Race across Scotland 2025

After 9 months "off" (23-2024) and 1 year of training (24-2025) I returned to Race across Scotland (RAS) in August 2025 for round 2 (Read about round 1 here).

This time around I finished 228 miles and 8,786m in 85hrs & 49mins (6th Female and 28th overall with 92 participants finishing and 70 who DNF'd ).

Despite crossing the finish line, it wasn't as "Easy" as Round 1 nor would I consider it as strong of a running performance but, alas I did finish (Standing up right & healthy) with zero puking episodes or, fainting fits so I'd say that's a HUGE win for round 2 of this crazy distance!

Preparation

Preparing for take 2  had some challenges physically. I spent the better part of 2024 cross-country skiing. I dedicated a full winter to this sport and managed to rack up 2250km distance with 46,000m of vert. It was a fantastic winter! I then chose to spend my summer dating my incredible new partner Chris, doing an activity I have always wanted to do and lucky for me he was down for the ride (excuse the pun...) bike packing. So when I started to train again in September 2024 I definitely experienced a few aches, pains and niggles that I had to work through to get my body loosened up and ready to start running regularly again. Mentally? the latter half of 2024 and 2025 are the strongest I have felt in years. Life was (and is) good :) 

The training blocks for RAS was quite similar to other training blocks since I am no stranger to my coach's way of preparing me for endurance endeavors however, Jen did introduce weighted vest workouts this year which I loved! Training overall was straight forward and enjoyable and I still had a cross training focus incorporating cross-country skiing and biking too.  In May I did  Blackfoot 100km as a training race and unlike 2023 when I DNF'd Blackfoot, I finished the race this year coming in as 1st Female (A good feeling heading into the summer builds). A couple of weeks later Chris & I did a 1 day Adventure Race (This was our 2nd time competing in "Medicine Hat Massacre" since we did it in 2024) and although I wasn't overly competitive for this (Which is good because we screwed up fantastically on our navigation) it was a great day out / time on feet. 

In June I had a solo training camp planned out in Waterton with some bigger back to back days (What a fantastic area!). The training runs felt awesome but, due to a shift in my work schedule, my next long run of 50km's ended up being pushed into the latter end of the same week that I spent running around Waterton and I ended that week with crippling knee pain. Not what you want 6 weeks out from RAS Take #2. The knee pain was the same knee pain I experienced during RAS 2023 and have felt previously at the end of summer/race season. Definitely an overuse pain so feeling it during training wasn't ideal. Coach Jen put a hold on things and the last 6 weeks of training looked A LOT  different to other years. I continued with my fitness but, instead of running I power hiked and spent a significant amount of time in physio. Sure enough the pain subdued and I was ready to get to the start line pain free but also with zero expectations at this point.

Getting to the UK
Chris & I left for the UK on Sun Aug 3 with the race starting on Sat Aug 9. When we landed on Mon AM we spent time at my family home in Liverpool with a few days to get organized before picking up the race crew van and driving up to Scotland. I wanted both sets of parents at the event for Round 2 however, my dads partner couldn't make it so it was Mum, Terry (Mum's partner) and Chris for Sat-Sun and then my Dad took over with Chris Sun night until when I finished (With a separate crew van that was a little less bougie than my mum's). Chris handled the crew change over whilst wearing the pants as "Chief Crew". He also had to navigate spending multiple days at a time with the newly met parents in an intimate setting whilst I was out on trail, "See Ya!"... ;)

When we drove down to Scotland on Thursday I started to feel unwell (Sneezing + a scratchy throat). I figured it was tiredness and potentially in my head so I tried not to concentrate on it however, when I woke up on Friday I felt worse and that's when I started taking cold & flu meds. I didn't want to spend the day indoors so Chris & I did some light walking and visited a cute cliffside castle by the sea  before having an afternoon nap. My parents were quite concerned I wasn't feeling great (As they would be after last time) but, I told everyone I would start on Saturday and just take it step by step (That would be the plan anyway). Toeing the start line of 220+miles is daunting in itself however, toeing the start line of 220+ miles with a cold leaves you feeling a bit overwhelmed and a bit deflated. 

