Day One – Fort William to Glenfinnan: A Fiery Start to the Journey North
Under scorching highland skies, the 2025 Cape Wrath Ultra® journey is officially underway. From the start in Fort William, runners launched into an epic 400km adventure that will span 8 days and some of the most remote, dramatic landscapes in Scotland. This year’s field features 177 athletes, from 19 countries, across 3 events: the full Cape Wrath Ultra®, the more flexible Explorer route, and the inaugural Cape Wrath 100 – a 100-mile challenge within the broader race.
The day began with a short ferry ride across the calm and scenic waters of Loch Linnhe, framed by the iconic backdrop of the Ben Nevis mountain range. Anticipation was building as runners disembarked at Treslaig - the official start line of the Cape Wrath Ultra - where the local Village Hall team provided a warm highland welcome with coffee, tea, and encouragement. After some final sips and photos in the sunshine, the adventure began in earnest, with participants setting off in staggered waves.
The journey begins with a ferry ride across Loch Linnhe | ©No Limits Photography
For many, the challenge today was reigning in the pace as the route starts on the road - the key to accessing the remote western seaboard of Scotland - leading to some of the harder packed trails on the route. Day One is a modest start to the adventure with participants covering 23 miles on the trail before finishing their first day under the iconic landmark of Glenfinnan Viaduct, our day One overnight Camp.
It was a race to the start line for some, as two participants travelling from America had their flights delayed and made it to the wave 2 start line with minutes to spare! A special thank you to Ocean Trek Speedboat Tours for kindly transporting the duo across the Loch and saving the day!
Day One Camp under the Glenfinnan Viaduct | ©No Limits Photography
With participants arriving from around 1pm onwards, Camp One soon turned into a hive of activity with people buzzing about their first day out on course, the saying of the day was “It was hot out there”. The vibe was relaxed, helped by the glorious sunshine - a moment to be savoured with unpredictable Scottish weather - with Wrather’s relaxing on the bean bags, devouring hot salty chips and wandering down to clean off in the cool River Finnan.
Race Update
It was an exciting start to the event at the sharp end of the field, with close finish times between Jon Shields, who recently became the first person to win all the races in the Global Trail Series and secured 4th position in a competitive field on our Dragon’s Back Race® last year, and running legend and Cape Wrath 2016 winner, Marcus Scotney, who stated he’s returning to the Cape Wrath trail as a "50th Birthday present to myself”. Scotney took the lead on Jon to claim the first position for Day One by just over 1 minute.
Marcus Scotney, back for round 2 on the Cape Wrath trail | ©No Limits Photography
It was an equally fast start in our female field with our full ladies podium finishing under 4 hours - an incredible feat in the heat of the day. Speedy Florence Kinder secured first position, saying she usually favours road running so the Day One course suited her.
Florence Kinder leading the women’s race | ©No Limits Photography
Cape Wrath Ultra Results Day One
1. Marcus Scotney | Scotland | 02:47:14
2. Jon Shield | England | 02:48:58
3. Mick Tupman | UK | 03:10:25
1. Florence Kinder | UK | 03:20:26
2. Emma McCahill | UK | 03:45:17
3. Nicola Dawson | Scotland | 03:53:02
It was a close race between Jon & Marcus | ©No Limits Photography
Cape Wrath 100 Results Day One
It was a successful start for our runners taking on the inaugural Cape Wrath 100 event, completing a third of their 100-mile journey on the course.
1st Male | Stuart Taylor | UK | 04:15:09
1st Female | Donna Clark | Scotland | 04:12:21
Runners relaxing after a hot start to the race | ©No Limits Photography
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Our fantastic media team will be out on course all week following the participants on their Cape Wrath journey. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for daily event coverage and regular updates!
Daily news stories
We will be posting daily stories about the Cape Wrath Events and our participants in the news section of the website - feel part of the journey and keep up with the action by reading our blog posts.
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Be with the Cape Wrath class of 2025 every step of the way and track their journey through our live GPS Tracking page.
Be the dot to follow in 2026!
Has all the excitement inspired you for your own Cape Wrath Ultra journey?
Sign up for the 2026 Cape Wrath Ultra - entries open Friday 30th May at 10am - or the shorter Cape Wrath Explorer or Cape Wrath 100 and join us for 8 unforgettable days in the Scottish Highlands.
Sign up before the end of June 2025 to pay a reduced deposit of £99!
