The exclusive Highland Kings race – which charges entry fees of £15,000 per person – has been accused of vandalism after daubing yellow arrows on rocks where the route heads over Goatfell on Arran.
Local mountain guide Lucy Wallace – a contributor as Walkhighlands and a member of the local mountain rescue team – raised the issue on her Facebook page:
“Last night while I was having a brilliant time on Goatfell with my friends, (yet somehow leaving no trace of our presence), we saw that the mountain had been daubed in hundreds of these sprayed on yellow waymarks. I didn’t take any photos, mostly because it was too dark, but this one has been shared with me today. It was painted by a mountain running event: Highland Kings who on their website claim to be “one of the most sustainable ultras in the world”.
“I contacted the event organisers this morning for more info and they told me that it is biodegradable chalk and therefore OK. I have since spoken to a number of event organisers who say that this really goes against accepted practice, especially as this stuff takes a lot longer to wash off than advertised. I also understand that it will fatally change the pH of the granite boulders and kill the lichens that grow there. Goatfell is a SSSI and a landscape that is precious to a great many people.
“As far as I’m concerned this is criminal damage, vandalism. If this was done by ordinary folk the police would have had a word by now, but somehow the organisers of this event, who charge £15,000 per entrant, think this is OK. I have so many questions about why they skimped on marshals in favour of this method of marking the route, about how the brands associated with the event feel (including Garmin- surely they don’t need waymarks?), and about what the organisers are going to do to put this right.”
Highland Kings describe their event as “the most exclusive, multi day, luxury ultra-run experience on the planet. 120 miles over 4 days… revel in a luxury wilderness ultra-marathon – the first of its kind.” The gala banquet at the end of the race has Sir Ranulph Fiennes as guest speaker.
In a response to Walkhighlands, Highland Kings sent the following statement from their PR firm in Manchester:
“Living and working in the area, the team are acutely conscious of the environmental impact that events such as Highland Kings have. As such we sourced and used high quality biodegradable chalk for the event, but we are aware of the impression any sort of marking can have, so had always planned to have a team returning to the course this morning (the day after the event) to wash down all surfaces.
We did carry out industry research and went over and above to source material recommended for this type of event. The route markers were only used purely from a safety point of view for the athletes.
Moving forward, we are always looking at best practice and working with the local community is of paramount importance to us, and so feedback such as this is extremely helpful.”