HISTORY

The West Highland Way is Scotland’s original, most popular, and successful long-distance trail. 

As the Official West Highland Way website simply proclaims, almost in an understatement, 

“The 96-mile route stretches from Scotland’s Largest City to its Highest mountain, via its largest Loch, through some of its most spectacular scenery.”

When you then add evocative names like Loch Lomond, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch Moor, Glencoe, and Ben Nevis, you start to get an idea of how special this trail is.

“The Way” was officially opened on 6 October 1980. It soon took off as a “Must Do” hike for Scotland’s and the wider UK’s outdoor community. The small band of mountain and off-road runners of the time took to running sections of it. However, it took a few years for any race to germinate.

The Early Years

Over time, Scottish clubs, including  Glasgow’s Shettleston Harriers, Clydesdale  Harriers, and the North West’s Lochaber AC, challenged each other in low-key relay events over the trail. It seemed just a matter of time until some brave soul took on running the whole route in one go.

Step forward Duncan Watson (a not-so-well-known athlete), who somewhat cheekily challenged Bobby Shields (a man with many trophies to his name, including the famed Ben Nevis hill race) to a head-to-head ‘race’ along the Way.

On 22 June 1985, the two of them arrived at Milngavie railway station and set off for Fort William. At that time the route differed in several ways from what we have today. In particular, the section from Balmaha to Rowardennan was pretty much all along the road, and the final stretch from Lundavra to Fort William was all on the road. The actual mileage was, therefore, a bit less than today, with considerably less up and down along the journey. In some ways, it was easier than today’s route.

On the other hand, the route marking was not nearly as clear, and many stretches involved wading through deep mud and bog, especially from Beinglas Farm up to the forest above Crianlarich. The ascent of Conic Hill and the lower half of Glen Falloch were certainly not the manicured paths we now enjoy! In reality, the route was different in several respects rather than being much easier or harder.

 On that first race, neither man gave an inch in this titanic struggle. As they started to cross Rannoch Moor after covering  60 miles, they realised that, with this mindset, mutual destruction was the most likely outcome. So they pooled resources and continued to finish together in a time of 17 hours and 48 minutes. A time still respectable by today’s standards.

The race was born!

In 1986, the two of them opened the race to some fellow runners – this time going from North to South, with Duncan as Race Director. He continued in this role up to and including 1989.

1987 saw a return to the South to North route, with 7 of the 11 runners completing the full distance.

The 1989 Race has gone into the history books as something of a “Clash of the Titans” battle at the sharp end. Mike Hartley, holder of the Pennine Way record, came north with the aim of adding the West Highland Way record to his CV. He had not reckoned on coming up against a determined and very fit Dave Wallace, who completed the distance in an incredibly fast 15:26:20, just 6 minutes ahead of Hartley, who finished in 15:32:58. A report on this Race ~ the stuff of legend! ~ (along with many other Race write-ups over the years) can be found elsewhere on this website.

1989 also saw the first requirement for an official Scottish Athletics race permit. The race was starting to evolve away from its early days, back-of-an-envelope, “come along and run” informality.

Peter White took on the organisation in 1990, to be succeeded by Jim Stewart in 1991 when the trail was re-routed to much more closely follow the present line:- 96 miles distance, including c 14,760 feet of ascent, and c 14,760 feet of descent (4,500 metres), of which about 8 miles is on the road. The last few miles were now on a trail through the forest across to Glen Nevis, rather than the single-track road from Lundavra to Fort William. Thus, it became slightly longer than previously, with considerably more up and down.

The Nineties

hrough the 1990s, the Race continued on an annual basis, with Jim doing a great job of keeping it going. He fondly recalls all the enjoyment of these races and his marvelling at Brian Davidson’s 200 miles per week training regime. (A regime not recommended for novices!) However, knowledge of the Race still just tended to spread by word of mouth. Many of the early participants moved on to new adventures, but were not replaced by new blood. The wider world still did not know of the race’s existence, and it hadn’t quite reached critical mass, insofar as the numbers participating were concerned. At the end of the 1990s, the event was in danger of being discontinued due to lack of uptake and what Jim perceived as the gradually increasing burden of “safety requirements” and related responsibilities falling on the organisers’ shoulders.

However, two runners who had completed the race during the 1990s decided that this event was just too much of a classic to die out and go away. Step forward, Dario Melaragni and Stan Milne.

The Noughties, 2000 to 2009.

The year 2000 saw a major boost (and possibly the survival of the event) with the fresh enthusiasm of both Dario and Stan. There was increased publicity surrounding fast times from Holland’s Wim Epskamp, who ran 16:26, and a new ladies’ record from Kate Jenkins, who completed the course in 17 hours 37 minutes. This, as much as anything, raised the profile of the race and brought it to a much wider audience.

Dario became, effectively, “Mr West Highland Way Race” during ten years at the helm, up to and including 2009, in which the event changed out of all recognition from its early days ethos of “just turn up @ Milngavie and run to Fort William, the first to get there being the winner”. He designed the first Race website and was unstinting in encouraging new people to take up the challenge of doing the Race.

