How NOT to do the Cape Wrath Ultra (250 miles in 8-days across mountainous Scotland, UK)

Рет қаралды 21,193

Күн бұрын

The Cape Wrath Ultra is a 250 mile, 8-day race across the remote Scottish Highlands, from Fort William to Cape Wrath - the most north-western tip of Scotland. It takes place in May every other year and entrants come from all over the world, including Japan, America and Europe.
(Scroll down for links to gear I used and other useful Cape Wrath Ultra films like packing and interviews with successful completers)
I signed up to the 2018 race for 3 reasons:
1 I wanted to see and run through the stunning remote mountainside of north west Scotland within the safety, the support system and camaraderie of a well organised event.
2 I wanted to set myself a big goal, a challenge to motivate me to train throughout winter.
3 I skipped a day of my last big race, the 6-day Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica in 2015 because I got really bad blisters in the oppressive heat, and I knew Scotland would be much more like my climate.
However, things didn’t go quite to plan, either in training or in the race. Here’s my story. I hope it helps you prepare if you're doing the 2021 Cape Wrath Ultra, or inspires you to sign up for the 2022 Cape Wrath Ultra, or just gives you a nice 20 mins or so of interesting running film to watch!
Other films about Cape Wrath Ultra:
How to do the Cape Wrath Ultra - with record holder & endurance coach Marcus Scotney (best training, prep and racing advice!)
• How to do the Cape Wra...
How to pack for a 250mile 8-day race? (Cape Wrath Ultra!)
A quick look at my packing list for the Cape Wrath Ultra (links to all my gear in that film's description, scroll down for the key ones from my sponsors below)
• Packing list for Cape ...
5 vital things to learn from DNF (how not to race the Cape Wrath Ultra!)
This is a talk and Q&A I did about my experience on this race, and how it actually was a very positive thing to fail at it.
• 5 vital things to lear...
UTMB & Cape Wrath Trail winter record chat with pro ultra runner Beth Pascall
• UTMB & Cape Wrath Trai...
Thanks very much to:
Mountain King running poles, Rab and Raidlight for sponsoring this film.
Here is the gear I used on the Cape Wrath Ultra from each sponsor. Some of these links are affiliates so anything you buy in the same Amazon window within 24 hours of clicking these links will give me a very tiny fee at no cost to you. You can do this at any time and with any purchase. Thanks if you do this, every little helps! :)
Mountain King running poles
UK amzn.to/3dbzVYM
USA amzn.to/2KYIRVy (can't see Mountain King in the States, these Ultimate Direction poles are very good tho)
Rab Waterproof Jacket (I wore a very old Atmos jacket that you can't buy easily now, but Rab's new Skyline range for trail runners is out now so I'd recommend the Rab Charge jacket from that)
rab.equipment/uk/skyline
USA Men's amzn.to/2ygqnx2
Raidlight Responsiv 10L
My review of this pack • Best running pack for ...
UK Women's amzn.to/2yhjQSN
UK Men's amzn.to/2Sw7op6
USA Women's amzn.to/2SyDl01
USA Men's amzn.to/2SyDm45
I wore these Inov-8 shoes but they are not a sponsor of this film. I had never ever got blisters before in any Inov-8 shoe which was why I wore them, but I should have taken a much larger pair as my feet swelled up massively. Wild Ginger Running Patreons get a special discount off Inov-8 gear, become a Patreon now for as little as the price of a cup of coffee. / wildgingerrunning
Inov8 Trail Talon 290 on Amazon amzn.to/2FFl1st
Inov8 Trail Talon 290 men's through Inov-8 tidd.ly/71a18d53
Inov8 Trail Talon 290 women's through Inov-8 tidd.ly/115bd3a7
----
If you found this film useful, please support me on Patreon and get perks & prizes / wildgingerrunning
Follow me on Instagram @WildGingerRunning
Get a Wild Ginger Running t-shirt or buff here
wildgingerrunning.co.uk/shop/
Book a place on my April 2021 beginner - intermediate trail running training camp here wildgingerrunning.co.uk/train...
Run in the 100-mile UTMB course over 6-days from Chamonix with me here!
www.tracks-and-trails.com/hol...

Пікірлер: 84

@lornanakell6795 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this! Running documentaries seem so male dominated, it's great to see more women's perspectives. It's also great to see a video not just about elite runners.

