UKH

The five Cairngorm 4000ers - A big route for walkers, but I'm thinking it also has to be one of the best mid-sized days for hill runners.

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/the_big_routes_cairngor...

I did it in around 10hrs at steady but not strenuous walking pace the other week, and definitely felt I'd be faster on a good day. What would people think a feasible rough time for a very average runner? (who's still likely to be walking a lot of it).

I notice Finlay did it clockwise on his 2018 record run (3:53, that's really going some): http://gomountaingoats.blogspot.com/2018/08/cairngorm-4000ers-record_6.html

Having done it both directions I'm unsure which is better if you're going for a decent time (whatever that means to you).

Clockwise means you get to descend that long steep bit off Macdui, which is a bit of a killer in ascent. But then you hit the rocky ground on Cairn Toul when the legs are no longer fresh; and there's that last climb through the Chalamain Gap.

Anti-clockwise gets what I'd consider the harder hills out of the way first, and you have the long, easy Macdui-Cairngorm section to wind down on and maybe find some late pace. But on the other hand there's that horrible climb up MacD; and the descent off Cairngorm is cobble-stoney and knee-jarring right at the end too.

I wondered if folk had useful opinions on that?

Definitely anti clockwise for me. The big climb up Ben Macdui is, as you say, is a killer but taking it steady going up and then a relatively cruise on the return leg is easier than the up and down on the western side. 

I'm not much of a runner but find long sustained climbs easy to deal with going up than down, especially when tired. 

I did it in about 9 hours anti-clockwise running however this was with pretty soft snow on the plateaus which was absolutely soul destroying..! Definitely will wait for the snow to all melt next time