Put To Bed

That’s it official.
My adventures on the West highland Way are over for another year.
Ian & Allybea have had the BBQ so that’s it put to bed.
I don’t have any connection to the Devils so after the Fling, the Cally and the WHW race I’m done. Quite literally!!
Didn’t get out my bed ‘til gone 12 o’clock today. Partly down to an absent Subversive Runner blethering down the phone wanting a blow-by-blow account of the afternoon’s proceedings.

I arrived, eventually, after my sat-nav decided the Beatties house didn’t exist and my back up sat-navs’ DQ & CB gave me duff directions. It took the intervention of the WHW Runner himself to guide me home.
As I had been charged with delivering the remaining goblets to the BBQ my attendance was vital. Great to see all the usual suspects and actually have the time to catch up. I brought a bottle of “Pink Bubbles” as Dino and I have been dreaming about them for weeks. Corned Beef did the gentlemanly thing and popped the cork for us and toasted us in to the bargain. I said a few words of apology from the absent SR who was unable to attend due to a mixture of James Bond duties and the possibility of infecting us all with Swine flu.

Party was in full swing and general merriment making was done.
Dino and I put the world to rights, as usual.
Spent ages explaining “how does that work then?” …..400 miles isn’t really THAT far. Lots of chat about who’s running next year, who’s taking a break but will marshal, who’s taking a break from marshalling but might run and a newly formed crack backup team who are looking for a runner. Carpeted van included!!

Great to see wee baby Cairn, who aint so wee any more. I think he had been at the burgers before I arrived. Glad to see that DQ #2 had almost normal shoes on, but I’m sure there was some poly bag action going on there. Tell you what though, they were nothing compared to his missus shoes. That girl’s got class. Top girl Mrs Pacepusher.

Food was fantastic, Allybea is an angel. Supported by Jean and George, of course, proving indeed that “you can’t do it without backup”. Ian did say that George’s contract was a weeklong one and it didn’t stop when the running did he he he.
Those caramel cupcakes were blinding.

I have to say though that the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time was JK putting up his tent. Now, Sharon Laws fella had theirs up in jig time and there was one “prepared earlier” so John made a start. He seemed to be at it for a long time when Allybea came in to the kitchen announcing, “John has put his tent up INSIDE OUT, everyone come and watch him lol!”
God love him, the poor bloke must have felt like a caged animal in the zoo with people pointing and laughing and taking pictures.
Got there in the end though with a little help from Neal (DQ #2) Pacepusher.

I think Dino is on commission from the Connemara Marathon. She spent quite sometime singing it’s praises and encouraging the troops that it could be nice wee get together next year. Sounded great till she mentioned it was 4 quid a pint. Now I know I’m Scottish and all that but I’m not that much of a skinflint. I do however have a subversive runner as my other half and you know how much he loves a drop of the black stuff!! Lets just say, we’ll see Dino.

Crazy George and Ian B had a long chat about their next adventure; I think it’s their 600th ultra this year. It might as well be, bam pots the pair of them. And there was a bit of chat about the River Ayr Way, which is coming up in September.

Then before I knew it, it was time to leave. By then I didn’t want to go and I was sorely tempted to take up the offer of a spare tent. I had however another engagement to attend and had to head south to the Glasgow Toon.

So, we talk a lot about the WHW family, yesterday confirmed, if it was needed, the true extent of it. I was a little concerned about being on my own. I needn’t have worried. I was made to feel at home and wrapped in the security blanket that is the West Highland Way Race Family.

Thank you one and all.

Mrs Mac xox