Welcome to Highland Kings, the luxury Scottish 120-mile ultra-marathon

EXPERT HELP 

If you pay for the full Monty, £16,995 rather than the £8,995 for more experienced runners just paying to turn up at the start line, the army of world-leading experts available to you is enviable.

Jon Albon, ranked No 2 in the world by the International Trail Running Association, and Anna-Marie Watson, who has run the ‘Toughest Footrace on Earth’ Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert twice, coach you on mindset – 90 per cent of the battle, according to Watson.

Ultra-runner and triathlete Watson, who hated PE as a child but spent nine years in the Army, tells Sportsmail that Highland Kings’ luxury reward at the end of the day is a ‘game changer’ in terms of runner motivation, before hailing the ‘very special’ event.

Physio Alison Rose, who has worked at five Olympics with the likes of Dame Kelly Holmes, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Olympic gold medal-winning brothers Jonny and Alistair Brownlee, will guide you through the physical exertions, while communications specialist Tom Lowe is there to ensure athlete safety too.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? 

It’s that world-class support which goes some way to explaining why Highland Kings feel the event is good value. 

And yes, £16,995 is a lot of cash in a cost-of-living crisis, with some critics questioning how accessible it really is. Not everyone will have that money.

Smith might argue the training team on offer means it’s so accessible even someone who has only run a 10K (assuming they have the money) can complete the race after six months of guidance. And the luxury on offer is pretty impressive too.

Runners receive a Whoop strap to track physical data, a Garmin watch programmed with the race routes, and massage therapists to ease aching muscles.

The spacious bell tents include a double bed with a memory foam mattress and Egyptian cotton sheets and a sheepskin rug, among lots of other nice touches like daily homemade cookies and granola bars from chef Alan Murchison and – crucially, I’m told – excellent locally sourced coffee.

All this means some in the ultra-running world have labelled Highland Kings as ‘soft’ or ‘cushy’, and lacking the real grind of a Marathon des Sables, where runners carry their own tents and food and sleep deprivation is a fundamental part of the race.

To which I’d say: it’s still 120 miles with 18,225 feet of ascent in four days, only five finished the full race last year, and if you really fancy a grim and austere experience, fill your boots elsewhere. 

But if you want some comfort as you put the miles in, it probably won’t come much better than this.

‘ALMOST LIKE A HOLIDAY’ 

For Sian Slater, the first ever person to sign up to the event, it’s that extra mile and those little touches that make the difference. 

Lavender bags. Hot water bottles placed carefully into bed for you. The first cup of tea in the morning. All helped give the impression it was ‘almost like a holiday’ for Slater.

The 59-year-old will be kicking off her seventh decade in April as the race starts and, speaking with genuine and infectious enthusiasm to Sportsmail, she credits the event with boosting her confidence, self-esteem and joie de vivre.  

Slater says: ‘The mentoring and coaching programme was superb, and great value. You were working with the best athletes, coaches and experts in the world to prepare you for the event – something I never thought possible. 

‘I learnt so much and got to the start line in the best shape, and with a really positive mindset to take on the 120-mile challenge. 

‘One thing I wasn’t expecting was the community we created around the training. By the time we got to the event, there was a camaraderie that pushed and supported us through the event. I can’t wait to do it all again!’  

So she’s returning for a second year – and this time, she’s bringing her partner along too.

SO WHY DO IT? AND IS IT WORTH IT? 

For someone who has never run more than a 5K, and in the company of experienced runners, it was with no little trepidation that Sportsmail approached the foot of Ben Nevis for a ‘light taster’ in the form of a 10K run around Britain’s highest mountain.

Yet by the end, my eyes sparkled with exhilaration and I felt energised (admittedly achy too) rather than exhausted. Runner’s high, apparently, as Smith joked I should sign up for next year’s race. And I have to admit, money aside, I considered it.  

Here you take on forces which could break you, and make it to the end, unbroken. Going to corners of the remote Scottish Highlands, to the top of the world and back again. 

It’s worth asking what Highland Kings actually is. Is it a race, to come first and as quickly as possible? To some, maybe.  

It’s also about individual journeys – competing against yourself, and your own limitations, as much as others – and is all the more relatable and emotionally resonant for it.

I can’t say whether it’s worth the money, but the fact that people from as far away as Singapore and the US have signed up and that six of last year’s contingent are returning would certainly indicate that it is, at least for them. 

Proving a point to yourself, that an extraordinary feat of grit and resilience is achievable for anyone with the money who sets their mind to it.

Slater insists, for her, it was not a question of who won, just people doing the best they can in the circumstances they have. And isn’t that just what life is? So there you have it: Highland Kings, ultra-marathon, metaphor for life.

The Highland Kings Ultra experience will start this November, in preparation for the 120-mile ultra-run in April 2023. It is described as the most exclusive, luxury ultra-run experience on the planet. ‘Race like a warrior, 파라오카지노 recover like a king.’ 

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