Would you pay £15k to take part in an ultra run? What if you had a Michelin chef cooking your meals and training tips from the world’s best runners? If so, then Highland Kings is for you!

Highland Kings is a new event, launched in June, which aims to bring a unique premium service to what are normally very simple races – turn up, run for hours, run some more, then run for even longer. Unlike an ordinary marathon there’s no need to close streets as most ultra runs take place in remote locations where the chances of meeting anyone else is as likely as me entering Highland Kings. (Very, very unlikely),.

However, if remote locations, exclusive entries and table service are your thing then can I recommend the Hebrides Triathlon?

With COVID safety in mind, the race organiser wanted to ensure everyone could still have soup, a sandwich and a sweet treat after the race. Rather than setting out a buffet, volunteers took ‘orders’ from your table and brought the food to you. And then brought some more. And then more. And the next thing you know you’ve had soup, a sandwich and six donuts and a muffin and a Mars Bar.

I can see why people might pay £15k for this kind of service…

It was great to take part in a triathlon after races were cancelled last year. It didn’t even feel strange to wear face mask or to use handwash as changing clothes is natural for a triathlete. In fact, I was only surprised, we didn’t have a separate mask for each transition….

The race itself is run by the Western Isles Triathlon Club and has a limit of around 30 entrants each year. It’s a local race for local people but one that’s very welcoming to visitors too. Unlike the Isle of Lewis itself which is still under COVID restrictions which severely limit the number of people who can travel on the boat to get there. I was caught out as I tried to book only to find that the next place available was four weeks after the race. Instead I had to fly, which is easier to book but almost as expensive as Highland Kings. Ouch.

As for the race itself:

Swim

This was my first triathlon in two years. The last one being the 2019 Hebrides Triathlon. This year the swim was changed from a loch to the sea after a bloom of blue green algae.

To make things interesting there was a choppy tide but the organisers changed the course to keep it close to shore and most of the swimming was side on to the waves. This made for an erratic swim as I was constantly pushed from the side but it was good to know that we were never out to deep and you could see the bottom of the bay for most of the swim.

Bike

A strong north wind meant a quick first half as we cycled from Shawbost south and southeast to Callanish. The way back was another story and I was glad to have fitted tri-bars to my bike. Each strong gust gave a chance to duck down and try and avoid the worst of it by using the bars to stretch-out.

Run

A deceptive course – it’s 4km of climbing and then 6km of climbing. You’d expect a course that starts and finishes in the same place to have an equal amount of ascent and descent but I can only think that roads around Shawbost were designed by MC Escher.

Overall

My ‘local’ triathlon so I’m biased but this really is a cracking race with great scenery, challenging routes and while it might not be Highland Kings, it can certainly claim to be Hebridean Kings.

Mark Beaumont is one of the world’s best endurance cyclists. He’s twice held the record for fastest time around the world, including his current record of cycling round the world in less than 80 days.

James Lowsley-Williams is a former cycling professional and current presenter of the YouTube channel, Global Cycling Network.

Together they attempted to break the record for fastest two person relay time for cycling Lands End to John O’Groats.

You can watch their attempt below and see how different each men become as they get deeper and deeper into the race. They each ride for one hour and swap over again and again as they attempt to keep an average speed of 19 mph from one end of the UK to another. However it’s quite clear that for one man (James) it’s a very different experience from the other (Mark)…

Well worth a watch!

After the tragic events this weekend I thought it worth sharing Scottish Swimming open water guidance.

One day we’ll get to go back…

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Every year a Dutchman predicts the route of the Tour de France. His predictions are so accurate that journalists bring a copy of his map to the official route announcement so that they know what the Tour will announce before they announce it.

How does he do it though? How does one man predict year after year the route of the most famous bike race in the world? The answer is easy. The route is not a secret. Well, not if you know who to ask…

A race as big as the Tour de France needs to sign contracts in advance with everyone involved in the route. From French local authorities granting permission to use their roads to hotels and BnB’s expected to house every rider, staff and journalist. All these people talk. Local councils boast to the local newspapers that the Tour is coming next year; the hotels are full and are turning away bookings; work has started on resurfacing roads and preparing the infrastructure to bring the Tour to any part of France.

And through hundreds if not thousands of phone calls, the canny forecaster works out exactly where the Tour will be before the Tour announces it officially.

You, on the other hand, don’t need to guess where this year’s second biggest race in the world will be held because I bring you a world exclusive – the official route of Toddman 2021.

And, just like last year, Toddman 2021 will see two of the finest athletes in the world (called Todd and from the Western Isles) resume their rivalry like Pokajar and Roglic as they fight for iconic black Peat & Diesel jersey.

For more on Toddman check out the race reports here and here.

So, here it is, a world wide exclusive – the new route!

Below you can see the bike route, which has changed from last year’s flat sprint stage to a hilly mountainous stage featuring two of Scotland’s finest climbs: the Todd Road nee the Crow Road and Todd Me Doon nee Tak Me Doon.

While the run will involve a trail run and climb of Meikle Bin before finishing at Todholes farm and the now iconic and controversial green gate (see race reports for why the green gate is controversial).

Who will win? Who knows? But we do know that it will be someone called Todd!

Last week I recommended ‘Transamericana’, a film about ultra runner, Rickey Gates, running across America from coast to coast. A year later he set himself a new challenge, one which while still involving running thousands of miles would never actually see him running further than seven miles: he set out to run every street in San Fransisco, just seven square miles.

While I’ve been running every street near my home for the last year – see here and here among other articles – he takes it to the next level by sleeping on every street in a campervan and not stopping until he’d completed them all.

If you want to see how a simple idea can change someone then watch this video.