We did it!

Well its all over and the team have finally achieved what we set out to do. The official results are on the Highland Cross website but suffice to say we are all well chuffed to have conquered the hill at Allt Grannda, braved the yellow brick road, and battled the horrendous biking weather (torrential rain and a head wind as reported by the winning lady on "Radio Scotland" this morning!). I made my target of getting across the finish line before Mum but it was a close call, my lack of cycling expertise was nearly my downfall as she was half an hour faster than me on the bike! Thankfully the running conditions were nearly perfect and I managed a cracking time on the run that I am very proud of and managed to get me far enough ahead that she couldnt catch me :O)
The whole day was an amazing experience from beginning until end. The camaradarie along the route was brilliant with runners and walkers all supporting each other. I started slowly - knowing that it takes me a while to warm up, this left me a little further back than I maybe would have liked for the hill climb and as it was single track there was no option but to walk along with the others walking in front. However in retrospect this was probably a good thing as I kept my energy and was able to speed up over the flatter bits later on and start making my way through the field. It was lovely to see my Dad at the bridge at Athnamulloch where he captured this shot.. and I finally passed Mum about another couple of miles after that. Much to our surprise the weather held nice dry and cloudy for the whole foot section, so it was in a bouyant mood I reached the bike change over. I opted like many others not to put on a waterproof when changing into the bike gear and set off only to discover soaking wet roads and heavy rainfall one mile further down the road. After 6 miles I had determined that the best way to warm up was to finish quicker, after 12 miles I didnt dare stop as my hands had seized up to the extent I couldnt move my fingers to control the brakes or gears and was resorting to using my fists and sucking my fingers to get the feeling back, after that it was just sheer stubborness that got me to the finish line. We were all in the same boat though (no pun intended!) so support as other more experienced bikers passed the slower ones was always forthcoming, and the steadfast support from the frozen folk on the side of the road was much appreciated. Never before has a finish line been such a welcome sight as we crossed over like drowning rats in search of dry land. A truly memorable moment. Well done to everyone who finished, and a huge thanks to the support teams. I cant even describe how honoured I feel to have been a participant of such a wonderful event. So would I do it again - well... never say never!