Saturday - Day 1 

Race day was here. The start area was buzzing and unlike 2023, the rain was holding off. It was great to see friendly faces (Martin & Henry) and enjoy the anticipation of what's to come / the start line vibes. In the start zone the race director was trying to get more women to the start line and quite a few voluntarily placed themselves there however, I held off. In 2023 I was having an incredible race placing 2nd Female until I became unwell and so, I had to remind myself that the goal this time round was simply to finish (Of course in the back of my mind I wanted to place but, that was out of my control and not something to fixate on). 

The race started. The pace was comfortable although probably a little too fast (Isn't it always?). Within the first mile I came across Kristian who had already ran from Cockburnspath to Portpatrick and was now running RAS to go back to Cocksburnspath (That's over 400 miles in 1 push) what a guy!!!! He was looking so strong and it was so nice to see him (We ran a small section together in 2023) and yes, he finished this double whammy still looking incredibly strong. Truly my hero. 

I was chatting with a group of ladies and we were on/off tag teaming through the first couple of legs. Check Point 1 (Castle Kennedy) came and went. I grabbed a Jam sandwich. I had to dial the nutrition and hydration this year which meant eating regularly from the get-go. I checked my time, 15 mins slower than 2023 arriving at 08:28AM. This was okay. Onwards. Just like 2023, my right hip flexor pain came on during Leg 2 and I just had to run comfortably with it until it went away (It always does). There were strong female runners ahead and I was convinced the gal running next to me, Sophie was going to win. She was running so effortlessly and she looked so strong. She also told me that the lady just ahead of us in stripey socks has the current course record for "The Spine". Solid ladies out there! Half way through Leg 2 my calves got really stiff and painful. Was it the grassy-bog terrain? The running uphill? No idea but, they were definitely bugging me. I tried to give them the same approach I do with my hip flexor. Ignore. It will go away. 

Check Point 2 (New Luce) came and went at 10:23AM. I grabbed a handful of potatoes and replenished my water bottles. My calves were not okay. They were getting tighter and my running gait felt off. I couldn't help think that this was going to be such a long race and likely one I won't finish if I am struggling merely hours into the race. I figured I would keep going until Check Point 3 and then re-evaluate what my options are. No matter what, my hydration and nutrition game plan were going strong and I wasn't going to get lazy on this because other things were going to sh*t, so at least there was that. 

Check Point 3 (Glentrool Hive) was the first time I got to see my crew. Unlike 2023 when they were positioned up at the Hive's parking lot I passed them further down, ran up to the Aid Station, checked in, and then ran back down to receive the Aid at 15:24. Chris commented on how strong I looked but, I think this was a bit of a show since there were a lot of people around and I didn't want to look like I was having a rough time already. I passed on my concerns and Chris gave my legs a quick massage. I ate and drank and left the checkpoint in low spirits. I was honestly feeling deflated.

Leg 3 was my favorite leg last time, super runnable on gravel however, this time around I was power hiking (with poles!!!). I tried to get into the mind set of power hike 1km, painfully run 1km, power hike to the next bush, run to the next lake etc. This worked for a while.

Despite the physical troubles, the later afternoon light and evening was lovely, the temperature was fantastic and I was trying to remind myself that I am still moving and its absolutely stunning so I should take off any pressure I was feeling and simply enjoy (Oh yeah and the head cold I had leading into the race? I had totally forgotten about. There's a saying "Run off a cold" - yep, did that!). 

Leg 3 went on and on and I was in a sh*t headspace. I perked up a little when I overtook 2 ladies only to feel defeated again on a stretch of downhill when one of the ladies came up on me again. I think she had bounced back from the nausea she was feeling, meanwhile I was in tears! She gave me a hug and offered some words of advice equally asking me "Is this your first ultra?". I am not sure if that re-lit a fire in me and threw some water on the raging pity party I was spiraling into but, I started running again keeping her within sight "Pfttt, is this my first ultra?!!". 