@hannahbazley3626 4 жыл бұрын

I'm fascinated and horrified by the race in equal parts! 😂 The milage on that terrain is insane. Fair play to you for going as long as you did and for making that call to step back. 👍

@johngardner1898 4 жыл бұрын

Very graceful as always Claire. I could not have done in eight days what you did in four (122 miles over brutal terrain, in other words, four 50Ks back to back). I've thought about it, and I believe this film shows some of your best moments. It shows your love of adventure, enthusiasm, and sense of humour. It stands as testimony to your courage. You demonstrated excellent judgement to avoid terrible pain, permanent injury, or worse. Finally, I admire how you stayed with the event, applauded the experiences others, and shared the video.

@antoniocardinale6958 4 жыл бұрын

Beautiful footage , magical location , quite scaring to watch you running on the rocks , crossing rivers . What a tough runner you are Claire !

@MrStoneyfish 4 жыл бұрын

I love it, the honesty and the scenery. We just want to enjoy running.. I felt your pain! Well done.. All subscribed up for future adventures. Top draw. x

@bobd4149 4 жыл бұрын

Loved watching the film Claire ........... and the realism 😂 All credit for giving it a go and being able to admit it wasn't for you. Makes a refreshing change from all those 'professional' athletes making highly polished videos leading you to believe these ultra events are nothing more than a walk in the park!

@NickPoncia 4 жыл бұрын

Great video Claire, really enjoyed it

@graemebrand4740 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Claire, I remember following this at the time and thinking how brave you were by taking part. Total respect for doing it as I know that multi day ultras are beyond me at the moment. Look forward to getting back out on more of the trails when the lockdown ends. Graeme

@Cyman666 4 жыл бұрын

Great film Claire, and very brave, fantastic work!!!!

@JanNouwens 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Claire, only discovered this today, 4 years down the line! Great fun watching this and it brought back great memories to CWU18. Still one of my bigger achievements in (running-)life, let's see what 2022 will bring. Cheers, keep it up pls.

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Really? Lol! So sorry I should have shared it with you! It was great to meet you there and congrats so much on completing this beast!

@76yacumo 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing Claire.

@johanlarsson7375 4 жыл бұрын

Massive Respect! This is one that definitely goes on my bucket list!

@AdventureBuddyMeUk 4 жыл бұрын

Well done Claire! It takes bravery to step up to it, bravery to retire ..... and bravery to share a film edit with all emotions evident. I'll see you at the next multi-day ultra ;-)!

@bbsaid218 3 жыл бұрын

I always wear two pairs of thin socks, or ready made twin socks. Haven’t had a blister for years 😉

@OutdoorIntrigue 3 жыл бұрын

Well done! Really interesting to see your experience of it.

@kristaps2010 2 жыл бұрын

All credit to you for going that far. If it wouldn’t be blisters I believe you could carry on. Two consecutive years my biggest race was Scenic trail in Switzerland 54k with 3km ascent. Yes it took me almost 9 hours to finish, yes we went clubbing and were hanging out all night. But never in my dreams I would imagine carry on running next day for miles and miles again. Cape Wrath ultra seems super tough. I wonder how on earth you can prepare for something like that. Thanks for sharing. It’s still a win from me.

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Kris that is very kind of you, it was defo the hardest thing I ever did despite quitting 3 days of it!

@RM-po8cj 4 жыл бұрын

One of my favourite race videos! Love your honesty and fun attitude...well done on your 5 days! So glad I found your channel...all the best to you!

@petersavage9938 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant Claire. I didn't think I fancied that event and you've convinced me not to give it a go. This is becoming a theme :(

@larslaird 4 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed that! Well told story and beautifully shot film! And well done, 5 extremely hard days completed!

@maddoxphotographyuk 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic film, and really well done. Takes a special kind of resilience to complete that type of race. One for the memories!

@paulslaven9698 2 жыл бұрын

Great effort...!! And inspiring to all...!! Amazing 👏

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much 😀

@jonathanmiller178 4 жыл бұрын

Beautiful footage, lots of wonderful memories, heartbreaking to see your pain, but thanks for being such a brilliant sport!

@peterseager6970 3 жыл бұрын

That was a really good video Claire. Anyone who takes on a challenge like Cape Wrath is an inspiration! Thanks for showing us the human side when things got really tough!

