We are home!
Cairngorm100
Probably the toughest 100mile endurance riding race in the country, certainly in the conditions we all faced that day! One comment from an endurance rider called it “borderline lunacy! But the most magnificent madness ever!”
Wow what a ride my epic horse gave me.
Although we didn’t go the whole distance I am bursting with pride and he gave it his all.
A 4am start in the dark and rain, I’d worried a lot about starting in a group as he can get very excited but he kept his cool and tackled the first huge climb with ease as daylight broke.
We then kept good pace with our fantastic ride partners Katy Parvin and Aziel and made good time to the first short vetgate at Lochnagar Distillery where Rebecca Crump was waiting for us bright and early. Vetted well and refuelled.
Set off again towards Invercauld and ended up with the other 6 riders, Cody took the lead for a short distance and was absolutely loving leading everyone at a canter for a stretch, he was in his element and felt amazing, his happy place up front but with a long way to go we settled back a bit with Katy and Aziel again and into vetgate 2 for a longer rest and refuel. Vetted quickly and well again and we were very spoilt by many good friends, every need catered for! Claire Alldritt and Isla Innes were on it with the corral, Fraser Mackay with the cups of tea! Also Jackie Harris and Quiche George with much moral support.
The next loop was around Mar lodge estate and Carn na Moine ( nicknamed the top of the world) this loop was tough, the tracks are hard and the weather turned on us. We caught two other riders, Linda and Nicky. ( Slightly in awe of riding alongside Linda and her horse Ditto who is a fellow Appy cross and I’m a bit of a fan! Starstuck! Cody not so much, he was rude and pulled a face, fecking quirky Appaloosas!) however the horses were all going very well with each other and taking it in turns to lead.
Vetgate 3 with Rebecca was ready with the bananas (Cody’s fave treat!) and water for both of us. It was also a lovely surprise to see Alison Campbell there and a big boost to know people had traveled from far to support all the riders. The weather had taken its toll and I was feeling sick but plain water and a bit of food seemed to do the trick. another quick 15 min hold and all horses vetted well but it was cold and wet.
Nicky then told us we were in for a real treat with the views from the top of the world when we reached the top…. Little did she know it was actually to be the most brutal part of the ride with almost zero visibility! She did find me later to apologise and prove she wasn’t mad with photographic evidence of the view on a good day. We had another lovely canter up the forestry and then in was out onto the exposed hilltops where the mist descended and the rain stung our faces with the force of the wind, Katy was still smiling and looking as fresh a daisy though! The horses pushed on but it was tough and slow going eventually after what felt like forever we headed down off the hill into a more sheltered glen and began to pick up the pace again. Cody then got quite strong for a section as we retraced our steps back to the vetgate, he knew we were headed back and keeping him sensible was tough but great to know he still had plenty of energy, possibly too much...
Back into vetgate 4 and all three came in looking strong. We vetted quick and Rebecca kept him along side Aziel while they waited to vet. I headed back to the trailer as by now I was ready to eat something proper and get a hot cup of tea and dry clothes. While we waited we were gutted to hear Aziel and Ditto had both vetted out slightly lame. The previous loop had been very uneven and stony.
I then had a good debate with crew and myself over what to do. We still had a good 50 miles and we’d be alone. After a rest and a refuel we decided to give it a try.
He was a little concerned his pals weren’t heading out with him but crew walked with us and Claire ran ahead with Ivy the support dog and that gave him the wee boost he needed and he picked up and trotted on alone. He kept a good pace and thankfully wasn’t so strong. The track then takes you back uphill and out onto another long exposed section of remote moorland, eventually he slowed and wanted to walk, without company it was tough on both of us. He was walking out well and snacking at grass along the way so we just tootled and enjoyed the views, a rainbow appeared and I like to think it was a sign from Mum to say she was there and proud. I decided not to push him on as he was walking out well and happy enough. The wind was still relentless and it really zaps the energy right out of both horse and rider. On the descent to the remote vetgate I ran alongside him and he was happy enough to trot along with me to all the friendly faces at the bottom. We vetted straight away at 5.23pm with an A for gait and good metabolics. I’d already decided we’d call it a day at vetgate 5 ( 68.5 miles, 110km ) on the walk down. He’d done me proud and I wasn’t going push him on another 30 something miles, most of which would be in the dark with possibly more rain and wind. We had great support at the vetgate from the friendly band of helpers and they kindly took his tack in the cars and we rugged him up and had a very pleasant 3 mile walk out to the rescue trailer, where they kindly took us to Tomintoul to meet our crew. We gave him a short break and then packed up and headed to Nethy Bridge to the finish.
Hazel M McCorkindale and Sheila Ogilvie had made Cody a corral next to his bestest pal Rosco and he was delighted to see him and settled straight into his buffet of food.
We then sat up tho watch the 50 milers all come in looking fabulous and later on the one remaining 100 mile rider Francisca Bakker finish in the dark, huge respect and huge cheers for all the riders finishing or not on what was an incredibly tough day weather wise!
What really stood out was the team work and support from every single person at the ride, fellow riders, crews, other crews and all the fantastic helpers. The atmosphere was so exciting and encouraging and everyone really wanted everyone to do well and succeed. All the support online too made all the diffence I’m sure to everyone taking part . I know the horses feel it too!
The vets were above and beyond, I’ve met Alice and Graham before at rides and they are certainly some of the best in my opinion.
I’m sorry if I’ve missed anyone who helped on the day personally but I’m a little tired today!
Memories to last a lifetime with an amazingly supportive partner racing around the country with everything but the kitchen sink on board, amazing friends/family at the event and on the phone checking in all day and Cody my horse in a million who gave me 100% all day, when he really goes it feels like we are flying.
No comments:
Post a Comment