More participants, including many relatively “novice” runners, came on board, more formalised back-up support crews for runners, more organised checkpoints, mobile phone communications, first aiders, mountain rescue teams, Chris Ellis – the official ‘Race Doctor’, and much else besides, came into the equation. Dario took it all in his stride but did not take kindly to the title “Race Director”, preferring in his quiet and unassuming way to simply be ‘the co-ordinator’ of it all. Sadly, neither Dario nor Stan is still with us; but their memory certainly lives on, and all involved with the race are greatly indebted to them. 

2010-2019

Following Dario’s sudden and untimely passing in July 2009, shortly after that year’s event, a small group led by Ian Beattie, all with several years of involvement with the race, in some capacity, took on keeping the race going. 

2017 had seen a slight change in the route along Loch Lomondside, shortly after Rowardennan, with the new ‘low road’ replacing the previous ‘high road’. Which of these may be shorter / faster is still an ongoing runner debate. The 2019 race saw another route change, this time the traditional Lochaber Leisure Centre finish was replaced by the Nevis Centre, which also doubles up as the prize-giving/goblets ceremony venue. This adds around ½ a mile distance on tarmac, but provides much more of an “atmosphere” for folk finishing, especially for the last finishers, as the venue is then fast filling up in readiness for the imminent awards ceremony.

The 2019 race marked ten years with Ian at the helm ~ ably assisted throughout by Sean Stone, Adrian Stott and others. Sean has now clocked over 20 years of involvement with the race, and Adrian has over 30 years as a runner, crew and organiser. John Kynaston master-minded the website updates & techie side of things, and Ross Lawrie the artistic and graphic design inspiration. Since John’s sad passing in 2020, John Munro has taken on the role of “Web Master” and, with his wife Helen, helped recruit and organise the many volunteers for race weekend. Keith Hughes has the task each November of vetting all entries before the ballot. Many others help out, and more than 100 volunteers are involved each year now.

2019 also saw Murdo McEwan and Alan Kay step down after ten years of involvement. Murdo was perhaps best known for handing out jelly babies at the 100k point, a part of the course now affectionately known as ‘Jelly Baby Hill’, although his work in reviewing all the entries was also significant. Alan looked after the Glencoe checkpoint. This latest 10-year period has seen an explosion of new ultra-distance events, around the world and a commensurate increase in numbers attracted to the sport. Who knows what the next ten years might bring?!

From a handful of runners in the early pioneer days to a few dozen runners starting each race in the early 2000s, and about half of them completing the distance, we now have well over 200 on the start line each year at Milngavie, with about 75% finishing.

The  Early 2020s and the Pandemic.

The race was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, during the first lockdown, we were all pretty much running around our neighbourhoods, and Virtual races became “A thing”.  The West Highland Way was no exception, and an incredible take up for the  first Virtual West Highland Way organised at short notice saw over 2,000 runners completing 95 miles in 9 days in a minimum of 3 stages. The majority spread it out over a full nine days of training. Over 1500 runners repeated this in 2021. The success of the virtual events led the race to donate a considerable amount to good causes, and, with a crowdfunding campaign, also greatly contributed towards a replacement bridge washed away in winter storm floods. The John Kynaston Bridge, between Beinglass Farm and Derrydarroch, was inaugurated in the spring of 2022 in memory of our popular committee member.

2022 saw a return to the race proper. Rowan Boswood repeated his victory from 2019 in 15:09:49, just dipping under his previous effort of 15:15:42. Lynne Allen also achieved her second victory in 18:46:26, two minutes faster than her win in 2017. 

Since COVID, the popularity of the race has led to an increase in interest. Each year, the race continues to be oversubscribed, and a ballot has to be held to determine final entry.

After the 2025 race. Ian Beattie stepped aside as RD, although he still maintains an involvement with the race. Adrian Stott, with his long-time experience of the event and experience of organising many other events, has stepped up as Race Director, assisted by John and Helen Munro as race co-ordinators. Sean Stone has the role of safety officer, while Keith Hughes still helps with the entry process. Neil MacRitchie as a long term runner and Julie Clarke as a long term checkpoint lead offer wise advice, while Robert McMurray with his professional background offers governace advice. Ian is still a trusted source of experience to be reached out too while Sandra Beattie looks after the popular instagram feed.

Their aim, along with the small core organising group, is to maintain the long traditions of the race and its popularity, while moving with the times and introducing changes as appropriate. 

Following the 2025 Race, over 1,700 people, affectionately known as ‘The Family ‘” have completed the race at least once. Neil MacRitchie and Fiona Rennie set a new record of 19 finishes each. Adrian Stott, Jim Drummond, and the late Tony Thistlethwaite each have 15 finishes. 

