Cape Wrath 2016

Interesting race, but the price is rather high. Makes the Spine look dirt cheap.

http://www.capewrathultra.com

 

Comments

  • GeeeMGeeeM ✭✭✭

    Pro-rata it's about the same as Dragon's Back from the same people, (£150-ish/day)... Yes expensive, but you can't compare it with the Spine... On these events you get accommodation and food, breakfast, tea and dinner. Plus support at halfway every day!

    People will still claim it's a rip-off but I guarantee you no-one is making millions out of it.

    of course you could pay triple the £1250 and jog around the desert for 5 days, carrying ALL your own food and spend half your time queueing up for stuff... So I hear, but then you'll never see me at the Marathon des Sables image no offence meant to anyone who has done it, or is planning to do it - it's just not my cup of tea.

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    image

    I'm still drooling over it I sneakily love the idea of the comfort of accommodation etc.. But a bit of me thinks if doing that might as well DIY it and book b&b or pubs on the way image but agree it's not a 'rip off' just quite expensive, but if it's your main holiday for the year image 

  • GeeeMGeeeM ✭✭✭

    glad those comments were taken in the spirit intended image

    I'm big on solo, self-supported stuff and am planning to do the UTMB route, aka TMB, (who knew?) later this year... It'll be just like the big race, but without 2,000 people and with more cheese and wine!

    i'm doing Dragon's Back - just because of the community behind the whole event. It's more than just a race, it's an adventure with friends - and I hope to make a lot more over the week. I expect a lot of us will be looking at Cape Wrath at around 9pm on Friday 26th June in Castle Caareg after a few beers.

    We think it's expensive because we're in the UK - but look at the international ultras... they're all flipping expensive. Iceland, the Junge Ultra, MdS, Atacama, etc. And you have to get there into the bargain. Not a lot of change out of £5,000 for a big international multi-day. In fact Bear 100 in the USA cost me over £3,000 and Tahoe 200 was more all-in.

    I say capitalise on the local events, they can be as epic and challenging as the big well known ones.

  • tricialitttricialitt ✭✭✭

    Lot warmer than the spine! (I hope......weather in may is not too likely to featur much snow,) and early enough to be midge free, probably.

    Looks good, but way out of my league.

     For the first time ever, I finished a marathon last week, and still felt capable of running the next day. IT will be some years before I can do this 7 days in a row!

  • Accommodation in the Highlands is very very expensive. But then, generally we don't have the infrastructure, so transport costs, etc tend to be very high.

    On a similar note I was looking at doing another event, the Cape Wrath Challenge, again next year (done it 3x, last time was in 2011) and couldn't believe how much even a quite basic holiday cottage had gone up for a week! Then you have petrol costs etc and food also costs more up there.

    But then, it is remote, you can go to a beach and not see another person for miles, their is very little traffic (apart from in the Summer when its rammed with German and Dutch camper vans), so it can be a lovely break from the general City madness.

    I'm not then that surprised if ultra organisers charge lots, because just all the driving around for miles on single track roads must eat up a tonne of fuel between checkpoints.

  • It was my fortune to be too poor to afford a place in MdS, until I found out that it was overpriced!

  • I live up in Caithness and can say from experience that there is not a lot out west. Accommodation etc can be tricky, big time logistics issues.

    I have been reading the Cape Wrath Ultra website and the price seems fairly reasonable for a supported race of such length.

    If anyone is thinking about it the solitude out there is just incredible, I think its quiet where I live but out there, true wilderness, really spectacular and special place. There are glens out west where it is said no human has ever trod. Such an assertion would not suprise me.

  • Cape Wrath and Dragons Back  have  a different attitude to hosting ultras. I believe there is much less emphasis on relying on good will for Marshalling and other duties. The expenses ,travel costs paid ,meals and free Kit given to Marshals are much more generous then at other events. This all costs but probably gives the organiser more control over the event making the whole thing more slick. For a competitor you get a more predictable race but have to pay for the service.

     For myself I rather prefer the more raw but cheeper events. (carrying all my own gear adds to the fun for me. )

     You have the choice of what type of event you enter which is fine by me.

    The only type of race I do object to is where you end up paying for things like shiny sign written  vans and flash banners but discover the actual things you need like good CP food and support is missing!

     Would I like to do The Dragons Back and the Cape Wrath? The answer is yes but I fall apart in hot summer races , that fact added to the price rules them out for me.

     Put them on in the winter and I would start saving up.

  • Ian - I don't think the heat would be too much of an issue at Cape Wrath to be honest image.

    Guy from my allotment was just back last week from 2wks hillwalking around the Cape, he said it reached the heady heights of 13degrees, continually lashed it down with rain and was so windy he was clinging onto the edges of cliffs for dear life.

    But there were no people about, so it sounded like my kind of holiday image.

     

  • GeeeMGeeeM ✭✭✭

    As a bit of an appendum to this topic - yes, I did Dragon's Back this year.... and i'm doing asking King Offas Dyke 2016 which is £245. But that's non-stop, no overnight camps...

    the only reason I'm doing KODR is I have loads of mates doing it, and the camaraderie will be epic. That's exactly why I did DB which, even at £750 was one of the most rewarding weeks of my life.

    when you get into the epic stuff, it's about more than a tent, cup of water and sandwich, (though you get a lot more). The contacts, friends and experience really is priceless - it sounds like a cliche, and probably is. I'm one of the most cynical people around and the £750 I spent doing DB was money o will never regret spending image

  • Dragons Back was worth so much more than ??750, I'll get around to the Cape eventually.
  • Looks like a great environment to run in. But I would rather do this one solo to be honest. 

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