Jimmy Slaughter

I first heard about the Cape Wrath Ultra in 2015 but couldn’t take part in the 2016 race as I was already committed to another event. I had visited Cape Wrath on a couple of different occasions so knew what a special place this part of Scotland was. I had also heard of the Cape Wrath Trail and was keen to add it to my list of ‘awesome things I’ve done’. I filled in my application as soon as entries opened for 2018; I had quite a sense of trepidation at the time but also raw excitement.

My wife drove me to Fort William for race registration and I joined the queue ready for kit inspection. I was a little nervous, not because I was worried that I didn’t have the right kit but because I’d never completed a race of this distance and everyone else looked like they had black belts in ultra-running so I felt a little out of my depth. Such is the camaraderie in ultra-running that it didn’t take long before we were all blethering and becoming friends.  

The race itself was an experience of a lifetime and gave me the chance to visit parts of Scotland I’d never been to before, like Knoydart, and explore areas I had been to but in more detail, like Assynt. Each day brought a new challenge and gave me something to look forward to. The scenery is off the chart and I mean mind-bogglingly stunning which made moving through it on foot the only way to fully experience it. On reflection though, you could complete the Cape Wrath Trail without the pressure of doing so in 8 days. What made it special were the people.

Your fellow runners are just as mad as you and everyone, and I mean everyone, is happy to blether away at any point in the day, or night. They motivate you, make you laugh, offer advice, share stories about their day, remove ticks, and pick you up when you fall. We are all facing the same challenges and that sense of shared adversity creates bonds like super glue. 

Keeping us all fed, watered, housed and happy are a team of selfless volunteers. At the end of every day you are greeted at the camp by the kind of cheering that makes you feel like an Olympic gold medallist. Not only that but your kit bag is carried to your palatial tent, which they’ve also set up for you. They deliver your fan mail, tend to your blistered and aching body, and make your meals. Speaking of food: there’s loads of it, it’s yummy and the head caterer - Sandra Williams - deserves a knighthood. Whoever thought offering cheesy chips and cake as a precursor to a huge dinner is clearly a genius.