Episode 4 The Adventure Show


Episode 4

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Transcript


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Hello and a very warm welcome to The Adventure Show.

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This month, we're in Wester Ross for the one and only

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Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon.

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Now this is not an event for weekend warriors.

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Only the most hardened endurance athletes need apply because this

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is one of the most brutal triathlon courses anywhere in the world.

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This is something that's real, it's hard, you know.

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You don't know if you've finished.

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It's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

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Is this supposed to be fun?

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And it's tough going even from the very start.

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The swim begins in Inverbain over there

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and finishes at Shieldaig Village over here.

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3km in jellyfish infested waters with

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temperatures as low as ten degrees.

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It's completely out of our comfort zone.

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Then it's off with the wetsuits and on to the bikes.

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This is where competitors will spend a huge chunk of their day.

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For some, up to seven hours pounding their way through 202km

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of some of Scotland's finest scenery.

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Scotland is amazing.

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Look over there! Look around. Wow!

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It's amazing, dramatic views and...

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-I love Scotland!

-Yay!

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But even then it's still not over.

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After the bike section, there's 42km of running

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up and over two munros on the Beinn Eighe ridge.

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Now I don't mind a challenge but this is something else entirely.

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Woo hoo!

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I'm absolutely shattered, but at least you'll catch me on film

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a bit as I roll down the hill.

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Also in this month's

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Adventure Show, we join a team of walkers and runners attempting

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a new challenge that could soon become a Scottish classic.

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Welcome to the Metric Munros.

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That's our 130 summits over 1,000 metres.

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Conveniently, they're all on the mainland.

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And to make it more interesting,

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the relay team on this first attempt are going green,

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travelling between them by bike or boat.

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It's a huge challenge. 130 mountains.

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If it all comes together smoothly, it'll be fantastic.

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But first to the Celtman.

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It's 4.45am and these competitors

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are rather nervous at the prospect of a chilly dip in Loch Shieldaig.

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This event's only four years old but already it's become a classic.

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Over 600 people entered,

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only 200 made it to the final ballot.

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47 countries are represented,

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from Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, even French Polynesia.

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It's going to be tough, it's going to be difficult,

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it's going to be exhausting but worst of all, it's really,

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really midgey this time of the morning.

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Oh, my goodness! I'd rather be in the water.

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I'm loving the fact you're both smiling.

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Will you still be in 13 hours' time?

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Um, I think so because I think that

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when I'm done with the swim, my face will be frozen like this!

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THEY LAUGH

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Good morning. How are we all feeling?

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-How are you feeling?

-Yeah, not bad, thank you.

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Yeah it's a little bit early but I've had an hour's sleep

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and my friend was just telling me there that I've...actually, after

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I do the swim, I'm going to have swam longer than I've slept today,

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so awesome! Ready!

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Are you worried, concerned?

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What are your thoughts ahead of this race?

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I just don't want to eat too many jellyfish.

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Jelly babies - no jellyfish.

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It's when they tickle your face, then they're somewhere near

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your mouth, you get really scared

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and they're just like ugly creatures.

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I don't know how anybody can find them

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beautiful in the slightest.

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All I'm focusing on is the swim.

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The cycle, that's another day.

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And the run's like a fortnight away.

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Yeah, oh that's next month, That's after my holiday!

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The Celtman doesn't just attract people from right

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around the world, it's also highly addictive.

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Many who've taken part before willingly return, including

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last year's women's champion, Marie Meldrum.

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-It's just...you've got a big target there on your back.

-Right.

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so yeah, it puts a lot of pressure on you

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but it's not about winning for me, it's about just trying to beat

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my...you know, get the personal best in the conditions that we have and

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you can't really get nervous about swimming that goes on for so long.

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There's no questioning the sheer brutality of this race.

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The fastest will be on the go for nearly 12 hours

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while mere mortals will take 18 hours or more.

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First, there's that 3km plunge across Loch Shieldaig,

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then it's onto the bikes to peddle through Kinlochewe,

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along Loch Maree and onto Gairloch.

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But the ride's not over yet.

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The consistently undulating road winds back via Achnasheen

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and onto Achnashellach.

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And finally, there's the running.

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Up and over the Coulin Pass and gruelling ascent of Ben Eighe

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and a final steep drop down, down, down to Torridon.

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That's all ahead. First, there's that infamous swim.

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Chris Stirling's back for his third attempt

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and being the runner-up last year, there's a lot to live up to.

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Well, I'm not a natural swimmer but if you're getting into the water

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I always splash my face with water before jumping in and it

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stops that cold shock reaction that your body does otherwise.

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I splash my face, splash my neck, walk in and then just float on

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my back for a few seconds and relax and then get my face in the water.

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-MEGAPHONE:

-Stand by.

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So here we go. Seconds before the Celtman 2015.

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HORN SOUNDS And there's the horn and they are off.

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The Celtman is under way.

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The water turns into a boiling mess.

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Arms, legs - everything's kicking and they're off for what is one of the

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most beautiful and glorious races in the European calendar

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but also one of the most difficult

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and it's a big day - a very, very big day.

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For some, they like to get to the front of the field

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and attack the swim.

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For others, it's survive the swim.

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This is something big for me.

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I broke my back a couple of years ago so I have problem.

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I have to do it because if I'm not training,

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I will sit in a wheelchair.

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I just like to take a part of this and I think it's amazing.

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When I first knew about it, I was support for somebody and...

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I love doing that but I thought there's

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no way I could ever manage that swim.

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I'm a terrified swimmer and I also suffer from Raynaud's Syndrome

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so I didn't even contemplate being able to ever do it.

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And, yeah, I did it last year.

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I was really terrified but I did do it.

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Just ten minutes into the race

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and already the field has stretched fairly dramatically.

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The fastest racers are probably, I would say,

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500, 600, even 1,000 metres ahead of the stragglers

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and they will not be able to see Shieldaig.

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They'll come out and turn right and see home, as far as the swim's

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concerned, probably in around ten minutes or so.

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But this is a long way and this year the tide is against.

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Tide and wind are against the swimmers

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so not only is it a difficult start to a very long day,

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it's made doubly difficult by the conditions.

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I was sort of thinking

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about singing the, the SpongeBob SquarePants song.

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Calming myself down with a little bit of humour,

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just you know, some good advice that I had was just take it as a warm up.

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Just enjoy it.

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How often do you get to swim in a sea loch at five in the morning?

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I love to swim because I'm a windsurfer and I like water.

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It's cold water and in Polish sea, Baltic, is cold too.

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Cold water, this is not my problem.

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This is a challenge, yes, this is challenge for everyone.

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It's a pretty mammoth and miserable start to this race

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and most people wouldn't even contemplate going in the water

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unless it was warm and sunny, maybe the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

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But in true dedicated fashion, I'm going to take the plunge.

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I'm joined now by Sean McFarlane who has done pretty well

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in previous years in the Celtman but you've had some

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difficulties in some years, in the swim in particular.

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Every year in the swim has been tricky.

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The first year, I had a good race, so I forgot about the swim

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and I came to the next year and got in real trouble.

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But last year I managed to get the swim much better - not perfect,

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but it's a cold, cold swim and it needs a lot of preparation.

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This is a wetsuit that I got a few years ago which

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I got for windsurfing in general, splashing about in waves and things.

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It's very different from yours.

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Yeah, and I have to say you're not alone in your choice of wetsuit but

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it's completely inappropriate for what we're trying to do here today.

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-Uh huh.

-Just looking at it straight away, it's far too baggy,

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it's old as well, it's lost a lot of shape,

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-especially the back of the neck here.

-And that's just me.

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It's old and baggy and lost a lot of shape.

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Any cold water on your spine is horrible.

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It's OK if its 20 degree water. This is not.

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So there's gaps here and it's also very heavy.

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And it will fill with water

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and it will constantly flush through with cold water - THIS cold water.

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This is a tri suit. There's lots of these available.

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It's much better-fitting and even in this cold water, it's very

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advantageous to have one of these.

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-So I should get this stuff on, should I?

-I think so.

-Let's do it.

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So I have to confess, Sean,

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I've never actually done open water swimming ever before.

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And I'm nervous about this.

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Not only about the cold water but...

