With all the uncertainty brought on by continued lockdowns and the call of adventure becoming louder by the day, we were super-excited to hear about Jo’s bold, personal challenge which she has been working on for some time. Jo is no stranger to the mountains and is no slouch off-trail, especially when it comes to letting loose on descents! So here’s what’s involved in this record attempt this weekend. Huge thanks to Jo for answering our questions :)
What is the challenge?
On Saturday 12th June I'm aiming to run 24 Munros in 24h (and a Munro Top - a declassified / ex-Munro). To anyone not familiar with Scottish hills, Munros are the tallest mountains in Scotland, over 3000ft (914m), with some vague rules about prominence, and if Hugh Munro liked them.
If successful, this may be an (unofficial) women's record. If unsuccessful, it is still a HUGE day (and-a-bit) out! I've planned a route in the Cairngorms, going from Lochnagar, the White Mounth, Glenshee, across to Linn of Dee, and then up into the Lairg Ghru. The whole thing is about 130k, with 7000m elevation gain. And bogs. Did I mention bogs?
Has anyone done this before?
Nope! Sasha Cheplin set a blistering record of 32 munros for the boys last autumn. But he had his mates chumming him the whole way round, doing all his nav, carrying everything, and making sure he ate. My route is loosely based on Sasha's, although in the opposite direction. And I'll pretty much be on my own except for the last section. As far as I can tell (unofficially, from the Internet-source-of-all-truth) nobody has ever tried this for the girls, meaning that the ladies 24h record may stand at 23 (Ramsay's Round). That being said, and because it’s not a real "thing", I've made up my own rules. My 24h clock is going to run from summit to summit, since I have a long hike in, and even longer hike out after.
Why this Challenge?
Everyone is getting FKT'd just now. I wanted to do something that would really challenge me, make my stamp on 2021, and push me way past where I'm comfortable. But with all the super-humans around just now, anything that I could achieve on "insert-long-distance-trail-here" FKT attempt would pale into insignificance, because I'm just not fast enough. So I needed to come up with a route and a challenge that nobody else has done before. To be compared to my own goal and not anybody else’s.
I love to be in the mountains. The feeling of insignificance, and also of huge strength when you climb to the top of something big. You can see that the world is so vast and you are so small. It is very reassuring to know that nothing really matters and that we are so so very temporary. I love to climb, and seek out that burn in my legs. Even more, I love to fly down the other side! So, when on a lunch break run with Sasha Cheplin's brother (a colleague) the seed was planted, I had no hope!
Was planning the adventure an important part of the project?
Very much so. I had a bash at a Ramsay Round last year. Had a great day out, but didn't finish it. There were a lot of reasons why, and I learnt a lot, but ultimately, I think I just let myself underachieve. My head wasn't in the right place. This time round the stakes feel higher because it is more personal. It is mine. Not Ramsay's. Not some arbitrary goal set by a man I've never met, but a challenge imagined and planned entirely by me. For me.
Have you spent much time on the route?
Still snow on the route in May!
I know my way round the Cairngorms, but certainly not in the odd and direct lines I'm planning to take to join everything up. The route was planned on paper in the height of winter lockdown (many wonderful evenings spent cross-referencing all the coffee table Munro books and maps; Maps are my absolute guilty pleasure. I can get lost in them for hours).
Then as we moved into April, I took advantage of the increasing freedom and had some incredible weekends familiarising myself will all the lumps and bogs. It was wonderful to come bursting out of lockdown in Midlothian to such a feast of mountains. I envy anyone who has this on their doorstep. I have the Pentlands here and I do love them. They are my sanctuary, but there is nothing new there for me.
What’s your goal?
A: 24 Munros in 24h
B: To get to the end and know I turned over every stone
C: To live an entire life in a single day, and get to know myself a little better
Maybe those are in the wrong order........
What’s the one thing about the project that wakes you up at night?
I'm worried about arriving at Linn of Dee carpark at 85k-ish and 4-5pm, and then having to force myself back out for another marathon, and 5 more Munros including some of the tallest hills in the UK. If there is ever a moment that the voices will try to make me bail it’s here. I’ve asked Paul to help me to focus on my motivation precisely to help me through times like these, so I have more to draw on.
But mostly, I'm excited. I'm going to have an incredible time. Yeah, there will be low points. You can't be on the go for this long without them. But they are part of the package. I need to embrace the lows, deal with them, and leave them behind on the hill. Over the next horizon will be another adventure, another memory, another breathtaking view.
When will you start and where are you hoping to finish?
I’m leaving Loch Muick carpark around 8pm on Friday night. I should reach the first summit Lochnagar (so clock starts) around 11pm. Last summit (Devil's Point) hopefully by 11pm on Saturday, back down into Linn of Dee car park, and back to my mum's in Banchory in time for breakfast on Sunday!
