IT has been uninhabited for more than 80 years and is 41 miles from the nearest land.
But a teacher has become the first person to complete a marathon on the remote archipelago of St Kilda.
Bill Cameron, from Fort William, undertook the 26.2-mile challenge by running two-and-a-half circuits around the island.
His route took him dangerously near treacherous cliffs and up gradients thousands of feet high as he pounded over the rocky terrain. He also had to fend off angry seabirds who were dive-bombing him.
The Lochaber High School teacher plotted his route carefully and left bottles of water, energy bars and apples at strategic points alon.
Mr Cameron said: “I ran a half marathon there in 2015, when I went to St Kilda for a day visit, but I really wanted to challenge myself and do the full 26.2 miles.
“I have checked and, as far as I know, I’m the first person to run a marathon there.
“I set off at sunrise which was 3.30am and it took me seven hours altogether. It was very hard-going and I was relieved to finish.
“I realised during the run that I was daft to leave out the snacks on the route as they would probably be eaten by the sheep or the famous St Kilda mouse, but I was lucky and they were still there.
“I was also dive-bombed by seabirds who were protecting their young. Fortunately, I managed to find a stick and piece of rope, so I tied the two together and whirled this around my head as I ran to keep them off.”
It was the 43-year-old’s fifth marathon and he was determined to complete it to commemorate Lochaber’s connections with the last of the islanders.
A World Heritage Site, St Kilda lies 41 miles west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. Its last 36 human residents were evacuated to the mainland in 1930.
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