Devil o' the Highlands 2024
This is going to be a longer blog post as there's a lot to go through. In summary, the event is 42 miles with 6,500ft elevation. It was a big one! Before you read on, stick the kettle on, get a cuppa & cake then settle down to read on......
Introduction
This event came to my attention last year while listening to the Young Hearts Run Free (YHRF) podcast where a couple of the episodes I had chose to listen to, the guests had participated. A lot of the guests on the pod have covered the whole West Highland Way along with the 2 events the highland fling (1st half) & the devil o' the highlands (DOTH - 2nd half). When I wanted to increase my distances & have bigger adventures, I'd asked a few folk who had done all 3 what they thought to do 1st. Most said DOTH purely on the basis of the scenery. Also it's a bit less distance. Then when tracking my pals Kayleigh, Donna & a work colleague who took part last year & dot watching them I decided from there 'I really want to do the devil'.
I originally wanted it to be my 1st ultra. Thank goodness for the running community who talked me down from this & very sensibly advised to do a 50km event to get me started. It was Ross Beveridge who suggested the JMWU as a 1st one which was incredibly wise. He has also ran the WHW a few times between the different events so was great to get advice from.
It felt like ages for the date to be released when the entries were going live then eventually I received a few messages from people who had heard the date for open entries was 21:00 on 4th February. 20:55 arrived on this date & I sat poised on SiEntries waiting for it to release. When it did I signed up then it was official, I was going to Tyndrum on Saturday 10th August to be on that start line for 06:00!
One of the best decisions I had made in between sign up & the event was volunteering at the fling in April. It's the same organisers which gave me a chance to meet them all & have a look at what goes on behind the scenes for us all to take part in these events. John Duncan (or Johnny Fling as he's also known) is the race director for both & does a tremendous job at organising these events. If you consider taking part in either it's good to volunteer at the events. They can't run without these high-viz heroes so it's good to give back. I also would like to thank them all for their hard efforts & boosts they gave to us all this year during the event especially with the weather being less than desirable.
The lead up to the event
6 months flies past. In that space of time I had been consistent with running, completed 2 50km ultra marathons, learned about drop bags & continued to try & get as much advice from people about this event as possible. This meant A LOT to me so the build up was massive. I had also taken on a new coach Nicola Dawson at the start of June who has obtained the amazing triple crown (where you complete the fling, full WHW & DOTH in the same year) so if anyone were to coach & give me advice it was someone who's ran the course & is constantly out on the trails. I found out nearer the time she would be sweeping from Tyndrum to Kinlochleven, after she had completed Lakeland 50 no less. The woman is a machine!
A key part in the training was the recce from Glencoe to Fort William. If anyone is even thinking about doing the event a recce of the whole course is strongly advised but definitely this section (as advised by other experienced runners to me). If I hadn't done that I think my nerves would have been worse with the unknown & I'd have been screwed for getting to the start line with fear. Maybe it was because I hadn't done a recce of Tyndrum to Glencoe but at this stage it's now happened & something I need to work on enormously for future events. This did affect my race massively with the lack of rested sleep & fuel to put in my body in the lead up. Even if the race goes to shit fuelling wise there's usually a back up reserve of what you've put in beforehand that you can 'get away with' to a point. That's less than ideal though so it is good to nail the fuelling during the event as to what works for you. Someone told me your fuelling is like a fingerprint, individual to everyone so find what is your magic formula.
Logistically for DOTH I won't lie is an absolute pain in the arse! I was really lucky my pal Davy who was also taking part agreed to take me there as he had a parking permit for long stay at Tyndrum. I wouldn't have been able to drive after this & had provisionally agreed that John (husband) & the girls would see me finish then we would head home. With hindsight a massive ask from them as that's a 6 hour round trip car journey for the 3 of them from Glasgow to Fort William. I really am fortunate to have a family that puts up with this mid life crisis hobby I've undertaken! In future I will definitely be finding somewhere for the family to stay at Fort William (or within the vicinity) so it's not as much a driving day for them. I may have been running the event but it's still a big ask for a 9 & 6 year old to put up with the travelling plus a patient dad into the mix.