Dusk turned into darkness and it was time to put the headlamps on. There were a couple of us huddled together and then we took off. My calves were still bothering me but, my bruised ego was in charge now so I was moving with a bit more haste with one thing on my mind, Checkpoint 4: St Johns Town of Dalry. When I finally rocked up here I burst into more tears. In 2023 I was in such good spirits arriving around 20:30, this time it was 21:53 and I was miserable. I think my mum & Terry thought it was over for me. Chris looked concerned too. The tears kept on coming. I put on compression socks to see if that alleviated the pain, I ate and drank and decided to continue. I told Chris I wanted them to meet me in 10-15km's along the road before I started making my way uphill. I didn't see how I was going to continue given the amount of pain I was in. I was also meant to be having fun and for the last x amount of hours I was only having small bouts of fun. It was more of a misery Death March at this point (Which was waaaay to early for a race of this length!). 

The start of Leg 4 through the night brought back memories of me fumbling around navigating 2 years ago. This time though navigation was straight forward and the compression socks were helping. The pain hadn't totally subsided but, it hadn't got any worse and I reminded myself that my knees (Which I thought would be the #1 issue) were absolutely fine so far.

The compression socks were for sure helping my calves and for the first time since the start of the race I was enjoying myself (Even in the rain, wind and mist!). As I crested over a hill there was a vehicle with bright lights shining towards me. I thought this was my crew but, it was Jon P and his crew. I'd been chatting with Jon on and off since 2023 and we were both hoping to finish the race this year. Jon unfortunately tapped out and it was his crew picking him up. I tried to convince him to carry on with me mentioning how slow moving I was but, he had had enough. I continued on.

Eventually Chris was hanging out in the rain with an umbrella waiting to see me and walk me over to the van. His expectations given the weather and how he had last seen me a couple of hours ago was that I'd be over it but, I had done a 360 and I was finally feeling good. This came to his and my parents (and my own) surprise. I stepped inside the van for 5 mins to eat some more food and ice the calves before heading off further into the night and the steeper climbs. I think we were all feeling relieved that I was in much better spirits. 

Sunday Day 2 
The night was long. I spent it alone.  It felt surreal to be up on the hills. No navigational errors this time around just straight forward movement. Dawn started to break and I caught up to a guy. We were jogging together when we passed a farmhouse with a garage welcoming runners at approx. 5AM. I had heard about this lovely local aid station  in 2023  however, I would have passed this in the middle of the night when it wasn't "open". This time around the lady was just getting started for the day. I had a cold bacon sandwich which I thought I might not be able to get down but, it was actually delightful and a nice surprise before getting into the next aid. Dawn was releasing a new energy with a beautiful sunrise and brighter weather. It felt good to be getting closer to the next aid station. I did get a little navigationally challenged here and I also got into an argument with a gate I couldn't figure out how to open (LOL) and so I FaceTime'd Chris to give him an update of the current situation.  I was moving slow. It was also laughable hobbling past a sign that said "Run, Run as fast as you can"... :D

I arrived at Aid Station 5 (Sanquhar) at 08:08 and had planned to eat,  get my first sleep (Aiming for 2 hours), eat a bit more and get-going. I tried sleeping and I certainly rested but, I don't think I fell into a deep sleep here. Of course the camper van fire alarm started going off too so I figured it was time to get up and get-going.  I was looking forward to Leg 5 running the short 12km distance into Checkpoint #6 (Wanlockhead). I remember this being beautiful terrain and fairly easy running however, I did a lot more death marching and some very ugly running (My running gait was so off). I made it to CP#6 at 13:25.  I had ran into Craig (Another runner from 2023) on this leg and we were reminiscing and chatting about our motivations for this year. From here on Craig & I would tag team for the remainder of the race. When I got to Wanlockhead  I remembered delicious pizza at this Aid Station and so I settled in for Pizza, Fries and Coffee inside of the Village Hall.

After replenishing my body and my course fuel I headed off to tackle the next section: VERT! It was going to be a long stint before seeing my crew again. Crew are not permitted at Check Point #7 so the next time I would see them would be Check Point #8 (37miles/ 60km away). Given that this is a fair distance I asked them to meet me on the road somewhere. The next couple of hours flew by and I was feeling fantastic. My crew were on the road a couple of hours into this leg so I I stopped for a pot noodle (Food was the theme!) said goodbye to my Mum & Terry (This would be the last time they would crew me) and carried on. Since my calves had let up I was back to a run (Let's call it a shuffle) and it felt really good. There was a  crew member out getting her own run in and she commented on how strong I looked which really boosted the moral.

