It's Only Running...

So you want to run an ultra? Glenmore is a quintessentially Scottish experience. I'm not referring to the fact that it's located in the Cairngorms National Park on the shores of Loch Morlich; nor am I talking about the ubiquitous Scottish midge which, however unwelcome, is an inevitable feature of most visits to the Highlands during the warmer months. And no, there wasn't a deep fried Mars Bar* or a macaroni pie in sight - although the goodie bag did contain a bottle of Irn Bru and a Tunnocks Caramel Wafer, which certainly gave it some Scottish specificity.  No, what I'm talking about is less tangible but is nonetheless deeply embedded in the national character, and that is the level of piss-taking and abuse to which participants will be subjected by marshals and crew. If at some point over the course of the weekend you haven't been called a fanny or a dickhead at least once, then were you even there? This isn't meant to cause offence; bear in mind that there

 'Athletes build up a memory bank of all the bad patches they have successfully navigated that they can draw on when things are difficult. Mental toughness is not just the willingness to face a challenge but also the belief that you can come out the other side. Coming through a lot of bad patches turns athletes into optimists.' ( Michael Stocks, One Track Mind: What Running 150 Miles in a Day Can Teach You About Life ). 'The "ultrarunning is ninety per cent mental" trope is [...] on my list of things that are bullshit.' ( Ally Beaven, Broken 2020: The Year Running Records Were Rewritten ). I could save us all an awful lot of time here and give you the Cliff Notes on this one: I tried to run 105 miles. It was very hot. I was exceptionally miserable and incredibly tired, so I went home. The end, But we all know I'm not going to miss an opportunity to talk about myself at length. It may, or may not bear some relevance to the actual race. I don't really &#