thirteen unlucky for some

 

Running luck

I wrote this in march 2020 just as lock down began! i will leave it just as i wrote it then, my thoughts looking back at what i wrote then? are much the same i am no different from anyone else really in what happpened over the next nearly two years all our lives changed dramatically and still are feeling the effects of the pandemic, >>

I am not superstitious; I believe we make our own luck and if things aren’t going your way then change direction! There is no thirteenth floor in the hotels in Las Vegas because gamblers think it’s an unlucky number. I have no issue with running thirteen miles today or running under ladders or not saying good morning to solo magpies! I don’t carry a rabbits foot or horseshoe, fate is something I think we have no control over unless of course you court danger all the time then perhaps that’s not fate but pure statistics, you can mostly be in command of your own fate, if you never leave the house you wont get run over by a car,

            These are just words to describe an event, what is the difference between fate – luck?  is that luck is something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence while fate is the presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events. Of course there is good luck and bad luck leaving your training and organising to fate for a big event like the CWUltra would by the laws of chance bring you bad luck, train hard rest well eat well look after yourself and your equipment and the laws of chance should bring you good luck,

What’s all this got to do with the cape wrath ultra and running in general?  I was leaving nothing to fate or chance, I was well organised looking after myself building a good training plan trialling the best of equipment, throughout the second half of 2019, everything was going well and on target,

SO! Whats the chances of a global pandemic causing a global lockdown of peoples free movement! The governments of all nations Calling off all public gatherings all events not just indoor events gigs theatres pubs but marathons music festivals concerts and sporting events, all  cancelled people being advised to self isolate, what sort of bad luck is that? Or was it fate? I don’t think myself important enough to take it personal there is no supreme being dictating whats happening in this talking monkeys world, it was inevitable it would happen at some point again in human history it just so happened to be once I was ready for the biggest run of my life,

It started in January one of these annual flu type germs appeared in a Chinese city, nothing too new there, we have had swine flu and bird flu before starting in china and not coming to much, then in February this new virus left china fast and before the end of February coronavirus or corvid19, was spreading fast in Europe NO worse than that Europe was by the end of February the new epicentre, on the 19^th of march I received the email from ourea events the cape wrath ultra was cancelled, bad luck had arrived in Scotland via a horrible virus

            Thankfully the race organisers allowed people like myself who had paid for the 2020 event in full to defer our entries to 2021, which was very good of them a quick read of the small print on the entries, showed they could have chosen other routes, -

Dear Kenny,

Like you, we had hoped that this action would not be necessary, but in line with government advice to “stop non-essential contact with others and non-essential travel, start working from home and avoid social venues”, we feel we have no choice but to cancel the Cape Wrath Ultra® that was due to be held 24^th-31^st May 2020.

We wanted to communicate this difficult news as early as possible to allow everyone to focus on what’s important right now, and avoid any uncertainty. We are mindful of the impact this will have on our community of participants, suppliers, freelancers and event volunteers.

At the same time, we are making other cancellations and alterations to our 2020 calendar of events. We recognise that is a very challenging time for many people, and the events industry among many others is going to be massively impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak.

What can we do to help?

For participants with a currently active (i.e. fully paid up) entry into the event, we would like to offer you a free of charge deferment to the May 2021 edition of the event (23^rd – 30th May 2021). We know that many of you will have invested a lot to get to this point, and we'd really like to be able to help you fulfil your Cape Wrath Ultra® dream, just a little later than expected.

 AND that was it! all those months of training all the equipment purchases the quiet nights in the decision not to go skiing not to buy a car stop cycling and concentrate on running, all for nothing! Or was it? I was originally gutted absolutely shattered about it, but I allowed it all to settle in and took stock, I will be better prepared next year now, I can cut back on training do more cycling it will all work out well if I stay healthy, that’s what is important everyone’s health, I am extremely lucky to be as healthy as I am I shall be thankful for that and move along