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Aaaah! Right, OK. OK! THEY LAUGH

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The most important thing I think is to avoid the shock

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of the cold water, so what you need

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to do is start your cold water response system.

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You can do the back of the neck?

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Whoo!

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If you're really brave, put your head in.

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Really brave.

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Whoo!

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Goggles on.

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So let's just man it up for 30 seconds, OK?

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And then we'll regroup

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and we'll see where we are, OK? One, two three.

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You will get into some sort of rhythm

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but the actual start is much more difficult, because it's quite scary

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and your system hasn't had a chance to actually fire up, as it were.

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Woo hoo hoo hoo!

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From initially coming into the water thinking it was fine,

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even just doing 50 or 60 strokes, which is nothing,

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it's like when you go out for a run and it's really cold

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and you can't get a breath properly into your lungs.

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And you get a mouthful of water

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and are panicking a wee bit and all that.

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It's not that comfortable at all, is it?

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No, and you wouldn't want to be in here for, what,

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more than 20 minutes, maybe?

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Is it purgatory, or is there joy in open water swimming?

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I don't like pool swimming. I don't like being indoors.

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I don't like chorine.

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I'm not a good swimmer but I do love open water swimming.

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It's important in all aspects of Celtman to actually look up

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and see where you are.

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I think a lot of people put the head down, especially in the swim

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but it is glorious.

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'I would not want to be doing that for a long time.

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'I'm cold and my hands are freezing.

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'This is tough.

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'The thought of doing a massive bike ride after that,

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'then a marathon over a mountain - no, thank you!

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'Others are much tougher than me.'

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Now back to the real athletes.

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Surprisingly, some people LIKE the swim.

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Out in the lead at the moment for the women is

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Siobhan Prise from Aberdeen.

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My mum chucked me in the pool before I could swim and just,

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"Go!" you know, "Go and swim", so I was probably swimming

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because I learned it from such a young age

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and I guess I managed to get the technique right from a young age.

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It's always harder learning

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something new when you're, you know, a little bit older.

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So compared to the normal average triathlete,

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probably my swimming's the strongest point.

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But, you know, in triathlon it's all really about the bike

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and the run - it's not about the swimming at all!

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And we can see the first of the swimmers approaching the shore now.

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Maybe about another hundred metres to go.

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Making really good time today.

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And it looks like there's quite a few of them coming in together.

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Seeing a little bit of a break away there from three

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obviously a bit of a last spurt there to try

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and get out of the water as quickly as they possibly can.

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Get as much of a lead as possible.

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First out of the water is Gregoire Geffray from France.

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He's completed the swim in just 45 minutes and 29 seconds.

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But less than 30 seconds separates the top three.

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Scottish triathlete Nick Weir is out in 45.37

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and Englishman Scott Molina, 45.57.

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-That was a fantastic swim.

-Yes!

-How did that feel for you?

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-Was it OK?

-It was OK.

-Yeah? Well done.

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I was so...probably trying to

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compete against him the whole length.

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What was the water temperature like today?

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-I didn't notice!

-Was it as cold as you expected it to be?

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I just focus on the pain!

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Good job, mate.

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How long do you think it'll take you to start warming up

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when you get on the bike?

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-Er...

-It'll be a while.

-Yeah, it's not too bad.

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-Probably be mid-July!

-Yeah!

-SHE LAUGHS

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So the first biker on the road,

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202km ahead is Gregoire Geffray,

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the Frenchman, and looking pretty comfortable.

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What an incredible swim and transition that was from him.

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Choosing short sleeves and shorts for the day ahead.

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Not the warmest but it will get warmer.

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Still, not yet six o'clock in the morning.

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Beautiful scenery here in the northwest coast of Scotland.

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Back at transition, the first woman,

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Siobhan Prise, is only five minutes behind the leader.

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What a great swim she's had.

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She's currently in sixth place overall.

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That's fantastic, you're out of the water in under an hour.

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-Oh, yeah?

-How does that feel?

-That's great, it feels great.

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I mean swimming, is my strong point I'd hope to...and the thing is,

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it's so cold that you kind of want to get out as fast as possible,

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because the longer you're in, you're more susceptible to hypothermia.

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-You're still smiling.

-Yeah, I know!

-It's amazing.

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Well, I do have 126 miles to go,

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so maybe after that, we'll see if I'm still smiling!

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Now the swimmers are flooding in.

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Most are relieved this section is over.

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-As cold as you expected?

-Yes!

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-OK, it's very hard.

-Good. I enjoyed it, yeah, yeah.

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Got tucked in behind a couple of people. Quite nice.

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Did you ACTUALLY enjoy it?

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It was all right. This is the bit I'm not looking forward to.

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The worst was the jellyfish. That was horrible

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but OK, just keep swimming!

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It's a bit warmer than I thought it would be, so it was OK, actually.

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It was fun. It was like jellyfish slalom!

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Heading out of Shieldaig, there's

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already stiff competition on the bikes.

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Dirk Zangen from Germany was fourth out of the water

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but now he's overtaking Scott Molina and Nick Weir.

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The early stages of the race, really just getting into a rhythm,

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getting the muscles warm.

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That's the great thing about a triathlon like this,

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you're really challenging the whole body -

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upper body, mainly, in the swim

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but it's all about the legs for the next 202km.

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Well done.

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The first part of the ride is pretty lumpy.

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Some big climbs and it settles down into a flat

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time trial of about 100km or so.

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But we're off and running and still only 6.10 in the morning.

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As the racers settle into what's going to be an extremely long

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time in the saddle, we're going to take a short break

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from the Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon.

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Right now, we're going east to Dingwall for something new

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and equally testing.

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Archie's Mountain Challenge is a relay event

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and it sounds deceptively simple -

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running up Scotland's Metric Munros.

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That's 130 mountains over 1,000 metres.

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But that's not quite the whole picture.

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To qualify, they must have a drop of 100 metres on all sides

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and just to really confuse everyone, three mountains that aren't

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technically Munros fall within this definition.

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There's just one more thing - to make it more of a challenge,

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the team are linking them by bike or kayak.

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It's absolutely unique.

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It's never been done before so, yeah,

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that's what makes it a great, a great adventure.

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It's going to be complex but I think the attraction is just

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to get involved in something huge that might never be done again.

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It's a one-off.

0:17:360:17:37

It's a huge challenge. 130 mountains.

0:17:370:17:40

If it all comes together smoothly, it'll be fantastic.

0:17:400:17:43

The challenge is the brainchild of Paul Fettes,

0:17:430:17:47

an anaesthetist at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

0:17:470:17:50

He wants to encourage more people into our hills

0:17:500:17:53

and raise awareness of the plight of local sick children.

0:17:530:17:56

It's very exciting, really. It's everything that I envisaged,

0:17:560:18:02

which is really particularly exciting. And it's under way.

0:18:020:18:06

It starts with a symbolic dip of the toe in the North Sea,

0:18:070:18:10

and that includes young Rabbie, who's multitasking.

0:18:100:18:14

He's both the challenge mascot and a GPS tracker.

0:18:140:18:18

Rabbie's a sociable creature which is just as well, as he'll be

0:18:180:18:22

passed from person to person.

0:18:220:18:24

With over 50 folk involved,

0:18:240:18:26

the logistics have been extremely complicated.

0:18:260:18:29

The intention is to completely challenge within, sort of,

0:18:290:18:32

two to three weeks.

0:18:320:18:33

The total distance is about 1,400 kilometres and the total hike climb

0:18:330:18:38

is nearly 88,000 metres, which is pretty much

0:18:380:18:41

the equivalent of ten Everests, if you started at sea level.

0:18:410:18:45

To make it fit in that time, they plan to run as much of the daytime

0:18:450:18:48

as possible - into the night, if the route suits and the timing suits.

0:18:480:18:53

The handovers are going to be quite remote in some cases,

0:18:530:18:56

so actually the planning logistics,

0:18:560:18:59

getting the runners there to receive our baton and move onwards is

0:18:590:19:02

quite tricky and that takes a lot of effort and planning.

0:19:020:19:06

After 40km on the road, the riders arrive at the foot

0:19:060:19:09

of Ben Wyvis to hand over Rabbie for the run up the first mountain.

0:19:090:19:14

-Is this the rabbit?

-Yeah.

0:19:140:19:16

But this challenge isn't just for hardened athletes.

