Under the Radar Races: West Highland Way Race

[Author’s Note: This article is the sixth in an 11-part series in AJW’s Taproom celebrating under-the-radar races.]

Taking place each year toward the end of June in the Scottish Highlands, the West Highland Way Race is an iconic, long-lasting ultramarathon.

The West Highland Way Trail, which gives the race its name, opened in 1980, and the first race took place in June of 1985. Two Scottish runners, Duncan Watson and Bobby Shields, ran the first edition of the race as a cheeky head-to-head challenge and covered the nearly 90 miles of the course in 17:48. They finished together.

The 95-mile West Highland Way Race is an iconic ultramarathon that started in 1985. All photos courtesy of West Highland Way Race.

The following year, Watson and Shields invited a few other runners to join them in the fun. Over the next few years, the race established itself in the region, and participation grew. However, permitting challenges and a lack of strong leadership in the 1990s put the race under pressure, and by 1999, the race was in danger of being canceled.

Dario Melaragni and Stan Milne, two runners who had completed the race several times around then, decided the event was too important to fail and took over the directorship in 2000. Throughout the 2000s, the race grew under their leadership, and by 2010, it was routinely attracting over 100 runners each year. Today, the race is capped at 300 runners and fills to capacity every year.

In its current form, the West Highland Way Trail runs for 95 miles and has more than 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Aside from a few miles of road, the event is held entirely on trail. The event has a few unique aspects, including a 1 a.m. start and some long stretches between checkpoints, including one over 20 miles.

As with many historical ultras, several people have double-digit finishes at the West Highland Way. After the 2023 race, Neil MacRitchie and Fiona Rennie both have 17 finishes, and Adrian Stott, Jim Drummond, and the late Tony Thistlethwaite all have 15 finishes.

The 1 a.m. start is just one thing that makes the event unique.

The race is currently directed by Ian Beattie, a multi-time West Highland Way Race finisher. Beattie is supported by a devoted all-volunteer team and keeps the race entirely non-profit, as it has been since the beginning.

The team is quite proud of the “family feel” of the event, which begins at packet pickup on the afternoon before the start and concludes with the prize-giving ceremony after the last finisher has crossed the line. Each finisher receives a handsome hand-carved crystal goblet to commemorate their achievement.

The prize-giving ceremony at West Highland Way Race doesn’t start until every runner has crossed the finish line.

Reads the race website: “The race makes no claims to be the toughest, hardest, or most scenic race on the planet. The organizing team simply seeks, while trying to move with the times, to maintain what is a unique and iconic challenge on one of Britain’s original and most spectacular long-distance trails. Running the West Highland Way is achievable by anyone with a love of the outdoors who wants to experience Scotland at its finest.”

Each finisher receives a hand-carved crystal goblet.

The 2024 race is full, but registration for the 2025 event opens on November 1, 2024, for anyone wanting to join this unique challenge.

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, dark, malty beer that weighs in at 5.2% ABV. A smooth, syrupy Scottish Ale, Belhaven would be a perfect pint to savor after finishing the West Highland Way Race.