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2006 • 2007

2008 Race Report by Mandy and Phil:

Isle of Jura Fell Race – Saturday 24th May 2008

I’ve lost count of the calls and emails thanking us for putting on this year’s race. It was certainly a great day on the hills and we’re sure everyone, as usual, enjoyed the race, the banter, and the post race celebrations (and the wonderful weather) that make this race one of the best in the calendar. It was great to see all you usual suspects, and lots of new faces.

While Mandy and myself organise the race we couldn’t do it without the fantastic team who support us. Donald Ewen Darroch pulls together an experienced team of local marshalls and somehow gets them into position, with the Raynet operators, at all 8 checkpoints whatever the weather. Willie Hill and the Strathclyde mountain rescue team volunteer every year to provide the essential back up between the Paps.

Communications and race monitoring are the forte of the Glasgow Raynet crew. Doctor Grigor stitches us up when the course bites us and sorts the ever more popular junior races. Jill Darroch and her team work tirelessly providing the race refreshments (it must take weeks to bake all those cakes!). Camping, showers, etc are provided by Fiona and Steve at the Jura Hotel. A willing team of Tod Harriers, Achille Ratties and volunteers from at least four other clubs sort the registration, kit checks and results. And we get fantastic support and sponsorship by Willie Cochrane and his team at the Jura Distillery who provide the T shirts, certificates, prizes and much more. Thank you - we couldn’t do it without you.

It’s hard to judge how many entries and reserves to take when the race fills up within a couple of weeks of opening but we obviously got it right this year with 179 starters against our target of 180. That’s 10 more than the previous record. And with only 6 retirements and no time-outs we saw 173 finishers – another record. And what a race. Bingley’s Rob Jebb had a storming run to finish only 50 seconds outside Mark Rigby’s 1993 record with Ian Holmes and Jethro Lennox battling for second right up to the line. An awesome performance by Carnethy’s Angela Mudge saw her knock nearly 5 minutes off her own record set in 2003. And, with 26 runners getting the coveted under 4 hours glass this was a race to remember. Amazingly the weather was kind for the second year in a row – we could get used to it but with all this good visibility people will be getting to know some of the lounge committee’s jealously guarded secret trods!

As usual any surplus generated by the race will be donated to a good cause(s) on the Isle of Jura. We’ll post on the website when the donation is made.

Next year, the 29th race, will hopefully see the first recipient of the newly inaugurated “George Broderick Plaque” for completing 21 races. We hope to see lots more recipients in subsequent years. Not that you need much encouragement to keep coming back to Jura. The locals’ friendliness and hospitality continue to be renowned amongst fell runners and the race retains its own indomitable aura – we look forward to seeing you all back on this magical island in 2009.

Slainte
Mandy & Phil

2007 Race Report by Mandy and Phil:

Isle of Jura Fell Race – Saturday 26th May 2007

“What a fantastic event!”
That’s the comment we get from everyone we bump into about this year’s Jura race (they’re usually proudly wearing a fast fading T-shirt). In our second year organizing the race we managed to lay on the best weather for nine years. And, even better, I got to run – it was Mandy’s turn to be Race Director on the day. She did a great job at Race Control, so good in fact that I suggested she should do it every year – her reply is unprintable!

I hope you all enjoyed the race as much as I did, it was great to get a view from the Paps and it seemed to make for a close race up front with Ian Holmes just beating Lloyd Taggart, with our fellow Todmorden Harrier Jon Wright having a great run to clinch 3rd place.

A big thank you to Donald Ewan Darroch and his team of marshalls who had an easier job this year compared to most when it’s often a battle against wind and clag just to get to the summits to check you all through. They could actually wave to each other from the summits this year. And thanks to Glasgow Raynet who provided the flawless comms system – they’re plotting some kind of big screen at base next year so that supporters can see who’s passed through each checkpoint! Watch this space.

Apologies for the slight detour across Islay but this was unfortunately just one of those things. We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed a pleasant cycle both ways but I know some of you got slightly damp. We’re assured that the Port Askaig pier will be ready for next year’s race!

The junior races seem to get more popular every year, this year we had over 80 youngsters competing to get one of the coveted T-shirts. I think the kids look forward to the races more than the senior runners. I know of one chap who wasn’t going to come to Jura this year but his 6 year old lad put him right. “Yes, Dad, we’re going, I want to do the race again so you’d better get the ferry booked.” We last saw them cycling back towards Islay, young Tom proudly wearing the 2007 T-shirt. “I slept in it” he assured us.

The island seemed to be full of celebrities this year. Not just legendary fellrunner Holmes, and numerous previous winners and race organizers, but also the well known author Will Self had taken up residence at the distillery Lodge. “You’re Will Self”, I said in a statement of the bleedin’ obvious as he strolled down to the cooperage before the race. “So who are you then?” he stared down at me from his lofty height. Having explained that I was the assistant to Race Director, Mandy Goth, he proceeded to interview me “for this programme I’m doing for the BBC”. He asked me why we ran over the hills, and what we experience when we’re doing it. I regaled him with how we were just simple mountain loving folk who liked a challenge. …and, “How do you run down mountain precipices?” he asked, “is it true that you windmill your arms to slow yourselves down?” Where did he get that impression? We’d all look a tad demented if we raced down the scree off pap three windmilling our arms. You’d have someone’s eye out! I’m going to check it out at the next race; have we any closet windmillers out there? I pondered the question, looked puzzled and quoted Jos Naylor’s “reading the stones” advice. I dread to think what else I rambled on about. I’m not sure I’m looking forward to hearing my broad Lancashire musings on Radio 4.

