The Unofficial Celtman Support Guide

By Greg Rochford – September 2024

All information is correct at the time of writing, however if you spot any inaccuracies, please let us know. Also this is just a guide, expect things to change and be ready to adapt! For more general advice, check out the detailed guide over at The Global Extreme Triathlon website.

11. Introduction

Celtman is one of the most gruelling races in the xTri series. For the athlete it starts with a 12 degree swim and so many jelly fish, then there’s is that 15% climb out of the village on numb legs and a gnarly 200km of harsh but beautiful cycling to follow. Out of transition they have to battle through bogs, heather and steep shingle tracks before finally making it to the foot of Benn Eighe where the supporters role takes on some next level commitment!

2. Key Race Details

So the race take place in just about the most north westerly part of Scotland, predominately based in in Torridon and centered around the Community Center where registration, the mandatory race briefing, the shop and eventually the finish line.

T1 and the swim starts about 20 minutes away in a village called Shieldaig at 4am. It’s a very cold one and plenty of jellyfish for company. The bike course is 200km and renowned for unpredictable conditions, especially particularly nasty head winds. Finally the run is broken in to two sections, the first 18KM to Benn Eighe needs to be completed by 3pm if the athlete is after a Blue finishers T-shirt, which gives them the opportunity (weather permitting) to ascend Benn Eighe and traverse the ridge before heading back to the road and the final 8km back to Torridon. After 3pm they will gain a White finishers shirt by completing the lower course. Both routes require a mandatory support runner, whihc is most likely you dear reader!

Swim: Aim to get there for no later than 3am as there are things to do. Parking is in the village and is well marshalled. The early you get there, the closer to T1 you will be but the more complex it can be to leave. To be honest though you just have to go with the flow at this point. Once you arrive, your athlete will go and grab the tracker from the village hall then head over and find their number on the bike rack at the northern end of the village. Your athlete will undoubtedly have an order to how things are laid out so just leave them to it and be ready for any last minute instructions.

The actual swim starts in the lovingly named ‘Sheep Shit’ field in Inverbain. You won’t be able to go there though as the road is super narrow and the coaches need room to manoeuvre once there. Your athlete must be on the coach at the top of the hill outside the village no later than 4am! If your athlete misses the coach that’s it over for them. (Although I have heard of people blagging it occasionally, I wouldn’t leave it to chance. Just get them on the coach!)

The swim exit it about 50 metres away from transition, over some rocks and up the old pier, it’s quite the parade!

Get an approximate swim time from your athlete so you know roughly when to meet them out of the water, they will have done enough practice to know how long it should take them. The swim is shorter than a normal Iron Man so make sure they have taken that into account, as well as the tides.

Nannys, the local cafe, is usually open to sell coffee and baps from 4am so take the opportunity to load up on caffeine whilst you wait if that’s your thing, and say hello to Lynn from me! The WiFi in there is usually down, or very very slow as everyone is desperately hunting for signal so don’t rely on that being available on race day. Aim to get back to the swim exit at least 15 minutes before your agreed time to make sure you don’t miss them. They might have had a belter!

It’s almost impossible to spot your athlete in the water unless they are one of the leading pack, so stay vigilant whilst you wait to make sure you don’t miss them. When they do get out, they will be super cold. Over an hour in that water, even in a wetsuit takes it’s toll so be ready to support them over the rocks and guide them back to their bike. There is a good chance they will be very wobbly and maybe even a bit sea sick. Some people suggest buckets of warm water but I find the logistics of that a bit troubling especially, if you’re camping, so a good dry robe is a great option as well, but ultimately it’s their choice.

Your job now is to get them out of their wetsuit and start getting them warmed up. Again there is a good chance they will be trembling from the cold and adrenaline, so this makes it pretty tricky. Getting dry clothes on over wet bodies is tough so be prepared for some pulling and yanking. Talcum powder helps with this. When they are dressed, double check the tracker is on the bike somewhere or in their cycle jersey before they set off. Also make sure they are in the correct chain ring for that very steep climb out of the village. It’s no joke if they have got it wrong and I’ve both seen people fall and rip their rear mech off!

When your athlete is safely away, it’s important not to rush or panic during the next steps. You will catch them up eventually, even the best cyclist can’t out pace a car! Gather their wetsuit, goggles, caps and any other crap they bought to T1. Make sure it all goes into a waterproof container of some sort, or even a bin bag at a push will do. If they took a bag to the swim start you’ll need to collect that as well. Take it all back to where you parked and get on your way.

The first 30km is a breathtaking journey out of the village back towards Torridon, then down past Benn Eighe until the first left turn onto the main road. There is no support allowed here so just stay vigilant of all the athletes flying past you. It’s slow goingto start with and they will be generally moving faster than the cars as it’s mostly downhill from Torridon. You may or may not catch up with your athlete before the end of this section so make sure everyone is aware of this and plan to have enough food, drink and repair kits on the bike to see them through at least two hours. They can always ditch it when you do eventually catch up with them.

Once you turn left onto the main road (A832) you can start supporting with food, drink and bants. They will have warmed up by this point hopefully and be feeling pretty good. Plan ahead with your athlete roughly how often they want support. Aim for the top of climbs or any natural slowing points. No one wants to slow down when your flying down hill or cruising on the flats! Below is a list of my favourite stopping places roughly 20-30km apart. However be prepared to throw that all out of the window!