On the day
I tried to get power naps in during the day on the Friday as I knew sleep wasn't really happening overnight Friday into Saturday. I tried to eat & drink but this wasn't the best, I also felt it was too little too late by this stage. We had pizza for dinner & I can't remember what else I had during the day. The drop bags were sorted the day before. 2 were allowed, one for Glencoe & one for Kinlochleven. In my Kinlochleven bag I added socks & 2 buffs for a change if I needed them just to freshen up. Then it was just a case of making sure I had the mandatory kit of the waterproof jacket, bivvy bag & charged mobile phone (I also packed a power bank as the phone isn't the best at holding a charge). It was also imperative I had my driving licence as I.D. for registration. No flat lay pic for Instagram as I had enough to worry about & couldn't be bothered with it in all honesty.
Davy had kindly agreed to pick me up at 02:30 as we were heading to Falkirk to collect Gillian another runner also. There are lots of heroes in this community who are really selfless & Davy is one of them. He also took me to the JMWU start so it was nice to get a catch up & shared thoughts on the lead up, training, coaching & how far we've both come in such a short space of time. He's also been at the 3 ultras I've taken part in so far so hope this continues for the ones I've got in the future!
In the car on the way up once we had picked up Gillian I sat in the back & was really quiet. I was really nervous & my brain was doing overtime. The lack of sleep in the lead up didn't help so I just listened to Davy & Gillian chat while I dozed off & got a last minute bit of rest in while it was still dark & reserve my energy. I woke up as we drove past Killin & approaching Crainlarich. It was pouring. I had questioned beforehand whether to pack waterproof trousers (not mandatory kit but advisory) & was glad they were in my pack. We pulled up & got parked with the assistance of Leroy (a.k.a. Windy Wilson) then the stomach kicked in again. Thankfully I had a bag so Davy's car wasn't decorated but there wasn't anything to come up. It was just sheer nerves. When getting the stuff out of the boot, Windy recognised me & gave me a huge wet hug! I told him I'd been sick & he said it was just nerves. I'd be fine once I'd got going. We all got our stuff together, pulled waterproofs on & off we set to registration at the green welly.
I handed in my drop bags then registration was really quick & easy. I recognised Gary & Lorna straight away which helped ease the nerves a bit then met Leigh-Ann & Morag in the cue. After registration I went inside the green welly to attach my number to my leggings & Gilly spotted me. I told her how nervous I was & she was fab at reassuring me. For some reason I had hardly any confidence in myself. Psychologically I had the theory I had to get to Kinlochleven as my YHRF buffs were in that bag & you cannot buy them anymore. I really wanted them back! I had no confidence in that moment of me finishing as I felt my fuelling was so poor beforehand that my body would shut down & not go the distance. I tried to distract myself from these intrusive thoughts by chatting with the community.
There were lots of familiar faces within the Wildheart and Pyllon communities (it was lovely to get a chat with the Hewitt brothers) then before I knew it Johnny fling was up on the bench giving us our race brief. A last minute decision to take the waterproof trousers off & Gary helped me get them into the bag.
About 2 minutes after the brief we were all walking around to the start line. 'Shit it's actually happening. What I've envisaged & trained for is finally here & I'm at the start!'.
Absolutely no chance was I going near the front or even the middle, I knew my place on that start line, firmly at the back & I was more than happy with this!
For a last wee boost to settle the nerves more, Laura McKay was on that start line & looking amazing as always. She was going for her triple crown on this day & was so chilled. I'd love to be more like this in the future & hope one day I can inspire & calm people the way Laura has done for me not only at this event but also at JMWU too.
