‘The mountains are my happy place but this race is the hardest thing I have ever done’

Bee Leask, better known as Bumblebambi on-line, has retired from the Cape Wrath Ultra 2021 after five days. She is disappointed after picking up a leg injury but she says she far exceeded her hopes.

Crossing the finish line at Inverbroom last night, the final person to make it to camp, and having run a total of 241 kilometres over the race, she said: “I feel fine in my head and upbeat but my leg is not working. It is swollen and sore.”

In tears, she added: “I am an emotional mess. I am a wreck. My legs are a mess. I can’t believe I got this far. I am so emotional.

“This event is so tough. It is the hardest thing I have ever done by far. I massively underestimated how hard it would be.”

Bee’s race from registration to day 5

A keen mountain and hill walker, as well as an outdoors adventurer and Scottish traveller, Bee decided to take on the Cape Wrath Ultra because she believes “it is important to challenge myself and to push myself”.

At registration in Fort William on Saturday, the 38-year-old civil servant from Glasgow said: “I like being outdoors and I like the mountains. I am used to big days in the hills and this race is a little bit different and out of my comfort zone but I want to see what I can do and what I am capable of.”

But she also confessed: “I am absolutely petrified. I am so scared. I am overwhelmed and I don’t know why I am here to be honest. It is the unknown that petrifies me.

“I am worried about not being fit enough, being unprepared, under-trained and not finishing.”

Bee trained by doing lots of long hill days and aimed to do them faster than she would normally. She said: “I tried to do big days in the mountains and I ran more. I ran the flats and the downs. The mountains are my happy place to be.'“

The strategy as she went into the race was to try to get to the end of day three. She said: “I am trying not to think about the whole thing. The longest event I have done before is the London Marathon so this is quite different.”

Emotional finish on day 5 for Bee. © No Limits Photography

Days 1 and 2 for Bee

Days one (37km) and two (57km) went well for Bee and she was thrilled on day two to have completed her longest day of running to that point. She said at the end of day two: “It was awful but great, too. It was my first ultra distance and it was hard but fine really.

“I am very pleased to have got through it and now I can focus on tomorrow, which I know will be a very long day.”

Bee makes it through day 3

Day three is the one that most participants in the Cape Wrath Ultra fear. It is often said to be the crux of the early stages of the race. It is a long day of 68km with 2400m of ascent and on mostly rugged and pathless terrain.

Catching up with Bee earlier on day three, she said: “I am up in the mountains today and that’s my happy place. 

“My legs are okay although I am trying not to think about what might hurt or what will be. I love Kintail and I am familiar with it so I am very happy. I just hope I can get through today.”

She was the last person to make it to the finish line at Achnashellach and stay in the race. She said: “I managed to finish before the cut-off. It was a long way yesterday and all the elevation made it harder.

“And that last hill! All the midges meant you couldn’t stop for a breather, you just had to keep going.

“This was when my leg started to hurt. I ended up having a bit of a meltdown and I had to have a good talk to myself. I knew I would be like this at some point but I still had to tell myself I was capable of finishing. I felt better after giving myself a talking to. I think I needed a bit of a release.”

Unfortunately, Bee had picked up a calf injury – possibly shin splints or a stress fracture – and she was’t sure how much further she would be able to go. She also has blisters on her feet.

She said: “The medics have been amazing. They have been so helpful and they have shown me how to treat the blisters. I have never had blister before. They have all been saints and enabled me to keep going.”

Days 4 and 5: ‘Just start’

Bee’s strategy for day four was to simply start. She said: “Someone gave me the advice to start each day and see how you feel and I wasn’t sure I would start today because I have sore legs and blisters but I just got up and decided to go for it. 

“For me to get through day two and then day three was amazing and to make it to day four today feels unbelievable. If I get to day five I will be very pleased with myself.”

Day five was long and painful for Bee. She was still smiling as she arrived at the finish line but she said she knew she had run as far as she could in the race.

She said: “it has all been so amazing and everyone has been incredible. I would recommend people do this race. The scenery is nice on the route but it’s the people that make it. The atmosphere is amazing.

“Now I need to listen to my wee body. It’s broken.”

See more of Bee at Bumblebambi.