@Maquilishuat67 4 жыл бұрын

What a great adventure! Loved watching the video. And it doesn't matter if you ran the while distance or not, you went there, participated, experienced new things and you really inspired me to try something new!

@Kelly_Ben 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely incredible, thanks for bringing us along! I must say, your pedicure held up extremely well, even though your toes almost fell off! I thought i was a bit extreme deciding to run an ultra in scotland in a year and a half in order to keep me motivated through winters... then I hear you say you signed up for THIS monster challenge for the same reason, and I don't feel so crazy! Lol

@barbaragarrett9025 4 жыл бұрын

Wow great video Claire and great to meet you whilst working for Ourea Events on the Cape Wrath Ultra in 2018. Sadly 2020 has had to be postponed to 2021- but the race will be every May thereafter going forward. I’ll be on the start line in May 2021 and the beautiful scenery in your videos will keep me going! Thank you for sharing X

@peterbedford449 4 жыл бұрын

It's very informative learning other people's experiences - the wins and the failures - in races/events like this. I'm starting to get more into ultra running and it's definitely not all smooth sailing out there. Doing these things is all definitely win loss all the time. Win because we challenge ourselves and loss because sometimes the terrain gets the best of us. So, thanks for posting this! Definitely learning more about ultra running here. Thanks again!

@pord 4 жыл бұрын

Love the video. Was some fantastic views. Even though you didn't finish it was a great effort and nice to see the other side.

@pord 4 жыл бұрын

@@wildgingerruns these are are some of my fav kind of videos. The ginger runner (yes there is another youtuber with a similar name and is into running) has done some in America and these inspire me

@alnomesamy 4 жыл бұрын

Great video Claire :)

@scottyab 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing it! Looked proper painful and beautiful at same time.

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@joshuadorpinghaus325 4 жыл бұрын

Great and honest video Claire. The CWU is really one of my dream races I hope I can do sometime in the future. One small tip regarding your blisters. Bodyglide is what really helpt me. Maybe you already know it. It works like a deodorantstick. You just put it on the parts of your body which tend to build blisters. It creates a little protection layer between your skin and the fabric and it helps the skin to glide a little bit better over the fabric so that blisters a avioded. For me it worked really great. Thanks for your great content. Look forward to more great videos. Josh

@SteveSmith-67 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video of the real human side of this ultra. I am planning on walking it so am binge watching all videos of the trail writing notes and picking up tips. Thankyou for sharing your experience.

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Go for it! It would be a fantastic walk at your own pace!

@will_hargreaves 2 жыл бұрын

Just watched this video. A very enjoyable watch. And well done Claire. You went on longer than I would have with blisters like that.

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I was a right wuss but I'm only in the running game for fun and enjoyment now, so I reached my limit and then I was out!

@JustDean 4 жыл бұрын

Well done on your video, very well edited and great storytelling! New sub to your channel :)

@Sandybeaches07 2 жыл бұрын

Wow respect ✊ to you all x

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Thank yoU!

@BASE-hb1ji 3 жыл бұрын

Great film, brilliant edit - not sure i understand the comment that you're "not into suffering" - You entered the Cape Wrath 250 mile Ultra, it is THE sufferfest of all multi day ultras in the UK - Top effort none the less, well done...

@wildgingerruns 2 жыл бұрын

Ha ha ha! That's why I quit, I didn't realise it would be so much suffering for me ;)

@thefastestfatyouveeverseen3105 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome 👏🏼

@stubdo16 3 жыл бұрын

You're a superstar. Great scenes and your lovely friendly attitude 👍🏼

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! 😊

@ruthonanadventure1171 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant film Claire! I'm definitely with you on not wanting to be in pain and suffering, you made the right call in my opinion.

@ruthonanadventure1171 4 жыл бұрын

@@wildgingerruns definitely!

@philm5714 4 жыл бұрын

Lovely video 🤗

@timreading5005 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much 🙏 🌱 💚 🌍

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

@WyeExplorer 4 жыл бұрын

Super super atmosphere. Well done on the run and for getting back in the game. You thought your feet had had it but your heart hadn't. Ye ha! All the best. Mark

@WyeExplorer 4 жыл бұрын

@@wildgingerruns A real pleasure. It was inspirational with a bit of humor to.

