This was always a bad idea from the very beginning… when Breaking Strain (organisers of Run The Blades) announced they were putting on a race on the Borders Abbeys Way I signed up almost immediately. As the only one of Scotland’s Great Trails to pass through my home town of Selkirk, it had been on my to-do list for some time. In fact Julie and I had made an abortive attempt at it last summer, so this was a chance to come back and finish it. The route is an approximately 109k/68mi loop, passing the four major Borders Abbeys of Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso and Jedburgh, as well as the towns of Hawick and Selkirk – there is no defined start/finish point, and the race would start in Melrose. It’s mostly on trails, with a few short road sections, and is moderately hilly, with around 6000ft of elevation gain. Never mind the fact that I would have run Pig on the Hill Backyard Ultra 2024 only 3 weeks before or that I hadn’t done anything like the training that is really required to make a good attempt at a 100k race. 🙈 Anyway, with Julie’s Race Across Scotland in between, I had a week of recovery, a moderate 30 mile week to convince myself everything was going to be OK (or at least OK enough I should run!), and a week to taper for the race. No major issues after Pig on the Hill fortunately, so on Friday night I headed down to Selkirk with a bag full of race kit to stay at my parents’ house the night before the race. Julie had (we thought) some of the kids activities to manage during the day on Saturday, so we planned for her to come down and see me in Selkirk (the final major checkpoint) and at the finish. For the first 58 miles of the race I planned to be self-sufficient.
Up at 4am for a quick breakfast before heading over to Melrose to register at 5am (thanks Dad for the early morning lift 🙏). Race number and tracker collected and plenty of time to have a last cup of tea before the 6am start. Was nice to see some familiar faces including Ryan Small (who ran The Ochil 100 with me last year), and Kristian Dela Cour from GB Ultras (who I had largely managed to miss during RAS as he was mainly volunteering at CPs behind us on the route). Last minute start line photo and we headed off into a cool morning, perfect for running!
Melrose – Kelso (17 miles)
Having run this section last year with Julie I knew that after the first half mile through the streets of Melrose, there is a narrow path section with gates which could become a bottleneck. I went out near the front, just behind a leading group of 4 or 5 people and made it through without any holdups. My local knowledge came in handy as they nearly missed the turn onto the path directly after Melrose Abbey 😆 I settled into what I though would be a decent pace, aiming to average about 9 minutes per mile for the whole section. I was working to a schedule that came in at 12 hours 45 minutes for the whole course – conveniently just under the current FKT, but also quite similar to the pace I completed the St. Cuthbert’s Way 100k race a few years ago. Although it is shorter that the Borders Abbeys Way, it also has more climbing, so seemed like a reasonable benchmark.
Beyond the village of Newstead is the first small climb up a farm track to join the old road to Newtown St. Boswells. I stopped to faff a bit with my shoes (more on that later) and yoyo-ed a bit with several runners as I was walking the hills, and then catching people on the downs. As well as the 24 runners doing the full course, there were also 2 relay teams and nearly 100 runners doing a 50k version, so it was not surprising that many were starting a bit faster than I wanted to go.
The run down through Newtown St. Boswells was easy and I settled in to a good pace and before long we were through the first little trail section by the river and crossing the Tweed on the chain bridge at Dryburgh. The first water station was just outside the Abbey, and I downed a cup of water and headed off again, about 1 minute up on my planned schedule. So far, so good!
The next section is mainly good grassy trail alongside the river, with a few short road sections mixed in for good measure. There will still plenty of runners around, and the sun had come up but there was still plenty of cloud around so not too warm. Somewhere around 10 miles in, I started to feel a bit of fatigue, mainly in my quads. Guess I hadn’t recovered quite as well as I thought… it was going to be a long day! I was still eating and drinking well and otherwise feeling good. The last mile up to the next water station at Manorhill farm is along a long straight track with dense hedges and walls either side. Unfortunately, there were also some flooded sections – ankle deep, far too long to jump, fully across the track with no option to skirt around – so there was no avoiding getting wet feet 🤷♂️ Once again, a quick drink at the checkpoint and push on. Now about 3 minutes up on my schedule – still going to plan. I was carrying 2L of KMC ISO Mix in my pack, but since I was aiming to be self-sufficient for nearly 60 miles, I was making sure to make full use of the water stations and checkpoints.
