The Salomon Glen Coe Skyline race will be held this weekend on Sunday 18th September, with other races scheduled from Kinlochleven on the Friday and Saturday. The course is widely regarded as the most challenging mountain running race in the world, which features long sections of exposed scrambling including the famous Aonach Eagach and Curved Ridge. The event is the third and final race in the Skyrunner World Series Extreme title with top racers from 26 different countries taking part and likely podium positions in the series for local Fort William runner Finlay Wild, Glasgow based Tom Owens and Edinburgh based Jasmin Paris.
2015 participants on Curved Ridge (Photo ©Ian Corless)
With races also happening on Friday 16th up the Munro Na Gruagaichean from Kinlochleven and Saturday 17 September on the Ring of Steall, hillwalkers and scramblers planning to walk in the area may want to note the times and dates of the races.
The event is supported by Event Scotland, and will be filmed by the Adventure Show for BBC Scotland. The first race of the weekend will be the first time the Vertical Kilometre® format has been seen in the UK. Organisers say this format is popular in Europe and sees runners ascending 1,000m in a lung busting, leg burning race to the top of the huge Munro, Na Gruagaichean, which towers over Kinlochleven. The following day’s race will cover a 29km course featuring airy ridges and is based on the classic Ring of Steall mountain walk. This race has attracted over 400 runners from across the UK and overseas.
Spectators are welcome at the event and the organisers say they have gone out of their way to welcome friends and family of the participants and involve the local community. Race Director, Shane Ohly explained, “We have liaised diligently with the local community via the Kinlochleven Community Trust, delivered presentations to the local school and held public meetings. During the races we will have GPS trackers on all the competitors, so it will be possible to follow all the action live through the event website. We are subsidising guided walks with local mountain leaders for just £10, and hope that spectators wanting to get out onto the course will be able to do so. There are spectating zones along the course, and there will be a huge buzz at the Ice Factor where all the races start and finish, with live commentary, screens and a warm welcome.”
The Salomon Glen Coe Skyline course was described in 2015 as, “The best race in this distance” by Swedish competitor Emelie Forsberg, then Skyrunning World and European Champion (ultra-distance). The course has become even tougher this year with an extra 500m of vertical height gain and an additional 2km in length.
The women’s field for the world title is wide open. Poland’s Natalia Tomasiak, who is currently leading the series after two races, can choose her best results before shedding points. 2016 Tromsø winner, Britain’s Jasmin Paris (ranked equal 2nd in the series with Emelie Forsberg), was placed second in Glen Coe last year, so has the advantage of knowing the course and has the points from her win at Tromsø already secure. Emelie Forsberg won the second race in the series, Kima Trophy, but unfortunately will be absent from Glen Coe. Other contenders are New Zealander Ruth Croft (currently 4th) who, in her first year of skyrunning, has shown her wide range of skills at Transvulcania and Kima, where she came second. Norway’s Marlene Bikken Haukøy is ranked 5th, but stands a chance for the title if she performs well here. Completing the international women’s field is Italy’s Martina Valmassoi, who placed an excellent third in Tromsø and is currently ranked 7th. Further international competition will come from Zuzana Urbancova (Czech Rebublic) and Olga Lyjak (Poland), with British runners Sarah Ridgeway, Beth Pascall, and Lizzie Wraith all likely to feature in the top ten.
The men’s field is headed by series leader Tom Owens from Scotland, who has been on a winning streak this season and is considered the firm favourite by most commentators. However, Tom is going to be pushed hard by an incredible line up of world class athletes, and nothing can be taken for granted.
Fellow Brit Jonathan Albon, who placed second behind Tom at Tromsø (and is ranked 2nd in the series), will surely have his eye on victory and a series win. After two races, they have the luxury of choosing their best two results. Nepali newbie Bhim Gurung is ranked 3rd in the series after his surprise Kima win and, visa permitting, will be a strong podium contender. German Philipp Reiter, ranked 4th, is aiming for a podium slot. Scotsman Finlay Wild placed an excellent 3rd in Tromsø, but was unable to race at Kima, and will certainly rise to the occasion on home ground. Joe Symonds won last year and will likely put in a solid performance again and it’s hard to imagine him finishing off the podium. Former Swiss national orienteer Marc Lauenstein won the 2016 Matterhorn Ultraks race in the Skyrunner® World Series and the famous Three Peaks Race earlier this year, although he has sneaked under the radar of many observers.