{{Short description|Annual skyrunning race events}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox athletics race | bgcolour = palegreen | image = File:Salomon Skyline Scotland logo.png | imagesize = | caption = Salomon Skyline Scotland logo | date = September | location = {{flagicon|SCO}} {{ubl|Kinlochleven (2015-2023)|Nevis Range, Fort William (2025-)}} | type = Ultra SkyMarathon<br />SkyMarathon<br />SkyRace<br />Vertical Kilometer | distance = 65 km / 4,300 m<br />52 km / 4,750 m<br />29 km / 2,500 m<br />5 km / 1,000 m | est = 2015 | record = | homepage = [http://www.skylinescotland.com/ Skyline Scotland] }} '''Skyline Scotland''' is a set of annual ultra, trail and mountain running races which take place in the mountains in Lochaber.

The event was originally based at Kinlochleven from 2015 to 2023, where the races were the Mamores VK, the Ring of Steall Skyrace, the Ben Nevis Ultra and the Glen Coe Skyline.<ref name=":0">[http://www.skylinescotland.com/ Skyline Scotland.]</ref>

The event is moving in 2025 to be based at the Nevis Range near Fort William, promising 7 completely new race routes in a single day.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Save The Date - Skyline Scotland 2025 |url=https://www.skylinescotland.com/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=Salomon Skyline Scotland® |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The event is sponsored by Salomon.<ref>[https://www.mountaineering.scot/news/skyline-races-for-glen-coe-and-mamores Mountaineering Scotland: Skyline Races for Glen Coe and Mamores]; [https://www.run247.com/articles/article-7615-salomon-skyline-scotland-launch-the-ben-nevis-ultra.html Run247: Salomon Skyline Scotland Launch the Ben Nevis Ultra.]</ref>

The courses include some of the most technical terrain found in running races. The Glen Coe Skyline in particular had significant sections of scrambling.

== History == The inaugural Glen Coe Skyline took place in 2015.

In 2016 the Mamores VK and Ring of Steall were added, and the Glen Coe Skyline was selected to be the final race in the Skyrunner World Series Extreme.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37339779 BBC: Countdown to Sunday's Salomon Glen Coe Skyline Race]; [http://www.skyrunnerworldseries.com/races/ Skyrunner World Series: Race Calendar.]</ref>

In 2017 the Ben Nevis Ultra first took place.

In 2018 Skyline Scotland hosted the Skyrunning World Championships.<ref>[http://www.skyrunning.com/scotland-host-2018-skyrunning-world-championships/ International Skyrunning Federation: Scotland to Host 2018 Skyrunning World Championships.]</ref> The Mamores VK, the Ben Nevis Ultra and the Ring of Steall were the Championship races. The Glen Coe Skyline, although not part of the World Championships, was one of the races in the 2018 Skyrunner World Series.<ref>[http://www.eventscotland.org/news/2018/9/scotland-hosts-thrilling-four-day-festival-of-skyrunning/ EventScotland: Scotland Hosts Thrilling Four-day Festival of Skyrunning.]</ref> Starting in 2018, the Ring of Steall has also been one of the races in the Golden Trail World Series.<ref>[https://www.goldentrailseries.com/series/world/ Golden Trail World Series.]</ref>

In 2019, three trail races were added: the Grey Mare's Trail Race (5&nbsp;km), the Loch Eilde Mór Trail Race (10&nbsp;km) and the Three Mealls Trail Race (18&nbsp;km).<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/trail-races/ Skyline Scotland: Trail Races.]</ref>

In 2020 the event did not take place due to COVID.

