A Hot Day on the Devil: Beauty, Heat and a Battle to the Finish

Devil O The Highlands Race Report by Alan Murray

Here’s your final version with the added reflections and acknowledgements worked in naturally:

Devil o’ the Highlands Footrace 2026 – Race Report

The day started early, very early. A 3am alarm after a restless night meant I was already on the back foot before even getting to the start. It was properly cold standing around beforehand, and the 4am bus trip to Tyndrum felt very early. Registration was at the Green Well Stop in Tyndrum, which went smoothly. Bags dropped and dobber collected and I was ready to go.

I had a quick chat and grabbed a selfie with ultra legend and clubmate Fiona Rennie at the start, which gave me a nice little boost heading off.

The plan was to run somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00 and get to Fort Willaim for 3pm at the latest. That didn’t quite work out, read on to see why…

Tyndrum → Bridge of Orchy (CP1) 7 Miles

This opening section is on good runnable trail with gentle undulations, and it would have been easy to go off too fast. I made a conscious effort to keep things controlled and settle into my own pace early on. It felt comfortable, I warmed up quickly despite the chilly weather at 6am, and I focused on not getting dragged along by the pace of others. I arrived at Bridge of Orchy on schedule.

Bridge of Orchy → Glencoe / Kingshouse (CP2) 19 Miles

This section includes the climb over “Jelly Baby Hill” followed by the long, exposed stretch across Rannoch Moor. It started to heat up here quickly, eventually reaching around 25 degrees in Glencoe, which made the effort feel harder than it should have.

I was still moving well, but this is where I began to lose time. I spent too long at the Glencoe checkpoint and found myself repeatedly stopping to dig around in my bag for food, drink, and salt tablets after that. None of it felt excessive at the time, but it all added up. Still on track to reach Fort William on schedule.

Glencoe → Devil’s Staircase → Kinlochleven (CP3) 27 Miles

This is a tougher section, featuring the climb up the Devil’s Staircase, the biggest climb on the course, followed by a long descent into Kinlochleven. By this point it had become more of a grind.

After reaching the top of the Devil’s Staircase, the fatigue really started to kick in. The heat was affecting my fuel intake and I lost track of when I needed to eat, which led to a noticeable drop in energy. I slowed down a lot through this section and was really just focused on getting to Kinlochleven.

I was really glad to reach Kinlochleven and felt noticeably better once I got there. Was still only about 20 mins behind schedule, despite slowing down. It was great to see some friendly faces, namely Ken and Sue, which gave me a lift. I also dunked my soaking buff under a hose and put it on my head, which helped massively in the heat.

Kinlochleven CP is where I lost the most time. I stopped for around 25 minutes to deal with a blister, which was necessary but frustrating. While there, I also got sidetracked by someone handing out ice lollies (well who wouldn’t?), and I ended up spending more time than I should have sorting kit and nutrition before moving on. Have I mentioned it was hot?

Kinlochleven → Lundavra (CP4) 37 Miles

The climb out of Kinlochleven is steep straight away before easing into the long, steady stretch through the Lairig Mor. It’s not particularly technical, but it’s mentally tough and feels like it goes on forever.

This section turned more into Jeffing than running. The heat was fierce, and the energy I’d gained at the Kinlochleven checkpoint gradually started to drain away. I really just wanted to finish at this point and started to have a few doubts, so I eased back and adopted a run-walk strategy.

That slowed me down to around 4 miles per hour compared to the planned 6, but by then it had become a battle of survival rather than performance. Times were out the window and the focus was purely on keeping moving and getting to the finish.

I eventually reached the final checkpoint at Lundavra, where I poured cold water all over myself, refilled my flasks, and drank what felt like a bucket full of Coke. I tried to eat something and managed a Mars Bar and a gel, which wasn’t exactly appealing at that point. I left Lundavra with renewed vigour, knowing the downhill section into Fort William was now within reach, and just got on with it.

Lundavra → Fort William Finish 42 Miles

The final section is a mix of forest trails and a few last climbs before the long descent into Fort William. The three miles of downhill soon after leaving Lundavra were very welcome, and I managed to run that entire stretch well.

However, there was still a final sting in the tail with the climb in the last mile (this  seemed unnecessary), which felt tougher than it should have before the short descent into the park and the finish.

A quick dip of the dobber, then a bit of a sprint towards the finish, under the arch, and a shout-out from the PA. Job done, but I was completely spent.

Result & Reflection

My finish time was 9:59. The original plan had been to run somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00, and based on my moving pace of around 8:42, that was achievable on the day. The difference came down to time lost at checkpoints, general faffing with food and kit, the extended stop in Kinlochleven and the run walk strategy for the last 12 miles or so.

Overall, I’m happy with the effort, especially given the conditions. The day started cold but quickly turned hot, with temperatures reaching around 25 degrees after Glencoe, which made things more challenging. The views throughout the course were absolutely stunning, and on a day like that you couldn’t help but stop and appreciate just how beautiful the area is.

A big thanks to Niall, Donald and Heather for looking after me at the finish when I was a bit dazed. I managed to get some food down and grab a quick shower in the sports centre before heading back.

I’m still not entirely convinced I’m a natural hilly ultra runner, but I did enjoy the race, which is what matters. There’s clearly time to be gained just through being more efficient and with better fuelling.  I’ll definitely be back to give it another go and aim for a better result.

What’s Next

The focus now shifts back to shorter, faster work before starting the next training block for the Berlin Marathon in September.