tralia, was driven by the demands of a BBC production company. It was kickstarted by Steve’s biking friend Pat Adams, who was “mad enough” to suggest it be during winter; they were chivvied along by another friend who worked on the BBC programme Adventure Show. “He talked me into doing this
event, coerced me actually, by telling me it’s on their schedule,” recalls Steve. “So I suppose we had to do it really. “Te early ones were a nightmare, though. It was a complete mudfest.”
THE COURSE itself is a seven-mile circuit, and competitors do laps in teams of two, four or even 10, to see who can complete the most circuits in 24 hours. It sounds fun and hor- rific in equal measure, but people keep coming back for more. Tis year, like many others
previously, the wild-eyed lorry me- chanic, TT motorcycle racer and TV presenter Guy Martin was among the entrants. Te story of how he got to the start line at Strathpuffer is a feat of endurance itself, never mind the actual event.
‘FOR YEARS WE GOT AROUND ABOUT 400 COMPETITORS, WHICH WAS KIND OF MAYBE NOT QUITE BREAK EVEN; IT WAS A STRUGGLE TO SUSTAIN IT’
Steve Macdonald, Strathpuffer founder
“He set off from his home in
Grimsby on the Wednesday, and got here on Friday evening at 6:30pm,” says Steve. “He rode up on a single speed road bike, sleeping at the roadside at night wrapped in a space blanket. He didn’t even have a tent. He’s training for the Great Divide, a mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico, and it’s com- pletely unsupported.” I can think of other words which
might follow ‘completely’ as Steve tells the story. “Yeah, he’s off his rocker. But he just jumped off the bike at the shop and said ‘that wasn’t so bad’ and then just sat and blethered over a cup of tea for a while.”
IT’S ONE THING having a celebrity competing at your event, but it’s also a useful marketing tool. Guy Martin’s Twitter page has more than 100,000 followers and mentions of the TV presenter and the Strath- puffer brings up a whole series of tweets. Te event has also attracted big
name sponsors from the mountain biking world who provide win-
ners with expensive kit, and a local brewer has developed a special Strathpuffer beer to mark the occa- sion. It helps the volunteer marshals – who also bring cow bells and hooters - to get through the night. “Tey basically just have a party,”
says Steve. “But it’s still a com- munity event at heart. We get 60 volunteers locally, and they love it.” As for the future, there is loose
talk of holding a summer competi- tion, which has been tried before without great success. “You get virtually 24 hours of
sunshine in June,” says Steve. “So I’m thinking of having another go this year, because actually that was four or five years ago and social me- dia wasn’t as prevalent then. I think we could pull it off.”
What: The Strathpuffer Where: Strathpeffer, the Highlands When: January, 2017
EVENTSBASE | MARCH 2016 | 19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48