And the results are in! After three incredible days of taking on the toughest that Scotland has to offer we’ve nailed down the winners of the Highland Ultra. 

Taking the stage winning triple crown Robert Richardson finishes first in the Men’s Highland Ultra, his first-ever multi-day ultra! With startling pace, a smooth running style and friendly demeanor Robert has taken everything Knoydart could throw at him on the chin. Nothing seemed to phase him as he bounded into camp early each day, taking both the deepest bogs and most technical climbs in his stride, finishing with an absolutely rapid overall time of 17hrs 56mins!

A formidable runner lies behind the friendly exterior of Brittney Stewart, who has battled her way around the course to be crowned the Women’s winner of the Highland Ultra. With humility at every corner Brittney has wowed the team and her fellow runners, blasting past them on the climbs and really coming into her stride on days two and three, winning stage two outright and taking a joint win in stage 3 with close competitor Marie-Lou Alemany, who ran an incredible race but took a kit related time penalty. Brittney finished in a total time of 23hrs 11mins. 

Behind Robert in the Mens race were two equally fierce competitors that battled hard against the elements and eachother. With little in it Edward Moore (19hrs 57mins) just edged third placed Craig Hamilton-Smith (20hrs 55mins). The two enjoyed chasing one another across the stages and found real joy in their rivalry. 

In the final rankings Nolwenn Denis comes joint second with Marie-Lou Alemany in the Women’s race, her quiet consistency bringing her across the line after hard running. She took the fiercest Scottish weather head-on and finished in 24hrs 34mins. Marie-Lou also ran tremendously, finishing closely behind Brittney.

It was Brittney Stewart, Tom Watson and Jonny Pain who won the clan race, coming in with the lowest overall points tally and no stage DNFs. They take home the coveted Knoydart Boat trophy!

Samuel Nova also received a boat for his efforts, after DNFing the first time he tried the Highland Ultra he faced down his demons, slowly and steadily taking on the route and finally finishing in 37hrs 3mins. A superb effort from Samuel and a testament to his own grit and determination.

Finally, Maggie Cartwright was presented with the Simon Small Award. This award honours Simon Small and is given to an individual who espouses BTU’s values, lifting up all of their competitors in camp, offering assistance and making everyone smile. From the get go Maggie was helping out with kit choices, bringing spares for her fellow runners and acted as an anchor in the campsite, bringing a smile to everyones faces even after the roughest stages.

Across the field we had the privilege of witnessing many individual stories that even here are too countless to tell. You come to a Beyond the Ultimate race as an individual, but you leave as one family, connected by shared experiences and memories that’ll live on for years to come.

We’d like to extend a huge thankyou to our Medical team, who’s time and expertise were invaluable. A thank you to our forward team John Shield, Harry Strut and Lou Cole for marking and sweeping the course and to the wider BTU Crew for making the event happen.

Full results can be found below and photographs by Andrew Leinster will follow in due course.