Highland Trail 550 - 2018

[whitestone]

Trackleaders is showing three finishers:

Alex Pilkington @ 0211
Javi Simon @0226
Lee Craigie @0649

Alex, Lee then Javi. Trackleaders times are a bit odd currently.

Indeed - myself, Sarah Caylor, Shona Oldfield, Justin Atkinson and Stuart Cowperthwaite are shown as being active again At least one of us is no longer in Scotland!

Did Javi get under four days?

[ScotRoutes]

The last Ping I saw from Javis tracker, he was only 5-6 miles behind Lee.

[Alpinum]

Did Javi get under four days?

Quite sure he did. New ssp record I guess.

[ianfitz]

The last Ping I saw from Javis tracker, he was only 5-6 miles behind Lee.

His spot is still on the Devils staircase! Classic Javi

[Alpinum]

I wonder how his rear axle looks like...

[ianfitz]

I wonder how his rear axle looks like...

It wobbles. A lot. It’s ridiculous he’s ridden it from Kinlochewe. Classic Javi

[Alpinum]

I wonder how his rear axle looks like...

It wobbles. A lot. It’s ridiculous he’s ridden it from Kinlochewe. Classic Javi

Well... after even ssp isn't fail safe. Nothing is...

Besides,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN

[Mike]

Back at Tyndrum now. Thank you Karl for helping me out yesterday. A tad pissed off but that's the nature of the beast I guess. Maybe next yr who knows.

[In Reverse]

Still a blinding effort Mike. Chin up lad.

[Alpinum]

Alan soon to be rolling into Tyndrum. 6 x HT, not including the full recce in 2012.

His regular holiday... his baby... his birthdar round about now.

Doff my hat to you Alan.

[fatbikephil]

I was trying to find some history on Alex Pilkington - anyone any ideas? Given his time I'm presuming he must have a fair bit of long distance stuff under his belt?? Huw was still in Raigmore earlier on a drip but OK (dodgy water then heatstroke confirmed). Mountain rescue got involved seemingly but looks like a good end result given where it happened. Fair play to Scott Lindsay for helping him out - you can see from his track that he had to go a few miles up the road to get a phone signal then stuck with him until 1am until help arrived, then scratched to see Huw right.

[HUX]

HT550 done. Jesus that was hard . Unofficial time of 7days 7hrs ish as I started last weds. I'm a tad sunburnt but I made it despite 2 conti tyre failures (again!)that required a bit of bodgeing to get me home. Ultimate respect to all that raced this year due to the conditions, the heat was brutal.
Cracking route Alan

[Dave Barter]

HT550 done. Jesus that was hard . Unofficial time of 7days 7hrs ish as I started last weds. I'm a tad sunburnt but I made it despite 2 conti tyre failures (again!)that required a bit of bodgeing to get me home. Ultimate respect to all that raced this year due to the conditions, the heat was brutal.
Cracking route Alan

Nice one Hux!!

[whitestone]

I was trying to find some history on Alex Pilkington - anyone any ideas? Given his time I'm presuming he must have a fair bit of long distance stuff under his belt?? Huw was still in Raigmore earlier on a drip but OK (dodgy water then heatstroke confirmed). Mountain rescue got involved seemingly but looks like a good end result given where it happened. Fair play to Scott Lindsay for helping him out - you can see from his track that he had to go a few miles up the road to get a phone signal then stuck with him until 1am until help arrived, then scratched to see Huw right.

Alex P did the 2016 YD300 in around 21hrs. That's the only ITT type ride that I know of his, Stu C might know more as he got a lift up to Tyndrum with him, he did say that Alex was used to riding/racing in the heat. Prior to that he had done a Bob Graham Round but it was before I became membership secretary so I don't know how quick.

Sean IOW should finish in a couple of hours and Rich Munro should be about 8-9 hours. Well done to both, must have been hard work in the conditions.

[Scott L]

I was trying to find some history on Alex Pilkington - anyone any ideas? Given his time I'm presuming he must have a fair bit of long distance stuff under his belt?? Huw was still in Raigmore earlier on a drip but OK (dodgy water then heatstroke confirmed). Mountain rescue got involved seemingly but looks like a good end result given where it happened. Fair play to Scott Lindsay for helping him out - you can see from his track that he had to go a few miles up the road to get a phone signal then stuck with him until 1am until help arrived, then scratched to see Huw right.