0:19:180:19:22

On two of the 130 hills, they'll be joined by a group of walkers

0:19:220:19:25

who are equally committed but also have youngsters in tow.

0:19:250:19:30

This is just an absolutely phenomenal challenge,

0:19:300:19:32

because I think there are two elements to it.

0:19:320:19:34

There's the actual cycling and the running itself

0:19:340:19:36

but there's also the organisational thing.

0:19:360:19:38

I mean, having to set up a challenge to try

0:19:380:19:40

and get 40 folk up Ben Wyvis, 40 folk up Schiehallion,

0:19:400:19:43

then also to cycle between all those hills and run up all the 4,000 feet

0:19:430:19:47

hills in Scotland is absolutely massive.

0:19:470:19:49

And I think when these guys get that done - and I've got every

0:19:490:19:52

faith that they will - then I think they'll deserve their pint.

0:19:520:19:55

It has been quite a lot of work.

0:19:550:19:57

When Paul originally said, "Can you plan the route?"

0:19:570:20:00

There was me thinking I can easily plan a route in an evening or two

0:20:000:20:05

but the time and effort that has to go into ensuring that a pair

0:20:050:20:09

of runners at the right time on the right day has taken a lot of time.

0:20:090:20:13

The organisers probably couldn't have chosen a worse summer.

0:20:130:20:17

This is the start of June, yet it's wet,

0:20:170:20:19

very windy and the summit of Ben Wyvis still has snow cover.

0:20:190:20:24

-Wahey!

-Hey!

0:20:240:20:27

That was hard. We were last minute replacements.

0:20:270:20:30

I was asked to do it on Thursday.

0:20:300:20:32

Somebody called off sick! So, yes.

0:20:320:20:35

So me and Claire stepped in.

0:20:350:20:38

Well done, Kirsty.

0:20:380:20:40

Right, thank you very much, Barry, have a good ride.

0:20:400:20:43

That was actually quite nice. Pretty blowy on the top.

0:20:430:20:46

Quite a lot of snow but better than anticipated.

0:20:460:20:49

I've never run a Munro before.

0:20:490:20:50

That was my first Munro that I've done

0:20:500:20:52

but that's enjoyable. I'd do that again. That's lovely.

0:20:520:20:54

Are you all right?

0:20:540:20:56

As soon as the runners are down from Ben Wyvis, the bikers

0:20:560:20:59

are off again heading for Beinn Dearg and the next set of runners.

0:20:590:21:03

Well done, well done. Good effort. Good effort.

0:21:030:21:08

-That was a tough ride up that hill.

-Yeah, into the wind.

0:21:080:21:11

Cheers. Have fun.

0:21:110:21:13

See you in a bit, guys.

0:21:130:21:15

It's not just the logistics of the challenge that

0:21:150:21:18

has taken a lot of organising.

0:21:180:21:19

The support is also vital to success.

0:21:190:21:23

So this is the camper van that was donated by Paul's auntie.

0:21:230:21:27

So this follows everybody round on the various legs

0:21:270:21:30

and it's always at the bottom of each hill so that

0:21:300:21:33

when you come off you know you've got warmth and sustenance.

0:21:330:21:39

While Barry and his son Rory take a well-earned break, runners

0:21:390:21:43

Jason Hardy and Simon Crawley are having a tough time on the hill.

0:21:430:21:48

It's pretty boggy, pretty wet.

0:21:480:21:49

A lot of it we were running through, you now, peat bogs and things

0:21:490:21:52

so it's pretty difficult to pick your path through there.

0:21:520:21:57

And then it was snowing on the summit just to make it

0:21:570:21:59

extra special for us(!)

0:21:590:22:01

But, in spite of the wintery conditions,

0:22:010:22:03

they've completed Beinn Dearg on schedule.

0:22:030:22:06

The last 200 metres was knee-deep snow.

0:22:060:22:09

We were having to kick steps. It's 1st June(!)

0:22:090:22:13

It just seems bonkers,

0:22:130:22:15

so I'm glad to be back down with some food.

0:22:150:22:18

OK, well done.

0:22:180:22:19

Two down, 128 to go and mascot Rabbie's still on the move.

0:22:190:22:25

We'll be back later in the programme to see how the relay team get on.

0:22:250:22:29

They never said it was hilly!

0:22:370:22:39

Welcome back to the Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon.

0:22:390:22:42

Now the leading competitors are eating up the miles on this

0:22:420:22:45

cycle part of the course but way back at transition others are trying

0:22:450:22:49

to convince themselves they're not cold and they're not tired.

0:22:490:22:52

Who are they kidding?

0:22:520:22:54

-Smile for the camera.

-Oh!

0:22:540:22:57

As the second half of the field is coming in now,

0:22:570:23:00

you can see people just starting to look really, really cold.

0:23:000:23:03

Obviously the longer they've been in the water the worst they're

0:23:030:23:06

going to feel, so there's a big difference between those that

0:23:060:23:08

have come out first in under an hour and those that are coming out now

0:23:080:23:12

who've been in almost an hour-and-a-half.

0:23:120:23:14

Woo-hoo!

0:23:140:23:16

-How was that swim section?

-It was OK. It was good thanks, yeah.

0:23:160:23:19

A mass of the jellyfish apart from one in my mouth.

0:23:190:23:21

Oh, really? Oh, goodness!

0:23:210:23:22

It wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be.

0:23:220:23:25

I was really looking forward to it and then I got really nervous

0:23:250:23:29

because I thought I was going to lose my goggles as well,

0:23:290:23:31

and that would have been a bit bad, you know.

0:23:310:23:35

I couldn't really see where I was going because, you know,

0:23:350:23:37

my hair was... But it was fun.

0:23:370:23:40

Out on the road, Dirk Zangen, who was fourth out of the water,

0:23:400:23:43

is making spectacular progress.

0:23:430:23:46

Two years ago he came in tenth.

0:23:460:23:49

Most people would be satisfied with that, but not Dirk.

0:23:490:23:52

This time I started preparing much earlier,

0:23:520:23:55

so October last year reached out to my coach.

0:23:550:23:58

Started slowly because last year I didn't do anything.

0:23:580:24:01

I had like foot surgery and, yeah,

0:24:010:24:03

training was really well structured and was going well.

0:24:030:24:06

And last week's actually didn't go so good.

0:24:060:24:08

I was a bit concerned.

0:24:080:24:10

I had some, you know, some flu and all this stuff, business trips.

0:24:100:24:15

It wasn't that easy but I came here one week earlier

0:24:150:24:18

so I really had time to relax which was really good.

0:24:180:24:22

You know you feel directly if you get good legs.

0:24:220:24:24

My wife always laughs at this and asks,

0:24:240:24:26

"Do you have good legs or not?"

0:24:260:24:28

Halfway round the course, as he heads out of Gairloch,

0:24:280:24:31

Dirk Zangen's now over ten minutes clear of his nearest rival,

0:24:310:24:34

Norwegian triathlete Thor Hesselberg.

0:24:340:24:38

But he's under pressure from Estonian Heiko Sepp

0:24:380:24:41

who's rapidly closing the gap.

0:24:410:24:43

A former professional road cyclist he's now attracted to extreme

0:24:430:24:47

events like this one and its Norwegian counterpart.

0:24:470:24:50

A few years ago I heard about the Norseman

0:24:500:24:53

and it was like more emotions

0:24:530:24:56

and I said, "OK, I will take part of this."

0:24:560:24:59

First time it was so hard, you know,

0:24:590:25:01

I was like I feel like I will die

0:25:010:25:06

but if you're already done with that, then you feel like,

0:25:060:25:10

yeah, I need to take some new challenge

0:25:100:25:13

and, after that, I tried a normal Ironman.

0:25:130:25:17

You know it's not the same.

0:25:180:25:20

For the women, Siobhan Prise was first out of the water

0:25:200:25:24

and she's still out in front at the moment.

0:25:240:25:26

She's a fan of the Celtman and the ethos behind it.

0:25:260:25:29

It's such a special event and I'm from Scotland

0:25:290:25:33

and you know to be able to come and compete at something as epic

0:25:330:25:36

as this in Scotland and you know you're out on the bike course

0:25:360:25:39

and you don't see anyone and you just have this incredible scenery.

