Dundee’s mountain man Kenny Rattray left organisers in disbelief after refusing to give up during the biggest race of his career so far – soldiering on for 60 miles with a broken foot.
The 40-year-old took on the 215-mile GV Ultra race across Scotland last weekend but broke his foot after 140 miles of running.
He tried to carry on regardless, powering through mountains, valleys and forests, but race officials realised what was wrong and pulled him out 15 miles from the finish line.
Grandad was there throughout
And it was his grandfather, 77-year-old Donald Mciver who collected him from the race.
Kenny said: “My grandad was there to help me every night along with my uncle Ronnie o’Rourke.
“My grandad is the backbone of everything for me. He’s my dad and grandad rolled into one.”
Undaunted, Kenny has already signed up for the race again next year.
Recovering at home in St Mary’s, window cleaner Kenny is temporarily using a wheelchair.
He said: “That was the hardest thing I have ever done.
“For a while I was questioning my own sanity.
“However, despite being in dreadful pain right now I’ve already signed up again for next year.”
215-mile challenge
Kenny had joined a field of top international runners to take on the 215-mile coast to coast challenge across Scotland.
He started the race, which includes a total limb of 30,000 feet, at Portpatrick on August 14.
He had hoped to be right up against the race leaders and was aiming to complete the distance in around three days.
Kenny ran for four days, setting off at 6.45am on the day and stopping at 5pm on August 18.
However, Kenny got lost for 12 miles in the earlier stages of the challenge due to his inexperience and lack of navigating skills.
Despite this he got back on track and made up his time and hopes to improve these skills in time for next year’s race.
Disaster struck
At 140 miles disaster struck when Kenny realised he had damaged his foot.
He soldiered on for another 60 miles until finally at a checkpoint only 15 miles from the race finish officials discovered he had broken a bone in his foot and refused to allow him to continue.
He said: “I’m not going to lie, I’ve got really mixed emotions because at the end of the day I’ve still failed.
“I’m not sure if I’m being so hard on myself but if you were 15 miles from finishing after covering 30,000 feet and 200 miles it’s enough to drive you mad.”
Lessons learned
Kenny said he has also learned valuable lessons to help him next year.
He said: “What I did learn is I’m terrible at navigating and reading maps.
“This caused me major problems to the point I was lost for hours.
“It’s time for me to work hard on better planning and navigating.
“If I’d had this cracked then I would’ve saved myself at least eight hours.
“However, the good news is I think I’ve proved that with a bit of heart and determination then anything is truly possible for any of us.
“I was down and out at mile 140 after being lost and getting injured and started to question my own sanity – whether I was willing to go on or not.
“I made the decision that I would fight on when I could barely walk and still managed to catch back my time and position.”
Unbearable pain
He added: “My last 60 miles will be something I’ll never forget.
“The pain was unbearable.
“Then disaster struck when I hit the floor in the last aid station and couldn’t get back on my feet – I knew there and then by the drama around me it was game over.
“I tried everything humanly possible to go the distance but my body eventually packed in.”
Kenny said that one of the biggest things he will take away from the challenge was the incredible support from his fellow Dundonians, who tracked his efforts via GPS.
He said: “Something that will keep me going is the impact that this had on people across Dundee.
“The race directors were telling me that the tracker was getting viewed thousands of times an hour from Dundee alone.
“That was amazing.
“That’s a massive reason why I do things like this – to keep showing people what they can be truly capable of and to show the potential that lies within you.”
Disbelief
A spokesman for race organisers GB Ultras said that at 135 miles Kenny was holding a strong position just before the injury.
He also won the hearts of the the organisers who called him a lovely man and believe he has a bright future in these competitions.
The spokesman added: “How he managed another 60 miles after it happened we have no idea.
“He has us scratching our heads in disbelief.
“Kenny was well unprepared in terms of navigating throughout the course but his resilience has taken us all by surprise – to make it to the last aid station with 15 miles to go when he couldn’t walk is a true testament to his character.
“We at GB Ultras can’t wait until next year to see him back at the starting line in several of our biggest races.
“He has a massive career ahead of him with some big changes to his planning.”
The spokesman said organisers were reduced to tears when Kenny’s grandfather picked him up.
“Kenny is such a lovely humble man and everyone was crying when his grandfather picked him up with 15 mile to go, but the decision to withdraw him from the race was the correct one,” he said.
Kenny said he has been told his foot will take around four weeks to heal, then he will begin training again.