When I got to the half way distance marker for the Southern Upland Way (108 miles), I stopped to re-enact my photo from 2 years ago and just before I stopped, I felt a sharp pain through my chest and my heart started palpitating. I started walking and the symptoms eased off but, as soon as I started running the palpitations came back. I was back to death marching again and doing everything not to fixate on this new issue. I crossed the reservoir and started heading uphill again into the grassy moors. I was conscious of the palpitations so I took it extremely easy. Although the palpitations didn't come back my feet were now starting to bother me. WHYYYY lol. Since I had been fixated on my calves and the compression socks working their magic, releasing the pain, I hadn't wanted to take them off which meant my feet had been wet for quite some time and they had started to blister. I knew I should take care of them but, I just let them be (Extremely poor decision on my part! What was I thinking??). It was here that I had to remind myself of "Plan Faye" and "Keep Moving". One of my best friends, Bre and my partners kiddos made me bracelets with those phrases on. "Plan Faye" referring to anything can happen out there and instead of trying to control all aspects of the race I simply had to roll with the punches and Plan for Faye within the moment. In addition to the 2 bracelets I was also wearing a necklace "Grow through what you go through", which meant that every challenge I endured meant growth towards the end. I held onto these sayings for the rest of the race circling back to them often.

I got into Checkpoint #7 (Beattock Village Hall) at 20:37. I grabbed some food and a coffee as well as my drop bag. I changed my sports bra and shirt to a fresh dry one. There was a medic next to me but, I knew medics were not supposed to touch feet so I didn't want to bother him. I also didn't want to take off my compression socks for fear of not getting them back on so I didn't do anything with my feet. Instead, I got dressed for the rainy cold weather and headed out into the night. Henry left with me and was looking to run together but, I kept telling him how slow moving I was and that I was really suffering with my feet. Henry stuck it out with me until I needed to dart off into the bush for a toilet stop. When I got back to running I needed to delayer. My running gait was terribly off again due to my blisters and as I was trying to delayer whilst still moving I felt a crunchy pop and pain in my right ankle "You have got to me kidding me?". Yep, I rolled my ankle. WHY WHY WHY. I took a couple of steps and although it was painful it wasn't abrupt pain so I figured I could keep going although I was nervous knowing the section of terrain I was about to run into (Steep, Hilly, Drops off) plus the weather was rainy and windy and the low hanging fog/mist was back. I kept debating whether I should call it quits and turn back around to the Aid Station but, I reminded myself of everything it would take to get back here for a 3rd time (Plus I truly am too stubborn and so I kept moving forward. As I crossed over a road I heard familiar voices (Chris & my dad). It was SO nice seeing my dad for the first time during this race and I quickly stopped to chat and let them know of my new physical issues LOL.

I kept going. The uphill was long and I felt uneasy on my feet. I was back moving slow and every step hurt. I called Chris to let him know and then I lost service. Poor guy must have been worried sick as my tracker showed me on the mountain side for most of this leg (GPS was funky!). I had forgotten about my calves now since my ankle was raging (As were my blisters). Before the phone cut out to Chris I let him know this was going to be a very slow section and that I would love to see them once I got down off the mountain before Checkpoint #8.

This section was one of my favorites in 2023, the scenery is incredible however, this time round it was full on night time surrounded by darkness and mist. Once I reached the top of the mountain there are steep switchbacks down on the other side. With my ankle having to be placed strategically I was using so much caution. A light was shining up towards me and I figured it was another runner and I was hoping they were not in trouble.  Nope, it was the Race Director Wayne. Since the weather was so bad he wanted to ensure racers were coming off the mountain safely and onto the next section. RAS is not course marked so he was out adding a few reflective pin flags incase GPS was off given the visibility. What a guy!!!! Once I was out of the moors and back onto a gravel road I kept my eyes peeled for Chris & my dad. I was run-hobbling trying to gain some time since I was extremely slow moving on that section. I don't know if it was my ankle or, my blisters but my feet were unwell. It was all I could think of.  It was pouring down rain and I could see a light off in the distance. I knew it was Chris & my dad and all I wanted to do was get off my feet, nurse my ankle and blisters and sleep. I finally caught up to their van and told them my plan and Chris was like "I don't think its wise you stop here. It's pouring down, you're going to get cold and things could turn for the worst. I think it makes more sense to keep going 12km's until the checkpoint". I knew he was right but, I didn't want him to be right. I wanted rest. I tried back and forth arguing on this until I grumpily limped off towards the check point. This section in 2023 was runnable. It was also the section I was hallucinating but, my brain was sharp this time around. I started running, more so to just get this part over with. Despite the pain, I was moving. I kept this up for 3-4km's and I started hobbling again. There was a guy in front of me... Henry!! We ran together and I salute Henry for listening to my grumbles. I don't know if I loved having his company or not but, the miles were passing slowly for both of us until eventually we got to the CP at 03:34. My plan here = fix feet, eat, sleep. I spent a whopping 4 hours here leaving at approx. 7:15AM (I also gave in and sore a medic for my feet who was happy to treat them, thank god!) 

