2019 Race Director's Report
The rise of Salomon Skyline Scotland™ is unprecedented. After hosting the hugely successful Skyrunning World Championships in 2018 we set ourselves an almost impossible challenge to improve the event again in 2019.
Introduction
The strength of the event has always been it’s incredibly tough and authentic mountain running races, which have garnered international acclaim; they are the key ingredient to the global reputation that Salomon Skyline Scotland™ has earnt. On reflection during the winter of 2018/19 it occurred to us that the strength of these races also spotlighted the future direction for the event with a more encompassing atmosphere and achievable set of trail races as a counterbalance. Throughout 2019, and in conjunction with Event Scotland, we have worked incredibly hard to develop the format of Salomon Skyline Scotland™ so that it becomes the defining mountain running festival in the UK. The addition of the brand village, the free to attend Skyline Sessions, and three awesome new Trail Races have combined perfectly to see this dream a reality.
The start of the iconic Salomon Glen Coe Skyline ©No Limits Photography
With the continued growth in the event it is only right and proper that we are held to high standards in all our planning and delivery. With this in mind we inaugurated a new working group earlier this year to ensure that there was a forum for all the event stakeholders to engage with us. This is of course in addition to the considerable individual liaison we do with the stakeholders year-round. Whether we are dealing directly with local residents, the Kinlochleven Community Trust, Kinlochleven Community Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highland Council, John Muir Trust, National Trust for Scotland and JAHAMA Highland Estates among many many others, we want to be seen to be acting with integrity and respect at all times as we collaborate with the event stakeholders.
On a personal note, I am well aware of the potential ecological impact of the event and we have worked closely with the various landowners, Scottish Natural Heritage and our event ecologist to assess, measure and document the passage of runners at the event over the years. Mostly, the rocky ridges and/or trails bear up to the impact of the runners exceptionally well, and whilst other sections of course may become trampled, they recover quickly so that there is no evidence of the runners within months. However, some of the trails are more susceptible to long term damage and we are working hard to mitigate this and develop a sustainability plan that will work for many years to come. It is early days in this process, but we are focused on this being of critical long-term importance for the event.
Working with local organisations to develop a sustainability plan is key for the future of the event ©No Limits Photography
Thank You – Ourea Events Management Team
“It always seems impossible until it’s done” Earlier this year the Ourea Events permanent staff were exchanging quotes that we each felt best summed up our events and how we worked. Helen suggested the quote above, and I really cannot think of a more adept and succinct summary of Salomon Skyline Scotland™ this year. The office team have worked incredibly hard over the months building up to the event, with late finishes and early starts aplenty to ensure everything ran smoothly over the weekend. Each of the team has their own responsibilities within the event, and as the event has grown, I find myself less knowledgeable about the details of their ‘thing’. The funny thing is, the less I know the better and bigger the event gets with each of the team taking real ownership to develop and deliver key elements of the event. Thank you. You are an awesome team and I am very proud and honoured to work with you all:
Alex Chesters
Graham Gristwood
Helen Samson
Janie Oates
Lucy Scrase
Shane Ohly
Sue Dowker
Tom Hecht
Thank You – Event Team
The heartbeat of the event is the huge ‘Event Team’, which consisted of nearly 150 people this year. Almost entirely made up of volunteers and with some roles supported by professional staff, the Event Team are the ones taking charge of Salomon Skyline Scotland™ over the weekend. When I do the Event Team briefing at the beginning of the event, I share a fantastic anecdote from one of our Response Team members recalls when she joined a mountain rescue team, “You might volunteer to join the mountain rescue team, but once you are a member of the team, you are part of an organisation working to professional standards”.
The event team briefing in Kinlochleven where long serving volunteers were presented with a special award to say thanks for their contribution ©No Limits Photography
It is just the same when someone volunteers to work at one of our events. We are a professional organisation, with high standards and high expectations of our Event Team. My almost universal experience is that when we provide a clear briefing, a support structure (the team leaders and other professional staff) and delegate true responsibility to the Event Team to lead and deliver many elements of the event, that they rise to the occasion and help us realise our event dreams.