The next 6 miles towards Kelso starts on quiet country roads before making a short cross-country detour through some fields before reaching the race course on the outskirts of Kelso. I could still occasionally see a few runners behind or ahead of me, but the race felt surprisingly strung out already. I arrived at the first major checkpoint and aid station at Kelso Ice Rink in good shape, nearly 10 minutes up on my schedule, which was perfect as I made a loo stop and picked up some food to munch as I headed off through the town. Already, my stomach wasn’t too keen on accepting solid food, but I managed to down some watermelon, a sandwich and some flapjack, and took a bag of Haribo with me to eat on the next section.
Kelso – Jedburgh (15 miles)
Down through Kelso town centre I was now past the point where Julie and I had stopped last year, so I was into new territory. After passing the Abbey (third one of the day!) and crossing the Tweed on the road bridge, a short section of pavement lead past the Border Union showground (which appeared to have some kind of dog show ongoing) and over a second bridge across the River Teviot. Here the path left the road and for a couple of miles skirted along the bank of the river. Fortunately, the long grass appeared to have been recently strimmed to create a runnable strip, but underfoot it was uneven and slippery, and in places the river was so high it lapped over onto the path. It was tough going and my pace slowed a bit but it was fortunately only a couple of miles until reaching the village of Roxburgh and a brief respite on the road. After passing under the dramatic Roxburgh viaduct, we were treated to more riverside path! Only a mile of it this time but I was developing a bad attitude to the terrain… and looking forward to getting on to the old railway path.
Finally I arrived at a short set of steps up on to the nice flat gravel bed of the old railway, and could look forward to 3 easy miles towards Nisbet and the next water station… or so I thought. Perhaps because of the relatively fast first 20 miles, or the last 5 miles of nasty river path, or more likely a combination of both, I just couldn’t get my legs moving and was starting to drop behind my planned pacing.
From the water station I knew I had about 5 miles to go until Jedburgh. Crossing the river, the route cuts across some fields and I started taking walk breaks on what was flat, runnable terrain and for the first time in the race, people were starting to catch and pass me. The wheels were coming off both physically (although in hindsight I was only a minute or so per mile slower than planned), and mentally. Crossing the main road at Mounthooly, the route briefly joins the old Roman road Dere Street (also part of St. Cuthbert’s Way) and made a short climb. Here I phoned Julie to have a good old moan and for the first time vocalised the thoughts that had been going round in my head for the last half an hour that I might quit. She of course was having none of it, and gave me a well needed dose of tough love – exactly what I needed. It didn’t make running any easier, but I was now committed to finishing and there was only a few miles to go to the next checkpoint at Jedburgh. I didn’t have any headphones with me, but I put running playlist on my phone and turned the rest of the day into a mobile disco!
On the way in to Jedburgh I had a chat with Ryan (having foot troubles) and Tommy Yeomans from Selkirk, and ground out a bit of a run to a soundtrack of Meat Loaf and Weird Al Yankovic. The last half mile in to the town was along a stretch of road which I had run once before (in the other direction) during my first ever Half Marathon in 2016! Once in the town, the route follows a footpath along the banks of the river which was only a mile long but seemed much longer. Eventually I reached Jedburgh Abbey (the fourth and final Abbey of the route) and a short stretch of street to to Jedburgh town hall and the checkpoint!
This was the most well-supplied of all the checkpoints, and I took the time to have a bit of a refuel and settle myself down for the next (more than) half of the race. I hadn’t felt much like eating while on the move but now I was stationary I managed some coke, banana, watermelon and a very welcome cup of tea. I had meant to neck some paracetamol too but forgot! Several other runners were also taking a break at the checkpoint, including Kristian who had been running near the front for most of the way, and Ryan, who was attempting (unsuccessfully) to patch up his blistered feet with electrical tape. In total I was there only 10 minutes but that was enough to reset and get ready for the next section, which I was looking forward to as there was finally going to be some proper climbs and I could use my hiking legs!
Jedburgh – Hawick (13 miles)
Straight out of the checkpoint, the route goes up past the Jedburgh Castle Jail and then a couple of miles of farm tracks and field paths, largely up-hill. I remembered mid-way up to take the paracetamol – whether it made any difference or not I don’t know – but as I had expected it was nice just to get stuck into some good big climbs. It was also the half way point of the route, which was a good morale boost.