Monday Day 3
Banking sleep and sorting out my feet meant I felt refreshed as I could be and excited to take on this next leg that I hadn't seen during the daylight before. It was beautiful terrain and I really enjoyed the morning miles reminding myself that I have chosen to be here. I have chosen to do hard things and to persevere through it. I could have given up at any point already but, the fact I am still going riding the highs and lows have brought me to these beautiful moments right here, right now. There was a good amount of rolling terrain/fields to stomp through before a lovely flattish section around the Loch. Chris & my dad surprised me on the next road section which was excellent timing as I needed paracetamol and an ice pack. My ankle was swelling causing my tape job to become really uncomfortable and so I needed to get some treatment on it before continuing. The morning high was quickly being eaten up by misery again however, I aimed to remain as positive as can be. I was close to Checkpoint #9 -  Traquair Village Hall and I decided to  FaceTime my bestie Nichole telling her this was SO DUMB and I am never doing this distance again LOL. This was a stark contrast to 2 years ago when I FaceTime'd her telling her there's no way I wasn't finishing and this was the best thing ever... :D

I stopped off at Chris & my dads van to eat, drink, put my feet up before checking into CP#9 at 14:23 and continuing on. I remember the next leg 2 years ago being a strong leg. Lots of uphill which I loved. I was off to a good start again. I checked my tracker and noticed a female wasn't too far ahead so I made this my goal to overtake. Eventually my tracker did overtake but, she was no where to be seen (Technical glitch). Either way I had a spring in my step for the climbing and the km's and vert seemed to pass on by. When I got to a plateau section I had a really good case of the Sleepy's. So much so, I laid down in the Heather for 10 mins and fell asleep instantly. I woke up a little startled surprising an on-course camera man (Who was equally startled by me). Onwards. The next section was down/up/rolling continue and it did seem to drag on a little. Out of nowhere this lady came speeding downhill running flawlessly (I think she went onto gain 3rd women) and it appeared she was saving her energy for the latter half. Gosh she was thriving! Craig caught up to me. We were keeping each other company for a little while and I was making a plan to have another power nap the next time I would come across Chris & my dad (Which would likely be before the next CP). 2 years ago the CP location was where my dad & Chris were parked this time around but, the actual CP moved locations this year and was still another 10+km's away. I started crying when I sore them as my ankle was so sore, I was so tired and I just wanted to stop. With good intentions they let me sit for 5 mins and then they were like "NOPE. Keep going until the next one!". So with hyperventilating tears I carried on with a mental note not to electrocute myself on the fence this time (As I had done 2 years ago). As much as I was in a low, the next km's ticked on by and I arrived at CP#10 - Community Focus Centre at 19:45. The last section before arriving here runs through a town park and I remember getting so disorientated running loops and adding extra km's last time (Apparently this happened to so many people this year) but, I had studied the map and knew the direct line so I arrived at the CP without any hiccups. 