With their smiles, enthusiasm and dedication, once again the Event Team pulled it all together for us. I cannot thank them enough for the priceless contributions to the success of Salomon Skyline Scotland™ and I am certain that I can also extend the sincere thanks of all the participants to the Event Team. The 2019 Salomon Skyline Scotland™ were:
Course Management & Planning
Gary Tompsett
Event Team Leaders
Becky Tate
Matt Harmon
Paul Aitken
Dave Taylor
Phil Wilkinson
Ian Cowie
The event team heading out into the mountains to place course waymarking ©No Limits Photography
Event Safety Team
Andy Hogarth
Gillian Parker
Ian Stewart
Joe Faulkner
Ken Applegate
Rob Brown
Zac Poulton
Dave Anderson
Response Team
Abbi Forsyth
Dave Howarth
Kate Worthington
Katie Cole
Natalya Kennedy
Stuart Smith
Medical Team
Charlotte Hattersley
Hannah Phelan
Helen Mercer
John Hayes
Kevin Maclellan
Morag Bowie
Nikki Sommers
Race Control
Matt Gemmell
Stewart Caithness
Media Team
Calum Maclean
Christiaan Le Roux
Ellie Green
Fiona Russell
Harriet D'Allesio Le Roux
Mark Bullock
Matt Green
Steve Ashworth
The event team working hard to register 2,000 participants over the weekend ©No Limits Photography
Event Team
Alexander Major
Alexis Dole
Alun Wood
Andrew Hastie
Andrew Robertson
Andy Ross
Ann Perry
Becki Vale
Bill Whitfield
Brian Jamieson
Brian Melia
Calum Maclean
Carwyn Phillips
Charlie Sproson
Chloe Lumsdon
Christine Glass
Claude Goodfield
Dave Anderson
David Broom
Debbie McCart
Dougie Harvey
Duncan Anderson
Duncan Kendrick
Ellen Thomson
Emma Dent
Emma Hazeldine
Emma Phillips
Gordon Gillespie
Guido Althausen
Hannah Francis
Ian Brandreth
Ian Grimshaw
Jacob Hayes
Jacqueline Cooper
James Gray
Josie McGee
John Bennie
John Fox
John Iacobucci
John Irvine
John Kynaston
John Minta
John O'Sullivan
Jon Peatman
Jonas Paulius Rekertas
Jonathan Aylward
Joss Abel
Karen Kemish
Kaspars Pocs
Kerry King
Kevin Nairn
Lawrie Brand
Lenny Hughes
Liam Allen
Louis MacMillan
Lucy Behney
Lyndsay Cameron
Mark Warner
Marina McCallum
Megan Williams
Meryl Cooper
Mick Cooper
Neville Shortt
Nick Stafford
Paul Beeson
Paul Dickens
Paul Frith
Paul Hadley
Paul Imrie
Peter Huzan
Ruth Howie
Scott Evans-Brahim
Shan Jones
Sharon Dickson
Sharon Taylor
Stephen Smithies
Susan Nash
Susanne Muhlen
Tammy Ruvino
Terry Addison
Tim Cox
Tom Withers
Tricia Stevenson
Catering Team
Sandra Williams
Hilary Malyon
Katie Williams
Tim Glasby
The event team working hard to set up the site in the preparation for a very busy weekend! ©No Limits Photography
Thank You – Event Stakeholders
Key Stakeholders like JAHAMA Highland Estates, National Trust for Scotland, John Muir Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Police Scotland and the Kinlochleven community have been instrumental in their support to the event. I would like to sincerely thank them for their attention during the consultation process and support throughout the year and especially over the event weekend. Event Scotland continue to be an important stakeholder in the event, and it has been a pleasure to work together to build the UK’s biggest mountain running festival… perfectly staged in the stunning Scottish Highlands!
Salomon are totally instrumental in the success of the event and deservedly get a special mention here. We have a shared vision for where the event is going and we are both very excited to work together to build such a remarkable festival of mountain running in the UK.
