A Scottish gamekeeper who has only recently taken up running is among the participants who will line up at the start of the 2024 Cape Wrath Ultra. Inspired by watching the action in previous years, David Fergusson will join over 180 athletes from 19 different nationsn when the race starts in Fort William on Sunday 19 May.

Founded in 2016, the Cape Wrath Ultra presents participants with a 400K journey over eight days, through the Scottish Highlands, from Fort William to Cape Wrath at the north-westerly point of Great Britain. 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 line-up for the Cape Wrath Ultra includes a mixture of leading athletes and participants who simply want to experience the journey through 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.

Since 2020, David has been estate manager and deerstalker at the Camusrory Estate at the head of Loch Nevis, where he lives with his wife Carol. The Cape Wrath Ultra route passes through the estate and the couple has assisted the organisers with logistics for managing that. This has triggered David’s interest in running, and now in tackling the race himself.

David commented: “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.

“I have decided to use the opportunity to run for Thunderbird Project, 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.”

The Cape Wrath Ultra will take place alongside the Cape Wrath Explorer, which allows participants to tackle part of the route each day. It is designed as a more accessible route into an iconic event for those who don’t think they can complete the full course, or are not yet ready to try that.

If you'd like to know more, visit the Cape Wrath Ultra website.

Image: Cape Wrath Ultra