Where to start? The Rob Roy Way was one of my first proper trail running experiences back in 2014 whilst on holiday in the Trossachs area. I ran from Aberfoyle to Callander, and just assumed that was it! Fast forward 8 years (4 of which living in Callander) and we moved to Strathyre, and discovered there was much more to it, as it went right past our back garden! It was about this time that I had properly fallen in with a bad crowd (Happy Little Trees Running Club), and was entering daft things like the West Highland Way Race. Running the full Rob Roy Way became something of an obsession, and after a successful West Hightland Way Race finish in 2023, I was focussed on breaking the FKT for the 79 mile (fun run) route. That was fairly quickly thrown into the bin when the amazing Pawel Cymbalista knocked it out of the park in March, so I re-focussed on doing the full 97 mile route, including the extension out to Amulree and back!
I started out from Drymen at 1am on Saturday morning, with fellow Happy Little Tree and 3 time WHWR finisher Michael Dillon for company, with the aim of reaching Pitlochry before the chip shop closed at 9pm! Early miles were dark (obviously) and wet underfoot, and undergrowth got us fairly soaked through by Aberfoyle (kinda creepy at 2.30am in the mist....). Going through Netherglenny we had some weird temperature variations with pockets of warm and cold air trapped in the glens, before an amazing cloud inversion over Loch Vennachar. Mike got me all the way to Callander (33km) before heading home for a bit of a kip, and then ferrying fresh support runners out to Loch Tay!
I left Callander feeling good on the familiar run towards home, before a rather sudden urge for a toilet stop. It quickly became clear that this was a bit more than just the usual ultra runners issue, and plagued me for the next 30-40km. Another local WHW Race veteran, Craig Hetherington met me at the cabins, and along with some mid-leg support from the ultra guru Robert Osfield helped nurse me through to Killin, where my amazing wife and crew chief Anna Walker met me with some immodium, and not too much sympathy!
Fellow Happy Little Tree and Strathyre local John Lovegrove had the job of keeping my mind on the task during my lowest point (I really didn't think I was going to manage it....), and off my bowels and sore knees on the seemingly endless climb up to and beyond Lochan Breaclaich, and some messaging ahead ensured that Liz Maxwell and Gene Maxwell were waiting at the Ardeonaig Hotel with ginger biscuits and coke! By this stage I was only really able to take on liquid energy, and a few jelly sweets, but that did seem to be doing the trick! I'd lost a lot of time from my planned pace by now, so was really just hoping to finish, and wasn't bothering to look at my watch any more.
I was greeted by the full support crew at Ardtalnaig (and a proclamation from a local resident, that I must be stupid for doing this), where the long version of the Rob Roy Way diverts from the fun run route, and the real wild running begins. A change of t-shirt, some paracetamol and a massage gun for my IT bands got me going again, and Ally Morrison took charge of my survival for the longest leg, 27km out to Amulree. This section takes in the foothills of Ben Chonzie, the source of the river Almond, and some amazing views, before cutting through the narrow valleys to Glen Quaich. Ally did a sterling job through this section, we had a good laugh, and I didn't whine too much (I don't think)......
As we got down to the nasty loop around Loch Freuchie, Scott Denny took over pacing duties, and he and Ally were treated to my rendition of "Auld Reekie" by Jim Malcolm, with the mention of Sma Glen and Amulree! This section is really tough mentally as you loop around Loch Freuchie, and come out almost where you started! Regular crew meets on this section really helped though, I got fed plenty more Coke and sweeties, and extra bottles of TORQ Fitness energy drink. At Amulree the chance of a sub 20 hour run looked do-able if I was able to push on.
The climb out of Glen Quaich was a welcome relief to march up instead of run, but then the long dirt road run to the Birks of Aberfeldy soon got me imagining things....this bit was really tough as the ground is rough, and it's a long gradual descent on absolutely destroyed legs.....The steps and drops coming down the Birks was significantly less horrible than expected, probably because I had the sniff of the finish now!
The final crew meet was just outside Aberfeldy, and we got fresh bottles sorted out, and I got my wiggle on along the riverside, and then the old railway to Grandtully. This was my favourite leg from all my recce runs - the climb over Dunfallandy Hill is beautiful singletrack. John had now rejoined the fray, and Anna Walker had run out from Pitlochry to meet me, so I now had the 3 runners with me to open gates, and keep me from getting run over crossing the A9. By the bottom of the descent at Pitlochry, what I really wanted to do was just sit down and cry, my legs were screaming, but I managed to keep it going over the suspension bridge, and through the pain keep running all the way to the War Memorial in Pitlochry.
It was amazing to see the whole crew there, and we celebrated with a chippy!
The only downer was I recorded my run on Ultramax Mode, and although it recorded the 155km route I followed, but it only showed it as 142km because it gives lots of straight lines! I should have a further GPX file from my Geotracks Live Tracker
Hopefully this will inspire some more people to pursue this and other FKT's!