Day three: all to play for with 2 frontrunners possibly out of the race

238 runners headed out this morning for Day 3 on the Cape Wrath Ultra®, an epic ultra-race which sees participants complete the notoriously challenging Cape Wrath trail over just 8 days. Following a tough Day 2, Day 3 was set to be the hardest yet. Today, the route took runners through the stunning area known as Kintail, but with a lot of climbing and 68 km of rough ground, meeting the cut offs was a real challenge for many runners.

Those who did make it were rewarded with some of the most breathtaking scenery Scotland has to offer, passing by the famous Falls of Glomach, the most voluminous waterfalls in the Highlands. Fortunately, the Scottish drizzle of the morning made way to some gorgeous sunshine in the late morning and afternoon, which certainly lifted the moods of many runners who were able to enjoy the Highland views in all their glory.

Simon Roberts is out of the race

Unfortunately, after an impressive performance on the first couple of days, frontrunner, Simon Roberts, was forced to pull out due to injury. We caught up with him over breakfast to discuss the difficult decision.

“After all that hard technical running we had to do yesterday, lots of bog, steep descents, I fell over on a nice flat piece of forestry trail. Just tripped over my foot. It was a stupid fall, but I done my knee in and shoulder. So, I’m not going to start today unfortunately.”

It wasn’t an easy decision for Simon, but with six days still to go, he had to do what was best in the long term. “I had all day to think about it yesterday, and I saw the medics last night and this morning it’s started to swell up and get bruised as well as all the cuts. I’ve got to look after myself.”

“I’m really gutted. I was loving the adventure so far. I had a small taste of the Highlands so really gutted I’m not going to see the rest of it.”

However, in spite of his disappointment, he was optimistic about returning to conquer the ruthless Cape Wrath Ultra in the future. “There is always next year. I’ll be back here at some point definitely. I was feeling good. I was feeling confident coming in as well. These things happen.”

Runners were gearing up for a tough day at the start

Cumbria-based, Howard Dracup, had found the previous day very tough, but was feeling alright ahead of today.

He said: “All I could think of is this makes the Pennine Way look like child’s play. It was absolutely ruthless. It was fun but at the same time it was really testing.”

He had a good strategy ahead of Day 3. “Don’t underestimate today. Quitting’s just not an option, so got to keep going, a bit slower than normal as well I think. I’m just going to pace myself well.”

“I felt pretty low setting off yesterday. I was the last person to leave camp with Simon, but as soon as we left camp Simon was 200m ahead in 10 seconds. It was a bit of a mental game yesterday. I was on a bit of a low at first then I kept overtaking people. Even though I knew that they’d set off a lot before me, it’s mentally fresh to be picking people off.”

Laura McCaulley was feeling apprehensive, but seemed in a good mood. “Yesterday was pretty tough, so I guess I’ll wait and see what toll it took on the body. A bit worried about today, but we’re all in the same boat, so it’s fine.”

 Stuart Taylor felt well-prepared for his adventure. “I think the first two days were always going to be relatively straightforward for people that have trained, so today’s D Day. I’m not too nervous – there’s no point being nervous. I was more nervous about logistics and kit and getting here. You know it’s going to be very well organised, but you can let yourself down. You can drop out of stuff like this so easily by a non-running thing, by a kit thing, or a logistics thing, or a personal admin thing, so it's best to avoid all those.”

Will Robinson was also feeling good. He was looking forward to a shorter two days after the long day today. “I sort of told myself that if I can get through today, that’s basically Day Six.”

The sun was shining at the Shiel Bridge checkpoint

After the torrential rain of the first few days, many participants were relieved to see the sunlight make an appearance on Day Three as they approached the first checkpoint at Shiel Bridge. With the route being so remote, there are very few cafes and shops en route, so many participants made the most of the opportunity to load up on cake while they still could. With the checkpoint being only 20km in, many runners were in high spirits.

Nicole Morgan was having an excellent day so far when we caught up with her as she queued up for cake. “Today’s been the best day. Coming down the hill is the best part.”

Mariana had come all the way from Sweden to run the Cape Wrath Ultra. She said: “It’s a fun day. It’s hard not to enjoy the scenery – it’s fantastic. There was some rough terrain over there with some mud which reminded us of yesterday. But it’s a good day and we’re having fun.”

Scottish runner, Con Bonner has an incredible story as to why he’s running. He completed the first ever Cape Wrath Ultra in 2016 and had entered again in 2018 but had to drop out on day 2. “I just didn’t feel right. Legs were sore, it was a sore lump in the neck. I went home eventually and five days later I was diagnosed with cancer.”

