PYLLON ENDEAVOUR 2020
Out of the Wild
The Pyllon Racing team are aiming to run the entire length of the Scottish National Trail from Cape Wrath in the North to Kirk Yetholm at the border. The un-official trail runs the length of Scotland and is one of the toughest and most varied routes in the UK - covering 870 kilometres (537 miles). We are hoping to set a winter record at 100-hours to raise awareness of the benefits of running and community to mental health and well-being.
The Challenge
Ultra running is a challenging sport. We spend hours alone trying to improve. Working hard when others don’t see it - just to know: that in that moment, that session, that race or that day, we’ve tried our very best.
If we are lucky, we have good people around us who understand. Who support us through the tough times and are there for us when moments are golden.
At Pyllon Racing we share that deep level of understanding with each other. We strive to be the best we can and we know that when get together to tackle huge challenges, amazing things can happen. Like it did when we took on our first big ‘Endeavour’ challenge at the end of 2018.
Why?
We want to re-connect with the people that supported our last event and inspire others to start their own ultra journey. We want to use this challenge to have open and public conversations about mental wellbeing and demonstrate how running has become our way of managing the stresses of everyday life - with the potential to help many others.
January can be a very difficult time of year for many people in Scotland. Depression levels can peak after the Christmas holidays and many suffer without ever asking for help. So we will again be running to support our local mental health and wellbeing charity SAMH. They do incredibly important work, and we hope to raise awareness of what they do, the support that is available to people who are struggling with their own mental health and raise vital funds for them to continue their work. To donate please have a look at our fundraising page.
When and Where?
We will start on the morning of the 23rd January from Scotland's, remote and rugged Cape Wrath, and finish in Kirk Yetholm (at the border with England).
It is one of Britain's toughest and most varied routes, and this has never been attempted before in the depths of winter. Much of the Scottish National Trail is a combination of shorter well established hiking routes, such as: St Cuthbert’s Way, the Southern Upland Way, the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, the West Highland Way and the Rob Roy Way. Other parts - including sections through central Perthshire, the Cairngorms and the Northwest Highlands - are a much more serious under-taking, with neither way-marking nor a continuous path.
The Cape Wrath Trail in particular, also has a number of potentially hazardous river crossings. We will be starting with the most challenging few hundred miles of the whole course and hope that the terrain at least will lighten the load as we head southwards. DETAILS OF THE PLAN AND LIVE TRACKING.
Who is running?
There will be just 9 runners and the relay will run continuously from North to South. We are aiming to complete within 100 hours - but we will be at the mercy of the weather and conditions. If you want to follow you favourite runner either out on the course or on the live tracker we’ll post full information here before we start.
How you can help
We have some very clear aims for the event and we need your help if we are going to succeed! Here’s how you can get involved:
TALK: It’s not always obvious when people are struggling or suffering mental health problems - so ask, and listen. Create safe spaces for people to share.
FOLLOW: The event will be live on the website and across social media. We’ll be carrying a GPS tracker, so you’ll be able to follow our progress across all the days we are heading South.
SUPPORT: If you were able to get out onto the course to support us we’d love to see you. We need all the help and support we can get! - foot rubs, hot tea, more food, somewhere to shower or sleep and plenty of sympathy. We also accept home-baking (although make it vegan!).
SHARE: Not everyone will be able to get out onto the course, so if you do want to support us please share our messages, leave comments and likes on social media and let others know more about why we are doing this challenge.
DONATE: SAMH are our charity partner again and we are hoping to help them continue the great work they do by raising funds for them - awareness of mental health saves lives. So if you can spare any money, we know it will be used wisely, and it will make a difference.
North to South
The Scottish National Trail
Out of the Wild
This is a huge under-taking. The route is rarely hiked in summer, never-mind run in winter, due to weather conditions, limited light, tricky navigation, the exposure and risk.
The sport has done so much for each of us, so tackling this incredible challenge as a team, is our way of celebrating the challenges we face individually every day. We have already received many offers of support from our amazing running community and whatever the outcome of this challenge, we know that we will have created a more positive space for us all and we will each go on to tackle our own personal endeavours.
Thanks for reading.
Huge thanks to:
