West Highland Way Preview 2026
The Iconic West Highland Way Race takes place this Saturday, 20th June 2026 starting early in the morning at 1am.
Tracker link HERE
SI Entries Timing link HERE
Please follow race socials for updates
Race instagram @whw_race
West Highland Way Race family Facebook HERE
The 96-mile /153km race is one of the longest-established ultra races in the UK. It is run over Scotland’s most popular hiking trail, which runs from Milngavie, just north of Glasgow, to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain. Runners also climb app 4,400metres, 14,400 feet of ascent.
While most mortals are happy to walk “The Way” in a leisurely few days with overnight stops, the race allows experienced ultra runners to run the trail in one go with a 35-hour time limit.
It is traditionally held on one of the weekends closest to midsummer.
This year will be the 40th running of the event since the first edition in 1985. It is still a volunteer led not for profit organisation, held in high regard as the “jewel in the crown of Scottish Ultra races.\
On race weekend over 150 volunteers will selflessly give up their time to be a part of West Highland Way Race weekend. The event could not happen or function without them.
You can read a History of the event HERE
Time is against me in writing a long piece!
Although we like to highlight a few runners who should be contending for men’s and women’s podiums, every runner in the race has their own story to tell. Whether they are aiming for their 10th finish or attempting their first West Highland Way and their longest ultra to date. All the entrants will have been on their special journeys to reach the start line. Their main aim is just enjoying the weekend, reaching Fort William, and collecting one of those cherished West Highland Way race Goblets.
Entry breakdown
This year we have
* 252 Entries (74 Female, 178 Male)
* 172 are 1st Timers,
* 239 with 3 goblets or less, 2 over-achievers with 19 each.
* 15 Countries represented
Age groups :
23-29(17),
30-39(70),
40-49(101)
50-59(49),
60-69(12),
70-77: (3)
The oldest female finisher to date is Norma Bone, who ran the race in 2019 aged 67. This year, Norma will be part of the race medical team.
There are several women over 60 in the field. Most notable is Fife’s Fiona Rennie, 63, attempting her 20th West Highland Way. Caroline Ness and Nora Pykkonen, both 61, and Bridget Halewood, 60, are other Sexagenarians.
The oldest entrant in the field is Andy Cole. Andy is a very experienced ultra runner. He completed the 2024 event at age 75. Now 77, he is back aiming for another goblet.
Last year’s oldest finisher, Paddy McDonald, from East Lothian, also returns aged 74, and our third septuagenarian is David Roy, from Schoharie, New York, running his first West Highland Way. At 71.
10 and 20 finishes
Sarah-Kirsty Williams will be aiming for her 10th finish.
AS well as Fiona Rennie already mentioned, Neil MacRitchie will also be aiming for a remarkable 20 finishes.
Family connections in the race.
Duncan Wallace, the son of previous, multiple-winner Dave Wallace, is running. Dave will be part of Duncan’s support crew. Dave’s record in the race is very impressive.He won the race 4 times ,in 1988, 1989, 1995 and 1996. He also came 2nd in 1997 and 2000, and 3rd in 2001. Duncan certainly has a hard act to follow.
We also have a mother and daughter combination running, and a Husband and wife teamNora Pekkanen from Glasgow is running, along with her daughter, Riza, who, at 24, is the youngest female in the race this year.
Robert McMuray and his wife, Catherine, are both taking part. For Robert, it will be his 4th WHWay, for Catherine, her first.
The youngest male in the race is 24-year-old James Tierney from Glasgow.
The name Kirsten Walker will not mean much to most ultra runners, but she has a strong connection with the West Highland Way. Her great uncle and aunt were Tom and Margaret Hunter, who were instrumental in lobbying for the creation of a Scottish National Trail, which became the West Highland Way. Everyone involved with the race owes them a huge THANK YOU.
Kirsten’s family will be delighted that the connection is continuing.
Women’s Contenders
The winners of the last three Highland ways, Ally McGill and Rebecca Hormann, have found other adventures this summer.
With the late withdrawals of Jacqui Wilson due to her GB 100km selection and Jasmin Paris due to a calf strain, the women’s field seems wide open.
Sophie Mullins could well be a prime contender. The former Scottish 100km International and GB champion has been living in Spain in recent years and performing well on the trails there. She last completed this race in 2018 when she was third,
Roberta Fletcher has been on the podium for the last two years, 3rd in 2024 and second last year. She was 2nd at April’s Devil o the Highlands. Will this be her year?
Former international marathon runner, turned trail runner, Fanni Gyurko, has enjoyed some success on the trail in recent years. To our knowledge, this will be her first race in the 100-mile zone.
Current course records for the West Highland Way are Rob Sinclair’s 13 hours 41 minutes and 8 seconds set in 2017 and Lucy Colquhoun’s 17:16:20 from 2007.
Both are phenomenal times that will take a well-prepared and well-motivated athlete to come close to challenging.
Mens Contenders
Gus Irvine, the 2025 Champion, is returning to defend his crown. His early-season form, where he represented Scotland, in April’s Home Countries International in the Lake District, showed he had a good winter. Can anyone challenge him?
Sage Pierce-Higgins was 4th two years ago. He has started the year well with wins in the 43-mile Country to Capital race in London in January, following that up with a sub 7 hr 100k on the road in March’s Anglo Celtic Plate in Limerick. He will definitely be one to watch.
Gregor Malcolm scraped his qualifier just before the entries closed last November. He won and set a new Course record at the Sidlaw ultra. It will be his first WHWay.
Others to watch will be Scottish 100km international Dave Shaw.
Former Summer spine challenger winner Tim Piggott.
Edinburgh-based Frenchman Pierre-Alain Bouffandeau, who was second at last year’s Norn Iron 100-mile.
Billy Gibson, 3rd in the 2022 race.
Craig Luke 3rd in last year’s Highland Fling
Also, Jonny Wolf, an Edinburgh-based Australian
Former Scottish 100km and GB trail international Kyle Greig, who many will know as Race Director for the Moray Ultra’s
Also, further back in the pack, keep an eye on another race director, John Steele, better known as the organiser of the Hardmoors races.
Current course records for the West Highland Way are Rob Sinclair’s 13 hours 41 minutes and 8 seconds set in 2017 and Lucy Colquhoun’s 17:16:20 from 2007.
Both are phenomenal times that will take a well-prepared and well-motivated athlete to come close to challenging.
I am sure to have missed a few others , and as always, someone with a good training block, who paces things well, will come out of the pack and have their own breakthrough race.
Please excuse any hasty Typo’s 🙂
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Adrian Tarit Stott.
The author is a former GB 24-hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions. He has also been involved in organising ultra-distance races for over 30 years. Still an active recreational runner, he is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Running Advisory Group (URAG) and the Mountain and Trail Advisory Group. He also contributes as part of the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams. A freelance writer in his spare time, he contributes articles and reports to several websites and magazines including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.