3, 2, 1 OFF YOU GO!!! I'm pretty sure sympathy for the devil was playing as we crossed the start but I could be wrong! The start of the race was just me trying to get those nerves settled & try to nibble on the apple cake bar I was eating at registration ensuring I wouldn't keel over due to under fuelling.
The race itself
We shuffled forward past the start which was narrow at points so we slowed down further. It was up a gradual incline & legends such as Debbie Martin-Consani, Mark Hutchison & Kenny McManus all cheered us on further along the path. Michael Philip (one of a few photographers on the course) was also primed with his camera to capture us all starting. He captured this one of me.
I was still incredibly nervous but had Nic's voice in my head 'one foot in front of another'. The field didn't take long to spread out & what I've found during ultra events is you end up with a certain group of people. There will be points where you overtake each other during the event & if you are really lucky will have acquired a new running pal by the end as you've told each other your running histories & possibly chat about life in general. It takes the mind away from the physical pain experienced during these endurance events & if you end up chatting about personal issues it can be cheaper than therapy!
A lot of the path was puddle dodging as I didn't want my feet saturated so early on in the race but this became apparent it would massively slow me down & there was no need to get precious about wet feet. It made me happy Laura was in my 'group' & we would get good chat along the way. She's really experienced as this was her 22nd ultra. She really put my nerves at ease when she told me when she started doing ultra's she used to get really nervous too. The trick is to try to not let it consume you & put you off signing up for more. This was after I had said the nerves in the lead up to this had put me off signing up for the fling next year. She may have been a massive influence in swaying this decision back to me signing up!
There was a dicey bit where the rocks were really slippy coming down to the railway underpass, it amazes me how the front runners navigate this with precision & grace without going on their backsides! That slowed me down quite a lot but after this there was a really nice downhill path that I more than likely ran too fast down for a couple of km's. After this the waterproof jacket had to come off. The sun was coming out & the clouds were trying to break. To save me faffing with the pack I just tied it around my waist. Before long we arrived at Bridge of Orchy to the 1st official checkpoint of the day. I saw Emma moving towards me who gave me a huge hug & said 'you are doing amazing & looking really strong'. This was a great boost & the 1st of many from the volunteers along the course. I dibbed in & moved on. I didn't need a top up of water, I wasn't drinking enough which set the fuelling tone for the race. Spoiler alert, it was shocking - more on that later.
Here was the first proper climb of the day 'jelly baby hill'. It is named as such because during the WHW race someone is at the top usually with jelly babies. Murdo McEwan had it for a number of years before Mike Raffan took on the role. I thought Pauline & Fiona would be at the top of this one but was disappointed when they weren't! I later found out from an amazing runner Jane (who went on to win her age category in the event) that I was thinking of the wrong race. Little did I know Pauline & Fiona were at the top of the devil's staircase with the jelly babies! This is where they usually are for the devil & I had got mixed up. Coming down the hill the clouds were really starting to break & we had a nice tarmac path to jog along. At the end of this path was the 1st of 2 unofficial but race director approved checkpoints! I got to meet Llinos Proctor!
Llinos knew how anxious I was beforehand so asked how I was doing. I was honest about my fuelling & not feeling great. 'Can you manage a banana?'. They were cut up so I took a piece & thanked her, Jo & Angus before moving onto the part of the course I was really looking forward to as I hadn't experienced it before.
Rannoch Moor did not disappoint.
There were obviously us runners on the path & the odd hiker (it was still early on so not too busy with the hikers) but I now understand when people describe this section as isolated & peaceful. We were very lucky to have views at this stage & the weather wasn't shit. I really enjoyed this section & will absolutely be back for a run there. It's also where I met another runner Amanda & got chatting about the different ultra's we had both ran recently. She was also a newbie to this world & we chatted about how inclusive & welcoming the community is. I managed to get a couple more pictures in before we reached Glencoe checkpoint.
