53 min
3#03 Jamie Aarons: the fastest Munroist in history Mountain Air
-
- Wilderness
> Find galleries, blog posts and many more episodes at www.mountainairpodcast.uk
“Underpinning it all was this ridiculously amazing team behind me… two years of planning was spent gathering an army of friends and strangers.”
Episode 3#03 meets Jamie Aarons, who on 26 June 2023 became the fastest person ever to have completed a self-propelled round of the Munros. In doing so, she covered more than 2,576km of ground by foot, bike and kayak and recorded more than 135,000m of ascent. The entire round of Scotland’s 282 highest peaks took her just 31 days, 10 hours and 27 minutes.
… but all of this you may already know from reading about it in the outdoor press and even the national media.
What you won’t know, however, is the story direct from Jamie herself. And here she is to do so - during a lunch break from her day job in social care, no less - for the latest episode of Mountain Air. In this hour-long interview, Jamie explains how she feels after such a mammoth undertaking, her motivations for attempting it in the first place, and just what it took - both from her and from her extensive support team - to claim such an astonishing record.
So, if you’ve ever wondered about…
• how powerful the “micronap” can be
• whether it’s possible to fit a challenge like this into your annual leave
• just how inspirational a force an army of friends and well-wishers can be
• which Microsoft Office product is key to tackling a Munro speed challenge
• what it is that draws outdoor people to the Highlands from across the globe
• … or if “hating running with a bit of a passion” precludes you from winning an ultra race…
… you’ve come to the right place.
> Read all about Jamie’s record-breaking round here: jamiesmunrochallenge.run
> … and here: ukhillwalking.com/news/2023/06/jamie_aarons_sets_new_munro_round_speed_record-73379
> Follow Jamie on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube…
instagram.com/jamieaaruns
facebook.com/people/Jamie-Aarons/100090560726414
youtube.com/channel/UCpjvRJ9lrOlPbTGSjgIUTdQ
> Donate to World Bicycle Relief here: justgiving.com/page/jamiesmunrochallenge
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends, subscribe to the podcast if you get and chance, and thank UKHillwalking.com for their kind support of this series!
[episode recorded on 05/07/23]
00:00 - Introduction.
03:14 - Welcome, fastest ever self-propelled Munro record, “it’s all still a bit surreal”, feeling “quite lethargic, a little less narcoleptic”, falling asleep during meals, an overview of the challenge.
07:40 - Sleeping “considerably less” than four hour a night, the skill of “micronaps” for periods as little as 60 seconds.
11:24 - A 2,576km route… and other stats, “the terrain isn’t conveyed in those stats - not every kilometre is equal… the most efficient route was to connect many hills in ways that are not commonly done (or never done)”. An “incredibly special” challenge.
14:04 - What does it take to complete such a challenge? The “glimmer of maybe”. A lifetime of building endurance. The enjoyment of the planning, spreadsheets, friends and logistics, “coming to grips with new aspects of Excel”.
17:20 - “Underpinning it all was knowing that I had this ridiculously amazing team behind me… that two years of planning was gathering an army of friends and strangers”.
18:12 - Gathering supporters. A hiking challenge, not a running one, a “continuously putting one foot in front of the other challenge”. An overview of the support involved.
22:20 - “Lots of chat… it was about sharing time on the hills with friends old and new… it’s a lot easier to take a 60 second nap when there’s someone hovering over you, waiting to wake you up”.
23:20 - “Even before we started we’d made what I knew were lifelong friendships through the planning. Even if we hadn’t been successful, there’s success in finding these kindred spirits of cyclists and hillwalkers”.
26:40 - Th
> Find galleries, blog posts and many more episodes at www.mountainairpodcast.uk
“Underpinning it all was this ridiculously amazing team behind me… two years of planning was spent gathering an army of friends and strangers.”
Episode 3#03 meets Jamie Aarons, who on 26 June 2023 became the fastest person ever to have completed a self-propelled round of the Munros. In doing so, she covered more than 2,576km of ground by foot, bike and kayak and recorded more than 135,000m of ascent. The entire round of Scotland’s 282 highest peaks took her just 31 days, 10 hours and 27 minutes.
… but all of this you may already know from reading about it in the outdoor press and even the national media.
What you won’t know, however, is the story direct from Jamie herself. And here she is to do so - during a lunch break from her day job in social care, no less - for the latest episode of Mountain Air. In this hour-long interview, Jamie explains how she feels after such a mammoth undertaking, her motivations for attempting it in the first place, and just what it took - both from her and from her extensive support team - to claim such an astonishing record.
So, if you’ve ever wondered about…
• how powerful the “micronap” can be
• whether it’s possible to fit a challenge like this into your annual leave
• just how inspirational a force an army of friends and well-wishers can be
• which Microsoft Office product is key to tackling a Munro speed challenge
• what it is that draws outdoor people to the Highlands from across the globe
• … or if “hating running with a bit of a passion” precludes you from winning an ultra race…
… you’ve come to the right place.
> Read all about Jamie’s record-breaking round here: jamiesmunrochallenge.run
> … and here: ukhillwalking.com/news/2023/06/jamie_aarons_sets_new_munro_round_speed_record-73379
> Follow Jamie on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube…
instagram.com/jamieaaruns
facebook.com/people/Jamie-Aarons/100090560726414
youtube.com/channel/UCpjvRJ9lrOlPbTGSjgIUTdQ
> Donate to World Bicycle Relief here: justgiving.com/page/jamiesmunrochallenge
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends, subscribe to the podcast if you get and chance, and thank UKHillwalking.com for their kind support of this series!
[episode recorded on 05/07/23]
00:00 - Introduction.
03:14 - Welcome, fastest ever self-propelled Munro record, “it’s all still a bit surreal”, feeling “quite lethargic, a little less narcoleptic”, falling asleep during meals, an overview of the challenge.
07:40 - Sleeping “considerably less” than four hour a night, the skill of “micronaps” for periods as little as 60 seconds.
11:24 - A 2,576km route… and other stats, “the terrain isn’t conveyed in those stats - not every kilometre is equal… the most efficient route was to connect many hills in ways that are not commonly done (or never done)”. An “incredibly special” challenge.
14:04 - What does it take to complete such a challenge? The “glimmer of maybe”. A lifetime of building endurance. The enjoyment of the planning, spreadsheets, friends and logistics, “coming to grips with new aspects of Excel”.
17:20 - “Underpinning it all was knowing that I had this ridiculously amazing team behind me… that two years of planning was gathering an army of friends and strangers”.
18:12 - Gathering supporters. A hiking challenge, not a running one, a “continuously putting one foot in front of the other challenge”. An overview of the support involved.
22:20 - “Lots of chat… it was about sharing time on the hills with friends old and new… it’s a lot easier to take a 60 second nap when there’s someone hovering over you, waiting to wake you up”.
23:20 - “Even before we started we’d made what I knew were lifelong friendships through the planning. Even if we hadn’t been successful, there’s success in finding these kindred spirits of cyclists and hillwalkers”.
26:40 - Th
53 min