There are many stakeholders in the event who make a valued contribution and I’d like to thank the following:
A Line in the Sky
Bidwells Land & Estate Agents, and their tenants, especially Cameron Loudoun
Blackwater Hostel
Coffee Rescue Scotland
David Broom, Ecologist
Ellis Brigham
Event Scotland
Forestry and Land Scotland
Glen Nevis Estate
Glen Nevis Visitor Centre
Harvey Maps
Heilan Loos
Highland Council
Highland Getaway
Ice Factor
JAHAMA Highland Estates
John Muir Trust
Kinlochleven Community Council
Kinlochleven Community Trust
Kinlochleven High School
Kinlochleven Salvation Army
Lochaber Chamber of Commerce
National Trust for Scotland
No Fuss Events
Open Tracking
Ortlieb
Petzl
Police Scotland
Results Base
Salomon
Scottish Natural Heritage
The Leven Centre
West Highland Way Rangers
Participants climbing to the top of Ben Nevis ©No Limits Photography
Festival Village
This year saw the launch of the Festival Village and it was hugely exciting to see the wide support from the UK outdoor and running brands. There were actually about a dozen other brands who wanted to attend the event, and our expectation is that the Festival Village will increase considerably in size and scope in 2020 and that this will develop to be an exciting and interactive element of the event in the future. In the meantime, I would like to thank our 2019 exhibitors: Petzl, Gore Wear, La Sportiva, inov-8, Girls on Hills, Comfyballs, Harvey Map, Voom, The Birch Syrup Company, Grangers, Dynafit, Trail Running Scotland and Ellis Brigham.
Brands such as Voom had a great time exhibiting and meeting runners in our new and improved Event Village! ©No Limits Photography
Skyline Sessions
Expertly presented by Becki Vale, the free to attend Skyline Sessions were a popular addition to the event and contributed greatly to the festival atmosphere. This is something we will definitely expand upon in 2020 and I’d like to thank our 2019 speakers:
Holly Page, Hamish Frost, Sarah McCormack, Ian Stewart, Paul Tierney, James Elson, Ben Mounsey, Kirsty Reade, Donnie Campbell, Es Tresidder, Megan Wilson, Keri Wallace, Victoria Wilkinson, Sarah MacDonald, Tim Morgan, Charlie Ramsay, Pete Duggan.
Donnie Campbell speaking at the free to attend Skyline Sessions ©No Limits Photography
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Sadly, there was one significant breach of our event rules. Pierre Michaud from Switzerland failed kit check at the start of the VK, and then circumvented the start to join the race route further along. He was still captured in our timing system whilst ascending and at the summit finish. Failing kit check alone is a serious issue but joining the race as an unregistered runner is more serious. There is no valid excuse for either action and therefore we are banning him from any of our events for two years.
Community Support
Directly supporting the interests of the local Kinlochleven community is important to the event. We have previously written about this earlier in 2019, and we are delighted to confirm now that we raised almost £2,000 in car parking fees for the Kinlochleven Community Fund at Salomon Skyline Scotland™ in 2019. This donation to the community is in addition to the various facility fees we pay directly to the Kinlochleven Community Trust, Kinlochleven High School, the Leven Centre, Ice Factor and Salvation Army. Supporting the local community isn’t just about money though and we were delighted to offer various opportunities for young local people to get involved with the event, and we are looking forward to returning to Kinlochleven High School this autumn to present a film and talk about the 2019 event to the pupils.
The local RocksKool band playing on the big stage before the prize ceremonies ©No Limits Photography
Photography
If you were racing, chances are that you've been captured en route - search by your race number on MyBibNumber. Remember that your 'Finish Board' photo can be downloaded for FREE.
Finish Board photo for the winner of the Salomon Ben Nevis Ultra Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn ©My Bib Number Photography
1% For The Planet Donations
Since the launch of Ourea Events, we have been donating 1% of our turnover to environmental organisations through our 1% For The Planet membership, and we will be donating 1% of the entire event revenue from Salomon Skyline Scotland™ to local organisations involved in environmental sustainability and protection. Details of our 2019 donations will be confirmed early in 2020, and you can see our track record on the Ourea Events website.
Our aim is to work with organisations to help protect the local environment where our races take place ©No Limits Photography