Just before Glencoe, I had met Katie. She said she was struggling at this point & I tried to return the favour people had given me. I told her she was doing amazing (which she was) & just to keep going. It takes that during these events to push each other along & what I love near the back of the pack is we do just that. It's much more competitive near the front end (obviously) but I would like to think people are as encouraging throughout.
There was a tricky path coming off the moor up to the ski centre which wasn't the best. It felt like it took ages to get to because you could hear people & saw the signs the checkpoint was close, I just needed my legs to move across this crappy path to get to my 1st bag!
Emerging from the path, Debbie was on the timing point & I got a proper buzz when she said I was doing amazing! Proper fangirl moment as Debbie is up there with the front runners & has accomplished so much during her running 'career' (I don't think it's her actual job which is why I say it this way but she is an amazing athlete!). Then I got the best hug from Windy! He wanted to take a picture for a mutual friend of ours, probably to let her know I was still alive! I'm glad he did, it's a belter......
He helped me with the drop bag which ironically I only took the angel cake I packed in it. Llinos's magic bananas really lifted me & I saw one on the scavenger table (the bits of food other runners have left but is fair game for the runners after them that might want something from it) so took that knowing it would help me. I did get a refill of water at this point then moved on quickly. Best advice from everyone in this sport: 'don't waste time at checkpoints'. I said my thanks to everyone then moved on. It was a lovely downhill to jog along & I felt really good at this point. Stuart Macfarlane the next photographer was here, I gave a wave & smile not thinking about how amazing these photo's would turn out to be.
I arrived at the road crossing to be greeted by Aldo, a major part of these events who gave me a hug & ensured I didn't get ran over on the busy A82. He said 'I'll see you at the finish' to which I replied 'you sure will!'. I was finally on the stretch that I knew what was coming but wasn't fully prepared on how I would feel.
The part where it got really tough
Jogging down to Kingshouse & past it is where the path was a bit busier. A couple of walkers asked me if we were doing the full WHW race. I told them it was the 2nd half & they didn't seem less impressed. They wished me well & I left with a smile for that boost. Then the weather turned. I was jogging into a headwind & the drizzle started. The jacket went back on but I didn't want to mess about with the pack so it got clipped at the top at the front. It was really only my arms getting cold & hands. Again though I couldn't be annoyed with messing about with the pack to get the gloves out so I put up with it. Getting to the bottom of the devil's staircase did take a lot longer than the recce but I was kind to myself by saying I had an extra 20 miles in the legs plus the weather was a lot more shit on event day than the recce.
At the start of the ascent I remember thinking to myself 'this isn't too bad' then it did get a lot steeper. Just keep going. I kept looking up seeing the hikers & other runners way ahead of me which wasn't helping as it seemed so far away. So I stopped looking up & concentrated on one step at a time. Each step was a step closer to the top. I passed Graeme of monument photos who was our official photographer of the event who managed to get a couple of snaps of me climbing......
Give us a thumbs up he said.......
The general rule in any event is you see a photographer you smile or give a signature pose. I'm still trying to work mine out! I remembered what the sign said at the bottom to look back & see what I've climbed & take it in. I took a photo to capture the memory.
The climb was way harder than I anticipated even having done a recce of it before. Mentally I was really struggling & phoned John (husband) near the top. When I pulled my phone out I had a voice note from him that was from the girls. 'Go mummy you can do this!'. That was my 1st proper cry of the day. I still made the call & cried on the phone to him 'I think you'll have to pick me up at Kinlochleven, I can't do another 6 hours of this shit it's so hard'. He was taken aback as this was new territory for us & usually I'm stubborn enough to see things through. 'Just keep going, walk if you have to' 'I am walking' I cried back to him. He told me I've got this even though I felt like I hadn't. I can't honestly remember if I made this call before or after seeing Fiona & Pauline at the summit as by this stage this was the hardest part for me. They were waiting with the jelly babies but I didn't take one as I felt so sick at this point. They wished me well & said it was downhill from this point to Kinlochleven. Amazingly Fiona captured a great picture from the top which I will always be grateful for.
