PROUD FINISHERS Filippo Faralla and partner Karoline Hanks celebrate reaching the Cape Wrath Lighthouse ( left ).

rail running involves moving yourself unassisted across any surface that is not tar . Because of this definition , using distance alone becomes almost meaningless when comparing different trail runs . Words such as technical , ascent and altitude can help describe the difficulties and challenge of a trail run , but even they cannot fully describe the experience . There is only one way to find out – and that is to run it .

It is this aspect of trail running that makes it so appealing . For me , trail running is more about adventure and discovery than simply running a set number of kilometres as fast as I can . In 2004 , I ran my first – the 50km Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge . The next 14 years would see me travel the length and breadth of South Africa in search of new adventures and new wildernesses to explore . Soon I was on a plane to other continents to experience their trails and wilderness , absorbed and captivated by novelty , remoteness and challenge . And so it was that I found myself at the starting line of the Cape Wrath Ultra .

The Cape Wrath Ultra is no ordinary trail run . Given the magnitude of every aspect of this event , the organisers prefer to call it an ‘ expedition ’ rather than a race . Participants run for eight consecutive days , without a rest day , traversing the length of the remote western highlands of Scotland . Starting in Fort William and ending at

mainland Britain ’ s most northwesterly point , Cape Wrath , they cover a total distance of 400km with 11 200m altitude gain .

PROFESSIONAL PREP

How does one prepare for such an expedition ? Slowly and carefully and with the help of professionals . It made no difference that I was a veteran of 21 Comrades ( with six silvers ), three Canadian Death Races ( a 125km mountain run ), six Skyruns ( all sub- 20hrs ), 10 Mont-Aux-Sources , two Cederberg 100km and six Wild Coast Ultras amongst countless other trail ultras . This was new ground , literally and figuratively , and I needed help .

I asked Coach Neville to look after my training and used the services of a condition coach for twice weekly weight and resistance training . The race was in May , but my journey started in November . For six months I sacrificed work , family and indulgent pleasure to focus on my training . I followed my coaches ’ advice with care , but the road ( or should that be trail ) was not all smooth going . Because of my 28 years of racing , my legs hurt during the early build-up phase until they reached a level of conditioning that allowed me to run continuously for more than four or five hours . Eventually , at the peak of my training , Coach Neville had me running for eight hours one Saturday .

Then disaster struck . The week before the Two Oceans I picked up a small chest infection . I took antibiotics

and , against my doctor ’ s advice , ran the Ultra . Two days later I had fullblown bronchitis . It would take two more courses of increasingly stronger antibiotics to rid my chest of the bugs . I was behind on my training programme . Coach Neville adjusted and we recovered to complete my final big weeks of training .

In addition to training , my partner Karoline Hanks and I also had to prepare our gear for this race . The organisers had included various mandatory items that had us scouring the shelves of Cape Union Mart . Some of these included a tick removal device ( the Scottish Highlands has many ticks , some of which carry lyme disease ), a blister treatment kit with

PHOTOGRAPHS © CAPE WRATH ULTRA ®/ IAN CORLESS , STEVE ASHWORTH AND JIMMY HYLAND

28 | RUN FOR YOUR LIFE