0:25:390:25:43

It's stunning and you have the mountains

0:25:430:25:45

and that's really what kind of sold it to me completely.

0:25:450:25:49

This race, it's so weighted towards cycling.

0:25:490:25:52

If you're a good strong cyclist you can really do some damage.

0:25:520:25:55

Clearly, the marathon over the hill is tough, no doubt about that,

0:25:550:25:59

but if you can really do some damage on your bike you can give

0:25:590:26:01

yourself a great advantage over the rest of the field.

0:26:010:26:05

Rain is starting to batter down and it's windy as well.

0:26:070:26:11

Tough conditions.

0:26:110:26:13

Some will still be in the water

0:26:130:26:15

but these guys are getting nice and warm out on the bike.

0:26:150:26:18

It's a lot of hours so definitely you have a few seconds here

0:26:180:26:22

and there that you just look round and enjoy where you are,

0:26:220:26:25

especially if I feel pain in my legs or get a little bit tired,

0:26:250:26:28

that's also my little game of doing something else.

0:26:280:26:35

Get my mind off it and then you just feel that your body is still

0:26:350:26:38

just cycling and going on and on and on,

0:26:380:26:41

and then you don't feel the pain anymore and you can just continue.

0:26:410:26:44

During the bike, my thought is to not thinking about the distance,

0:26:440:26:49

not thinking about how much I need to spend or how much

0:26:490:26:52

I will spend on the bike because this is more than six hours.

0:26:520:26:57

This is too much for my psychological ability, yeah.

0:26:580:27:02

Therefore I am just thinking about something different

0:27:020:27:05

or of the family, everything else.

0:27:050:27:08

I think most of us will have done several weekends

0:27:080:27:12

where we ride 200km plus,

0:27:120:27:16

trying to emulate as much as possible the hilly conditions

0:27:160:27:19

of the Celtman.

0:27:190:27:20

So you just do it over and over and over until it becomes a non-issue.

0:27:200:27:24

Most of the racers are now well into the 202-kilometre bike ride

0:27:240:27:28

but some are still emerging from the water, cold and tired.

0:27:280:27:33

These last few have only just made it before the cut-off time.

0:27:330:27:38

Really impressive still being able to swim after having

0:27:380:27:40

been in the water for nearly two hours.

0:27:400:27:43

Yeah, I started throwing up a lot.

0:27:430:27:46

You started throwing up as you were swimming?

0:27:460:27:48

Yeah, I usually do that when I use the crawl technique.

0:27:480:27:52

So this is actually the last swimmer coming in now,

0:27:520:27:58

just ahead of the cut-off time.

0:27:580:28:00

APPLAUSE

0:28:000:28:02

I thought will I just do front crawl, like over arm, you know

0:28:050:28:08

and I did that the whole way, it was horrible.

0:28:080:28:11

And I just kept thinking I'm not going to make the cut-off.

0:28:110:28:13

I've got some heat pads in my gloves and heat pads in my jacket and

0:28:130:28:17

I thought if I just get out there and get going I'll see how I go.

0:28:170:28:22

Right, so that's me.

0:28:220:28:24

-Good luck!

-Thanks.

0:28:240:28:26

-Say hello to us when we next see you.

-I will do.

0:28:260:28:28

I think what's interesting about an event like this is that

0:28:280:28:31

the difference between the fastest and the slowest swimmers

0:28:310:28:36

is just over an hour and that time is very, very easily lost or gained

0:28:360:28:41

on a really long cycle route like this.

0:28:410:28:45

So even if you haven't placed very well at all on the swim

0:28:450:28:49

you can still make up a lot of time on this bike section.

0:28:490:28:53

There's a lot of up and down, it's up and down which can be quite hard

0:28:540:28:59

coming over a hill and then seeing you've got to go up even more.

0:28:590:29:02

It is the mindset.

0:29:020:29:04

You get up to a bit and you think that's it, all the climbing's done,

0:29:040:29:08

and then a few minutes later you're climbing again.

0:29:080:29:11

Here we have to ride on the left side,

0:29:130:29:15

so last year I almost did a big mistake.

0:29:150:29:18

I looked to the left and the car comes to the right.

0:29:180:29:22

That I will not do this year.

0:29:220:29:24

So I have to pay attention.

0:29:240:29:27

I remember watching it on The Adventure Show before actually

0:29:270:29:31

and you see some of the images and you just think, wow, so, yeah,

0:29:310:29:33

I will be reminding myself to say, you know, just stop and look.

0:29:330:29:37

Well, not stop, but look and enjoy that side of it.

0:29:370:29:40

The scenery is amazing.

0:29:420:29:45

That's one of the things why I went to this race specifically.

0:29:450:29:50

I've never been here before.

0:29:500:29:51

I just looked up the photos and saw it and thought this was something

0:29:510:29:56

we wanted to see, both me and my support team.

0:29:560:30:01

So here's Dirk Zangen absolutely flying in through the first

0:30:020:30:06

transition of the cycle section.

0:30:060:30:08

This is transition T2.

0:30:080:30:10

What a brilliant, brilliant ride that has been for him.

0:30:100:30:14

This is when it's all very important to get stuff off,

0:30:140:30:18

change things over.

0:30:180:30:20

And conditions OK today the cycle was all right,

0:30:200:30:22

-not too windy, was it all right?

-The beginning was good.

0:30:220:30:25

Now in the end it's getting tough.

0:30:250:30:27

It reminded me of 2013, the last race.

0:30:270:30:30

Well done, Dirk, you're looking good.

0:30:300:30:32

That was so slick you've obviously worked on these transitions before.

0:30:320:30:36

Yeah, we've done it a few times last night and the night before.

0:30:360:30:38

It's amazing. It's crazy, you know, it's....

0:30:380:30:41

I'm impressed, I'm very proud and impressed with what he does.

0:30:410:30:44

'And that's clear for everyone to see.

0:30:440:30:47

'Dirk Zangen is now a full 23 minutes

0:30:470:30:49

'ahead of his nearest rival.

0:30:490:30:52

'Following him into transition is Heiko Sepp from Estonia.'

0:30:520:30:55

Heiko, how are you doing? Are you OK? How was the cycle? OK?

0:30:550:30:58

Oh, kind of OK, yeah.

0:30:580:31:00

-I'd had like a little bump.

-Yeah.

0:31:000:31:04

So you missed one feed stop?

0:31:060:31:08

Then you know I didn't have food, like.

0:31:080:31:11

-Oh, no.

-Yeah.

0:31:110:31:13

Just the run now. Easy bit.

0:31:130:31:16

Yeah, it's a full day, you know.

0:31:170:31:19

One day I'm going to warm up like a perfect runner.

0:31:190:31:23

Another day I'm so bad, you know. Hopefully today.

0:31:230:31:26

I hope today will be a perfect day. Yeah, of course.

0:31:260:31:30

'Just four minutes behind

0:31:300:31:31

'the third racer into transition is Hakon William Skog from Norway.'

0:31:310:31:36

-Tough cycle yeah?

-That was really tough.

0:31:370:31:39

The last 20ks broke me.

0:31:390:31:41

-A lot of wind?

-Yeah, a lot of wind. Head winds.

0:31:410:31:44

Yeah. Looking good though. Really strong.

0:31:440:31:48

That's only on the outside.

0:31:480:31:50

'Fourth in is Chris Stirling from the Lake District.'

0:31:500:31:54

Bikes are coming in thick and fast now.

0:31:540:31:57

This is where it gets really exciting.

0:31:570:31:59

The transition, the time they take to get through.

0:31:590:32:01

Chris finished second last year.

0:32:010:32:04

Let's see how he's doing.

0:32:040:32:06

-How's was that? Was it tough on the bike?

-Yeah.

0:32:060:32:08

The second and third guys have just gone through

0:32:080:32:10

-so you're not far behind at all.

-Less than two minutes.

0:32:100:32:13

'This is his best bit.

0:32:130:32:15

'He didn't have the greatest swim

0:32:150:32:17

'but he's actually done about the same bike split as last year.'

0:32:170:32:19

And, yeah, he'll make up a lot of time on the run.

0:32:190:32:22

Pretty stressful for the support teams, right?

0:32:220:32:24

Er, yeah, but that's part and parcel of it.

