Day 4: Runners enjoy the thrill of Torridon while Meek sets records

Participants may have been looking forward to a shorter day today, with just 35km compared to yesterday’s 68km, but beware – underestimate Torridon at your own peril! What Day 4 may lack in terms of distance, it more than makes up for in terms of steep ascents and tricky terrain. It was certainly another tough day, but the views of the iconic Benn Eighe and the chance to experience the Torridon landscape were a real treat.

THE START PEN WAS QUIETER THIS MORNING

With a shorter day today, the usual 7am start crowd was looking thin on the ground, with more participants opting for some precious extra minutes of rest. Others were waiting for the early morning drizzle to subside, with the promise of glorious sunshine and a cooling breeze for the rest of the day.

Day 3 had certainly taken its toll – a number of people were timed out after struggling on the trickier terrain and are now continuing either non-competitively, or doing the shorter days of the Explorer Course.

The 119 participants who are still competitive in the race seemed tired, but it was with a renewed optimism that they set off, with the promise of adventure in the beautiful Torridon hills buoying them along.

We caught up with Denise Axelsen on her way out of camp in the morning. She said, “I'm a bit scared - it looks a bit high and a bit exposed. We've been really lucky so far. It's brutal but amazing - like heaven and hell I guess.”

“Loads of stuff is keeping me motivated - I'll probably get emotional if I talk about it.” It’s certainly an emotional journey for many participants, who are pushing themselves further than they ever have before.

Julia Hall was also heading out onto the course bright and early this morning. It is the people who are keeping her motivated to keep going.

She said, “My husband's doing it and he's really fast. He's waiting for me at the camp every day when I get in, and he's not going to let me time out! And the people I'm meeting. Yesterday I met up with 2 others and we did the last few hours together and it just makes all the difference. It's amazing what a difference it makes. You find people to chat with and you keep each other going.”

THE RUNNERS WERE GOING WELL AT CHECKPOINT 1

The first and only checkpoint of the day was near Ling Hut, a small, Highland house, which is dwarfed by the surrounding peaks of Torridon. It’s a dramatic location, with steep, craggy hills rising up in every direction.

This is one of a few manned checkpoints, with a few of the event team on hand and a response team along with searchdog Fern, ready to be deployed at any minute if the situation should arise.

While last year, the tumultuous weather conditions made this a bleak spot, today the hills of Torridon were shown in all their glory, with the light rain and mist of the early morning giving way to a brilliant day. Runners had just enjoyed a wonderful descent as they came into the checkpoint. From here, they then had a gentle, rocky climb up to a col, taking a trail which would bring them round the back of the famous munro, Benn Eighe.

We caught up with a few of the runners as they began this climb.

Sarah Perry was enjoying the more mountainous nature of the course today. She said, “It's stunning – some really nice mountain running. But it's been wild at the top, it’s gorgeous.”

She was feeling positive today following a tough Day 3, saying “I'm looking forward to getting some more admin done tonight. I came in a bit late yesterday and it's challenging trying to recover and get ready for the next day. Yesterday I had a bit of a dip at the Falls, I was a bit sick, I was just trying to eat and drink, but I'm feeling good today.”

Roy Linden was also having a fantastic time. Having timed out yesterday, he is now continuing with his journey non-competitively. He said, “It's absolutely fab here – what a place!”

We asked what was keeping him motivated. He said, “The scenery and the camaraderie in camp as well. Everyone helps - the participants and the volunteers - the atmosphere is amazing.”

Despite the challenges, he was positive about the experience.

“It's such a privilege to be able to do stuff like this. So many people can't even get to the start line. What I do want to do is be out in a place that's beautiful. You have no idea how hard it is though. You can train and train and train, but this terrain is just incredibly challenging.”

Debbie Martin-Consani was running with Eeke Triggs-Hodge when she came through checkpoint 1. The 2022 Spine Race winner has been running for much of the race with Eeke, and the pair are doing well - both being in the top ten.

They were both enjoying the Torridon trails. Eeke said, “It was windy and wet and then it opened up and there were beautiful trails down.”

“It's stunning - the most beautiful trail I've ever run on,” Debbie added. “I'm absolutely loving it. Running through Torridon is just amazing.”

“I've had low moments but it's mostly food induced - or lack of food, but I'm loving it. Just being out here is great - it's kind of nice being in your own little bubble.”

Teacher, Kate Heathcock, was moving well as she came into the checkpoint. She said, “The highlight was getting through day 3. What an achievement – I'm nearly 57!”

“I'm feeling amazed at this moment in time, but I'm so determined to get round.”

Her students back home are following her journey and spurring her on. She said, “I'm a teacher and all the kids in the class are following me. Some little kids are messaging me from home on ultra mail. It's just amazing. I had this joke before I went - because I am known for falling over, I told them to say in their lessons “just stay upright” every now and again - and I will hear them and remember this! They're sending that on the ultra mail – it's worked so far but early days!”

With the Scottish Highlands being so remote, signal can’t always be relied upon, so instead friends and family are able to send participants messages of support and encouragement via ultra mail, which is printed at each overnight camp. With this being such a long and challenging journey, this ultra mail can provide a welcome boost to morale!

FOR SOME, THE CAPE WRATH ULTRA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS 

Susan Nicol and Debbie McCart are both back for more this year, having not managed to complete the full course last year, a year that was notorious for its challenging weather.  

With both being timed out on Day 3 last year, they have already made it further this year.

Susan was determined to make it to day 4 this time round.

She said, “I'm knackered. I just put so much into yesterday because I got cut off last year at checkpoint 2. I was determined to make it so it was just a race to get to the end. My legs are a lot better than last year. The checkpoint 2 on day 3 was my finish line to begin with.”