The plan here was very much the same as the others "Eat, sleep, feet, repeat". I had an amazing dish of perogies (Thanks dad) with a lovely stew poured over from the checkpoint. I slept for another 2 hours and I got my feet re-looked at by another medic. I left to head into the 3rd night in good spirits but, I did warn my crew that this leg 2 years ago was the worst for me so I definitely needed to see them somewhere along this section. Much to my surprise this leg was actually one of the best. Perhaps it was the food or, the feet care but, I spent a lot time running and the miles ticked on by. I was loving this race again . As promised, Chris & my dad were in the middle of nowhere in the most foggiest conditions at 2AM. Bless their hearts!!!! My dad was completely passed out in the van however, Chris came out to greet me. I remember saying "I am so sorry but, I am not stopping. I am having such a good go I feel like I shouldn't break my stride", despite their efforts to drive into the abyss in absolute sh*t conditions. So I continued on and felt really good! There was one trippy section with overhead power lines across a farmers field. The humidity and fog in the air was causing the power lines to vibrate and make a static sound. I thought I was losing my hearing so I popped in my headphones to drown that out and reassure myself I was fine LOL and so I kept on running all the way into Checkpoint #11 - Lauder Scott Hall. 

When I arrived at 04:30AM, Chris & my dad were nowhere to be seen. I checked into the CP and sat down. I tried calling but there was no answer. FARK. After 10 mins of sitting in the CP and starting to get CP assist Chris calls me back. They were parked in a street close by and they had fallen asleep (ahahahaha).  I went straight out to them and I was like "Hey I feel so good I might just carry on". Chris said "I love that for you but, there is absolutely no harm banking more sleep and starting the next leg in the daylight". Given the fact the next CP is where everything had gone sour for me last time I knew he was probably right but, getting going again from waking up was hard and I didn't want to feel drowsy-sickly (Plus I was so scared of nausea at this point in the race) but, we came to a conclusion that this would likely be my last sleep and I would power on through to the end. I fell into a DEEP sleep and when it was time to get going again sure enough I was feeling it. Going from a lay down position to standing up took a heck of a lot of effort and multiple attempts.

Tuesday Day 4 
 So far the weather had been mild, slightly cold, rain, wind, fog. Today the forecast was between 20-25 degrees Celsius and clear skies. I wasn't sure how I felt about that given that this was likely my last day out there before reaching the finish line.. Would the heat destroy me? The morning had a low hanging fog but, it was warm and sure enough I was delayering pretty quickly once I left Lauder and was making my way up hill. This was all new daylight terrain since last time I was running in the middle of the night. The scenery was stunning. I made one nav error where I went quite off course but, managed to rectify it.  I did however get to see an absolutely stunning bridge/stream whilst going off course though so there's that. Once I was back on track it was pretty runnable terrain but, I kept moving with a steady power hike. The black flies were relentless. Even more so because I probably stunk and the heat was making them even more heinous. I had spent the night prior alone and I was pretty much spending this morning alone. There was no one in sight ahead or, behind me. 

With the flies doing their best to piss me off I decided to add a spring to my step and start running but my body quickly shut that down when my heart started palpitating again - great! I kept sipping on water & electrolyte to see if that would help but each time I picked up the pace it came back so I was back to the death march. Eventually I crested the ridge and remembered the stone feature. This time there was a photographer close by and I noticed a "Hiking Log Book". I took the time to sit down and write a note in there (Also trying to give my heart a lil break before wanting to run the next section downhill). I was chatting to the photographer about the palpitations and he said he had experienced it before too and it was likely a combination of the tiredness and the day's heat (I knew I had to tell my crew I needed ice for the remainder of the day). After a 5 min stop I continued on running down hill and a relatively flattish section to CP# 12 - The Watch Fishery Lodge. Palpitations had passed.

Coming into the CP there was a videographer who was following me for a little bit and asking Q's so that made the time go by a little quicker. I also passed the house I ended up in the backyard 2 years earlier, completely disorientated. I was so glad I was feeling that much stronger mentally this year. Pros of actual sleep! When I arrived into CP#12 at 12PM, Chris & my dad were set up with a chair in the shade and Martin who was at the CP 2 years ago greeted me to make sure 1. I was okay & 2. I was OKAY. LOL. For everyone's piece of mind I really was OK (No nausea or, dizziness or, fainting this time around) but, my ankle needed some TLC.  I spent time here eating a bacon sandwich, icing my ankle, having a cool down with ice bandanas etc. and then it was time to continue on towards the finish line. Given the events of 2 years ago I think my crew wanted to keep tabs on me as often as they could for this final day doing everything in their power to meet me often and check in. It was actually SO nice given that they had ice (To keep me cool and also for my ankle which was now humungous). 

