The 18th running of the Highland Fling Race takes place on Saturday 29th August, 2026. Here we offer an intriguing story from the first Highland Fling Race, offer some geeky stats on the event and preview some of the leading contenders.

 

 

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The event has come a long way from humble beginnings. Like so many races, it came about as an idea that evolved from a training run, and on a Spring Saturday in 2007, 18 runners started the first Highland Fling Race.The idea of Murdo McDonald and Ellen McVey to have a training run for the full 96-mile West Highland Way race in June, along the first 53 miles of the route from Milngavie to Tyndrum, was born. 17 runners reached Tyndrum, with Orkney’s Norman McLennan recording 8:37:20 and Glasgow’s Debbie Cox, with 10:31:51, becoming the nominal first winners. The evolving legend that is Jezz Bragg was actually the first runner to reach Tyndrum. However, he had not done his homework properly, and stopped at what he thought was the finish and sat down. Things were very low-key on this first Fling run. Legend has it McLennan arrived in Tyndrum long after Bragg had and saw him sitting at the side of the track near Tyndrum Lower Station, the spot Bragg perceived as the finish. Norman motored past while informing Jezz that the actual finish was a few hundred yards ahead at the Clifton cottages, just before the main road crossing. McLennan duly arrived at the finish first, in 8:37:20, with Bragg arriving a couple of minutes later in 8:39:25. The race was born. Bragg was to make amends, returning the following year, knowing where the finish was, and winning in a time of 7:26:15, well over an hour inside the “Official” winning time from the previous year.With the exception of 2000 in the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was held in late April every year until 2024. 2025 saw a switch to late summer, with its sister event the Devil O’ the Highlands moving to April.

369 men, 172 women and 3 non-binary entrants are on the start lists for this year’s race.With the added attraction of the Fling acting as the Scottish Athletics Ultra Distance Trail Championships, there is expected to be good competition at the front of the race.For many taking part, though, it is just the challenge of reaching the finish in Tyndrum and enjoying a good day out on the trails in good company.

 

Rachel Normand. Carnethy Hill Runners. Highland Fling winner in 2018 with 8:22:23 and also winner of the Devil in 2023 in 6:29:36. Has been running well at shorter distances while building back up after the birth of her second child. Also has previous podiums from Lakeland 50, Ochil Ultra and North Downs Way 50 amongst others.

Roberta Fletcher.  4th at last year’s Fling. Much Improved in 2026. Roberta placed 2nd at this year’s Devil in April, before going on to win this June’s full 96-mile West Highland Way race. Has she recovered enough from the Way to be competitive here, in the third leg of Scotland’s mythical Triple Trail Crown?

 

Fanni Gyurko, Ochil Hill Runners.Originally from Hungary but resident in Scotland for several years. Fanni has a solid marathon background with a PB of 2:35:47, from Seville in 2020. She has discovered a love of the hills and trails in recent years and is a two-time winner of the 50km Dava Way. She placed third at this year’s full 96-mile West Highland Way and has also previously placed 4th in both the Fling and the Devil o the Highlands. Like Fletcher, how she has recovered from the full West Highland Way may determine how she figures here.

 

Debbie Greig Alford Bull Runners.Debbie is one half of the team with her husband Kyle who organise the Moray Ultra Trail Series. An international standard triathlete in a “previous incarnation.” Now with a young family, she too has found a love of the trails and placed 1st in the Ultra X Scotland 50km in 2025.

Nicola Adams-Hendry, GarscubeNicola has the distinction of having won all three of the WHWay ultras. The Devil and the  Highland Fling in 2017 and the full West Highland Way in 2018Others to watch 

Beth Langley. Winner of the Jacobite 100 at last years Salomon Skyline.

 

 Rowan Boswood, Carnethy Hill running club. A minor West Highland Way race legend with two victories in the full 96-mile event in 2019 and 2022. He has surpassed that though with three victories at the Highland Fling in 2022 and 2024 and is the defending champion from 2025.His best time, set in 2024, of 6:50:26 is the second-fastest Fling time behind Rob Sinclair’s phenomenal 6:41:13 from 2017

 

Robbie Dunlop, Dundee Road Runners. Robbie has run times at the Fling and the Full West Highland Way that would have won in many years. His problem is that they have been achieved in Rowan Bosworth’s slipstream!That said, they do have a good friendly rivalry. Interesting to see who wins that little individual dual this year? Robbie does have victories to his credit, twice at Perthshire’s Caterun trail and once at the Ochil Ultra 50.

 

Adam Grey Penicuik HarriersThe man in form. Seems to have been setting lifetime PB’s since turning 40 last year. Placed 5th in the Fling in 2025This year Adam had a great run in a Scottish vest at the 100km Anglo Celtic Plate, recording 7:05:44. He returned to the trails, placing third at July’s Lakeland 50.He is also a previous winner of the Jedburgh Three Peaks race and the Tweed Valley Ultra.Adam has also been on fire at shorter distances, winning the vet 40 titles at the  Sri Chinmoy Scottish 5km champs in May with a speedy 14:58  and the National short 10km trail championships at Crieff in June.

 

Kyle Wilson, Greenock Glenpark. Kyle placed 2nd in the Devil in 2023. He also placed  3rd in 2025, and 2nd at the full  WHWay. Previous winner of both the Dee 33 and Glenogle 33

 

Michael Young.  A recent recruit for Metro Aberdeen. Michael is making his first appearance at the Fling but has previous Wins at the Chester Ultra 50. He represented England at the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100k at Perth in 2024, and has a speedy marathon PB of 2:24:30 set in London in April.

 

Arthur Ehlinger. Originally from Luxembourg but currently living in Scotland. Arthur was 3rd  at June’s Ultra Scotland 50.

 

Paulius Peciura,  Glasgow.  Paul was 3rd  in both the 2024 West Highland Way and Highland Fling races and 1st in the 2023 Glenmore 24 Hour with an impressive 236 Km. He represented his native Lithuania at the 2025 World Trail Championships at Canfranc, in Spain, and this June’s European Trail Championships in Slovenia.

 

Dave Ward  HBT 2nd in the 2024 West Highland Way 

 

Marcus Scotney Strathearn Harriers. Marcus is a popular runner on the GB ultra scene. A former GB 100km international, also with wins at the Dragons Back and Cape Wrath Ultra multi-day events. Now a “super vet”, he set a new MV50 time at the Devil in April when placing 3rd overall. Can he challenge Stuart Mills ‘ long-standing Fling V50 record of 7:58:03.

 

 

 

Current course records for the Highland Fling are Rob Sinclair’s 6 hours 41 minutes and 13 seconds set in 2017 and Elsey Davis’s 7:37:47, from 2024.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 other contenders, 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 typos. If you have a favourite runner, add them in the comments below.