Breaking Three
Isle of Jura Fell Race record 2022
As published in The Fellrunner #136 (Summer 2023)
Crossing the finish line in 2h58m9s (Photo: Craig Rozga)
We stood on the road outside the Jura Distillery in those timeless minutes before the start. It had been five years since I last ran this race: other plans and a pandemic curtainling my return to one of Britain’s greatest hill races. On that day in 2017 I had pieced together one of my finest race results - a new record for the 28km Isle of Jura Fell Race. At 3h05m I had taken 76 seconds off Hector Haines’ 2015 record, itself set on a day when I trailed him in second place, 12 minutes back. Prior to that the fastest person around the route had been one of Scotland’s great rough runners, Mark Rigby, who held the record for fully twenty years.
The atmosphere as we waited to start was relaxed but poised. I had been around the course a few days before for a refresher on the fastest lines; had scoped the scree slopes and the bogs, greeted the three Paps as old friends; I had visualised a fast finish along the five kilometres of tarmac from Three Arch Bridge. This road had almost been my undoing in 2017 when I cramped to a standstill a few times, begging water from passing cyclists. I wanted a bit more finesse this time.
I’m a sucker for round numbers, or dipping just under them. But others are too: there’d already been a few comments about a ‘sub - three’ attempt. Maybe it started with the sweet reward of 2h59 for the Cuillin Ridge, but I had been wondering how close to three hours the record could get on Jura. I was a stronger runner now, running hard on the long classic rounds had improved my endurance, and given me confidence.
Suddenly, seemingly without warning, we had started: not my best start. Now it was time to concentrate. I had a decent gap on the other runners fairly quickly, and focussed on efficiency and the summit split times I needed to make to be on par with my record. Across the first three summits, the Pips, they seemed fast. The long steep climb up Beinn a’ Chaloais had lost some of its trepidation for me but none of its contours. I was a minute behind record pace at the summit, and felt the fire in my belly rise as I popped a gel and pushed on. Beinn an Oir - hill of gold - is a special place, but I really went into my own zone as I clawed my way to the trig. I was up on the record. It was a pleasure to hit the racing lines fast, knowing my legs could go the distance and that I was unlikely to ‘bonk’.
Climbing Beinn a’ Chaolais, the second Pap (Photo: Ewan Thorburn)
Forcing the pace up Beinn Shiantaidh I realised that my uphill improvement was making the biggest difference to my times now. I was still running strong with one hill to go. Down the huge scree face, take a good line, then onto Cora-bheinn. It always looks a long way back to the road from here. The track is windy and quite boggy. Today it doesn’t seem super fast, but maybe fast enough. I would need to hit the road at 2h40 to have a good chance of sub-three.
Dipping under Three Arch Bridge my whole focus is on this run, I’m still able to push the pace along the flat road, feeling a different type of runner from my crampy form five years ago. The smell of the sea, concentrating on my breathing and pace. Craighouse looks distant initially - too distant - but slowly draws closer around the bends until I am running through the village. Sun’s out, hold the form, then suddenly it’s over, a 7 minute improvement on my previous best. Less than three hours of racing and yet the memories of running wild and hard in Jura’s rugged hills remain and sustain still.