2023 was the last time the event took place with Kinlochleven as the main event site. In 2024 there was no Skyline Scotland, and instead organiser Ourea Events hosted the Buttermere Skyline in the Lake District, also sponsored by Salomon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Buttermere Skyline |url=https://www.buttermereskyline.com}}</ref> Skyline Scotland is due to return in September 2025 from a new event site at Nevis Range near Fort William.<ref name=":1" />

== List of races (2025-) == According to the website,<ref name=":0" /> the following races are due to take place in September 2025:

* Aonach Mòr Anarchy (12km, 600m ascent) * Ben Nevis Skyline (29km, 1800m ascent) * Steall Marathon (42km, 2200m ascent) * Jacobite 100 (110km, 2400m ascent) * Trail races at marathon, half-marathon and 10km distance

== List of races (2015-2023) ==

=== Mamores VK === The Mamores VK is a vertical kilometre race in which runners compete on an uphill course with around 1,000 metres of ascent over a distance of approximately {{convert|5|km|mi}}. The route begins near sea level in Kinlochleven and ends at the top of Na Gruagaichean.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/mamores-vertical-kilometre/information/#displayTheRoute Skyline Scotland: Mamores VK Route.]</ref>

In the inaugural VK race, the runners started at thirty second intervals.<ref>[http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/adventure/stories/1331818984459/vertical-kilometre-racing-training-tips Red Bull: 10 Training Tips for Vertical Kilometre Racing.]</ref> The event was won by Alexis Sévennec of France, his time of 42:17 being eight seconds quicker than that of runner-up Stian Angermund-Vik of Norway. The first woman was Georgia Tindley of Great Britain in a time of 54:34.<ref>[http://live7.sportident.co.uk/home/multistage/stage/results.html?multistageid=67febf64-0ffc-4a22-81c2-f40b7afe4a45&multistageclass=off&mobile=false SPORTident: Mamores VK Results.]</ref>

Angermund-Vik improved on his 2016 result the following year, winning the 2017 edition in a time of 42:04. He was followed by Sam Tosh in second place and Alexis Sévennec in third. The fastest woman was Laura Orgué who finished in a time of 52:22. Second and third places were taken by Beth Hanson and Emelie Forsberg respectively.<ref>[https://iancorless.org/2017/09/15/salomon-mamores-vk-2017-summary-skyline-scotland/ iancorless.org: Salomon Mamores VK 2017 Summary – Skyline Scotland.]</ref>

The 2018 edition was held in cold and wet weather. Rémi Bonnet set a new course record of 39:23, winning by over two minutes. The second and third positions were taken by Norwegians Thorbjørn Ludvigsen and Stian Angermund-Vik. A new course record was also set in the women's race, with Laura Orgué victorious in a time of 51:35, followed by Lina El Kott Helander in second and Hillary Gerardi in third.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/news/2018/09/14/VERTICAL_Skyrunning_World_Champs_kick_off_festival_of_mountain_running/ Skyline Scotland: VERTICAL Skyrunning World Champs Kick Off Festival of Mountain Running]; [http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2018/VK18/ SPORTident: Salomon Mamores VK 2018.]</ref>

Conditions were warm and sunny for the 2019 race. The winners were both competing in a vertical kilometre for the first time. Zak Hanna was the first man in a time of 44:43, followed by Andrew Barrington and Tom Owens. The woman's race was won by Victoria Wilkinson in 52:49, with Aoife Quigly and Claire Gordon taking second and third positions.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/news/2019/09/20/Day_1_VK_first_timers_Zak_and_Vic_triumph/ Skyline Scotland: Day 1: VK First Timers Zak and Vic Triumph.]</ref>

=== Results === {| class="wikitable" width=40% style="font-size:90%; text-align:left;" |- !Year!!Men's winner!!Women's winner |- | align=center|2016 | {{flagicon|FRA}} Alexis Sévennec | {{flagicon|GBR}} Georgia Tindley |- | align=center|2017 | {{flagicon|NOR}} Stian Angermund-Vik | {{flagicon|ESP}} Laura Orgué |- | align=center|2018 | {{flagicon|SUI}} Rémi Bonnet | {{flagicon|ESP}} Laura Orgué |- | align=center|2019 | {{flagicon|IRE}} Zak Hanna | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Wilkinson |- | align=center|2020 | colspan="2"|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |- | align=center|2021 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Alastair Thomas | {{flagicon|GBR}} Rachel Smith |}