Debbie was on good form as she ran along the trail into Checkpoint 1. She was delighted to have made it into the finish on day 3 with ten minutes to spare. She said, “Yesterday was a tough, tough day. I made it in last night at 10 to 10, but I did it. I made it. I'm so pleased with myself.”

Matt Walker also has a history with the race, having dropped out on Day 4 in 2021 and then volunteering at the race in 2022. He is now back to finish what he started. 

He said, “Today’s a bit of a demon-slaying day for me. 2 years ago I got through this, and it was somewhere between here and the end that I developed a knee injury that sent me home. I'm just going to keep going, and hope for better this time round. I don't want to be back on that bus again. The views help and I know there are some nice ones to come.”

The camaraderie on camp is one of the things keeping him going. “I've really enjoyed the atmosphere at camp. It's been social, and everyone's very chatty and very friendly. And then everyone goes to sleep very promptly which is nice. It's nice to meet new people and see how they're all getting on - you get invested in each other.”

Matt was also able to overcome his apprehension about Day 4, making it into the finish at the end of the day with ample time to recover and enjoy the sunshine.

It is a testament to the grit and determination of these runners that they are still coming back and trying again to finish what they started.  

THERE WAS A WONDERFUL ATMOSPHERE AT CAMP 4

The weather gods were smiling down on the Cape Wrath Ultra today, and it was a gloriously sunny day at the camp just outside the little Scottish village of Kinlochewe. There was a wonderful atmosphere in camp, with participants lying outside their tents to soak up the sun while catching up on the day’s adventures. Many also took the opportunity to head down to the river for a refreshing dip and a chance to wash off the sweat and mud of the previous days.

Kate Black, Sam Ingram-Sills and Kirsty Maitland have been running the entire race together. They’ve been working together to support each other with navigation and fuelling, and were in great spirits as they crossed the finish line at camp 4 to cheers today.

Gordon Easden also had a wonderful day out on the Explorer course. He said, “I hadn’t quite appreciated looking at the map just how wonderful it was!”

There was certainly a mood of optimism throughout the camp, with the participants now satisfied that they are halfway through the journey. Many participants joined in the cheering with the start and finish team this evening, and the camaraderie of these runners each supporting each other through their journey was certainly a moving sight this evening.

JO MEEK SETS RECORDS, WHILE DAVID PARRISH MAINTAINS HIS IMPRESSIVE PACE 

The race leaderboard is largely unchanged, as Jo Meek and David Parrish continue to have an incredibly strong run.

Jo Meek’s run is particularly impressive, having set a new female course record on days 2, 3 and 4. She has nearly a two and a half hour lead on Elaine Bisson who is in second place, who in turn has just over an hour on Jana in third place.

Jo is also 4th runner overall. She was running at quite some speed when she came through checkpoint 1. If she keeps up this incredible performance, she is on track to be the fastest woman to ever complete the Cape Wrath Ultra!

David Parrish continued to impress today, once again putting more time into his fellow competitors. He was running up the hill that most participants were hiking when he came past just after Checkpoint 1. Fernando Alvarez is still in second place, with Sam Hill behind him in third. Sam is very steadily gaining on Fernando, so it will be interesting to see if he can leapfrog him before the race is out.

£4800 has BEEN DONATED TO LOCAL MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAMS

Upon entering, participants were given the opportunity to donate to the Mountain Rescue. This donation was then topped up by Ourea Events. The donation was divided between the 6 teams that work along the route.

We were delighted this year to present each of the teams with a cheque for £800.

It was a privilege to meet representatives from these teams in person as they came to the race to collect these cheques.

While for the event we have our own Rescue Teams, we are hugely grateful for the work these teams do in these mountainous areas that we all enjoy.

REMOTE LANDSCAPES AWAIT OUR RUNNERS TOMORROW

Tomorrow, the runners will have a longer day of running through the remote and wild Fisherfield Forest area. They will leave behind the rocks of Torridon for their journey into some of the most sparsely populated areas of Scotland. While the runners have all done incredibly well to make it this far, they are still only halfway through their journey to the iconic Cape Wrath lighthouse.

You can follow their progress via the live GPS Tracking.

THE LEADERBOARD SO FAR:

FASTEST 3 MEN:

1. David Parrish (22:53:51)

2. Fernando Alvarez (24:16:55)

3. Sam Hill (24:47:52)

FASTEST 3 WOMEN:

1. Jo Meek (25:54:43)

2. Elaine Bisson (28:19:57)

3. Jana Szczepaniak (29:35:15)

FASTEST 3 MEN ON DAY 4:

1. David Parrish (04:41:29)

2. Sam Hill (04:47:32)

3. Fernando Alvarez (04:50:29)

FASTEST 3 WOMEN ON DAY 4:

1. Jo Meek (05:16:37)

2. Elaine Bisson (05:51:58)

3. Jana Szczepaniak (06:14:13)

Jana has had another excellent run today ©No Limits Photography

DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY IN 2024

Has all the excitement inspired you for your own Cape Wrath Ultra journey?

Sign up for the 2024 Cape Wrath Ultra or the shorter Cape Wrath Explorer and join us for 8 unforgettable days in the Scottish Highlands. Over 50% of entries are already gone, so enter now to secure your spot!

Sign up in May to save £100 with the early bird price, and take advantage of this exciting offer:

SPECIAL OFFER  – SIGN UP IN MAY AND GET 50% OFF THE 2024 SCARPA GREAT LAKELAND 3DAY

The SCARPA Great Lakeland 3Day event is the perfect practice event for the Cape Wrath Ultra - gain experience of a multi-day running event and test your kit and nutrition strategies while exploring the beautiful Lake District.

We will send everyone who signs up for the Cape Wrath Ultra this May an exclusive invitation for 50% off the 2024 SCARPA Great Lakeland 3Day.