Ultra Tour will go ahead this year
Rat Race Adventure Sports, organisers of the Arran Ultra Tour, a two-day running event held annually on Arran, have confirmed this year’s event will go ahead.
Last year’s race was cancelled owing to safety concerns for island residents and participants during the Covid pandemic.
The Rat Race team, who are based in Yorkshire and who operate a number of events throughout the world, are guaranteeing participants that if this, or any other of their events, is postponed or impacted by Covid restrictions, they will move bookings to a new date or provide you with credit towards any other Rat Race event. The same applies if you test positive for Covid and cannot attend the event.
The Arran Ultra Tour is an incredibly popular international event with more than 500 entrants from Denmark, Netherlands, Dubai, Germany, France, USA, Canada and Belgium and the UK taking part every year, but that could be restricted in 2021.
The first Arran Ultra Tour took place in 2018 with the event proving so popular that Rat Race founder Jim Mee decided to turn it into an annual event.
Past events on Arran have received high praise for using island companies and services and for respecting the island environment and residents.
Their ethos of ‘the destination is as important as the challenge itself’ shone through in 2018 when the base camp - where participants camped over the weekend - at Ormidale Park was meticulously cleaned up after the event and that all music and noise was kept to an absolute minimum as it is located next to a residential area.
The Ultra Tour of Arran will take place over two days on the weekend of October 2 and 3. Day one will see participants running 27.6 miles towards Kildonan and back while day two will see participants taking in the north of the island by running the 29.6 miles to Lochranza and back.
Both races start and end at Brodick.
While gruelling and only aimed at experienced runners, the Ultra Tour of Arran is described by organisers as being ‘designed to be physically and mentally tough but also achievable and not a sufferfest'.
The race contrasts sharply with another ultra event which is due to finish on Arran, known as the Highland Kings Ultra. It is a four-day camping race covering 120 miles on the west coast of Scotland and costs £15,499 per person to enter.
For that eye-watering sum, the 40 participants, in the event to be held in April 2022, can expect Michelin-star chefs, hydrotherapy pools, speed boats and butlers. It is described as the most luxurious race on earth and it is the most expensive too.
Further information on how to book a place on the Arran Ultra Tour for the comparatively reasonable price of just over £250 can be found on the organisers’ webpage at https:// ultratourofarran.co.uk/