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?
Post edited at 10:02