0:32:240:32:26

That's what you get for having another half

0:32:260:32:28

who's an elite athlete.

0:32:280:32:31

Looking good, Chris. Well done.

0:32:310:32:32

-I'll get there in a minute, the mountain.

-OK, good luck.

0:32:320:32:35

'The first part of the run is over the Coulin Pass, then it's up

0:32:350:32:38

'and down Ben Eighe.

0:32:380:32:40

'This means that for the next 33km the route is off road.

0:32:400:32:45

'It goes through some of the wildest and most rugged scenery

0:32:450:32:48

'we have to offer.

0:32:480:32:50

'It's a landscape not without its dangers.'

0:32:500:32:53

Every athlete carries a tracker device which is one of these

0:32:530:32:56

and it's got a sim in it, and a GPS so it knows its position

0:32:560:33:01

and every two minutes it sends us a message with its location.

0:33:010:33:04

The first year we used it here, which was a couple of years ago,

0:33:040:33:07

we had somebody came off the Ben Eighe on an unusual route

0:33:070:33:10

and we were following them down the mountain and giving

0:33:100:33:12

the mountain rescue updates every five minutes where they were.

0:33:120:33:15

So that was ended quite happily but if there had been a problem

0:33:150:33:19

then the mountain rescue knew exactly where they were

0:33:190:33:21

and would have been there that much quicker should it have been needed.

0:33:210:33:25

In the women's race, the competition is hotting up between two

0:33:250:33:28

of the Scottish racers, Siobhan Prise and Marie Meldum.

0:33:280:33:32

Marie's now in front but these two racers are neck and neck.

0:33:320:33:36

People say I'm competitive but only really with myself.

0:33:360:33:39

I want to like do the best I can and try

0:33:390:33:41

and improve on last week or the week before.

0:33:410:33:43

But I really honestly don't go and train.

0:33:430:33:45

If somebody says do you fancy doing such and such running over here,

0:33:450:33:48

I'd be like, "Yeah, OK."

0:33:480:33:49

Really able to just go with the flow

0:33:490:33:52

and I don't feel like restricted by a training plan.

0:33:520:33:55

Thinking positive is the most important thing.

0:33:550:33:58

I mean, I was so chuffed to be first out of the water,

0:33:580:34:01

so I was so happy with that.

0:34:010:34:03

And then setting off on the bike, you know, so happy.

0:34:030:34:06

It was only when Marie overtook me I was like, "Oh, no! Oh, no!"

0:34:060:34:10

and you know I got a little bit down.

0:34:100:34:12

Just like mentally it was like, "Oh, I'm doing rubbish kind of thing."

0:34:120:34:15

But then you just have to perk yourself up again

0:34:150:34:17

and just you know get going again.

0:34:170:34:19

But it's so important to think positive and smile all the time.

0:34:190:34:22

And currently in third place for the women

0:34:220:34:24

it's Karin Sloove from the Netherlands.

0:34:240:34:27

I must say last week I've been mentally not really happy

0:34:270:34:32

with this race until the day before yesterday

0:34:320:34:35

I realised that this year we wanted

0:34:350:34:39

to do something that scares us.

0:34:390:34:43

Both my boyfriend and I,

0:34:430:34:44

we were looking for a challenge that we wouldn't stand at the start

0:34:440:34:48

line and think, "I wonder how fast I will finish today?"

0:34:480:34:51

But something that would really properly scare us,

0:34:510:34:54

and as soon as I realised that this course scared me,

0:34:540:34:58

I was actually fine with it because I was like, I love that!

0:34:580:35:02

So here comes Sean McFarlane absolutely flying up the hill there.

0:35:050:35:10

In seventh place. Well done, Sean.

0:35:100:35:12

'Last year I got a new bike which I thought was fantastic, here we go,

0:35:120:35:16

'and I'm 41 and it takes me a long time to adjust to these things.

0:35:160:35:20

'So I've gone back to my old bike which I've had for eight years.

0:35:200:35:23

'And you know what? It's great to be back on it.'

0:35:230:35:25

-How are you feeling?

-I'm all right, yeah.

0:35:250:35:27

The second half of the bike was tough. Not quite as I'd hoped.

0:35:270:35:30

I'd feel a better here, Dougie, than I do now,

0:35:300:35:32

but hopefully just getting some sort of rhythm and get going.

0:35:320:35:37

That's Odd Arne. Has had a bit of a spill.

0:35:370:35:40

You fell?

0:35:400:35:41

Yeah and I broke my...

0:35:410:35:44

Punctured.

0:35:440:35:46

You punctured also, yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:35:460:35:48

So it's a bit difficult?

0:35:480:35:50

Ah, but it's a little bit of wind against.

0:35:500:35:54

-Right, have fun, Sean.

-OK, Dougie, cheers.

-See you later on.

-Cheers.

0:35:550:35:58

-Have you got a tracker?

-I left it in your bag.

-Is it? OK, cheers.

0:35:580:36:03

So off he goes. Sean McFarlane, seventh place.

0:36:030:36:07

Looking pretty good, actually, looking pretty good.

0:36:070:36:10

Took on some food there, took a bit of time.

0:36:100:36:12

He's done this plenty of times before.

0:36:120:36:14

He knows what it's all about and he's good on the hill.

0:36:140:36:17

Well, the lead competitors are settling into that relatively

0:36:190:36:22

gentle run over the Coulin Pass.

0:36:220:36:24

After that, the punishing ascent and descent of Ben Eighe.

0:36:240:36:28

Conditions on the tops today definitely changeable.

0:36:280:36:30

Pretty clagged in at the moment. They won't see very much at all.

0:36:300:36:34

So we'll find out later in the programme just how they get on.

0:36:340:36:37

Now we rejoin the runners, bikers and kayakers who've been

0:36:460:36:50

documenting their progress in Archie's Mountain Challenge.

0:36:500:36:54

They're attempting to set a record for ascending Scotland's 130 peaks

0:36:540:36:58

over 1,000 metres in one continuous relay

0:36:580:37:02

and they're enjoying every minute.

0:37:020:37:05

I'm having lots of fun climbing hills with new people

0:37:050:37:08

in a completely different way.

0:37:080:37:10

You know, we're covering the ground very quickly.

0:37:100:37:12

Six Archies in a day would be very hard work to do

0:37:120:37:16

if you were by yourself.

0:37:160:37:17

When you do it in small teams you can make really fast progress.

0:37:170:37:20

It's great.

0:37:200:37:22

The teams are now a third of the way through their challenge,

0:37:220:37:24

with 46 summits successfully in the bag.

0:37:240:37:28

Months of meticulous planning is paying off.

0:37:280:37:32

We've got about a 22-mile run through these mountains

0:37:320:37:35

finishing at the top of Cairngorm where we're going to hand

0:37:350:37:38

on the GPS tracker to the next group who are going to do the eastern

0:37:380:37:41

Cairngorms and then we're going to meet the next lot in Lochnagar.

0:37:410:37:46

We've got another about 70 Archies to do,

0:37:460:37:50

but hopefully we'll bag about five or six today.

0:37:500:37:53

-Good effort, how was it?

-Hard.

0:37:530:37:56

You look shattered.

0:37:560:37:58

We made really good progress until we sent you a text to say

0:37:580:38:03

that we were making really good progress.

0:38:030:38:05

-Right, here's Rabbie then.

-Cheers.

-Good luck, guys.

-Thanks a lot.

0:38:050:38:08

-Have a nice one.

-My responsibility. I'll click him on.

0:38:080:38:12

Yeah, nice and safe on top of the bag so you can see the sky.

0:38:120:38:16

I love hill running because it's like being eight years old again.

0:38:160:38:20

You run downhill without a care in the world.

0:38:200:38:23

It increases the intensity of the mountain experience

0:38:230:38:25

because you're pushing hard.

0:38:250:38:27

You're running hard and concentrating

0:38:270:38:29

and suddenly you look up and you're in this spectacular environment

0:38:290:38:32

and doing a big long challenge.

0:38:320:38:34

If you were to do that as a very small group of individuals

0:38:340:38:37

you'd have to take months off work but this way we can drop in,

0:38:370:38:40

drop out and be part of it and it's fantastic.

0:38:400:38:43

I only moved to Scotland about ten years ago and I had small children

0:38:440:38:48

and I've never got out much into the Highlands so this is

0:38:480:38:51

a great opportunity for me to come and experience the mountains.

