SICHEL IS RUNNER UP IN SUPERB WEST HIGHLAND WAY RUN

Sanday runner William Sichel (Orkney AC), had a hugely successful result in his debut ultra hill race when taking second place overall (1st British and 1 st veteran) in the “Devil o' the Highlands” 43 mile race from Tyndrum to Fort William on the West Highland Way last Saturday morning finishing with a time of 6hrs 37mins 6 secs .

Competing in misty then hot conditions William took on a quality field of 66 hill runners including entrants from Nepal , South Africa and Austria as well as the home countries.

William's time was just over 11 minutes behind race winner Kumar Limbu , a 29 year old Nepali sherpa , in Britain for 6 months of hill racing and training, who recorded a new course record of 6hrs 25mins 22secs. Third place went to Scot Murdo McEwen who recorded 6hrs 56mins 20secs.

“I headed the Nepalese runner going onto the Devil's Staircase but his superior climbing and particularly descending skills were too much for me and he was able to pull away from me in the final stages. Although I enjoyed my successful performance I found it very hard running on uneven stones and pebbles for hours on end – something entirely new for me. Also the long rough descents were very hard on the thighs. I was lucky to have a superb back-up crew which included my daughter Bella and led by Alan Young, a former 100km and 24hr performer, who knows the course intimately and new all the best places to meet me for supplying drinks etc.”

After a short recovery William will then prepare for his specialist road events starting with the World 100km Championships in Holland on September 11 th and then the World 24hr Championships on a road circuit in the Czech Republic on October 22 nd and 23 rd .

William is a long term member of the Orkney Athletic Club and in December 2002 William set new Guinness World Records for both 100 miles and 24hrs on the treadmill. With his wife, Elizabeth, he runs the Orkney Angora mail order knitwear business in Sanday , Orkney.

William is grateful to sponsors Orkney Meat (main sponsor), The Ayre Hotel, The Orcadian and Crantit Dairy (Orkney Ice Cream) and Loganair .

William's running web site, which is being developed as a resource for ultra running in general, can be found at www.williamsichel.co.uk

Making contact:

William Sichel, Upper Breckan , Sanday , Orkney KW17 2AZ. Tel/Fax: 01857 600421. Mobile (whilst travelling only) 0794 128 3506. william@williamsichel.co.uk Running web site: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/

Photographs:

Newsline Scotland (Press Agency). Tel 01224 594000. photos@newsline-scotland.co.uk

Ken Amer , Orkney Photographic. Tel 01856 873574, Mobile 07808 961780 info@orkneyphotographic.co.uk

William Sichel, ‘Free to use' photographs can be down loaded from my on-line photo album. Go to: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/ and click on ‘Photos'.

9/08/04

Picture1: William and Nepali winner Kumar Limbu minutes after finishing the Devil o' the Highlands 43 mile hill race.

Picture2: 6 miles to go and William takes a drink from his daughter Bella, as he heads towards Glen Nevis.