Fresh off a hard-fought victory at the Scottish Islands Peaks Race, we caught up with VOOM ambassador Ross Creber to hear all about their team’s incredible performance, how they tackled one of the UK’s most unique endurance events, and how VOOM helped power them through every step (and sail!) of the journey.
If you’ve ever thought about taking on this epic multi-day race, combining sailing with mountain running across the rugged west coast of Scotland, this one’s for you.
Huge congratulations on your win! What does it feel like to come out on top in such a legendary and gruelling race?
"It's totally amazing to take the win. It's such an iconic adventure race combining hill running and sailing. I've raced this many times, and it's just incredible to have finally won the race. We took the overall and Steve and I won the King of the Ben's (fastest runners)."
What made you want to take on the Scottish Islands Peaks Race in the first place?
It's a race I remember my Mum going off to compete at when I was younger. Her stories were always epic! The journey between the Scottish islands by boat and the demanding run courses is what makes it so iconic.
Tell us a bit about your team, how did you come together, and what made it work so well?
Our team name was 'The Kitchen Sink' because we thew everything at it. We had a fantastic yacht named Jezebel skippered by the very experienced Cris Miles with Kenny, who has raved the event 15 times on board who brought so much experience and knowledge.
Ben was our third sailor who had done lots of racing and is as strong as an ox day and night. At times when the wind drops rowing is the only option, I'm very glad Ben was on board! My running partner was Steve Harsall from the Lakes. He was super strong and we made a great team. We both have our strengths and it was super cool to use that to push each other on to go faster.
What were the biggest challenges you faced during the race?
We knew that there was a key tidal gate at the Sound of Luing and it was going to be tight whether we'd make it. Our skipper Cris said 'we had to really pull our tripe out' on the Mull run to give us the best chance to make it. We dug super deep on that run to ensure our best chance to make it. Thankfully, it paid off!
Was there a moment that really stood out, something you’ll always remember?
After an amazing run across the Paps of Jura we had great sailing to reach the Mull of Kintyre. Off the stern of the boat we had the most insane sunset with no other boats to be seen. This was a special moment as we knew we had build a great lead with just the Arran run to go.
Let’s talk fuelling. How did you manage your nutrition across such a stop-start, multi-day race?
This year, it was super hot running conditions, so staying hydrated and taking electrolytes on board was key. Between runs, I drank VOOM Hydrate and made sure I got some good meals down. We kept it simple on the boat for food, so our main meals were boil in the bags and porridge pots. With the nature of the race you end up running at really strange times for example we hit Arran at 4am.
There were times where we thought we were 3hrs away from the next run then for the wind to pick up and we were less than an hour away frantically trying to eat and get organised! On the mountain I started with 2x500ml bottles filled with Fusion Fuel. On the mountain I carried hydration sachets to mix in with my refills, this worked super well! I made sure I had over 100g of cabs per hour. I would do 5 pocket rockets each stage saving the caffeine kick for the last 1hr of the stage.
Back on board I'd take two scoops of Rapid Recovery Shake. With a long continuous event like this fuelling we'll both during the stages and between is key to having good legs on the final run. Thanks to Voom the legs remained good
How did VOOM products like the Pocket Rocket fit into your fuelling plan?
One of the most difficult sections psychology and physically is the 10km of track and tarmac to the finish that comes after the Ben More run. This is a full gas effort on tired legs after the demanding descent off the mountain. We new we had to go as quickly as possible to make the tidal gate. During this section I ate a square of Pocket Rocket Caffeine Kick every 15mins with hydrate mix. It did the trick perfectly!
How did you manage recovery between stages, if at all?
Between the run stages, there is time to recover. The quality of the recovery is very dependant on how gnarly the sailing is! If the boat is going full gas then simple tasks like getting the kettle on or getting dressed can be pretty challenging!
I really forced myself to get my recovery as good as possible. Getting back on board I'd have my recovery shake and have a good meal ASAP then attempt to get some kip! It really adds up if the recovery isn't good!
Any advice for someone thinking of signing up for the Scottish Islands Peaks Race?
If you have the opportunity to take part in this amazing event grab the chance with both hands! It is such a unique event showcasing the amazing west coast of Scotland. It's good preparation to get in some big mountain runs back to back. As the runners cover over 100km of tough running during the event.
What’s next for you? Any other big adventures on the horizon?
My next event is the world Half iron-man XTRI championships taking place in Torridon 21st June.
Inspired to take on your own endurance challenge?
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