0:38:510:38:56

I get to meet new people.

0:38:560:38:57

It's a safe way for me to come and enjoy fantastic countryside.

0:38:570:39:00

I think it's kind of reinvigorated my passion for going out in the

0:39:000:39:04

hills again and actually travelling light with less kit and running

0:39:040:39:10

shoes setting off early, you can totally be up a couple of hills and

0:39:100:39:13

back down early in the morning or even a late evening run up the hill.

0:39:130:39:18

So I think that's something that's really kind of reinvigorated

0:39:180:39:21

my enjoyment of being out in the hills.

0:39:210:39:24

-Good run.

-Well done.

-Let's take the photo to prove it.

0:39:270:39:32

Yes, an Archie selfie.

0:39:330:39:35

Compulsory, every single one.

0:39:350:39:39

-OK, ready?

-Let's go.

0:39:390:39:41

The team are calling these peaks Archies.

0:39:410:39:44

One more down, 69 still to go.

0:39:440:39:47

Over the coming hours and days, the mascot, Rabbie, keeps on the move.

0:39:470:39:52

It's a punishing schedule but everything's going to plan.

0:39:520:39:56

The real hard part is the relentlessness of it.

0:39:560:39:59

The fact that we're basically running

0:39:590:40:02

or moving about 20 hours a day,

0:40:020:40:06

so the tracker's only still for three or four hours in the day

0:40:060:40:09

so, you know, it's long days and it wears you down obviously.

0:40:090:40:12

So we're pretty tired.

0:40:120:40:15

CHEERING

0:40:150:40:17

So most days there's maybe six or eight people available, but

0:40:190:40:22

it's obviously a challenge that's going on over a number of weeks.

0:40:220:40:25

So some days there might be more people available at weekends

0:40:250:40:30

than during the week maybe, and less people available to help out.

0:40:300:40:33

But it's a big team.

0:40:330:40:35

On any individual day we're probably only using maybe six to eight

0:40:350:40:39

people for doing different legs.

0:40:390:40:40

So this is me on the Tarnichan, high in the Ben Lawers range.

0:40:420:40:45

I think only about six to go until we actually finish.

0:40:450:40:48

It's really amazing how strong the team energy and vibe is

0:40:480:40:52

and I think the thing is once you get involved early on,

0:40:520:40:56

although you probably have to go back to work and things, you're

0:40:560:40:58

really looking for when you can next get back involved because it's

0:40:580:41:02

that absorbing and you really want to be part of it once you're in it.

0:41:020:41:05

After just over two weeks, nearly 1,500 kilometres

0:41:050:41:09

and 130 mountains to climb, it's almost over.

0:41:090:41:15

So here we are on the top of Ben More just above Crianlarich.

0:41:150:41:18

It's Sunday 14th June and here's Rabbie having a well-earned rest

0:41:180:41:23

on the summit of the true point.

0:41:230:41:26

It's just gone nine o'clock in the morning

0:41:260:41:28

and it's Rabbie's third Archie of the day.

0:41:280:41:31

Here comes Tayside GP, Graeme Gatherer,

0:41:310:41:36

just summiting his...

0:41:360:41:40

tenth Archie of the expedition.

0:41:400:41:43

It's been a monumental effort

0:41:440:41:47

and, as Rabbie heads towards the final summit,

0:41:470:41:49

there's no shortage of well-wishers.

0:41:490:41:52

Then it's one final push before the finish at Loch Fyne.

0:41:520:41:56

And just for the record, the final time was 15 days,

0:41:560:42:00

nine hours and six minutes.

0:42:000:42:02

And to stay in touch with this

0:42:020:42:04

and all the latest Adventure Show news, follow us on Facebook.

0:42:040:42:08

Yoo hoo!

0:42:160:42:17

I've made my way from Loch Shieldaig to the bottom of Ben Eighe.

0:42:170:42:20

For most people climbing this hill even on its own is a massive

0:42:200:42:24

challenge, so the idea of doing it after such a gruelling swim

0:42:240:42:27

and bike ride is pretty hard to get your head around.

0:42:270:42:31

Despite that, the fastest will be here soon

0:42:310:42:33

ready to take on the last part of this epic challenge.

0:42:330:42:37

Still way out in the lead is German triathlete Dirk Zangen,

0:42:370:42:41

who is currently living in Brussels.

0:42:410:42:43

He's now increased his lead to a massive 32 minutes.

0:42:430:42:47

Yet he's finding time to enjoy the race.

0:42:470:42:51

I just love the atmosphere.

0:42:510:42:53

It's fewer people, great landscape

0:42:530:42:57

but you spend all day long with your family and friends.

0:42:570:42:59

You know, I like the support part.

0:42:590:43:02

They get up. It's a long way for them as well.

0:43:020:43:03

And there is not so many races that have this aspect.

0:43:030:43:07

Fantastic job, well done.

0:43:070:43:09

Are you feeling confident about this next section?

0:43:090:43:12

Well, we all know the race only starts here, right?

0:43:120:43:15

Yeah, it's getting tough.

0:43:150:43:17

On the other side of the Coulin Pass the fastest women are nearing

0:43:190:43:22

the end of the bike ride

0:43:220:43:24

and only two minutes separates Marie Meldrum and Siobhan Prise.

0:43:240:43:28

So here's the leading girl, last year's winner Marie Meldrum.

0:43:290:43:33

Look at that, she's gone with just a vest top on.

0:43:330:43:36

Absolutely flying there. Brilliant effort.

0:43:360:43:40

How are you doing, Marie?

0:43:400:43:42

-Tired. That girl was really tough to catch.

-Siobhan, yeah?

0:43:420:43:46

Yeah, Siobhan. Oh, who is she?

0:43:460:43:49

She was a good swimmer, wasn't she?

0:43:490:43:51

She was out the water quickly and then pretty good on the old bike.

0:43:510:43:54

Just think positive, yeah.

0:43:540:43:56

What a bike ride that was.

0:43:580:44:00

Yeah, well, it was the longest I've ever cycled in my life so...

0:44:000:44:02

-You're kidding me?

-..that's it.

0:44:020:44:04

It ticks something off the bucket list that's for sure, but,

0:44:040:44:08

yeah, it was really amazing the first part until...

0:44:080:44:12

It was just that turn before Garv

0:44:120:44:15

and you're up the hill into the wind, you're low on energy.

0:44:150:44:19

That was really tough and I struggled a bit on that bit.

0:44:190:44:21

It was really scenic and beautiful until then.

0:44:210:44:23

Now I just have to go and run a marathon for a wee while.

0:44:230:44:27

Well done, Siobhan, keep it going.

0:44:270:44:29

Good effort.

0:44:290:44:31

'Next into transition just six minutes behind is

0:44:310:44:34

'Karin Sloove from the Netherlands.'

0:44:340:44:36

Karin, how are you feeling?

0:44:360:44:37

Yeah, the last bit on the bike was a bit windy but still smiling.

0:44:370:44:41

Still smiling? Good.

0:44:410:44:42

And how are you on the hills, are you good on the high hills?

0:44:420:44:45

Usually I am, but it's a question how the legs will feel after

0:44:450:44:50

the bike so we'll see, we'll see.

0:44:500:44:52

We wish you well. Enjoy the hill.

0:44:520:44:55

You've got a tracker, yeah.

0:44:550:44:57

Karin Sloove looking very comfortable indeed.

0:44:570:44:59

'Some 18km ahead, as he pounds down the far side of the Coulin Pass,

0:45:010:45:06

'Chris Stirling from the Lakes has now moved up into second place.'

0:45:060:45:10

On Celtman, the ground's rough

0:45:100:45:11

and you need to prepare specifically for that, I think.

0:45:110:45:14

I sort of look at the course

0:45:140:45:16

and then look at the different aspects of that course.

0:45:160:45:20

How I can try and tailor my training exactly to that.

0:45:200:45:24

-Feeling confident about this next bit?

-Yeah, this is the best bit.

0:45:240:45:27

It's what I love doing so I like it.

0:45:290:45:32

The hardest bit is my favourite bit.

0:45:330:45:36

-Oh, that's great and you've saved it till last?

-Yeah exactly.