@darkmind9244 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Claire, i met you in kinlochleven when i failed to even start the ring of steall in 2019 :( this event is now my 5 year plan goal.... see you there :D

@georgehunter7099 Жыл бұрын

Cape Wrath would be a bit much for me, I just trail run for the fun and scenery. Have spent many a family holiday in Kinlochbervie and Sheigra, always hoping to get a wee run over to Sandwood Bay. Sorry you had such a slog physically and emotionally but you're a trooper.

@wildgingerruns Жыл бұрын

It was a bit much for me too! Over 2 weeks I would have enjoyed this! :) You have to stick to what you enjoy don't you :)

@shaunfoxy9200 3 жыл бұрын

Good effort, I'm an ultra newbie.

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@schuletrip 4 жыл бұрын

Toe socks are the best things I’ve ever used that stop blisters. They also allow your toes to splay in the shoe. Maybe you should give them a go? Amazing effort though, such a hard slog! You’ve done more there in 4 days than most of us run in 6 months. I was camping in Sandwood Bay a few years ago, there was a Washed up Whale there, is the carcass still visible?

@Jarv263 4 жыл бұрын

Love your videos!! Hope you’re coping ok during this lockdown. Looking back what do think you would change training wise? I’ve only known about the Cape Wrath for a few months but I know I have to give it ago.

@Jarv263 4 жыл бұрын

Wild Ginger Running yea I’m in Oxford so pretty flat round here as well. I started watching that video the other day so I’ll finish watching it soon. Thanks for the videos, they really do help!! I really like the kit reviews you do. Well done for doing 4 days!

@alexdehotot2712 4 жыл бұрын

Hey @@Jarv263, get down to the Ridgeway, there are spots there running up and down the side of it where you can get some decent local vert training in!

@sdnalyam 4 жыл бұрын

I would like to see gear companies at these type of events to test their gear. Re your blisters, I notice on the MDS they have medics that fix feet and help compediters finish where they wouldn't be able to without this support. Seems a lot of companies over promise on their gear but don't really deliver.

@sdnalyam 4 жыл бұрын

Wild Ginger Running Another Carbon Based Failure, human😎.

@bennyrae79 4 жыл бұрын

So nice to hear an ultra runner say they’re not into suffering! Me too! But lots of ultra runners give the impression that the suffering is what it’s all about.

@bennyrae79 4 жыл бұрын

[groaning, various] Love it!

@sonjavanstek7038 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, and what an experience! Is that a Raidlight Responsiv backpack you're using? Would you recommend it?

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Yes and yes, in this review here for more info :) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q913gtuDr5mUaJ8.html Claire

@peterkrauthaufer1488 3 жыл бұрын

Thx for your story 😀 - it looks hard, you did well indeed. Will you do it again? I am thinking once maybe 😉

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Peter, no I won't do it in 8 days it's too hard! I have my eye on the UTMB over 6 days now, seems more my level!

@peterkrauthaufer1488 3 жыл бұрын

Great, Claire! UTMB stages run sounds nice :-)

@SkepticalZack 4 жыл бұрын

I bonked Tahoe 200 last year after breaking my ankle and have a poor race plan. Here is to redemption.

@twitteriscrap7995 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry it’s a bit late Clare, but shoes/socks you trained in, we’re they the same as the ones you ran in?

@wildgingerruns 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Ian, yes they were, that's why I was so surprised to get a blister on Day1! I trained a lot in the freezing cold March tho, and then it was very warm by May, so I think my feet swelled up with the heat and mileage.

@twitteriscrap7995 3 жыл бұрын

@@wildgingerruns , Thanks for the fast reply Clare. A real mystery then. So sorry it didn’t go to plan, next time!!!! xx

@byronball9980 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Wild Ginger are available to talk about the Cape wrath ultra via email or instant messenger

@byronball9980 3 жыл бұрын

Wild Ginger Running thank you. I sent you a message

@byronball9980 3 жыл бұрын

Wild Ginger Running I sent you a message

@railwaystationmaster 4 жыл бұрын

They shoot horses don't they ?

@wideawake914 3 жыл бұрын

I know nothing about these type of events but just wondering do they all of the days have cut off times if for no other reason to put people out of their misery and finish. you looked wretched the start of one of those days, why anyone puts them selves through that I don't know. never mind the blasted scenery, scenic appreciation is the first casualty of exhaustion. you smiled and laughed with your followers around a tough enough distance and course in another vlog, more than a lot of us could do.