But, as for my picture on the front cover of GQ magazine. Now that is something to look forward to! Mark Russell, Chief Sub Editor of GQ, still turned up for the race despite his gruelling fell running baptism at the Achille Ratti hut in Langdale in February. We’d already warned him that the steep smooth curves of the Paps belied their rugged exterior and he confessed that he winced as he got his first close up view of the Paps on Friday, hardly believing their grand scale. But, with the encouragement of race guides Chris and John Preston he completed the race. A great effort for someone in their first ever fell race – we look forward to his article in GQ.

You may well get to see yourselves on video if you were at this year’s race. I’ve heard that footage is likely to be posted on YouTube, and local, Scott Tait, was filming a video of the days events for the distillery website. We’ll post links on www.jurafellrace.org.uk when available.

Our passions in life are fellracing and mountaineering. And we enjoy a dram or two of good malt whisky. So, it didn’t take much to persuade us to become the organizers of one of the toughest fell races in Britain, sponsored by one of the best whisky distilleries in the world. Spending a week in such a friendly and stunningly beautiful place seems to get more pleasurable each year. We’d like to extend our special thanks to everyone on the island who make all of us feel so welcome…and to the Jura Distillery for their generous sponsorship of the race… and to all the locals who put in a lot of behind the scenes effort to help make the race the grand occasion that it always is… the camping field, the sumptuous grub, the beer and banter in the hotel, the pipe band, and the ceilidh. They make it a very special race in the hearts of fellrunners, many of whom return every year for their annual injection of Jura hospitality.

We’re looking forward to next May already. See you all there.

Slainte

Mandy Goth & Phil Hodgson

2006 Race Report by Phil and Mandy:

Isle of Jura Fell Race – Saturday 27th May 2006

It was with some trepidation that we took over the mantle of race organisers from Ann & Andy Curtis. They were a hard act to follow after organizing the race so well for the past 13 years. Helping them on the day last year hadn’t revealed just how much effort goes in before this classic race, but I had gained first hand knowledge of how fraught it can be on the day, particularly when the weather is bad. Keeping track of over 160 runners through eight checkpoints with occasionally intermittent radio comms is no mean feat. I’ve always viewed the race as something special, a long weekend of adventure in one of the friendliest and most beautifully rugged places in Britain. Our aim as the new race organisers is to try and maintain the unique ambience recreated by Donald Booth and continued by Ann and Andy, with the amazing support from the locals.

May arrived quickly this year. Before we knew it, we were back on Jura. Race day dawned, brightly encouraging. The forecast predicted breezy showers and down by the distillery it was the warmest day of the week. “The sun’s trying to shine,” I encouraged myself. “Full course,” I announced. Decision made. Now we just had to get everyone round safely. The local marshals were out on the peaks and confirming radio contact with base, Strathclyde Police Mountain Rescue were in strategic positions, we’d checked everyone’s kit, we’d counted the runners three times, I’d warned them about the nasty bits of the course, and the SSSI … my head was buzzing. Who said that men can’t multi task?
“Five…four…three…two…one,” Mickey Heads, the Distillery Manager, fired the shotgun and 167 runners raced down the road, up the track and onto the hill. This was it. We had half an hour before the first runners hit checkpoint one, just enough time to see a new record turnout in the junior races. Then, with Andy manning the radio and relaying numbers back from the marshals, it was full on concentration to keep track of the runners through each checkpoint.

By now the weather had deteriorated with clouds hugging the hills and a blustery wind buffeting the summits. While Ian Holmes opened up a five-minute lead over the first two tops many disoriented runners lost time as they followed circuitous routes to checkpoint two. This was where the majority of the 21 retirals or time outs occurred. Ian continued to extend his lead on Alec Keith and Adam Ward over the Paps with the field well strung out behind. Clearing weather revealed dramatic coastal views as the front runners hurtled down the screes on Beinn Shiantaidh before the last climb up Corra Bheinn. By now Ian had built up an unassailable lead and, although the weather prevented any assault on Mark Rigby’s record time of 3:06:59, Ian did set a new record by winning the race for a fourth time; a great achievement. Alec Keith and Adam Ward followed him home some twenty-one minutes down. Only six runners achieved the coveted under four hour glasses; testimony to the interesting conditions.

I felt somewhat insulated from the post race festivities until I could finally relax when the marshals at Three Arch Bridge radio’d in that they’d spotted the last runner approaching. Phew, we seemed to have accounted for everyone! As I unwound with a welcome pint and a dram of my favourite malt – Jura Superstition of course, Mandy, having just run the race, still managed to coordinate the last minute rush to sort results and certificates. Awesome woman!

What a race, there’s no other event quite like it. With the pipe band, the juniors proudly showing off their race T shirts, seniors exhibiting battle scars from the rough screes, the whisky, the banter, the ceilidh. It’s all part of the attraction of this island and its race for those who get hooked. And….what a magnificent team effort in making it happen; Mickey and Margaret Heads and their Jura Distillery team, Willie MacDonald and his team of local marshals, Willie Hill and his mountain rescue team, Jill who conjures up the tea and cakes and bacon butties, the Jura Hotel, the junior race, the local doctor, and a merry band of volunteers from Tod Harriers and a host of other clubs and, of course, the runners. All contributed to the success of the 2006 race. Thank you!

As I said at the end of the presentation, “it’s viewed by many as the toughest, and the friendliest race in the calendar but, it’s not just a race, it’s an adventure; a unique experience.” So, here’s to many more adventures and reunions on Jura. We’re already looking forward to seeing you all there again next year.

Slainte

Phil Hodgson & Mandy Goth