0:45:380:45:42

The third man over the Coulin Pass is Heiko Sepp from Estonia.

0:45:450:45:48

He's nearly 40 minutes behind Chris Stirling

0:45:480:45:51

and he knows the longer he takes, the harder it gets.

0:45:510:45:55

The most important is just get on the end

0:45:550:45:58

but if the race is getting longer and longer,

0:45:580:46:00

the light is getting more harder for you

0:46:000:46:04

because the guys who are the top three in here,

0:46:040:46:06

OK, they have a high speed,

0:46:060:46:08

they are good, but the guys who are doing 16 hours you know.

0:46:080:46:12

Even don't understand the real world, you know, like a zombie.

0:46:140:46:18

You just continue doing your thing and really respect.

0:46:180:46:21

On this high mountain section, each competitor is

0:46:220:46:26

joined by a support runner to ensure their safety.

0:46:260:46:29

This is a key moment for the racers.

0:46:290:46:31

If they arrive here 11 hours after starting, they have to

0:46:310:46:35

take a lower route and don't get the much prized blue t-shirt.

0:46:350:46:39

If they don't make the cut-offs then

0:46:390:46:41

they don't go over the mountain.

0:46:410:46:42

We don't want tired people up there or people

0:46:420:46:45

who are really on the edge. It's not safe.

0:46:450:46:47

It is a mountain and it's dangerous. That's just the way it is.

0:46:470:46:50

Whichever way you look at it, the Celtman is one of the toughest

0:46:500:46:53

events in the European calendar

0:46:530:46:55

and that seems to be a key part of its attraction.

0:46:550:46:59

I think it's just that stripping back.

0:46:590:47:02

We're so health and safety orientated in this world, aren't we?

0:47:020:47:05

Everything has to be in a box and everything has to be so safe

0:47:050:47:07

and it's just nice being able to be out there

0:47:070:47:09

and think I'm on the edge of what I'm capable of here.

0:47:090:47:12

What happens if I just step past that?

0:47:120:47:14

What's going to happen? What's going to go first?

0:47:140:47:16

Is it going to be my mind, is it going to be my body?

0:47:160:47:18

I don't know, and I like that feeling. It's fantastic.

0:47:180:47:21

It's an amazing adventure.

0:47:210:47:24

It's always a shock

0:47:240:47:25

when I come here how breathtaking the scenery is.

0:47:250:47:28

The mountains just come straight out of the sea.

0:47:280:47:31

I pointed to my colleague of the fact where we're going up,

0:47:310:47:34

a sharp intake of breath.

0:47:340:47:36

Cos it is, it's literally just straight up 1,000 metres.

0:47:360:47:40

Some people are here to win.

0:47:400:47:42

Some say they're just competing against themselves

0:47:420:47:45

and there's some sibling rivalry as well.

0:47:450:47:49

No, there's no love lost.

0:47:490:47:50

No dirty tricks or at least no noticeable dirty tricks

0:47:500:47:53

but certainly a sense that if we're on the last five-mile section

0:47:530:47:57

then I think it will be flat out to get through first.

0:47:570:48:01

Once we're on the mountain the gloves are off.

0:48:010:48:03

Yeah, I think Alistair's got the edge on me on the shorter distances

0:48:030:48:06

but I've got a wee bit more experience on the longer distances.

0:48:060:48:08

I can see a lot of psychoanalysis.

0:48:080:48:11

Like a fine wine, he's improving with age.

0:48:110:48:14

-I think that's what it is.

-Fighting our way.

0:48:140:48:16

There's a big part of me wants to get over the mountain.

0:48:160:48:19

There's probably an even bigger part of me wants to beat him though.

0:48:190:48:22

In the women's race, Siobhan Prise has had a great run

0:48:220:48:26

over the Coulin Pass.

0:48:260:48:27

She's overtaken Marie Meldum

0:48:270:48:29

and, as she heads up Ben Eighe, is now back in the lead.

0:48:290:48:33

I don't know how far she's behind me, but I'm sure, to be honest,

0:48:330:48:36

it doesn't matter, I'm just so happy I've got a blue t-shirt now.

0:48:360:48:39

-That's fantastic.

-I made the cut-off time.

-Oh, that's brilliant.

0:48:390:48:42

It's quite sharp.

0:48:420:48:43

-Kind of psychologically, when you get to this stage...

-Yeah.

0:48:430:48:46

..you know that you're going to finish it.

0:48:460:48:48

Which is all I wanted, which is great.

0:48:480:48:50

I got a blue t-shirt.

0:48:500:48:52

This is the worst bit and everyone's in the same boat.

0:48:520:48:55

Everyone's got to go up this bit.

0:48:550:48:57

Just seven minutes later, Karin Sloove has also overtaken Marie.

0:48:570:49:01

You're doing a great time.

0:49:010:49:03

You're the second female through at the moment.

0:49:030:49:06

I know but number three is right on my ass.

0:49:060:49:09

OK, I better not hold you up then.

0:49:090:49:12

Meanwhile, Dirk Zangen is approaching the summit of Rustack Moor.

0:49:120:49:17

Dirk's still way out in the lead

0:49:170:49:19

but he's not taking anything for granted.

0:49:190:49:22

-How are you doing?

-All right.

0:49:220:49:24

Last time he competed here he encountered significant problems

0:49:240:49:27

on this last part of the race.

0:49:270:49:30

Two years ago, I said never again.

0:49:300:49:32

I got stuck after like two hours. Everybody down here was worried.

0:49:320:49:36

My tracker didn't move. My wife was really scared.

0:49:360:49:39

She didn't want me to sign up. She was angry when I signed up again.

0:49:390:49:43

She was nervous the whole time.

0:49:430:49:45

Chris Stirling, the second man up the hill,

0:49:450:49:47

is also trying to learn from past experience.

0:49:470:49:50

He thinks walking poles will make a vital difference.

0:49:500:49:53

It's so steep.

0:49:530:49:54

I want to run it but, you know, I come from the Lake District.

0:49:540:49:58

I'm used to mountain running and fell running,

0:49:580:50:00

but after 200km and 18km of running,

0:50:000:50:03

you're not going to run up here, so poles.

0:50:030:50:08

-How's he doing?

-Good.

0:50:080:50:11

'It just allows you to use your upper body and just take

0:50:110:50:13

'a bit of strain off your legs and I think off your back as well.'

0:50:130:50:17

And when you've been sat on a bike for six hours

0:50:170:50:19

and then you start running, I think your back can really tighten up,

0:50:190:50:22

particularly going uphill.

0:50:220:50:24

You start to sort of like arch your back and stuff.

0:50:240:50:26

I think poles just help you keep a nice upright position.

0:50:260:50:30

Third to the summit, Heiko Sepp and Odd Arne Engersaeter are now running

0:50:300:50:35

together because Heiko's support couldn't make it up the hill.

0:50:350:50:39

They're now just 22 minutes behind and are closing the gap

0:50:390:50:43

on Chris Stirling, but that's not what matters most to Odd Arne.

0:50:430:50:48

'The place for me is not that important.

0:50:500:50:53

'It's more important for me to have a nice trip up

0:50:530:50:58

'and such a lovely place like this is fantastic.'

0:50:580:51:01

Getting to the summit is only half the battle.

0:51:030:51:06

The descent is just as tricky.

0:51:060:51:08

I asked my friends who are most experienced

0:51:080:51:10

and they said to me that I shouldn't try to stop myself too much.

0:51:100:51:16

I just should let go, not to force myself to slow,

0:51:160:51:20

just go with the flow.

0:51:200:51:22

That's it.

0:51:220:51:24

At least you'll catch me on film if I roll down the hill.

0:51:240:51:28

You get to the top of the hill, "Oh, good, I'm there, I'm finished."

0:51:280:51:31

And it's like, "Well, no, actually, the hard bit is the descent

0:51:310:51:33

"and staying awake and kind of paying attention to your feet

0:51:330:51:36

"and just watching your toes."

0:51:360:51:38

We had a reccy run, last year's trip.

0:51:380:51:42

We came up in Easter and did the whole course over a long weekend

0:51:420:51:46

and one of our party just about smashed their face.

0:51:460:51:49

It's four o'clock in the afternoon.

