Excitement and anticipation at Cape Wrath Ultra® registration

It was an atmosphere of excitement, trepidation and relief as registration opened for the Cape Wrath Ultra 2021 today. Almost 100 athletes arrived on a warm and sunny day in Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands, to take their place in a long-anticipated event.

The eight-day stage race from the coastal town, located on the shores of Loch Linnhe, north to remote Cape Wrath had originally been set for May 2020. After two postponements due to the Covid pandemic, sights were once again focused on the new dates of August 1 to 8.

Race founder Shane Ohly said: “We are relieved to be finally here in Fort William and ready to go. It is literally the culmination of years of work as we have prepared for this event and had two postponements so it is great to be finally here.”

A steady stream of participants went through the process of registration in marquees located at an outdoors venue near the centre of Fort William. Volunteers carried out Covid and kit checks, handed out event t-shirts, race numbers and car stickers and directed the athletes to have photographs taken for the trackers.

Volunteers assist participants through the registration. ©No Limits Photography

‘We can’t wait to get started’

For most of the participants, nerves are mixed with a keen desire for the race to get underway. It has been a long wait for many for Day 1 of Cape Wrath Ultra and they are eager to get to the start line tomorrow at 10am.

Local runner Donna MacDonald (race no.12) said: “I am feeling fine about the race. I get nervous with the hanging around before the start. I am looking around at all the other people and they look so fit and prepared.”

Donna, a mum of three, signed up for Cape Wrath Ultra two years ago for two reasons. She said: “The first glen we run up in the race is the place where my dad was born and brought up so it made sense for me to do this race. Also, my youngest child was going off to university and I was worried about how I would feel because of being empty nested.

“I wanted something to take over my entire life and this race just seemed perfect.”

Training has been up and down for 47-year-old coach driver Donna. She said: “Before the race was postponed for the first time, I felt my training had gone well. I was confident about doing the event. But since then I’ve had a few injuries and we had Covid in the house. Training hasn’t gone so well recently.

“But it’s just an event and I am keen to finish. I won’t be racing as I am asthmatic so I will be going at my own pace. I will never live it down if I don’t finish.”

Sally Fawcett (no.14), who trains with Dark Peak Fell Runners, was also keen to get started. She said: “I am ready to go now.”

The longest multi-stage race that Sally, 40, from Sheffield, has raced before is a two-day mountain marathon. She said: “I wanted to do something different. I have done a 100km running event before but this will be the longest race I have taken part in. I want to enjoy the event and hopefully get some good weather and take in the nice scenery.”

Training has been lots of steady days out in the fells and on the Munros. Sally, a physio, knows only a few short sections of the route. She said: “I am just looking forward to seeing a new part of Scotland and having a good week out.”

Mark Smith (no.25), of Glasgow, entered the race after a friend took part in the inaugural Cape Wrath Ultra in 2016. He said: “I have spent most of my life climbing and running in the mountains and one of my friends did the first Cape Wrath Ultra and that gave me the idea to do it one day, too.”

He reports that the training has gone well and he has really valued coaching from Kaz Williams, of Pyllon.

He said: “It is my first multi-stage race and only my second ultra. I have only ever raced a 30-mile event before. Mostly I’ve only done 10ks. I have actually done about 170 miles of the course over the past two years and most of these training outings have been with other participant I have met thanks to this event. I didn’t know them before but we have trained together.”

Mark hopes he will finish the race. He said: “I have my sights set on the finish and I will see how I go in terms of time.”

Lisa Watson, the winner of the sister race organised by Ourea Events, Montane Dragon’s Back Race®, was also looking forward to the journey of the Cape Wrath Ultra.

She said: “I volunteered at the previous Cape Wrath Ultra and I really love Scotland. I like being in the middle of nowhere and in the mountains so this race was something I wanted to do.”

The 30-year-old’s training was affected by a foot injury for a lot of last year. Lisa, also a Dark Peak Fell Runner from Sheffield, said: “My foot seems to have been okay for the last six months and I did a test event recently and it held up so I will see how it goes. I am hoping my baseline fitness will help. I can only see what happens."

Lisa has completed a couple of training runs on the route. She said: “Some of it I know and some of it I don’t know. I am looking forward to the surprises. I want to finish and to enjoy it and not to be broken by it.”

Experienced ultra runner Sabrina Verjee (no.19) has had a busy year. She has twice started a Wainwrights Round and just six weeks ago became the fastest person to complete the 214 fells in five days, 23 hours and 49 minutes.

Sabrina, 40, has also twice been female runner-up in the Montane Dragon’s Back Race®. She is joined at her first Cape Wrath Ultra by her husband Ben Turner.

Sabrina, a vet, said: “It wasn’t exactly planned to go almost twice round the Wainwrights so I will have to see how recovered I am now. I thought I’d recovered very quickly but a few weeks ago I joined Kim Collison on his record-break 24-hour Munros bid and I did about 40k and I realised I wasn’t as recovered as I thought I was.

“I have been doing quite a bit of support actually. I am very realistic about what I will do in this race and I quite like experiments. It’s actually going to be a nice holiday with Ben.”

The longest race that Bea Leask (no2) has run before is a marathon “and that was a long time ago,” she said. The 38-year-old from Glasgow admitted: “I am petrified. I am terrified and overwhelmed. I don’t know why I am here but it will be good. I think this bit before the race is the worst bit. Once we get started it will be ok, I think.

“I haven’t done anything like this before and I have done what I could in training with lots of hills locally and also Munro bagging. It’s just the unknown. I am worried I won’t be fit enough and I am not prepared.

“But I am also looking forward to the adventure and to seeing some spectacular parts of Scotland. I love being in the mountains of Scotland and I think it’s good to push yourself to do a big challenge. I really want to get started now I’m here in Fort William.”

Race start: Day 1 from Fort William

Day 1 is one of the shorter days with 23 miles (33.99km) of running from Fort William to Glenfinnan. There is a total ascent for the route of 628m. You can keep track of participants throughout the eight-day race via the GPS Tracking. On the start line will be 21 females and 69 males.