Saturday 7th November – Harriers Make the Trip to Killin for Glen Ogle Ultra
Six Harriers made the early morning journey to Killin for the ever-popular Glen Ogle Ultramarathon and were rewarded with a memorable day on one of Scotland’s most scenic ultra courses.
The Glen Ogle 33 Ultramarathon is a scenic 33-mile trail race based in Perthshire, following sections of National Cycle Route 7 and the historic Rob Roy Way. From the start line in Killin, the route takes runners past the spectacular Falls of Dochart before climbing into the hills above the village. From there, the course traverses the iconic Glen Ogle Viaduct and winds through some of Scotland’s finest landscapes, with checkpoints and water stations located at approximately 4, 8 and 16 miles. The course then descends towards Balquhidder, the final resting place of the legendary Rob Roy MacGregor, before continuing on to Strathyre and the Shoogly Bridge. Strathyre marks the halfway point of the race, where runners can access their drop bags. Competitors must reach and leave the checkpoint by 12:30 pm, otherwise they will be withdrawn from the event.
The return leg follows the Rob Roy Way, passing the Mhor 84 Hotel before heading back across the Glen Ogle Viaduct and through the dramatic Glen Ogle pass. The race concludes with a welcome four-mile descent back into Killin, where a well-earned finish awaits. Conditions were close to perfect, with runners weaving through forest trails beneath a magical shower of falling leaves. Stunning views over Loch Earn and Loch Voil provided a welcome distraction from the miles underfoot.
For anyone considering their first ultramarathon, Glen Ogle deserves a place high on the shortlist. Outstanding value, excellent organisation, breathtaking scenery and a relatively forgiving profile combine to make it an ideal introduction to the distance.
As expected, the first Glenparker home over the undulating course was Kev Craig, who produced an impressive run of 4:03, narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
The performance of the day, however, arguably belonged to Dave Graham. Putting his recent block of “Norwegian singles” training to excellent use, Dave delivered his finest race yet in club colours, crossing the line in a superb 5:04 and claiming the unexpected scalp of Greig Turner, who followed home ten minutes later with a fantastic pb on the course – and was delighted with this as he’s now joined the V50 age category!
A warm welcome and special mention must also go to Kris Connell, making his debut appearance in the blue and gold. Unfortunately, Kris endured a tough day after aggravating a pre-race groin injury, but showed tremendous determination to battle through and finish in 5:54, just ahead of Alan O’Rourke, who completed the course in exactly 6:00.
Rounding off the Glenpark contingent was David Duncan, enjoying a well-earned break from race photography duties to experience the event from the other side of the camera. David crossed the line in 6:20 after a thoroughly enjoyable day on the trails.
A superb day all round for the club, with excellent performances, plenty of personal successes and memories made on one of Scotland’s finest ultra-marathon routes.
Dave Graham’s Story:
Lining up at Killin Village Hall for the 8:00am start, Dave’s goal was simple: improve on last year’s time of 5:21 and, ideally, reach the finish in a slightly better state than he had twelve months earlier.
After the difficulties of the Fling, the plan was to run by feel and see how the day unfolded. He settled in alongside Alan and his friend Ronnie for the opening miles, before testing the legs on the first climb. Everything felt surprisingly comfortable and, by the time he reached the 5km mark and the summit of the opening hill, confidence was beginning to grow.
On the descent towards the first road crossing, Dave caught up with Greig and the pair ran together until the water station beyond the famous zig-zags. As Greig paused to refill supplies, Dave pressed on alone.
Reaching the halfway point at Strathyre in good shape, he took the opportunity to refuel before tackling the climb out of the village. Encouraged by how well the legs were holding up, he increased the pace on the descents and continued to make good progress.
On the return leg, he caught up with Kris, who was battling through injury issues on the trail section back towards the zig-zags. After a brief chat and a walk through some of the steeper sections, Dave pushed on once again, grinding his way up the long drag past the viaduct and towards the head of the glen.
By this stage the legs were beginning to protest, but there was enough left in the tank to attack the downhill trail after the final road crossing. The closing kilometres seemed never-ending, yet eventually the finish field came into view, with Kev and Kris cheering runners home.
Crossing the line, Dave stopped his watch at 5:04:31. It was a huge personal best, slicing more than 17 minutes from his previous best on the course and, perhaps most significantly, earning him his first-ever sub-5:05 50km performance.
- Well done to everyone competing. Photo Credit Peter Fay (Facebook)
- Thanks to Alan O’Rourke and Dave Graham for their report contributions!