0:51:510:51:53

The racers have been going for 11 long hours

0:51:530:51:55

and we now know that Dirk Zangen, number 175, who was leading

0:51:550:51:59

into the run, is still in the lead.

0:51:590:52:01

He's absolutely been fantastic on the hill.

0:52:010:52:03

In the women's race, Marie Meldrum, who was winner last year,

0:52:030:52:07

she has dropped into second place.

0:52:070:52:09

Karin Sloove, the Netherlands racer, is in front of her.

0:52:090:52:13

Siobhan, though, Siobhan Prise has disappeared off the tracker system.

0:52:130:52:16

That doesn't mean she's stopped.

0:52:160:52:18

It just means her tracker's not working, so we'll find out more

0:52:180:52:21

as the race progresses.

0:52:210:52:22

'In fact, Siobhan is having a great race.

0:52:220:52:25

'She's still in front as she nears the summit of Ruadh Stac Mor.'

0:52:250:52:29

I feel great.

0:52:290:52:30

'It's just absolutely stunning. The mountains are incredible.'

0:52:300:52:33

I'm a geophysicist, so all the rocks and the, you know,

0:52:330:52:37

are something of interest.

0:52:370:52:39

Siobhan's extended her lead to 15 minutes.

0:52:390:52:42

Meanwhile, only five minutes separates Marie Meldrum

0:52:420:52:45

and Karin Sloove, who are battling for second place.

0:52:450:52:49

Woohoo!

0:52:490:52:50

And it's Karin next to the summit.

0:52:500:52:52

I'm loving it!

0:52:520:52:54

I like races where you kind of come in like,

0:52:540:52:57

"Oh, maybe I can do podium."

0:52:570:52:59

And then after one and a half hours of racing, you think,

0:52:590:53:04

"God, I hope I'll finish."

0:53:040:53:06

And the whole aspiration of having a high ranking is just gone

0:53:060:53:10

and you're just in survival mode.

0:53:100:53:12

Just over 11 hours 51 minutes after starting at five in the morning,

0:53:140:53:18

the first runner is mere steps away from the finish line.

0:53:180:53:21

CROWD CHEERS

0:53:210:53:23

So here he comes.

0:53:230:53:26

After almost 250km of extreme conditions,

0:53:260:53:30

swimming, running and cycling, Dirk Zangen from Germany

0:53:300:53:35

picks up his daughter and jogs fresh as a daisy over the line.

0:53:350:53:41

What an extraordinary performance from this athlete.

0:53:410:53:45

It was just fantastic.

0:53:450:53:47

Back in 2013, he had real trouble on Beinn Eighe.

0:53:470:53:50

This time he got the job done

0:53:500:53:52

and he is Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon Champion 2015.

0:53:520:53:57

Honestly, I can't believe it. The swim went well.

0:53:590:54:02

I took the lead just around there,

0:54:020:54:04

around the corner after, like, 10km so I kept pushing

0:54:040:54:07

but I never believed I would keep the lead until then.

0:54:070:54:10

So we went up the mountain and I thought other guys who

0:54:100:54:13

are much stronger hill runners would come, but we didn't see anybody.

0:54:130:54:16

So I...

0:54:160:54:18

Yeah, to be honest, I didn't expect this.

0:54:180:54:21

So here is Chris Stirling, second in the Celtman 2014

0:54:260:54:31

and, once again, second place after just 12 hours

0:54:310:54:35

and around ten minutes.

0:54:350:54:37

That is another great performance from Chris Stirling.

0:54:370:54:41

-Congratulations, second again.

-Dirk was awesome today.

0:54:410:54:44

I gave that everything I had and, you know, he was miles ahead.

0:54:440:54:49

So congratulations to him.

0:54:490:54:51

-Yeah.

-And, like I said before, my support crew were amazing today.

0:54:510:54:55

-They kept me going.

-Yeah.

0:54:550:54:56

-I wanted to quit all day.

-Oh, really?

0:54:560:54:59

All day, yeah, tough day.

0:54:590:55:01

They're going to come over together.

0:55:010:55:03

Oh, excellent effort. Third equal.

0:55:030:55:06

That is absolutely sensational stuff.

0:55:060:55:08

Heiko Sepp coming across the line there with

0:55:080:55:11

Odd Arne Engersaeter from Norway.

0:55:110:55:14

That's very nice indeed.

0:55:140:55:15

Estonia and Norway share third place and share a beer as well.

0:55:150:55:18

-Yeaaaaaaah!

-COMMENTATOR LAUGHS

0:55:180:55:21

-Congratulations, third equal with Heiko there.

-Thank you very much.

0:55:210:55:25

-A great race.

-Fantastic race.

0:55:250:55:27

It was a beautiful day from the start at the beginning with

0:55:270:55:31

fire show in the starting place there.

0:55:310:55:34

The swim was a bit cold, of course, but it was OK.

0:55:340:55:38

-I swim like this.

-No!

-Yes, I do.

0:55:380:55:43

So it was OK for me.

0:55:430:55:45

'Well, a brilliance effort, really fantastic.

0:55:450:55:47

-'Congratulations.

-Thank you.'

0:55:470:55:49

Woohoo!

0:55:490:55:50

He helped me because, you know, my supporter, he had problems.

0:55:500:55:53

He couldn't breath so I asked and I joined with this team

0:55:530:55:57

and they said, "Yeah, OK, it's not a problem.

0:55:570:56:00

"You can do that if you want, yeah."

0:56:000:56:02

And thanks for these guys, you know, from Norway.

0:56:020:56:06

That's why I'm here already.

0:56:060:56:08

So confirmation of those winning results for the men.

0:56:080:56:11

In joint third place was Norwegian Odd Arne Engersaeter

0:56:110:56:15

and Heiko Sepp from Estonia.

0:56:150:56:17

Their time was 12:46:04.

0:56:170:56:21

Chris Stirling from the Lake District once again

0:56:210:56:24

came in second in 12:08:51.

0:56:240:56:28

But out in the lead by over 70 minutes

0:56:280:56:30

was German triathlete Dirk Zangen with a time of 11:51:14.

0:56:300:56:36

A great race for the women as well, as Aberdeen-based geophysicist

0:56:360:56:40

Siobhan Prise powers up to the finish line.

0:56:400:56:43

She led after the swim, second place after the cycle section

0:56:430:56:47

and through to win the Celtman 2015.

0:56:470:56:51

What a result that is!

0:56:510:56:53

I've never done anything long like this before

0:56:530:56:56

and you don't know how your body is going to react to such endurance.

0:56:560:56:59

I guess I just kept on eating so much and trying to force food

0:56:590:57:04

and my dad shouting at me, "Eat!"

0:57:040:57:07

And I'm like, "I don't want to eat!" But I did!

0:57:070:57:11

And only a minute separates the next two women,

0:57:110:57:14

Marie Meldrum and Karin Sloove.

0:57:140:57:16

Karin's just managed to stay ahead.

0:57:160:57:19

Amazing race between both of you.

0:57:190:57:21

Incredible race between the both of you.

0:57:210:57:23

It was great to have a battle.

0:57:230:57:24

Like....there's no point winning if there's nobody to race, you know.

0:57:240:57:27

For the full mountain section, we've been harassing each other.

0:57:270:57:31

We were about two minutes apart when we started the mountain.

0:57:310:57:35

It was definitely fun.

0:57:350:57:37

So the final result for the women,

0:57:370:57:39

in third place was last year's winner Marie Meldrum from Fort William

0:57:390:57:42

with a time of 14:21:19.

0:57:420:57:47

Second went to Karin Sloove from the Netherlands in 14:20:07,

0:57:470:57:52

but with a time of 14:01:44,

0:57:520:57:56

the top spot went to Siobhan Prise from Aberdeen.

0:57:560:57:59

In an event like the Celtman, every single person is a winner.

0:58:000:58:05

It was beautiful, it was great. It's beyond imagination.

0:58:050:58:10

So that's it from the Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon.

0:58:100:58:14

We'll be back again next month

0:58:140:58:16

when we join over 900 intrepid cyclists for the aptly named

0:58:160:58:20

Three Piece Sportif that takes in three of our ski resorts.

0:58:200:58:25

Until then, thanks for your company, bye for now.

0:58:250:58:28

And, like the competitors, I'm off for a lie down.

0:58:280:58:31

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