Dunoon ultra

This is a hill race on mainly forest roads above the town of Dunoon. The race starts in Benmore Botanical Gardens and finishes on Dunoon pier. The race route has altered over the years to accommodate the impact of nature. So the GPS file is from the 2025 race where Puck's Glen was closed. A tough but very rewarding run.

So we took the provided bus from Dunoon pier and arrived at the gardens with time to spare for toilets and a coffee. The registration is also here along with the bag check. And yes they do check you have everything and remember to have id - something not obvious from the email notes. The race starts with a short walk to the start line behind a piper (well you are in Scotland). No midges were noticed in 2025. As this is a small race it is all very friendly and we did meet a few runners we knew. Hi Sue, Howard and Amanda.

From the off the race is flat'ish for a while before leaving the gardens and crossing the main road. You are now in the forest and at the first hill of the day meets you. Not the longest hill of the day, but seems like the steepest and most runners choose to walk. This does level out and eventually a steep descent takes you back down to the road crossing and back to the gardens. From here you have about of mainly flat running before the hills really start. At you cross the small country road and start a long section on forest road. Given the size of the race, parts of this you can find yourself on your own but with lots of climb and lovely views to enjoy who cares. At about those wonderful marshals appear to welcome you to the first bag drop which is very well organised.

The first big descent starts at and takes in the second bag drop at and this one included coke. Enjoy this second bag drop as hell awaits. You leave the bag drop and head away on a short section on a small tarred road, of course there is a small hill here as well. A downhill towards the loch is good for the leg stretch before a right turn takes you onto the killer hill section. This is about long and goes up which after more than half the race seems huge. Perhaps the hardest part is that on sections you can see people further up the hill, but what seems like miles away. At you begin the descent to Dunoon and the finish line. The start of this section is hard on the feet with loose rocks on the road but does eventually improve the further down you go. Eventually you meet a small road taking you down to the river and the short section along the front to the finish line.

A real cracker of a race and highly recommended, what a race should be like. Even with the killer hill the marshals were wonderful and the overall organisation brilliant. We will be back, well done to everyone involved and more importantly - Thank You All, you were amazing (even the woman claiming to be a fortune teller).