Death race 2015
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:11 pm
Two hundred athletes are expected to descend on Glen Coe for an event that its organisers warn comes with "a risk of serious injury or death".
The inaugural Salomon Glen Coe Skyline race will feature an ascent of the Munro, Buachaille Etive Mor.
The endurance competition will take place on 22 August.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland has suggested that the glen might be a place "for seekers after solitude and quiet contemplation" to avoid that day.
Because of the terrain involved, only competitors highly experienced in mountain running and alpinism have been invited to enter the competition.
More than 160 people have signed up for the race so far. Most are from the UK, but there are also entries from France, Germany, Belgium and Spain.
Unveiling the event, its organisers said: "Potential competitors will need to provide evidence of their mountain running experience and agree to an extraordinary declaration that pulls no punches when it states that there is a 'risk of serious injury or death whilst participating' in the event."
Buachaille Etive Mor is one of Scotland's most recognisable and photographed mountains, and hugely popular with walkers and climbers.
The mountain's Curved Ridge - which the competitors will tackle - is known to hillwalkers and climbers as a hard scramble, or an easy rock-climb.
The race will also take competitors to Lairig Gartain and cross Buachaille Etive Beag, among other geographical landmarks in Glencoe.
In a message to its members, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland said: "Glen Coe on 22 August this year looks like a place to avoid for seekers after solitude and quiet contemplation.
"Solitude on a summer Saturday is rare enough in the Coe, but on the 22nd there will be between 150 and 200 runners taking part in the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline race."
