A SCOTS athlete has won a 238-mile running race in his first ever ultra-long-distance running competition.
Dumfries’s David Parrish, 32, crossed the finish line of the Cape Wrath Ultra in the Highlands on Sunday netting the event’s second fastest ever time of 45 hours, 28 minutes and 48 seconds.
Before setting off from Fort William on May 21, the longest running event the former Marine had ever taken part in was a half marathon.
On finishing the race, Parrish said: “I felt pride and relief. I was kind of sad when it was all over.
“All of a sudden the pain went away, and I thought, I could get used to the positivity of the whole experience.”
Competitors in the gruelling eight-day race use skills in orienteering and navigation to run over rough, steep trails between the race’s start in Fort William and its end at Cape Wrath, mainland Britain’s most north-westerly point.
Organised by Ourea Events, the Cape Wrath Ultra is a staple of the ultramarathon circuit, drawing highly competitive runners from around the world.
Runners travel through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Highlands, including Knoydart, Kintail, Torridon, Assynt and Sutherland.
Along some parts of the course, runners travel through some of Scotland’s most remote areas of terrain, with the route intersecting with the ends of Scotland’s two longest one-way roads.
The competition sees many runners drop out along the way, with only 88 of the original 185 racers completing the full route.
Parrish soundly beat two regular ultramarathon runners, overcoming second-place winner Fernando Alvarez by more than two hours and third-place Sam Hill by over four.
Jo Meek won the women's race, completing the course in a record-setting time of just over 52 hours.
Elaine Bisson and Jana Szczepaniak followed Meek in second and third place.
Parrish announced his desire to come back to a community he called “positive and uplifting”, saying: “I’ll have to do it again. I think I’d like to come back as one of the volunteer team.”
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