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| Stob Dearg, Buachaille Etive Mor. The Glencoe Skyline Race goes straight up that face. |
Mountain: A Podcast About Adventure is a new series of podcasts by broadcaster and mountaineer Christopher Sleight, whose work will be familiar to anyone who's listened to BBC Radio Scotland's excellent Out of Doors programme.
The first podcast covers the UK's first skyrace, the Glencoe Skyline, which was held last August. A skyrace combines running with scrambling and mountaineering. The Glencoe Skyline certainly fits that description as it includes the Aonach Eagach and Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor. I cannot imagine trying to race on either of those.
The podcast covers all aspects of the race, concentrating on the winner Joe Symons but also including those who man the check points and provide sustenance for the runners (tea and bananas!). The sounds of the hills and the runners are often in the background and the podcast really captures the feel of being there. I particularly love the moment when Christopher describes suddenly seeing a sea eagle that's come to see what's happening, a touch that really brings the description of the event alive.
I really enjoyed listening to this podcast and it brought back memories of when I used to do long hill races - though never anything like the Glencoe Skyline. This is a great start to Mountain and I'm looking forward to future podcasts.
You can listen to the first episode here. And subscribe here.
A good listen and, having walked/climbed most of the route, it's hard to believe people actually run over such rocky and testing terrain. I followed the race progress on the day, each runner having a tracking device, and was amazed at their speed and agility.
ReplyDeleteDisappointingly, for me, was no mention by Christopher of the incredible Emelie Forsberg who finished 2nd overall in the race a mere eight minutes behind Joe, and catching him. I reckon she was as, or more, important as the sea eagle.
Hi Runningfox, I did get to speak to Emelie briefly after she finished, but we didn't have time for a lengthy chat. (The long interview with Joe was recorded a few weeks before the race). It was the first time we've met and she is such an incredible athlete and character I decided I'd much rather devote an entire episode to her - a brief mention in an episode about someone else wouldn't have done her justice. I'd love to record a proper interview with her for a future feature. Thanks for listening, Christopher (Mountain).
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, I take your point. Have subscribed to 'Mountain' and look forward to future episodes/epics.
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