I ran/ walked the entire John Muir Way (JMW), walkers variant, non-stop from west to east - Helensburgh to Dunbar - in 40 hours, 16 minutes and a bit of change. This was a supported effort, and basically a really fun day and a half out with friends. Throughout the journey I had road support and pacers, except for the very first section where I had only one person on road support who paced short stretches before returning to the car to see me at the next meeting point.
I started at the Helensburgh terminus on January 17th at 7am. I was supported by Damien.
On the first section between Helensburgh and Balloch part of the John Muir Way, near Gouk Hill, has been blocked by significant tree fall for the last two years. I followed the official diversion along the Three Lochs Way, through Mason's Wood, past Blackthird Farm to re-connect with the JMW before the final decent into Balloch. This added about 2 to 3 miles to the total route. On this section I wore trail shoes, NNormal Tomir 2.
In Balloch I was joined by two more pacers, Gaby and Jenny, and I switched into road shoes, Ascis Gel-Content, as the next stretch were 6 miles road running. Just before the start of the Kilpatrick Hills, near Gartlea, we met Damien with the car again and I switched back into trail shoes. The crossing of the Kilpatricks was slightly wet and cold, but nothing dramatic for a January weekend in Scotland.
At the far side, at Edenmill Farm, road crew switched from Damien to Rosie and Bex. My road support transported one bag with extra clothes and kit like headtorches, batteries and 1st Aid. Additionally I had one bag for shoes changes, one bag with water and two bags with food. Gaby and Jenny continued pacing me a little bit longer to Strathblane where I switched back into road shoes. Here Gaby & Jenny left me and Bex started pacing, Rosie was on road support. Ian T, came out on his bike to meet me just before I got to the farm.
The next stretch was the Strathkelvin Railway Path until Kirkintilloch where I got onto the Forth and Clyde Canal. This part was possibly the most tedious of the whole trail but at least we made good progress and John D joined us from Lennoxtown to Milton for a few miles. At Twechar I changed again into trail shoes for the bit across Bar Hill and Croy Hill. Bex switched to road support and Rosie started pacing. It was just getting dark when Ian C met us near Croy Hill and ran with us until about Kelvinhead. At the Queens of the Canals car park I changed back into road shoes. John Q caught us up, he had been chasing us down since Croy, and he stayed with us until Falkirk High. The day had started off overcast and drizzly at times but the evening cleared up beautifully.
Around Banknock the towpath by the canal was closed and we had to follow a diversion through Banknock, which I have trouble describing as it was dark, but it was clearly signed and we got back to the canal very soon after. That diversion was probably no more than another mile. Not long after we got to Bonnybridge where we met Bex again and were joined by Amanda. We crossed the next short section along Antonine Wall, John Q lost and found his shoe in a mud puddle, we passed the Falkirk Wheel, followed another short diversion there and reached Falkirk High train station about 20:30.
Falkirk High was another big switch point. Bex and Rosie were finished with road support and handed over to Melissa and Wendy. John Q took the train home, Mike joined me as a pacer and Amanda carried on with pacing until Linlithgow. I possibly messed the correct route up behind Callendar House in Falkirk, I could not find waymarkers there during the recce either, but the discrepancy would not have been more than 100-200 meters. After Callendar Park followed a few more miles along the Union Canal until the Avon Aqueduct and a short stretch through some woods to Linlithgow. In Linlithgow we met Melissa and Wendy again for supplies and Amanda stopped pacing.
Up to Linlithgow I had been moving pretty well. This was about half way of the route and it had taken me 16 hours. However, from this point my quads had given up and the second half of the route was more like a fast hike than a run. Mike and I crossed the Kinneil Estate to Bo'ness and reached the River Forth. The road support crew met us once more at Blackness and then at the Forth Bridge in Queensferry. This was another crew switch point. Melissa and Wendy handed over to Kal and Andrew. This was now 3 am Saturday 18th January.
Leaving Queensferry I was paced by Mike and Andrew. Kal went ahead to meet us at the outskirts of Edinburgh, in Clermiston. Corstorphine Hill was an uncomfortable descent on my quads and I lost the way shortly but eventually found the right track and ventured on towards Murrayfield. We got first daylight along the Water of Leith Walkway, when we got into the Stenhouse/ Slateford area of Edinburgh, and reached the Union Canal once more. After another few miles along the canal and into the heart of Edinburgh I reached The Meadows where Kal was waiting.
Here I took a 10 min nap in the crew vehicle to reset.
On the next stretch I had Kal as pacer. Mike finished in Edinburgh after a first class job pacing me through the night. Andrew took over as road support. He was joined by Tom. Kris, who lives right by The Meadows, came out to say Hello and Good luck. Setting off from The Meadows I messed the way up to Holyrood Park and had a short moment of confusion. Initially, I had planned the next crew sport at Mussleburgh but Kal called them in to meet us at Brunstane station. I had to tend to some blisters. After this point I missed the path down to the Brunstane Burn Community Woods and added possibly another mile to the whole track. My brain was obviously still quite foggy. However, Mussleburgh followed not long after, no crew stop here, but it felt so good to go over what I knew must have been more than 100 miles. The end was not so far anymore. In Mussleburgh Lauren met up with me for a short pacing stint up to Prestonpans.
At Prestonpans I had another big crew switch. Andrew was finished with road support. Alastair took over crewing. Bex had come out again. I gained two more pacers, Tom (who had been in the car with Andrew before) and Don. There was a very happy little group of us venturing out of Prestonpans along the coast. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out. It was lunchtime Saturday Jan 18th and I had been on the move for 29 hours!
At Cockenzie and Port Seton there was a very short diversion around a building site. I had crew spots in Longniddry, Car Park 3, and in Gullane. In Gullane I grabbed my headtorch again and I was not sure if I would make it to North Berwick before dark.
I got into North Berwick at around 6pm. Here Don and Tom finished their pacing duties. I still had Alastair on road support. Kal and Bex were dipping in and out of pacing and road support. Both decided to hang around until the bitter end and drive me back home afterwards. On the last stretch from North Berwick to Dunbar I had Jade and Rachel as pacers. Jade had to leave me at East Linton because I had slowed to much at that point she nearly missed her train back. Kal joined as pacer somewhere just before East Linton. At North Berwick I switched back into trail shoes as this sections go along fields and can be quite muddy underfoot.
The last 15 miles to Dunbar were quite torturous. Going into another dark period after so many hours and so many miles on my feet took the last reserves of energy I had. According to my schedule I had my crew go straight to Dunbar, but instead they checked on my at every possible street corner until I was through East Linton and just before I got to Dunbar. Getting into Dunbar is cruel, so tentalisingly close and yet so many more twists and turns. And a lovely set of steps right before the end!!
But, all good things must come to an end, and on Saturday Jan 18th at 23:09:14 I reached the door of John Muir's birthplace in Dunbar. I ran the first half, walked the second half. The whole non-stop journey took just over 40 hours. 1 day, 16 hours, 9 minutes and 14 seconds. I tracked the adventure using my Garmin inReach Mini.
To the best of my knowledge no other woman has done the trip as a non-stop journey. In terms of a running challenge and adventure the bar that I am setting with 40 hours is not too difficult to beat for more talented, stronger runners than myself. So hopefully, this will inspire other women and come raise the bar and maybe even challenge the overall record.