For most of the next section I yoyo-ed with Kristian, catching and passing him on the climbs and being caught again on the more runnable sections. After topping out, there was an enjoyable run down through bracken and woodland towards Bedrule, before another short climb over and down again via some very muddy farm tracks to the village of Denholm, where they was a mid-section water station. On the edge of the village I had the nice surprise of seeing my aunt Sheila (and dog Zak) who had come out to support me. To reach the checkpoint required running round three sides of the village square, and the official Borders Abbey Way straight-lined the other side. At least one runner seemed to have missed it entirely!
The water station was actually indoors at the village hall, and although tea and coffee were on offer I just filled up with water. To start with I had a soft flask of KMC gel, but now I had finished that, I washed it out and refilled it with water to supplement the KMC NRG I had made up in the bladder in my pack. Kristian stopped here for a bit longer than I did to have a cup of tea, and that was the last I saw of him (he eventually finished about 90 minutes behind me).
Leaving Denholm, the next couple of miles were on road as a section of the Borders Abbey Way was closed. I reached a bit of a compromise with my legs here – they agreed they would run without too much complaint, as long as I didn’t expect them to run too fast. I even managed a sub-10-minute mile – the first one for more than 20 miles! Leaving the road near Hassendeanburn, there were only a few miles of riverside path standing between me and the next major checkpoint at Hawick. Julie had driven down from home and would also be meeting me here, so that was something to look forward to. The path was much better than the one after Kelso, more dirt and roots than grassy and tussocky. I kept up a decent pace and soon picked up the road on the outskirts of Hawick. The checkpoint was supposed to be at the rugby club but there were several buildings and I couldn’t see anything that looked like a checkpoint! By the time I ran into Julie I was pretty much at Hawick swimming pool and concluded that I had missed the checkpoint entirely. She had brought some goodies including a bottle of IRN-BRU and to be honest it was just good to see her 😍 At this point I wasn’t particularly in “race mode” but she told me there were a couple of people not far in front – so I had someone to chase! I left her with instructions to find the checkpoint, tell them I was OK, and apologise for not checking in.
Hawick – Selkirk (13 miles)
Leaving Hawick, I knew that the next section had two big climbs. The first one was mainly on roads and I got a good stride in and caught up with one of the runners who was being met by his crew after also missing the checkpoint! After a brief rain shower on the way out of Hawick, it had turned into a warm afternoon, and I was still enjoying the mobile disco. John Denver’s “Take me home, country roads” (dance version) was particulary appropriate as I was now headed towards Selkirk!
I enjoyed the climb, but what I had hoped would be a nice run down into Ashkirk was actually more of an undulating trail and after being within a few minutes of my planned schedule at the water station near the top of Drinkstone Hill, I was losing time on the descent. My hiking pace was still good, my running pace not so much! After reaching the next water station at Salenside, it wasn’t far to the next big climb up the Wollrig to the highest point of the whole route. I was still moving well, particularly when hiking, but I was struggling to eat anything. I chewed on some Haribo, just trying to get a few more calories in but just before the top of the hill my stomach gave up and I puked the entire contents of my guts into a ditch! Tommy passed me at this point and looked a bit worried. As usual, I felt a bit better after a good spew. Over the next few miles I managed to get a bit more KMC drink and a few gels down, keeping myself hydrated and avoiding bonking through lack of calories.
There was a water station at the top of the hill, and a couple of walkers timed it perfectly to hold the gate open for me as I turned in to the Hartwoodmyres plantation. Only 4.5 miles to go to Selkirk where I knew I would see the whole family, a couple of miles of runnable downhill forest trail before some cross-country and then I would be back on familiar territory again. One of my shoes was starting to rub a bit as the insole was slipping up my heel, so I messaged Julie to have a change ready for me. It wasn’t long before sighting the Haining Loch and passing the ruined Doocot, out down the Haining Drive and onto the streets of Selkirk. It was great to see everyone as I walked up the steep slope of West Port and Lang Dykes to the checkpoint.
I must only have been at the checkpoint a few minutes, as my well-drilled “pit crew” sorted me out with a change of socks and shoes (a second pair of Salomon Sense Ride 5), and most importantly filled up my soft flask with IRN-BRU! My stomach was still not great, but I managed a cup of tea and a few haribo before setting off again for the final push to the finish.
