Jura fell race

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 superturbo 16 May 2023

In ten days time, I’m running my first Jura fell race. I’m arriving on the island a few days in advance with a plan to recce some of the route. I’d welcome any tips from past competitors, such as specific paps to scope out, descents to watch out for, and general race strategies. I have a copy of the Harvey map which has some useful pointers, but keen to hear from experienced runners.

I’m planning on hiking some of the route in reverse (an out and back) on the Thursday, which would allow a recce of Corra Bheinn, Beinn Shiadtaidh, and Beinn an Oir. Welcome views on whether this is smart - can some of these descents be safely climbed (anticipating mountains of scree etc)

Specifically interested to find out;

- Do runners actually change into road shoes for the final three miles?

- How obvious is the descent off the final checkpoint (Corra Bheinn) – from looking at the route it seems you want to double back on yourself. Is this the reality

- Wary of the descent off Shiantaidh. Any pointers for this would be appreciated

Thanks in advance!

 greg_may_ 16 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

Ahh Jura, one of the finest. Raced it twice, an the route 4 times total over the years.

I'd not bother doing a reccy of the "Pipps" before the Paps. Walk in from the bridge at the road, via the lake (t-Siob) and the hunters hides. Then walk/run the Paps.

Descent of Shiantaidh is fun. There is the line most will take, and a line that takes you down to the bowling green to get off - for this you effectively run at 145' from your approach to the control, then do a hard LH turn and drop down three scree runs, each going progressively rightwards until you pick up the trod. It's significantly faster.  I can dig out map and find actual bearings if you really need them! 

Descent of Corra Bheinn - just follow the ridge SE towards Alt na Corran then towards the bridge, it's pretty straightforward. If its been wet...have 'fun' its a bog. 

As for the road...I've not bothered with road shoes. But I'm not bothering the front of the pack. However, I have dropped a bottle here the morning before when it was due to be HOT. 

Frankly, if you are reccying, you want to find the spring after the first Papp - this is the most key part of the race if it's a hot day. Pretty much the only water until you cross a burn later on after Corra Bheinn.

If you've got the time - go visit Corryvrecken. You'll need a bike, unless you fancy a long run

Enjoy the race, it's excellent, as is the after party.  

 DaveHK 17 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

I'm going, fifth time I think and in the worst shape of all of them!

To answer your questions...

I've never changed shoes, the only folk I know who do are speedy road runners. As far as I know Finlay doesn't bother.

I've never had a problem coming off Corra Bheinn and don't remember any mystery.

The two options coming off Shiantaidh are to continue over the top then head SW ish down a vague rocky depression or to double back on the ascent to pick up a grassy ramp and small trods that cut across the slope. The former is easy to find, the latter is probably quicker but it's much harder to hit right and a nightmare if you get it wrong. If you intend to take this route then recce that, the ramps can be seen well from the fast rib if that's how you're travelling and also from various points on the road.

Oh and fill up bottles at every opportunity.

 GraB 17 May 2023
In reply to DaveHK:

I'm also going and also not very well trained for it. I'm going to be pulling all the tricks out of the box this year...I think this is number 7 for me.

Corra Bhein - there's not much to it really. There are a couple of options coming off the top, but they both head in the same general direction and converge quite quickly. Then its just a case of following your nose straight to the river crossing - watch out for cramping here as you climb down the bank to wade across.

As Dave says, there are two options for the descent of Shiantaidh. Most times I've just gone over the top and down the scree runs. Pick a descent line on runnable scree and follow it until it turns into nasty blocky stuff, then cross left over the nasty stuff to pick another runnable scree line. Continue until you hit the grassy traverse track. I've also taken the other option twice. Once I totally screwed it up and the other time I got it right, but was shown the way by somebody who knew it well. I don't know what I'll be doing this year!

Another bit I'd suggest being aware of - a recce is probably not necessary - and you'll only need this if the weather / vis is down, is the line off the first "pip", Dubh Bheinn. From the checkpoint you need to almost double back on yourself and head east for a hundred or so metres and then start gently heading more north-east. This catches quite a few people out, I think.

Look out for the spring towards the bottom of the descent of  Beinn an Oir. Its not at all obvious and I've only ever found it once. You'll not see it until you're right on top of it, so the best giveaway will be seeing the odd person reaching down with a bottle in their hand. In fact this alone might be worth a recce as its the best water source anywhere in the Paps  ie. after Glen Astaille.

