The 2007 Adventure Race World Championship

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The Rough Bounds

Gary Vallance / 28.05.2007

With the transition rapidly disappearing behind them teams set off on their first trekking stage, heading in two different directions. Those that had left transition before 3am, headed east for the full route, while those that left after the cut-off headed west on the short course to maximise their chances of finishing the race, albeit now unranked.

By nine o’clock in the morning, the hills were alive with the sound of adventure racers, as nearly all the teams made their way on foot through the Rough Bounds of the Knoydart Peninsula. The early leaders were trying to maximise their advantage and were forging on, but at Mam Barrisdale pass, and nearly nine hours from their last transition, the battle for position within the top ten raged on.

The route over Knoydart

Crossing this saddle between two prominent ridgelines for many represented the theoretical halfway point in the trek. So far the teams had risen from sea level at Inverie, south east over the green southern ranges up the steady incline of Gleann Meadail, past frothing white waterfalls. Once clear of the ridgeline, those precious metres were stolen in a fraction of the time, the route plummeting over 500m back to sea level again to cross the Carnach river with the shores of Loch Nevis once again in plain view.

Back into the hills they went, climbing sharply via an early checkpoint to bag their first Munroe of the race, Sgurr na Ciche at a calf-aching 1040m. Weaving their way onwards the navigators have their work cut out picking ridgelines between the treacherous flanks of Ben Aden for another control. With the eastern checkpoints almost complete, their ordeal continued with a test of mental and physical strength, as the course dropped once again to cross the Carnach valley a second time before gaining height along the eastern arête of the distinctive pyramid peak of Luinne Bheinn at 937m.
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