It’s absolutely phenomenal that now, four years later, he is back, in an awesome display of resilience. “Now it’s back for revenge,” he said. “It’s been playing on my mind for four years.”

Con is planning to come back next year, this time as a volunteer. “It looks fun,” he said with a smile, before venturing back out along the loch to conquer his challenge.

Paul Manson looked very strong as he came through: “Today’s felt a bit nicer – the weather’s been a bit nicer as well. I think there’s quite a lot of tough stuff to come. It’s just lovely, quite different from yesterday. Yesterday felt so remote, whereas we’re actually going through some civilisation at the moment.”

Anna Ridewood and Philippa Haworth were running together, but finding it tough. They weren’t far off the guidance cut-off time of 11:30, but they had stopped to get their bags organised ahead of the next section.

“That was a hustle for me. It’s tight. You think it’s fine but you just don’t know what the terrain’s going to be like – if it’s all knee-deep bog and sitting down every five minutes. We’re just doing some bag administration,” Anna told us.

Philippa was also finding the going tough, but was hopeful for the next section. “There’s no climb like that first climb, so we’ll keep moving and we’ll get there. It definitely makes getting a move on easier when the sun’s shining.”

Shiel Bridge isn’t an official cut off point, but it has a guidance time of 11:30. This means that competitors who arrive after this time are allowed to continue, but will need to pick up pace in order to meet the mandatory cut off time at checkpoint 2 in order to continue the race competitively. The previous day seemed to have taken its toll though, with many arriving after the guidance time.

It was another tough day with more people retiring

It was a hard day for many participants, with many being timed out at the cut off at checkpoint 2, where they were then taken onto camp 3. The feeling of disappointment was tangible amongst the retirees in the participant tent, but many were still grateful for the adventure, and intended to continue non-competitively.

One retiree, Patrick Buzzard from Colorado, was timed out on Day 2 after one of his poles broke. However, he seemed in a good mood as he came into Shiel Bridge, having decided to continue non-competitively.

“I was running through the bog trying to catch up to the cut off time. I go out a lot in the mountains in Colarado but it’s dry, so all my training there didn’t equate to bog.”

He was still enjoying his Highland adventure though. “This is definitely like a lifetime trip,” he said. “It’s so amazing. Now I can actually enjoy it, take pictures and videos and stay in the moment.”

It was a long day out, with first finishers not coming in until 17:30

The first participant to cross the finish line was Canadian Nick Sunderland. “The weather was better today,” he said. “I think actually yesterday was harder, though that last descent was pretty slick.” He saw his wife and daughter along the route at Shiel Bridge, which gave him the boost he needed.

First female over the finish line today was Despina Berdeni, who has been putting in a consistently strong performances across the days.

Female frontrunner, Laura O’Driscoll, wasn’t too far behind, but unfortunately had picked up an ankle injury. She was now moving through the course very slowly, relying on her running poles for support.

She was emotional when we caught up with her on the final stretch into camp. It was clear she was heartbroken at the prospect of potentially pulling out.

“You never know, miracles could happen… it was a good day apart from that. It happened at about 30km, but then it got progressively worse, obviously from running on it. I’m just raging. I would have loved to race that – it was such a nice course.”

It remains to be seen whether Laura will continue in the morning.

One final river crossing took participants into camp

There was a look of relief on the participants’ faces as they realised one of the hardest days was now behind them when they crossed the river into camp. This same river proved a popular washing spot for participants and event team alike, who were grateful for the chance to refresh themselves in the cold mountain water after several days without the luxury of hot showers.  

With the two frontrunners potentially out of the race, it will be interesting to see who will rise to the top, in what is proving to be an incredibly challenging race. While it’s been a disappointing day for some, those who have made it to the end of the day have enjoyed running through some of the most incredible landscapes in Scotland in what will be a hugely rewarding experience for all. The best is yet to come though, with the spectacular hills of Torridon awaiting our intrepid participants tomorrow.

Follow their progress as they journey north here:

Day Three Results (provisional)

Top 3 men on Day 3:

1. Thomas Øderud

2. David Barry

3. Graham Walton

Top 3 women on Day 3:

1. Despina Berdeni

2. Laura O Driscoll

3. Vicky Savage

Top 3 men overall:

1. Graham Walton

2. Thomas Øderud

3. David Barry

Top 3 women overall:

1. Despina Berdeni

2. Laura O Driscoll

3. Vicky Savage

Conquer the Cape Wrath Ultra in 2023

If you’re feeling inspired by the phenomenal endurance of our 2022 runners, why not join us on the start line in 2023? Entries are open now, so don’t miss out on the adventure of a lifetime!