Hey Phil

This is fairly close to how it played out. Still trying to piece it together myself looking at track leaders and when I made phone calls as it doesn’t quite a-line with my memory. My spot was being a bit irregular.

I found Huw lying at the side of the trail in a really bad way when doing the last big push before descending to Achfary. He was vomiting a lot and very confused and distressed but insisted I should ride on. I refused and we began the long process of getting off the hill together. Huw is a good friend of mine so there was no way I was leaving him there. I think this was just after 6.
Getting down took a while and at the bottom fortunately there was a group camping and the leader helped me contact an ambulance for Huw.
He then drove Huw in his minibus the section of fire road to the tarmac road to Achfary as I pedalled behind. Huw wouldn’t let me get in the bus because it would mean a DQ. By the time Huw had got to a road and been taken away in the ambulance to hospital it was several hours later and mentally my ride was over. I couldn’t switch back to race made as getting Huw down had taken a lot out of me.
Fortunately the wonderful Jenny Graham, another friend, came to my rescue and drove several hours from a Inverness to get me whilst I lay in my bivvy beside the spot the ambulance had left from. I did go along the road in this period to get more phone signal to phone my dad and I think Jenny got me not long after 1.
In the days that followed Huw got out of hospital and then it was his turn to look after me as I came down with a vomiting bug myself. Likely caught from attending to him on the hill whilst he was being sick. No surgical gloves. Lesson learnt.
Again my timings could be off as both Huw and I had some sporadic tracker data.
As we came down the hill we were passed by a few riders and all enquired if we needed help. I was happy to let them ride on.
When I found him I was on schedule for dinner in Kylesku and he had been on schedule for drumbeg stores himself before his sickness.
Huw can remember almost nothing from when he started vomiting to when he got to hospital.
It’s easy in hindsight to say take a water filter but I’m sure everyone on here has drunk water off the hill and to my knowledge this is the first time a rider has taken such a bad turn in any of the Highland Trails from the water. Huw is a mega experienced rider, outdoor instructor and done lots of over seas expeditions. He won’t have taken any water that looked suspect. Just really bad luck.
Well done to all the finishers and all the scratchers too. It’s hard to piece together the stories from spot data sometimes.

[D Faff Master]

I only know Alex's name from doing Mountain Bike Orientering events.

I found this blog entry on Settle Harriers. A good read too.
http://settleharriers.org/blog/?author=7

Well done Alex! A seriously impressive debut ride

[whitestone]

Nice one Scott, we are humans/friends first, riders/racers second.

[Scott L]

Nice one Scott, we are humans/friends first, riders/racers second.

Aye it’s just a bike ride eh.

Was having a lot of fun out there up till that point.

[Mike]

Sat with Sean now having food and he's just finished a 29hr stint. He doesn't even look tired

[fatbikephil]

Nice one Scott, we are humans/friends first, riders/racers second.

+1 - I got the script from a mutual friend of Huws (Rob Blackhall) who heard from another mutual friend in the Cairngorm MRT - good to hear the full tale and again glad all ended more or less well. Jenny G once again proves what a hero she is! Likewise would never think to use a water filter in the Highlands....

I only know Alex's name from doing Mountain Bike Orientering events.

I found this blog entry on Settle Harriers. A good read too.
http://settleharriers.org/blog/?author=7

Well done Alex! A seriously impressive debut ride

Aha - quite a few Highland Trail vets have come from mtb orienteering, seems a good proving ground.

[whitestone]

Here's my wandering thoughts on this year's paltry attempt - http://bobwightman.blogspot.com/2018/05 ... ll-no.html

[u02sgb]

Thanks Bob, was good to read if not to experience. I've stayed at Corrour station too, really liked it and very friendly people running it.

[AlasdairMc]

Just had a message from Spot from Rich and Tom - they've borrowed my tracker. I'm assuming it was an accidental button press as they're moving - but if you see the odd icon on their trackleaders page just before Strathcarron then this is why.

[NewRetroTom]

Thay're doing well. Camban tonight maybe, Fort Bill tomorrow and then finish on Sunday?

[fatbikephil]

They seem to be about on pace with last year when they pushed through on day 7 so maybe finish early Sunday?
Michelle Dulieu approaching the big climb out of Glen Muice - seems to be making good progress after her pedal mishap. My mate who spoke to her on day 1 said she didn't seem to have much knowledge of the trail so bloody good effort!