Who to watch at the 2024 Cape Wrath Ultra®

We are gearing up for another incredible year of the Cape Wrath Ultra®. The Cape Wrath Ultra is an epic 8-day multi-stage adventure through the Scottish Highlands where participants taking part have eight days to complete a 400km journey through the Scottish Highlands, from Fort William to Cape Wrath at the north-westerly point of Great Britain.

Participants also have the option of the Cape Wrath Explorer, a shorter option where participants can decide to tackle part of the route each day, typically either the first half or the second half.

WHO’S ON THE START LINE IN 2024?

The line-up this year includes a mixture of leading athletes and participants who simply want to experience and complete the journey through some of Scotland’s most dramatic and remote landscapes.

At the front of the field, Bridget Glaister is expected to be competitive in the women’s race. She is an experienced ultra-runner and was second lady in the 2022 Dragon’s Back Race®. Meanwhile, in the men’s race, Tristan Stephenson is one to watch, after finishing second in the Arc of Attrition in 2022 and fourth overall in last year’s Dragon’s Back Race®.

Participants have a huge range of motivations for taking part

A Scottish gamekeeper and deerstalker who lives along the route and has assisted organisers in the past has decided that this is the year to take part in the adventure himself! He has only recently taken up running in order to take on the epic route which passes through the estate he works on. David Fergusson is 34 and originally from Lochaline near the Isle of Mull.

David Fergusson comments: “I have never participated in any formal running event before, but after helping and watching in recent years, decided to take the bull by the horns and register for the 2024 event. I’ve been training in extreme weather and conditions for a year now and am really looking forward to taking on the extreme challenge that the Cape Wrath Ultra offers through the dramatic Scottish landscape. 

“I have also decided to use the opportunity to run a fundraising page for Thunderbird Project (David Fergusson is fundraising for The Thunderbird Project (justgiving.com)), which is a charity that carries out research into sending drones into remote and difficult-to-reach mountainous areas with emergency medical supplies. The charity was set up by a fellow Atholl Highlander who sadly passed away last year, so it is a fitting tribute and close to my heart.”

Elsewhere, Barry and Natalie Dawson will be the first father and daughter pairing to take on the event in the same year, while father and son Tim and Will Robinson will also be running. The event attracts people from all over the world who want to experience adventure and challenge themselves throughout.

WANT TO FOLLOW THEIR JOURNEY?

Ultra-runners who take part face challenging terrain that links ancient footpaths and remote tracks through some of Scotland’s most spectacular landscapes, including Knoydart, Kintail, Torridon, Assynt and Sutherland. The race does not use any signs or waymarking to show the route and participants are required to use a combination of traditional navigational skills with a map and compass, supplemented by modern GPS technology if they wish.

The 2024 Cape Wrath Ultra® will begin in Fort William at 11:00am on Sunday 19 May 2024 and the public will be able to follow the event’s live tracking via the link below.

Is 2025 your year?

Entries for 2025 OPEN on 31st May 2024. Save £100 if you enter before the 7th June. Places are limited to 200 in 2025 – secure your place on the start line!

Sign up for your FREE Journal ‘Wilderness: Unbound’

We are creating a beautiful journal celebrating the 2024 event. For a limited time only, we are offering you the chance to sign up for a FREE copy!