Shortly after this I saw Emma on sweeping duties who saw I was struggling. She asked if I had eaten (which I had been but not enough) & Laura had also passed & gave me some salt & vinegar crisps. I was boaking around this part but not physically sick. I had been sipping on flat coke after Llinos's checkpoint which did help massively but by this point I was feeling really sorry for myself. Emma gave me another much needed hug then sent me on my way.
I reviewed & compared my descent into Kinlochleven from the recce & event. I lost about half an hour through feeling sorry for myself & trying not to slip. The pain in my hips and glutes were also hard to ignore too. I had pretty much given up on making it into Kinlochleven for the cut off but I did know I had quite a bit of time to make it. Debbie told me at Glencoe I had stacks of time for the cut off & not to stress. I saw Alan Brown, another photographer on the way down & tried to muster a smile for the camera.
I tried to jog/fast walk into the checkpoint & was happy that I would get my buffs back! I made it into the checkpoint with 15 minutes to spare. I changed my socks (as the ones I was wearing had a hole in them) & it was nice to get dry feet. 'How far to the next checkpoint?' '7 miles, you've got plenty of time'. I was doubtful of this in my own ability but told myself if I didn't try I would never know if I would have made it to the finish or not. Don't quit in the middle as Sally McRae often says. I put the jacket back on properly, sorted my pack then got moving again. It wasn't pretty but forward is forward.
The climb out of Kinlochleven & the Lairigmor
Just get on with it. That's what I was telling myself. Going into the event I told myself if I got timed out at Lundavra I'd have been gutted, but by this stage I didn't care. If I got timed out I gave it my best & that was enough for me on the day. Many say the climb out of Kinlochleven is harder than the devil's staircase. By unpopular opinion I'm disagreeing. For me the devil's staircase was way worse. Yes, on the elevation map the climb out of Kinlochleven is greater however, you cannot see the top which was advantageous for my head. Seeing people ahead on the devil's staircase for me wasn't great & put me into a bad headspace, something else to work on in future. Also the climb out of Kinlochleven is sheltered which on our day weather wise was perfect!
It was on this climb I met Tracy. She was a huge part in getting me up this hill with the distraction in chatting & again with the ultra's we had done. I was really interested that she participated in G2E last year which is the worst weather I've ever witnessed on an event. It was cool to learn about her & we have since become friends through the power of social media. Getting to the top of the climb is cool as you get a lovely view of Kinlochleven on a clear day.
The phone died & I tried to charge it with the portable battery pack. Both were so waterlogged this wasn't possible. That's a huge lesson learned, these pieces of kit go in a sandwich bag if there's even a sniff of rain in the future. I did worry about this as John now had no way to track me & I really hoped he would be at the finish to see me on time or get me at the finish if I had to be drove back from Lundavra. The Lairigmor was completely different to the recce. It was pretty flooded & resembled a stream more than a path in parts. One part that sticks out is the river crossing. On recce day my feet got a bit wet. On event day it was up to my knees & I had to move swiftly to ensure I wasn't swept away. I kept moving though. Each step is a step closer to the finish. Tracy & I kept overtaking each other & we even caught up with Laura here too. Lundavra felt like an age to get to but when we heard the volunteers I heard Tracy shout 'We've done it Nikki, WE ARE GOING TO FINISH'. I cried again but with joy & disbelief. The event wasn't done though. Still 12km to go so let's get it done.
The final stretch
The marshal told us we've done the hard part now for the easier bit. I found this section quite tough as it's undulating & still a few steep up & downhills to contend with. It was a slog but I just kept watching the watch mark off the km's. At 61km was my 1st pee of the day which I was happy to do as I was getting concerned this hadn't happened during the race. I drank nowhere near enough & started to worry my kidneys were going to pack in among other organs once I'd finished. Really dangerous & stupid actually but another lesson learned.
