Robbie Simpson is favourite to win this weekend’s Dee 33-mile ultra-distance race – but the Banchory athlete says he won’t be chasing a record time.
Central AC’s Ross Houston set the standard to beat seven years ago when he completed the route from Aberdeen’s Duthie Park to Banchory and back in 3hr 10min 40secs.
And, while Simpson is more than capable of putting that mark to the test, the Great Britain mountain running international isn’t keen to push himself too hard because of an even more challenging race commitment next month.
He said: “I’m aiming for the Highland Fling 53-mile race between Milngavie and Tyndrum on the West Highland Way, which is this year’s Scottish ultra trail running championship race.
“So I’m going to run the Dee 33 fairly hard, but not eyeballs out. I’m treating it as a long steady run, but a lot will depend on the weather. If there’s a tailwind on the way back, I might try to pick up the pace.
“I’m thinking about aiming for a time of around 3:25.
“If I try for the record, it would take me much longer to recover and that would impact on my training. The Highland Fling is only five weeks away and I don’t want to miss any preparations.”
Simpson has been planning meticulously for the Highland Fling, having checked out most of the course in recent weeks.
He said: “I ran the first 28 miles of it a few weeks ago and more recently went back to do the next 20 miles. The only part I haven’t run over is the final five miles, but it’s relatively straight forward.
“It’s certainly not an easy option. There’s one part early on which is very rough and it goes on for about three miles. It involves climbing over boulders for a long stretch and there’s not really a path of any kind. My pace dropped by half when I tried to get through it.
“Other parts offer good running with grassy trails which are twisty and undulating, but nothing too bad. Overall, however, it’s very varied and is a tough test.”
Simpson will enjoy a week of warm weather training on Fuerteventura before completing his preparations for the Highland Fling.
And he’s already putting plans in place for a return to international competition during the summer.
First up will be an outing in the Zugspitze 49k ultra trail race on the Austria-Germany border in July.
He said: “I’ll probably go out there about three or four weeks before the race to prepare.
“It’s an important race and I’m looking forward to it. The first 15k is up and down a mountain then it goes into a relatively flat and fast section for 15k before the final section, which includes a series of smaller ups and downs.”
After that he’ll move on to France for a second appearance in the OCC 55k race at the prestigious Ultra Trail Mont Blanc festival. He finished second in 2021.
He said: “That will be my other main race of the summer, but after that I might try to find something else, although nothing is definite yet.”
But the path to these European adventures begins in the north-east this weekend. While Simpson is odds on favourite to win the Dee 33, there are a number of others battling for the podium positions.
Grant Jeans, who won the inaugural Dee 33 in 2010 and again the following year, is among the other main contenders.
The Glasgow-based Elgin athlete has won 20 ultra distance races on Scottish soil during his career, the most recent being last October’s Glasgow to Edinburgh race.
Other north-east athletes hoping to put up a challenge include Great Britain ultra distance international Dave Andrews (Metro Aberdeen) and Insch Trail Running Club’s Gavin Taylor, who was runner-up in the 2019 race.
List of contenders for women’s Dee 33 podium
The women’s race appears wide open with a large number of possible contenders for the top prize.
Charlotte Black, a former Scotland 100k international who won last year’s Moray Coastal Trail 50-mile race, has the credentials to win.
But there are some north-east athletes capable of pushing the veteran Shetland athlete for a podium position.
Among them is Aberdeen’s Sarah Milne, who was runner-up when the Dee 33 was last held in 2020. She also won last summer’s John Lucas Memorial 46-mile race at Strathaven.