=== {{anchor|Ben Nevis Ultra}}Ben Nevis Ultra === The Ben Nevis Ultra is to be distinguished from the annual Ben Nevis Race. In 2017, the Ultra ran from the southern shore of Loch Ness, through glens and over the summit of Ben Nevis before finishing in Kinlochleven. The distance was around {{convert|120|km|mi}} and the route had roughly {{convert|4000|m|ft}} of ascent.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/ben-nevis-ultra/ Skyline Scotland: Ben Nevis Ultra.]</ref> It was won by Donald Campbell in 12:20. The ladies' race was won by Mira Rai in 14:24.<ref>[http://www.irunfar.com/2017/09/this-week-in-running-september-18-2017.html iRunFar: This Week in Running: September 18, 2017.]</ref>

In 2018, the planned route was {{convert|52|km|mi}} in length with {{convert|3820|m|ft}} of ascent but bad weather conditions meant that the alternative route avoiding some of the higher ground and technical sections was used instead, giving a distance of {{convert|47|km|mi}} with {{convert|1750|m|ft}} of climbing. Jonathan Albon and Ragna Debats took the wins with clear margins of victory, their times being 3:48:02 and 4:36:20 respectively.<ref>[https://irun4ultra.org/isf-skyrunning-world-championships-scotland/ IRun4Ultra: ISF Skyrunning World Championships, Scotland.]</ref>

Good weather in 2019 allowed the 52&nbsp;km course to be used, with runners traversing the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête to Ben Nevis before joining the Ring of Steall route later in the race. Murray Strain was the first to finish in a time of 7:51:31. The women's winner was Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn whose time of 8:05:28 gave her third position overall in the race.<ref>[https://www.scotsman.com/sport/other-sport/salomon-skyline-scotland-2019-tranent-man-wins-salomon-ben-nevis-ultra-after-running-for-over-7-hours-1-5008773 The Scotsman: Salomon Skyline Scotland 2019: Tranent Man Wins Salomon Ben Nevis Ultra after Running for over 7 hours.]</ref>

==== Results ==== {{legend|PaleGreen|Sky Ultra of Skyrunner World Series}} {| class="wikitable" width=40% style="font-size:90%; text-align:left;" |- !Year!!Men's winner!!Women's winner |-bgcolor=palegreen | align=center|2017 |{{flagicon|GBR}} Donald Campbell |{{flagicon|NEP}} Mira Rai |- | align=center|2018 |{{flagicon|UK}} Jonathan Albon |{{flagicon|NED}} Ragna Debats |- | align=center|2019 |{{flagicon|UK}} Murrary Strain |{{flagicon|UK}} Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn |- | align=center|2020 | colspan="2"|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |- | align=center|2021 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Alan Hilley | {{flagicon|WAL}} Anwen Darlington |- | align=center|2022 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Oates | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lynne Allen |- | align=center|2023 | {{flagicon|NZ}} David Haunschmidt | {{flagicon|GBR}} Alicia Schwarzenbach |}

==== Ring of Steall Skyrace ==== The Ring of Steall Skyrace course is based on the Ring of Steall ridge-walking route in the Mamores. The race starts and finishes in Kinlochleven and visits checkpoints including Sgùrr a' Mhàim, Steall Waterfall, An Gearanach, Stob Coire a' Chàirn and Am Bodach. The distance is approximately {{convert|29|km|mi}} and the route has around {{convert|2500|m|ft}} of ascent.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/ring-of-steall-skyrace/information/#displayTheRoute Skyline Scotland: Ring of Steall Route.]</ref> Much of the ground is very rough.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A61UFLH6OpE FullCourseTrails on YouTube: Ring of Steall Skyrace.]</ref>

A landslide in the area a few days before the 2016 race meant that a section of the course had to be rerouted.<ref>[https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1027745/huge-landslide-closes-popular-mountain-route-for-up-to-three-weeks/ ''The Press and Journal'': Huge Landslide Closes Popular Mountain Route for up to Three Weeks]; [http://www.obantimes.co.uk/2016/09/16/landslide-closes-popular-mountain-path/ ''The Oban Times'': Landslide Closes Popular Mountain Path.]</ref>

The leading competitors in the previous day's VK race were also prominent in the 2016 Ring of Steall. The Skyrace was won by Stian Angermund-Vik in 3:25:28, followed by Alexis Sévennec in second place around four minutes behind. The first lady to finish was Georgia Tindley in a time of 4:39:20.<ref>[https://iancorless.org/2016/09/18/salomon-ring-of-steall-skyrace-2016-results-and-images/ iancorless.org: Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace 2016 Results and Images.]</ref>

