On the weekend of 8th and 9th of June I took part in the Cateran Yomp.
The Cateran Yomp (a military term for a long-distance march) is the biggest, toughest event of its kind.
It takes place on the 8/9 June in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.
Teams of 3-6 people battle through 54 miles (gold) in 24 hours across the rugged terrain of the Scottish wilderness.
You can also sign up for the silver or bronze distances (36 and 22 miles respectively).
They Yomp is organised and run by the ABF charity.
The ABF give a lifetime of support to soldiers and veterans from the British Army, and their immediate families, when they are in need. We make grants to individuals through their Regiments and Corps and support a wide range of specialist charities that sustain the British Army ‘family’, both at home and around the world.
We take pride in being responsive, making a difference at a critical point in people’s lives. We have been doing this since 1944, working with veterans of every conflict, and we envisage continuing doing so for the ‘long haul’ – supporting all future generations of our soldiers and their dependants.
This is my second time taking on this challenge. I completed the Gold route in 2018 in a time of 24:58:00. So I failed the challenge on the first attempt as you have 24 hours to complete it.
I went into this years challenge better prepared. In the 4 weeks running up to it I covered circa 75kms and bagged 3 Munros. I also planned my food better and it all paid off. I finished the gold route in a time of 21:44:02
In 2018 the last 4 miles, which are straight after the last water stop, totally destroyed me. I really struggled both physically and mentally so this year I went to make amends.
As we left the last water stop and after already covering 50 miles (80 Kms) I decided to jog / run the final part.
My legs were tired, my feet swollen and blistered but I had to put that to one side and switch on.
Once I had been jogging for the first mile my legs loosened off and my stride lengthened. It now became fun and we pushed forward to get the best time possible.
I’m proud to have performed better than I thought I was going to and having been able to take ownership of the part that challenged me most last year.
It was a great day all round the support teams were great. All the volunteers working the water stops and check points looked after us well.
Julie brought our boys and made a day of it.
Post-event recovery has also been much quicker than last year.
I rested on Sunday the 9th went for a 6-mile walk on Monday and was back to light training on Tuesday the 11th.
Now onto next year. My teams registered and we are aiming for a sub 18 hours which will mean a lot more running, a challenge that I am up for
Until the next time, “Strength For Life”
Davie McConnachie
Davie McConnachie is Scotland’s leading health and wellness coach, multi-award-winning gym owner, motivational speaker and the founder of DMC Fitness, a fitness education facility known as the premier choice for 1-2-1 personal training. He has inspired thousands of people to fall in love with fitness – his true purpose and mission in life.
Diving into the world of fitness and wellness has helped Davie to deal with his own trauma and inner demons. He, overcame many dark times using his own unique methods to continue his cycle of healing.