This final leg  was totally new terrain for me since I had DNF'd at CP#12 last time so, I was excited to continue moving forward and seeing this part of Scotland for the first time. I loved this final leg. Perhaps it was because I was so close to the end, I was thriving with my nutrition or, the blue skies and sunny day was a new lease of energy but, it was stunning and I was enjoying being out there despite all of the challenges and lows endured so far.

As promised, Chris and my dad showed up at random places across this leg to provide cold refreshments and ice. Luckily, my mum had booked us into a cottage about 3/4 of the way through this final leg that she had access to and there was plenty of ice in the freezer to pass onto my dad & Chris for aid. Thank goodness because there wasn't a lot of supplies or gas stations in close proximity.

I remembered reading in a previous blog that towards the end of the leg you can start to smell the sea. Let me tell you, I was smelling the sea with plenty of km's still to go which was such a tease! I was following the 2025 GPS as well as the wooden SUW signposts along the way. During this leg the GPS diverted away from the SUW and did a de-tour. I followed my GPS however, quite a few people took the sign posts instead and ended up in front of me. I was so disorientated when I came across them on the side of the road but, they were holding  back to let me pass and leave some distance between us to keep it fair. Such good sportsmanship out there but, I wasn't too concerned given the fact we were on Day 4. 

The rest of the journey was pretty much up, down, rolling, SO HOT, stay in the shade, smell the sea. I remembered a couple of years before during 2023's attempt watching a race vlog and close to the end this guy ended up back in the forest going uphill away from the sea and he was so mad. I laughed to myself when I got here knowing I wasn't too far but, this was kinda crazy and demoralizing. Either way I was moving good knowing I was close to the end. I had got to see Chris and my dad a couple more times and they were letting me know that there were 2 guys up ahead if I wanted to push to try and catch them. I didn't see what the point was given it wasn't going to change anything in terms of female placements or medal coloring (Top 3 get a 2 tone buckle, then the next % gold, silver and bronze). I had definitely missed the 2 tone and the gold buckle so I was happy plodding along for my silver. When I got to the cliff edge and made it to the sea the emotions I felt were so intense and I could see the other 2 guys along the horizon. I don't know where this surge of energy came from but, I just started running and overtook. One guy jokingly said "You bit*h" and I did kind of feel bad but, I was so close to the end and ready to be done.

As I crested the corner there were quite a few people in the village streets cheering and clapping and then as I rounded the final corner to the finish line (The finish line I had been envisioning for 3 years at this point) I felt full of emotion (The goose pimple kind) and managed to pull off a little side jump across the finish followed by a "Heck yahhhhh" (Despite my ankle being the size of a large golf ball). After  4 days of enduring, I couldn't believe it, I had finally finished Race across Scotland!!!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE NEAR AND FAR FOR THE SUPPORT. I felt the love and support tremendously. GB Ultras you put on amazing races and your photographers along the way are incredible. Photo Cred to many of them for their fantastic snap shots along the way :) 

Takeaways:
-When I have my heart set on something wholeheartedly, I have the ability to endure (No matter the physical discomfort I maybe in).
-Don't let anyone else's insecurity project onto your own beliefs of what can be accomplished.
-If you want something bad enough, you will get there (No matter how many takes or tries).
-Nutrition & hydration are everything! There is absolutely no room for laziness or, error for a race of this distance.
-There is so much to learn including how to thrive on sleep deprivation. I had a total of 6+some hours which is A LOT. I'd like to lower this in the future.
-There is so much to learn on pacing. In 2023 I ran myself into the ground. I hit my physical limit. In 2025 I was forced to slow down which meant I was 10+ hours slower. Where is the middle-ground? 
-Ultra running is such a selfish sport and yet there are so many selfless people out there. Nothing but gratitude and thanks however, I do want to learn to be more self sufficient during these races and distances so I don't have to be a burden on crew. 
-Continuing for 160+km's on a rolled ankle is SO stupid. If this was any other race I wouldn't have done that. I am so lucky I recovered well and there's no long term damage but, this isn't my usual mindset for injuries. 
-Scotland is stunning.
-Scottish black flies can fk right off!!!
-I am very much at the beginning of this long distance journey and I cannot wait for what's to come

If you made it this far, congrats ahaha. Until the next....