I usually take a pair of shoes up to 3 arch bridge to change into. Most times I just run past them as the danger of stopping to change is that I'll start cramping. I think I've actually changed into them once or twice and i thought it was worth it, but only if the cramping risk is low.  

Post edited at 09:22
 GraB 17 May 2023
In reply to greg_may_:

Are you mixing up the Paps a bit? I think the spring you mention is at the bottom of Beinn an Oir - the second Pap. 

 greg_may_ 17 May 2023
In reply to GraB:

Deffo after second Pap!  

 ablackett 17 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

Pace yourself, the Ceilidh doesn’t start until about midnight and is perhaps the highlight of the weekend, so go steady on the run.

OP superturbo 18 May 2023
In reply to greg_may_:

Hi Greg, 

I was hoping you might see this. I was in your group for the FRA nav weekend in Elterwater last September.

I had 140' written down for descent off Shiantaidh but I trust your 145'!

Noted advice re road shoes and sustenance. I'm considering stashing some shoes and just blasting (stumbling) past them if I don't feel like stopping.

I was planning on taking a litre of water from the start but it looks like they will have had some rain in the preceding days, so expecting springs will be wet.

Mostly looking forward to it now but will be happier once recced. Looking forward to the party, brittania inn at elterwater last sept might have been good prep...

Cheers

Will

OP superturbo 18 May 2023
In reply to DaveHK:

Thanks Dave, looks like it could be warm so will be scoping out those streams.

Will

OP superturbo 18 May 2023
In reply to GraB:

Thanks Graham

7th Jura! I'll be following you then. This is mega useful, thanks. Will be poring over the map tonight.

Will

 greg_may_ 18 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

Ahh Will, that's ace, I know you wanted to do the race - it's a great one

 Nic Barber 19 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

Enjoy! I'm jealous, but race day = due date for first kid.

3 Juras (all sub-4) and 2 traverses of the paps on the SIPR. Memories of lovely scree lines disintegrating into fridge-sized boulders, not quite knowing whether to hop left or right to find the next one. All part of the fun! I'd say there's no such thing as a good line on any of them, just less bad ones, but I'm sure there are plenty of secrets I'm unaware of. I do recall the line off pap 1 being distinctly more washed out in 2017 than my first race in 2013.

I mainly filled up with water in the valley before the first pap, then managed to find something between 3 and corra beinn. I think - memory deserts me - then on the way to the bridge. But never went wanting in 3 warm years.

 greg_may_ 19 May 2023
In reply to Nic Barber:

First time I did Jura we had a 4 week old child in tow. I do not recommend this as pre-race prep  

 Mike-W-99 19 May 2023
In reply to greg_may_:

A good session in the hotel the night before seemed like some folks idea of a warm up.

 DaveHK 28 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

How did you get on? 

I got round, some way off my best but happy in the circumstances.

Post edited at 10:08
OP superturbo 31 May 2023
In reply to DaveHK:

Very similar! Glad you had a good one.

We did a recce on Thursday via the loch and did beinn an oir & shantiadh. Descents were not as bad as I expected - shantiadh definitely fun - but I was thinking that the larger boulders would be hard in the wet.

Race itself was good. I went out pretty hard and found the pace unrelenting going over the pips though. Wet rock going over the paps was annoying and some vis would have been nice, but overall no problems. I did start to cramp up on the flat after shandiadh, something to watch out for in future.

Nav was all fine, until... corra bheinn. Zero vis at the summit and overcorrected an incorrect line, ending up going north east (?!) then following a horrendous trod along a deer fence back to the bridge. I was with a westerlands runner at the time and I think we added a km on to our distance. 

Didn't bother with a road shoe drop. Can't imagine faffing with shoes and bending down in the state I was in.

The error off corra bheinn possibly cost me sub 4 which was a bit annoying, coming in at 4.20, but all things considered, happy with how it went.

We were there Thursday - Monday and, apart from race day, had incredible weather. Jura is just beautiful. We were well looked after by the locals in the pub too!

OP superturbo 31 May 2023
In reply to superturbo:

Appreciated all the advice above, even if I ignored the tip to keep concentrating off the last pap


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