[Author’s Note: This article is the sixth in an 11-part series in AJW’s Taproom celebrating under-the-radar races.]
Happening each and every 12 months towards the tip of June within the Scottish Highlands, the West Highland Means Race is an iconic, long-lasting ultramarathon.
The West Highland Means Path, which provides the race its title, opened in 1980, and the primary race happened in June of 1985. Two Scottish runners, Duncan Watson and Bobby Shields, ran the primary version of the race as a cheeky head-to-head problem and coated the just about 90 miles of the path in 17:48. They completed in combination.
The 95-mile West Highland Means Race is an iconic ultramarathon that began in 1985. All footage courtesy of West Highland Means Race.
The next 12 months, Watson and Shields invited a couple of different runners to sign up for them within the a laugh. Over the following few years, the race established itself within the area, and participation grew. Alternatively, allowing demanding situations and a loss of sturdy management within the Nineties put the race beneath power, and via 1999, the race used to be at risk of being canceled.
Dario Melaragni and Stan Milne, two runners who had finished the race a number of occasions round then, determined the development used to be too essential to fail and took over the directorship in 2000. During the 2000s, the race grew beneath their management, and via 2010, it used to be mechanically attracting over 100 runners each and every 12 months. These days, the race is capped at 300 runners and fills to capability yearly.
In its present shape, the West Highland Means Path runs for 95 miles and has greater than 14,000 ft of elevation achieve. Except a couple of miles of street, the development is held totally on path. The development has a couple of distinctive sides, together with a 1 a.m. get started and a few lengthy stretches between checkpoints, together with one over 20 miles.
As with many ancient ultras, a number of folks have double-digit finishes on the West Highland Means. After the 2023 race, Neil MacRitchie and Fiona Rennie each have 17 finishes, and Adrian Stott, Jim Drummond, and the overdue Tony Thistlethwaite all have 15 finishes.
The 1 a.m. get started is only one factor that makes the development distinctive.
The race is recently directed via Ian Beattie, a multi-time West Highland Means Race finisher. Beattie is supported via a faithful all-volunteer workforce and assists in keeping the race totally non-profit, as it’s been for the reason that starting.
The workforce is moderately happy with the “circle of relatives really feel” of the development, which starts at packet pickup at the afternoon prior to the beginning and concludes with the prize-giving rite after the closing finisher has crossed the road. Every finisher receives a good-looking hand-carved crystal goblet to commemorate their fulfillment.
The prize-giving rite at West Highland Means Race doesn’t get started till each and every runner has crossed the end line.
Reads the race site: “The race makes no claims to be the hardest, toughest, or maximum scenic race in the world. The organizing workforce merely seeks, whilst seeking to transfer with the days, to take care of what’s a novel and iconic problem on one in all Britain’s unique and maximum impressive long-distance trails. Operating the West Highland Means is achievable via someone with a love of the outside who desires to enjoy Scotland at its greatest.”
Every finisher receives a hand-carved crystal goblet.
The 2024 race is complete, however registration for the 2025 match opens on November 1, 2024, for someone in need of to sign up for this distinctive problem.
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar, Scotland. Belhaven Scottish Ale is a deep, darkish, malty beer that weighs in at 5.2% ABV. A clean, syrupy Scottish Ale, Belhaven can be a great pint to savor after completing the West Highland Means Race.
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The West Highland Means highlights one of the crucial best possible surroundings of the Scottish Highlands.