Beloved by walkers and mountaineers for its scenic beauty and challenging terrain, the Glen Coe skyline has a new claim to fame as the location of the UK’s toughest mountain-running course. In an extract from his breathtaking new book, Ian Corless offers a skyrunner's eye view of the Glen of Weeping

THE mountains of Scotland have always inspired outdoor enthusiasts to test themselves in a tough and remote environment. The iconic Ben Nevis race dates back to 1903 as a classic example. Glen Coe has long been a popular area for climbers, walkers and fell runners who have ventured onto remote and tough sections such as Curved Ridge or the Aonach Eagach; both serious challenges.

Since the early 1990s, skyrunning as a sport has grown worldwide. The combination of high mountains, tough terrain and altitude has inspired the world’s best to test themselves in ever-more demanding terrain. In 2012, skyrunning arrived in the UK as part of a national series. At the time, many scoffed saying that the UK could not hold a pure skyrunning race. However, Skyrunning UK had a vision and, with the help of Shane Ohly and Gary Tompsett, a race was created that placed the UK, Scotland and the Glen Coe region well and truly on the world map.

2015 champion Joe Symonds encapsulated his thoughts in a very simple and direct quote, post-race: "I can’t believe we thought this was a sensible thing to do. The enemy was the course, not the other competitors."

The inaugural edition in 2015 had skyrunning world and European champion, Emelie Forsberg, take on the course. She was succinct following the race: "Wow, this is one of the most incredible races I have ever run!" Her thoughts were backed up by experienced runners such as Esmond Tressider and Finlay Wild.

The combination of extreme scrambles, vertical gain, exposed ridges and the majestic beauty of Scotland and Glen Coe immediately made the race a classic. So much so that after just one edition, Glen Coe Skyline was welcomed into the Skyrunner World Extreme Series.

The challenges come early in the race, and Symonds provides an insight. "After about 45 minutes of running we turn abruptly to the right and start scrambling up the lower slopes of Curved Ridge. I had been keen to be in a good position at this point so as to minimise the risk of being hit by rock fall… I reach the summit of the Buchaille Etive Mòr after just over 70 minutes of running."

As the race website clearly states: "The nature of the challenge is very severe and there is a risk of serious injury or death whilst participating in this event." Race director Ohly continues: ‘Once committed to many sections of the proposed race route, it is impossible to retreat."

Taking in a circular route of the Glen Coe mountains, the race covers 53 kilometres with a total elevation gain of 4,500 metres. To put the severity of the course in perspective, the winning time is seven-plus hours. It’s not a race that you can just enter on a whim. Certain skills are required to even stand a chance of finishing and more importantly, the climb of Curved Ridge and the open crossing of Aonach Eagach require a head for heights and climbing experience.

A key marker of the race is at the lower end of the course, as runners cross a road to start the return journey home via the toughest and most technical sections. Symonds picks up the story: "The atmosphere at the road crossing was incredible. A huge crowd had turned out to cheer us on. I drank two cups of cola at the aid station and made my way up towards Sgorr nam Fiannaidh and the start of the Aonach Eagach ridge. This is without doubt the hardest section of the course, the runners having to gain 900 metres of altitude in under two kilometres."

To reach this key summit is a relief, however, as for many the most technical and dangerous element of the Glen Coe race lies ahead: the Aonach Eagach ridge.

"I take refuge in the realisation that over the next two kilometres, as I scramble along the ridge, my limiting factor will not be energy levels or leg strength, but my scrambling skills," says Symonds. "In a strange way the Aonach Eagach is like a rest for me. As I make my way purposefully but cautiously along this very narrow ridge I start to really enjoy myself for the first time. For a while it is just me and the mountain. However, somehow I do feel more vulnerable here than I did on Curved Ridge."

It’s a sentiment echoed by Grant Macdonald, a runner and blogger who was quoted in Men’s Running magazine, saying: "I was pretty relieved when I reached Am Bodach [after Aonach Eagach] at the western edge of the ridge; this marks the point when you know you aren’t going home in a helicopter."

The Aonach Eagach is indeed a tough challenge for any experienced walker or climber. The ridge coming approximately two-thirds into a tough race just adds one more challenge and complexity to such a demanding event.

It is a long slog from Am Bodach along to the West Highland Way to the Devil’s Staircase, then the seven-kilometre return to the Ski Centre. The finish line finally provides relief to the UK’s toughest mountain-running challenge.

"I can’t think of anywhere else on mainland UK that could offer such quality of extreme mountain running. It is no overstatement to say that this really was a first for us in Britain," said Symonds in his race blog after victory. "To organise this event was of course brave, given the objective danger involved. But bravery often pays off, and you can mitigate against the dangers, as the organisers did, by taking appropriate safety precautions and vetting participants carefully."

Italian mountaineer Marino Giacometti, president of the International Skyrunning Federation, has often said that his vision was ahead of its time. Over the years, skyrunning was watered down to allow the sport to be more accessible. However, in recent years, particularly since 2012, courses and runners have started to push boundaries. Spaniard Kilian Jornet, multiple Skyrunner World Series champion – who has written the foreword for my new book, Running Beyond – has in many ways inspired a new generation of runners who want to go "fast and light" to the mountains. Jornet’s inspiration and example have paved the way, so much so that Jornet designed a skyrunning course in Norway, the Tromso SkyRace, in conjunction with his partner and skyrunning champion, Emelie Forsberg.

Ohly and Tompsett followed the example of Giacometti, Jornet and Forsberg. The race, the route and the location provide a stunning showcase for skyrunning, but maybe more importantly, it provides a natural amphitheatre of rocks, mountains and challenges that well and truly puts Scotland and the UK on the world endurance-running map.

Extracted from Running Beyond by Ian Corless (with a foreword by Kilian Jornet), published this week by Aurum Press, £25

Fact File: Glen Coe Skyline

Distance: 55km

Terrain: Trail

Total height gain: 4,700m

Fastest time: Joe Symonds 07:36:21

and Emelie Forsberg 07:44:19

Highest point on route: 1,150m