Skyline Scotland Launch 2023 - Race Director’s Vision
7th Feb 2023
Skyline Scotland Launch 2023 - Race Director’s Vision
As entries for the 7th edition of Salomon Skyline Scotland® go live, I am delighted to share our vision for the 2023 event!
We are acutely aware of the cost-of-living crisis and want to ensure that the event offers great value for money for the UK and international trail and mountain running community.
From the new finishers snack and free parking, to improved aid stations and fantastic new medal designs, there are plenty of exciting changes for the 2023 to ensure that every participant has a brilliant experience. There is also an extra cost saving to be made by opting out of a finishers medal and entering early to take advantage of the early bird entry price.
It's set to be the most exciting Salomon Skyline Scotland yet! ©No Limits Photography
Finish line refreshments
All participants will have access to hydration at the finish line, including water, electrolyte, and cola. We will also be offering a light finishers snack (provided by a local Kinlochleven business) to all finishers. The only exception here is for the 5km where there will be hydration but no snack.
Improved aid stations
We plan to offer more hydration options, to include water, electrolyte, and cola – and also improve the variety of our food offering. We will provide some extra infrastructure at a selection of support points on the Lochaber 80k, Ben Nevis Ultra® and Glen Coe Skyline®. We will add a water station for the longer trail races which will be of most benefit to the 27km but also be used by participants in the 10km and 18km. Details on the location of this water station will be shared nearer the time.
Entry caps and early bird prices for 2023
For the 2023 event we will be using clearly defined entry caps on all our races. This is partly due to the limited facilities in Kinlochleven, especially parking! These caps will be based on 2022 participant numbers meaning that there are limited places, and many events are likely to sell out. Overall, the general message is to enter early to guarantee your place and to take advantage of the early bird entry price.
Better options for how to navigate the courses
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Marking the course - we will provide detailed info on how the course will be marked on race day, including the colour and type of waymarking to be used.
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Race maps for purchase - upon entering there will be the option to purchase an A4 waterproof Harvey Map for all races. These maps will be for collection at race registration only.
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Free digital mapping option - New for 2023, there will be a digital mapping option for the 3 skyrunning events and the Lochaber 80 via the Avenza App – more details to follow.
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GPX files for download – these will be available for all races via the route pages.
Easy to use shuttle buses
There is plenty of accommodation in Fort William, just 30 minutes north of Kinlochleven. To facilitate public transport choices whilst travelling to Skyline Scotland® (there are bus and rail links to Fort William) we are subsidising shuttle buses to and from Fort William each day. The shuttle buses stop along the way – full details here. We hope that this opens up more accommodation options for runners, incentivises more sustainable travel choices and helps us with the limited parking options in Kinlochleven village.
The option for free parking
We would like to incentivize car sharing to the event, so will offer free parking for any car with 4 passengers. More details on this to follow.
New finisher medal design
We want to offer something extraordinary, which would be in keeping with the very challenging and spectacular nature of the races at Skyline Scotland®. Therefore, we have completely redesigned our medals with a much larger and heavy-duty design, which are also interlocking to encourage people to complete the ‘Trail Running Legends’ and/or ‘Mountain Running Legends’ set.
If you love the new medal design and would like to upgrade an older medal, especially if you are aiming to complete the set of Mountain or Trail Running Legends, please get in touch with details of your historical result and we will send over details on how to purchase one of the new medals!
Collect all the medals to be a mountain running or trail running legend!
Legends presentation
Anyone who has completed the full house of trail or mountain running races at Skyline Scotland since 2015 will now be invited up onto the stage for a special presentation of their final medal. The Legends Presentation will take place early evening on both the Saturday and Sunday of the event weekend. To be clear, runners can take as many editions of Skyline Scotland® as required to complete these races.
- Mountain Running Legends – this includes the Glen Coe Skyline®, Ben Nevis Ultra and the Ring of Steall Skyrace.
- Trail Running Legends – this includes the Lochaber 80k, Mamores Stalker 27k, Three Mealls 18k, Loch Elide Mòr 10k and Grey Mare’s 5k
Opt out of a medal and receive a discount
We understand that not everyone is interested in receiving a finisher medal. So, in 2023 we are delighted to offer every participant the opportunity to opt out of a medal and then receive a discount on their entry. When you enter online, you’ll be asked for your preferences, and we also continue to offer the ‘trees not tees’ option for participants who’d prefer to plant a tree!
Remarkable Skyline Scotland® Merchandise
We have teamed up with illustrator Bethan Thorsby to create some truly remarkable designs for the official Skyline Scotland® t-shirts and tops. These unique designs speak of the epic mountain ranges of the Scottish Highlights and are inspired by the rugged glens, winding trails and energy of the runners taking part. We hope you love them as much as we do. The numbers of each style and size are limited so we’d strongly suggest that you order these online in advance of the event, but if you prefer to gamble on availability, you might be able to purchase one at the merchandise stand at the event.
We can't wait to see you out in the Scottish hills ©No Limits Photography
I look forward to welcoming you to the UK’s original festival of alpine-inspired mountain running this September. The atmosphere will be electric: you’ll get to share the start line with elite runners and be energised by the sound of pipes as you race off into the mountains, whilst your friends and family can watch you on the big screen. There is really nothing else like it in the UK.
