By Emily Gray
Published 03/08/2021
If the monotony of lockdown has left you craving adventure and wanting to push yourself further than how much Netflix you can sit through in one weekend, then we have just the thing: Highland Kings.
Highland Kings is Scotland’s most exclusive ultra marathon, delivering not only the ultimate physical challenge but also luxurious comfort and extensive training.
Open to only 40 athletes, the event will take place in April 2022 and will cover 120 miles of trail running over four days, starting from the stunning Glencoe mountains and finishing at Dougarie Estate on the west coast of the Isle of Arran. 120 miles? Four days? Yes...but don’t stop reading now, because if you can jog for half an hour, complete a Park Run or cycle for an hour, then organisers are confident that you can become a Highland King. Because whilst the event may take place in April, leading up to it will be seven months of coaching, training and support from experts and legends of sport and adventure including Ultra Running World Champion Jon Albon, Anna-Marie Watson and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Each runner will receive a specialist, bespoke training programme, designed to their psychological condition and developmental needs which includes one to one and group interactions, performance coaching, monthly training plan reviews, sports psychology video consultations, luxury performance clothing an a pre-programmed Garmin MARQ Athlete watch to allow performance checks throughout the journey.
And once the challenge is underway, everything is taken care of from bag transfers and logistics to transport which includes exclusive fast rib boats. Athletes will have access to a physiotherapist, sports psychology coach and a safety team of qualified local mountain guides, medics and route safety staff who will track each athlete to follow and monitor progress.
When it comes to food, it won’t be just any carb loading nor is it self-supported, so you don’t need to think about your nutrition, a Michelin Star Chef will be taking care of all of that providing, breakfast, an evening meal at your luxury campsite (think how good that’s going to feel at the end of each day) and there’ll be aid stations enroute so you can replenish your energy throughout the race.
The race will culminate with a gala dinner, hosted by event’s guest speaker and ambassador, the ‘world’s greatest living explorer’ the record-breaking adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. You can then relive the whole experience after with a copy of the professional documentary recorded throughout the whole event, so you can show everyone just what a legend you are.
Highland Kings will test both your physical and mental resilience, but what an incredible, life-affirming experience it will be.
Ticket price is £15,499, to sign up to Highland Kings head to: www.highland-kings.com
