiar with, as we walked there the day before.

In the end it took me 7 hours and 10 minutes to cover a little under 34 kilometres. Might have been more of a walk than a run. Doesn't matter, I have seen a lot of the hills and enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. The fog may have blocked some views, but also added some mystique to it. Hardly any rain, a great day out.

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Link to Strava (moving time under 5 hours, without really long stops, meaning I was too slow for it to count as moving at various points).