A Year of Adventure Racing, northern England and southern Scotland (mostly), Sept 06 – Sept 07, Jean Sinclair, 03 Oct 07
 
From August 06 to September 07, I was employed as a Research Nurse on the Gateshead Millennium Study, investigating food, activity and obesity in children born 1999 / 2000 and their families. So, I was based at Newcastle University, where I had happily studied Marine Biology 1989 – 92 (a degree whose use was considerably reduced by diagnosis in 1996), lodging in Tynemouth, in sight of the sea. I still returned home regularly to my partner, cat, duck and part-time job in Cambridge.
 
We also met a few times after traveling independently to various adventure races - me having the much shorter journey in all cases. Northern England and southern Scotland has the highest concentration of adventure races in the UK. I also managed to compete in several orienteering races, including 3 night races, and introduced 2 female colleagues and their male partner / husband to the sport.
 
September 06 brought my first experience of the Wan Dae Scottish Adventure Racing series – camping in the extensive grounds of Drumlanrig Castle. A fantastic setting for camping, although possibly most impressed by a permanent toilet block, instead of chemical cubicles! I spent the day manning a checkpoint at nearby ruined Morton Castle, where racers had to crawl in a drain.
 
The KIMM has been renamed OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) and is held in different locations each year, always in the last weekend of October, when the clocks go back. Fortunately for me, the 2006 race was held in Galloway, based at the same abandoned Forestry Commission campsite as the ACE race 2 day a month earlier. So, I benefited from a short drive – and gave lifts to two Czech friends based in Cambridge who came up by train to Newcastle.
 
The first race of the spring wasn’t a race, and wasn’t in northern England – it was the second outing for The Full Monty 24 hour endurance challenge, starting and ending in Shrewsbury. See www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=960 for my full report and photos.
 
The ACE race 2 day series returned to DrumlanrigCastle in April 07, when I was stationed at a ruined bothy in hills around Arkland on Saturday morning, then at Kettleburn Burn mountain bothy in the afternoon, then checking racers through the mountain bike track on Sunday.
 
May / June 07 brought the highlight of the year – the Adventure Racing World Championship was held in Lochaber, Scotland. Only 5 teams completed the full course, but many others from the 49 starting teams shortened routes. I had a wonderful, exhausting week, including setting up the race start from the Isle of Rum, sleeping in a four poster bed for the only time, monitoring partner Russ overnight after he bashed his face when running, sitting on a rocky beach on Eigg to check sea kayaking teams before they headed across the sea to the mainland, then following in a safety boat, 2 very wet nights camping at a major abseil at Ardverikie Wall on Binnein Shuas, where I tried the ropes and a rodent chewed through my food bag, and finally I checked though racers at the last checkpoint at Ben Nevis Inn before finishing at Fort William.
 
Summer 07 brought two of James Thurlow’s excellent Open Adventure races – 12 hours in the Yorkshire Dales in June and 24 hours in the eastern Lake District in July. In between, I had two new experiences – first time on Isle of Arran for a Wan Dae in June and my first Rat Race, at Edinburgh in July, plus a wet and midge infested ACE 2 day race in the Lakes. Fortunately, one of my cousins lives in Edinburgh, so after marshalling atop Salisbury Crags on Saturday evening, we watched the ARWC on Channel Four at 8am, before taking a 2 year old going to watch the Rat Racers at Crammond Island, then I spent the afternoon at Hill End Ski Slope on the northern slopes of the Pentland Hills. My cousins also provided hospitality for me at the Wan Dae in the Pentland Hills in September – and the toddler again came, this time to the bike drop I staffed all day. This was my last adventure race before heading back home. However, the first ever London Rat Race was held the weekend after my contract ended – so, of course, I had to go. In fact, I’d been training for this event most of my life – our Mum made us navigate round London and learn Tube line colours on holiday trips. She worked for Colony Holidays, which included “wide games” – dressing up as “ship’s kitten” for a pirate themed game in Norfolk and in “flower power” clothes in the Malvern Hills. Only the gorilla costume was missing for my checkpoint at London Zoo.