You should assume that there will be no mobile signal anywhere on the course… So the tracker becomes basically useless unless you are watching from the comfort of your own home! Which makes it even more important to have a rough idea of the time it will take to get between various support stops or landmarks so you can gauge if they have got into trouble somewhere. Make a plan together for how long is too long and what to do if it does happen. It could be you need to turn around to find them as they have punctured and don’t have any spares left.

After the first couple of hours the pack starts to spread out and manoeuvring past riders becomes easier so don’t stress. Your athlete is well used to looking after themselves on ling bike rides so having you near by is a luxury they don’t normally have.

The weather is a major factor at Celtman. It can go from too hot to pouring rain and gales in a matter of minutes. (I can confirm this is not a myth as I have personal experience of it!) If it’s cold, keep your athlete warm as a body trying to heat itself is wasting energy. If it’s wet make sure to have dry clothes to hand at the stops, there is nothing like having a fresh pair of gloves or socks. If it’s hot, make sure they supplement with enough water, they may need more than they think so stay aware of any behaviour that seems out of place.

Everyone’s fuelling strategy is different but variety really helps. Make sure you know how much your athlete wants to eat and do your best to make them stick to it. Bully them if you have to! It’s annoying but it could just save their race.

The last major stopping point is just before the roundabout outside Achnasheen, from there it’s a fast downhill dash back to Kinlochewe. You might want to skip this one and just head straight to the car park located in a field about 1 mile after the turn. When you get there follow the marshals instructions as there is a one way system in place with cars coming and going down the same track.

Unless you’re in the front of the pack the car park can get busy, you might end up a bit of a march away so be prepared for that when thinking about what you need to bring to the transition area and make sure it’s well packed and easy to carry. At this point the support runner can join the athlete until the end of the course or meet them at any point along the way to Ben Eighe.

If you are planning to run the whole way you will need a second supporter to drive the car back to Torridon. They can stop for 5 minutes at the entrance to leave you food and supplies, then they must head back to Torridon and wait for you there. They can’t use the Coire Dubh car park at the foot of the white course as that is reserved for Solo support vehicles only. There is a marshal there that will turn you away if you try.

If you are a solo support you should have collected a sticker during registration to confirm this will take the bike back to your car, pack everything up and then head off to the car park at the foot of the white course called Coire Dubh, where you will leave it for the next few hours. From there you can walk the 2.5km back to the foot of Benn Eighe and wait for you athlete. They have 18km to cover through some pretty mixed terrain and the drive only takes about 10 minutes so you will have plenty of time.

Use this opportunity to feed and drink, you’ve had a long day so you will also be tired, but it’s not over yet! Before you leave the car make sure you have BOTH mandatory kit bags with you. Make sure they both have a good supply of liquid and food as well as all the other mountain essentials. DON’T try to second guess the weather and leave kit behind! In 2024 it was blazing sunshine all day and then halfway up the mountain it lashed it down for over an hour! They are not joking when they say be prepared for anything.

When you get to T2B at the foot of mountain, get both packs checked by the crew, there is an area roped off for this. There are also toilets and snacks here. And then you wait… and you wait… You should know roughly how long they will take but there are many variables on the day. When your athlete arrives take them over to the check in tent to Dib in. You will be held there for 2 minutes to make sure they are capable of making the next section, either the Blue route if they made it there before 3pm, or the White route before 5pm

Blue (High) Route

Not for the feint hearted! You leave the copse and head straight up towards the summit. There is a well worn path at this point so no stress. Gradually it gets steeper and steeper and walking poles can really help take the strain out of the climb. I would throughly recommend them. About 2/3 of the way up the final ascent gets pretty tricky and is a real scramble in places. There is a time cut off to ensure everyone is capable of finishing, it’s more than enough even if you are feeling slow. You’ll then follow the marshals instructions and turn right up a short climb to the first trig point, then across the ridge and head North to Ruadh Stac. You’ll then come back on yourself and head down the scree slope, a dangerous, steep descent with loose footing the whole way down. Aim for the loch as best you can there is no real one way down, you just have to pick your route. The right hand side can seem shorter but has large drops to navigate, whilst the left seems to take you away from your desired route but is easier to navigate. Once you hit the locj the path becomes more obvious and it’s a case of following it all the way round and back to the valley where you will meet the white course. They will be coming up as you go down to the Coire Dubh car park. Be sure to encourage them on! They still have a very long way to go. Once you hit the car park you can leave your athlete and pick up your car if you left it there and priocede to support them on the final 8KM back to Torridon

White (Low) Route

You’ll head back to the Coire Dubh car park and make the ~500m ascent into the valley between the Beinn Eighe and Liathach mountains. A treacherous route with plenty to keep you occupied. There is only really one way around the valley, and then after 13km you will pop out onto the road, follow the path through the trees and down to the loch, after that it’s a 5km flat, tarmac road to the finish line. It’s not mandatory to support here but you’ve come this far so you might as well see it through to the bitter end!

For more general advice, check out the detailed guide over at The Global Extreme Triathlon website.