The 2017 race was also won Angermund-Vik, his time being 3:24. The next two places were taken by Pascal Egli and Kris Jones. Laura Orgué won the ladies' race in 4:05, closely followed by Sheila Avilés, with Oihana Azkorbebeitia in third.<ref>[https://iancorless.org/2017/09/16/salomon-ring-of-steall-skyrace-2017-summary-migu-run-skyrunner-world-series/ iancorless.org: Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace 2017 Summary.]</ref>

New course records for both men and women were set in 2018. Kilian Jornet won in a time of 3:04:34 after a close race with runner-up Nadir Maguet. Stian Angermund-Vik took third place. Among the women, Tove Alexandersson led for the majority of the race, taking the victory in 3:46:28. Victoria Wilkinson finished in second place, with Holly Page taking the bronze medal.<ref>[https://www.irunfar.com/2018/09/2018-ring-of-steall-skyrace-results.html iRunFar: 2018 Ring of Steall Skyrace Results.]</ref>

Nadir Maguet moved up to the top position in 2019, his winning time being 3:14:47. He was followed by Marc Lauenstein and Max King in 3:19 and 3:20 respectively. In the women's race, Judith Wyder set a new course record by nearly ten minutes with a time of 3:36:46. The next two positions were taken by Holly Page in 3:54 and Fanny Borgström in 4:02.<ref>[https://www.endurancesportswire.com/nadir-wyder-run-away-from-the-competition-at-ring-of-steall/ Endurance Sportswire: Nadir, Wyder Run Away from the Competition at Ring of Steall.]</ref>

==== Results ==== {{legend|PaleGreen|Sky Classic of Skyrunner World Series}} {| class="wikitable" width=40% style="font-size:90%; text-align:left;" |- !Year!!Men's winner!!Women's winner |- | align=center|2016 | {{flagicon|NOR}} Stian Angermund-Vik | {{flagicon|GBR}} Georgia Tindley |-bgcolor=palegreen | align=center|2017 |{{flagicon|NOR}} Stian Angermund-Vik |{{flagicon|ESP}} Laura Orgué |- | align=center|2018 |{{flagicon|ESP}} Kilian Jornet Burgada |{{flagicon|SWE}} Tove Alexandersson |- | align=center|2019 |{{flagicon|ITA}} Nadir Maguet |{{flagicon|SWI}} Judith Wyder |- | align=center|2020 | colspan="2"|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |- | align=center|2021 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Sebastian Batchelor | {{flagicon|GBR}} Eleanor Davis |- | align=center|2022 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Alan Cherry | {{flagicon|GBR}} Naomi Lang |- | align=center|2023 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Gavin Dale | {{flagicon|GBR}} Sara Willhoit |}

=== Glen Coe Skyline === The Glen Coe Skyline route takes in the technical Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mòr, then heads west over Stob Coire Sgreamhach before an out-and-back section to Stob Coire nan Lochan. It then drops down to the valley near Loch Achtriochtan before climbing steeply up to the Aonach Eagach, a rocky ridge which is traversed from west to east before the route joins the West Highland Way to the finish. In 2015, the Skyline started and finished at Glencoe Mountain Resort but for the following year, the start and finish was moved to Kinlochleven and the runners reached Curved Ridge via the West Highland Way and a descent of the Devil's Staircase. The race is around {{convert|55|km|mi}} in length with {{convert|4750|m|ft}} of ascent.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/glen-coe-skyline/information/#displayTheRoute Skyline Scotland: Glen Coe Skyline Route.]</ref>

The 2015 race was won by Joe Symonds in 7:36:21, with the first woman Emelie Forsberg finishing second overall in 7:44:19.<ref>[http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69923 UKClimbing.com: Glen Coe Skyline Race Exceeds Expectations.]</ref>