Selkirk – Melrose (10 miles)
I was looking forward to the last section, partly because it was only 10 miles to go but I was also back on familiar terrain having run here many times when we lived in (and later when visiting) Selkirk. My feet also felt great in the new shoes. After leaving the car park containing the checkpoint, there is an immediate climb for about half a mile up and out of the town. My dad was waiting with his camera at the ready on the Kirk Wynd, and fortunately I made it past him before puking again – so much for that cup of tea! Heading on up The Loan, I was met by some friends who had come out to cheer me on which was a nice boost and took my mind off my digestive issues.
Once out of the town, there was an enjoyable few miles alongside the golf course and across farmland and I was making good progress again. I spotted one person maybe half a mile ahead at one point but apart from that never saw anyone other runners until the finish. A short stretch of road leads out onto open hillside near “Half Crown Corner” and before long the view down towards Melrose, the Eildon Hills and the Tweed stretched out in front of me and I knew the last major climb of the route was over.
After passing Cauldshiels loch, I reached the final water station. I think I took a little bit more liquid on board here just to see me to the end (the IRN-BRU was long since finished), and took my last remaining gel. Less than 5 miles to the finish! About the first half of that is on mostly downhill country roads, before getting back on to paths along side the River Tweed at Abbotsford. I could definitely “smell the barn” now and I ran the last few miles without any walk breaks. I wanted to push a bit to make sure I finished in under 13:30 but at the same time I realised I was dangerously close to bonking from lack of calories and was treading a bit of a tightrope! I couldn’t tolerate any solid food, and had already finished all of my liquid calories and gels. Fortunately, I managed to keep it together (just) and after what felt like a long couple of miles, reached the final turn off the river path and up to the finish line at Melrose Parish Church.
After 13 hours and 19 minutes of running, I accepted my finishers medal and a nice memento for 3rd male (5th overall). It was great to celebrate with Julie and the kids there, but in truth I was just glad to be finished, sit down and not move! Even after getting changed into some warm layers and gradually starting to get some food back into me, I started shaking uncontrollably… I guess I was closer to running on empty than I had thought. Fortunately Julie was there to drive me home, and after a couple of hours in the car I had managed to eat a bit and felt much better.
It’s been over two years since I last ran a 100k. It’s definitely a difficult distance to get right and I’m not sure I’ve got it figured out yet. Here’s some thoughts (in no particular order) and things I can learn from in future:
- Shoes – normally I try to run the whole race in a single pair of shoes, basically “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”, but changing into a fresh pair for the last 10 miles felt great. I’d do it again, and with a good crew it doesn’t even take much time!
- Calories – this was a bit of a disaster. I had a reasonable amount of solid food, but due to (I assume) the pace/level of effort, and later in the day the heat, I couldn’t really eat much of it. I hadn’t packed enough gels and KMC NRG to make up for it and arrived at the finish “running on fumes”. Definitely an area for improvement! In hindsight, I could have done with double the number of gels and taken some more KMC to make up at one of the midway checkpoints.
- Pacing – this felt much worse than it actually was! My splits for the four quarters of the race (by distance) were: 2h40, 3h23, 3h36, 3h41 but the vast majority of the climbing is in the second half of the race. Like a bit of a noob, I just went out too fast for my current level of fitness/training/recovery and suffered during the second quarter of the race. On the plus side, my hiking pace in the second half of the race was great, even faster than I had planned.
- Crew – Not seeing any crew until 45 miles wasn’t an insurmountable challenge although seeing Julie during the second half of the race was a big boost. I should probably have either taken more supplies for the first half, or maybe sent a drop-bag to the Kelso checkpoint.
- Music – just like at Pig on the Hill I used my tunes to get me moving when I was in a low spell, and it worked. Maybe just remember to take some headphones next time, so as not to annoy the other competitors 🤣
Overall, this was a great fun day out and I’m really glad to have finally knocked off the Borders Abbeys Way. It was always going to be a tall order to produce a great race effort only 3 weeks after Pig on the Hill. I definitely was under-prepared both physically and in terms of planning, and it showed! This is another race I can happily recommend to anyone, even the 50k or relay option if you don’t fancy the full 109k. I don’t think I’ll be back in a hurry, but that’s no reflection on the race, the route, or the organisers, it’s just because I’ve ticked this particular box and have plenty of races planned for 2025 already 😬