Others with ten or more cherished engraved finishers’ crystal goblets to their names include Alan Kay, Jim Robertson, Pauline Walker, Alyson MacPherson, John Vernon, Bob Allison, Keith Hughes, Ian Rae, Rosie Bell, Derek Morley, Martin Deans, Jody Young, Andy Cole, Craig Hamilton, Mark Caldwell, Neil Rutherford and Sarah-Kirsty Williams. Alan Kay, John Vernon, Jim Robertson, and Neil MacRitchie hold the distinction of each having completed 10 WHW races in a row, while Neil Rutherford has completed 10 in a row, all in under 24 hours!

From 2025 into the future

After the 2025 race. Ian Beattie stepped aside as RD, although he still maintains an involvement with the race. Adrian Stott, with his long time experience of the event, and experience of organising many other events, has stepped up as Race Director, assisted by John and Helen Munro as race co-ordinators. 

Their aim, along with the small core organising group, is to maintain the long traditions of the race and its popularity, while moving with the times and introducing changes as appropriate. 

The committee remains indebted to the many volunteers who give up their time each year, to undertake all manner of activities at the start, at checkpoints en route, and at the finish. 

Many of them have run or crewed for runners at previous races, and are drawn back to be a part of race weekend in some capacity. Their selfless contributions are an integral part of the race community.

Comparing records.

Historically, due to ongoing path upgrades, there has been considerable debate about record times on the course. Jezz Bragg ran 15:44 in 2006, which shattered Wim Espkamp’s 2000 record on the post-1991 present-day route. Terry Conway lowered this further to 15:39, in 2012.

 Dave Wallace’s 15:26 from 1989 remained the fastest recorded time. 

These were both eclipsed by Paul Giblin’s 15:07:29 in 2013. The following year, in 2014, Paul ran faster again with an incredible 14:20:11 and improved on this again in 2015, bringing his record down to 14:14:44.

In doing so, he became the first male runner to win the race three years in a row. Sue Ashley remains the only woman to have won three years in a row in 1993/4/5. Giblin’s time of 14:14:44 was expected to stand for several years, but in 2017, Aberdeen’s Rob Sinclair (photo below) took the bull by the horns. Leading the rest of the field by 15 minutes at the first checkpoint at Balmaha, (20 miles) he extended his lead throughout the journey to finish in 13:41:08, over 3 hours ahead of the second-place finisher. Sub 15 hours would have been inconceivable just a few years previously!

2017 had seen a slight change in the route along Loch Lomondside, shortly after Rowardennan, with the new ‘low road’ replacing the previous ‘high road’. Which of these may be shorter / faster is still an ongoing runner debate. The 2019 race saw another route change, this time the traditional Lochaber Leisure Centre finish was replaced by the Nevis Centre, which also doubles up as the prize-giving/goblets ceremony venue. This adds around ½ a mile distance on tarmac, but provides much more of an “atmosphere” for folk finishing, especially for the last finishers, as the venue is then fast filling up in readiness for the imminent awards ceremony.

Ladies records.

For the ladies at the sharp end, Kate Jenkins’ 17:37:48 record in 2000 was brought down by Lucy Colquhoun in 2007 to 17:16:20. A time that still stands. In 2016, for the first time, we had three ladies going sub 19 hours, all being in the top 10 finishers overall. The 2016 winning lady, Lizzie Wraith, with 17:42:27, moved to third lady on the all-time list. 

The 2019 race saw first-time runner Siobhan Killingbeck come close to threatening Lucy’s record. On schedule at Kinlochleven (80 miles) but eventually finishing in 17:41:09, but still eclipsing Lizzie’s 2016 time.

Age group records.

Although, traditionally, the current race does not give individual age group prizes, Jarlath McKenna, the 2024 race winner, holds the Mens V40 record with 14:17:58, while the 2018 ladies winner, Nicola Adams-Hendry, has the women’s F40 record with 17:55:41.

Gareth Bryan-Jones became the first 70-year-old man to complete the race in 2013, with Marian McPhail becoming the first 60-year-old female to finish in 2015. Both of these were eclipsed in 2016 by Rob Reid, a slightly older 70-year-old, and Norma Bone, 64 years young. The indefatigable Norma raised it again in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to currently be the oldeat female finisher when she was 67, while Rob Reid returned and raised it for the men to 73 years. 

2022 saw the popular Andy Cole return at 75 years young while completing his 10th West Highland Way race.

Honourable mentions should also go to Graham Arthur, who completed the 2018 race in 23:57:17 as the fastest 70-year-old to date and to Graeme Hall, who ran 22:03:29 in the 2023 race, to set a new Mens V60 time, only for Richard Stark Of Stathaven Striders to better it by running 21:25:19 in the 2024 race.

The 2024 race also saw a retrurn of very fast times. Jarlath McKenna taking the win in the 3rd fastest ever clocking of 14:17:58. Only Rob Sinclair and Paul Giblin have run faster.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Mark Collins is the youngest finisher at 21 years from the 2007 race.

The race makes no claims to be the toughest, hardest or most scenic race on the planet. The organising team simply seek, 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. It has always been, and remains, a non-profit event run by volunteers.

This article was originally written by Murdo McEwan several years ago and updated in October 2024 by Adrian Stott.