In 2016, four runners featured prominently at the front of the race for much of the way: Tom Owens, Jonathan Albon, Marc Lauenstein and Finlay Wild. Albon and Owens lost a few minutes in low cloud locating the checkpoint on Stob Coire Sgreamhach but were still leading together with Lauenstein at the start of the long climb up to the Aonach Eagach. By the top of the climb, Albon had pulled ahead and he held the lead on the crossing of the exposed ridge and the descent to the finish, winning in a time of 6:33:52. Owens finished second around three minutes later.<ref>[http://www.jonathanalbon.com/2016/09/glen-coe-skyline/ Jonathan Albon: Glen Coe Skyline]; [https://www.strava.com/activities/718085181/overview Jonathan Albon on Strava: Glen Coe Skyline.]</ref> Jasmin Paris won the women's race in a time of 8:15:56.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37416780 BBC: Ready, Steady, Coe: Runners Tackle Mountain Challenges]; [http://www.skyrunnerworldseries.com/albon-and-paris-are-extreme-champions/ Skyrunner World Series: Albon and Paris are Extreme Champions.]</ref>

The 2017 edition was won by Kilian Jornet in a course record of 6:25:39, with Jonathan Albon second in 6:31 and Alexis Sévennec third in 6:40. The first woman was Emelie Forsberg in 7:53:30. Megan Kimmel was second in 8:14, with Ragna Debats third in 8:22.<ref>[http://www.skyrunnerworldseries.com/kilian-emelie-star-glencoe/ Skyrunner World Series: Kilian and Emelie Star at Glencoe.]</ref>

Windy and wet conditions for the 2018 event resulted in a bad weather course being used. This was {{convert|32|km|mi}} in length with around {{convert|2700|m|ft}} of ascent. Kilian Jornet was the men's winner in 3:37, after having won the Ring of Steall race the previous day. There was a close finish in the women's Glen Coe Skyline, with Hillary Gerardi winning in 4:17:48, seven seconds ahead of Jasmin Paris.<ref>[http://www.skylinescotland.com/news/2018/09/16/Kilian_Jornet_and_Hillary_Gerardi_win_Salomon_Glen_Coe_Skyline_2018/ Skyline Scotland: Kilian Jornet and Hillary Gerardi win Salomon Glen Coe Skyline 2018.]</ref>

The men's race was close in the 2019 edition, with Erik Johannes Husom taking the victory in 7:55, followed by Andy Berry in 7:58 and Greg Vollet in 8:03. Georgia Tindley was a clear winner in the women's race in 8:29. Second and third places were taken by Ann Penelope Spencer in 9:10 and Megan Wilson in 9:20.<ref>[https://run247.com/running-news/mountain/all-the-news-from-skyline-scotland Run247: All the News from Skyline Scotland.]</ref>

==== Results ==== {{legend|PaleGreen|Sky Ultra of Skyrunner World Series}} {{legend|Moccasin|Sky Extreme of Skyrunner World Series}} {| class="wikitable" width=40% style="font-size:90%; text-align:left;" |- !Year!!Men's winner!!Women's winner |- bgcolor=palegreen | align=center|2015 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Joe Symonds | {{flagicon|SWE}} Emelie Forsberg |- bgcolor=palegreen | align=center|2016 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Jonathan Albon | {{flagicon|GBR}} Jasmin Paris |- bgcolor=moccasin | align=center|2017 |{{flagicon|ESP}} Kilian Jornet Burgada |{{flagicon|SWE}} Emelie Forsberg |- | align=center|2018 |{{flagicon|ESP}} Kilian Jornet Burgada |{{flagicon|USA}} Hillary Gerardi |- | align=center|2019 |{{flagicon|NOR}} Erik Johannes Husom |{{flagicon|GBR}} Georgia Tindley |- | align=center|2020 | colspan="2"|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |- | align=center|2021 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Andrew Fallas | {{flagicon|GBR}} Georgia Tindley |- | align=center|2022 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Andrew Lamont | {{flagicon|SUI}} Noëmi Löw |- | align=center|2023 | {{flagicon|GBR}} Philip Rutter | {{flagicon|GBR}} Naomi Lang |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.skylinescotland.com Official site]

{{Skyrunner World Series races}}

Category:Skyrunning competitions Category:Ultramarathons in the United Kingdom Category:Athletics competitions in Scotland Category:Sport in Highland (council area) Category:Skyrunner World Series Category:Lochaber