At the top of the 2nd to last hill was a lovely surprise race director approved unofficial checkpoint! It was the best watermelon I'd ever tasted & said to the kind volunteers I thought I was the last runner. They said they would be done when the sweepers pass as they were off grid & didn't know when they would be done. Christopher G Hardy took my picture which was kind of him!
Moving on downhill towards Braveheart car park, on the recce I had enjoyed this as I got a good pace on. This didn't happen on event day as I was burst. I did try to move & had the weirdest sensation when I looked over at the hill ahead (turns out to be Ben Nevis!) it was moving closer & further away which made me feel sick. Hugely dehydrated & under fuelled but I was almost there. Don't look at that hill & just move forward.
I knew cow hill was coming up & strangely looked forward to it. I think because I knew about it & once that was completed the race was more or less done. I was ready to be done by this point!
I attempted to march up the hill after passing the marshals at the bottom. I was over 12 hours which I understood was the official race cut off time & slightly worried it would all be packed up & I wouldn't get a finisher medal. The marshals told me not to worry about this & of course I would be allowed to finish! This spurred me on as well as the thought of my family being there to see me complete the longest, toughest, mentally challenging thing I've ever done in my life. I reached the final summit & could hear the finish line. Right on cue, I cried again! It seemed to take forever to see anything & there was a final marshal pointing me in the right direction advising me not to slip down the hill. The noise was getting closer.
The finish line
I had to dib in 100m before the finish so they can announce your name as you run down the final stretch. My dream was becoming a reality seeing & running through that rainbow arch.
I could see Laura filming & cheering me over just as I spotted the family & gave them a wave!
Then who do I spot waiting for me across the line - Windy! He took these pictures.
"And crossing the finish line is Nikki Sheridan, 1st time finisher!". That was really surreal to hear. I crossed the line in pure disbelief & got the biggest hug from Windy. John took this picture.
I realised in that hug it was done. I've done it. I cried (again!) & he said 'oh you're OK!' which I was. Then I got the biggest hug from the family! Windy offered to take our picture under the finish line to which we obliged.
12:20:47 was my official time. I couldn't have been happier my body held out for that distance & I overcame the doubt I had about finishing before & during the event.
After the race
We headed to the tent for some much needed food & a sit down. Laura was sitting with her daughter so we joined them. As Laura had a working phone I had asked her to message a mutual friend to explain my waterlogged phone issue & I would be in touch with all my pals soon enough. I knew I would have had messages congratulating me & didn't want to be rude. She took a picture as evidence I was alive and well!
My post event shower bag was a godsend as I had packed flip flops & couldn't wait to get my shoes & wet socks off. There was a blister on my big toe that had popped after Lundavra but I carried on knowing how close I was to the finish. Also I didn't have anything in my pack that could have addressed this. Another lesson learned. The feet weren't as bad as expected & the chafe was minimal. I had applied Squirrel's nut butter before the event & didn't need to reapply. I had a bit of chafe in the middle of my back where I couldn't reach but that was all. After the herby chicken & rice I went for a shower then we went to McDonald's before the long car journey back to Glasgow.
I managed to get Strava & Instagram to work on another device just to upload the run & put a quick message on saying thanks to everyone for thinking of me & I would reply to them all the next day. I enjoyed being in the family bubble post event & it wasn't a bad thing the phone not working. I thought I would have been too wired to sleep but was the opposite. I was exhausted & when it got dark on the way home I went for a snooze as did the kids thankfully. It was a big day for us all. I managed to get a great sleep that night & was surprised at how well I could move the next morning. Stairs weren't great in fairness! Sunday was a complete rest day for us all & I stretched that night. Monday is when I posted a picture of the medal.
Moving forward....
I have learned so much about not only running during this but about myself. I need to put more faith into myself the way others do. I also need to learn how to chill before an event & not make a massive deal out of it. People want me to do well but in the grand scheme of things it only really matters to me how I do.
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