Running: Welcome to Highland Kings, the luxury 120-mile ultra-marathon which could cost you £17,000!

On the leisurely drive from Glasgow up to Glencoe on the west coast of Scotland, we pass the ice-blue expanse of Loch Lomond, the majestic ridges of the Highlands and Glen Etive, the impossibly picturesque site of that scene in James Bond film Skyfall.

You think, this is a great place for a run. But 120 miles? More than four-and-a-half marathons across four days including 18,225 feet of ascent up those imposing peaks? It’s enough to make you pause for thought.

Yet if that does tickle your fancy, Highland Kings is just the thing for you: a tough and rewarding ultra-marathon in a gorgeous setting, a course steeped in Scottish history and traditions and with high-end luxury woven into the fabric of the event.

Participants have a team of butlers on call 24/7, Michelin Star-level food to fuel up and saunas on site to relax after a hard day’s run, plus swanky overnight accommodation.

That’s not to mention the six months of personal training from world-leading experts – more on that later – to lick you into shape ahead of potentially one of the toughest challenges of your life. It could, however, cost almost £17,000.

Despite the price tag, people across the world are queueing up for next year’s Highland Kings, with 410 enquiries about the remaining 30 spots as they prepare to gather in April for the sophomore event after its inaugural showing in 2022.

So is it worth it? With around six months to go until the 2023 race, Sportsmail‘s MAX MATHEWS ventures up to Scotland and takes a deep dive into the Highland Kings challenge which is shaking up the ultra-running world.

Highland Kings is described as ‘the most exclusive, luxury ultra-run experience on the planet’

Event founder Matt Smith (centre) has designed a 120-mile course with 18,225 feet of ascent

Avid outdoorsman Smith, a former Army Sergeant Major, spent six years with Special Forces

MADE IN SCOTLAND

Event founder Matt Smith, an affable and dryly funny former Sergeant Major and veteran of six years in the Special Forces, knows all about how rewarding pushing yourself to the limits – both physically and mentally – can be. 

Combine that with his nose for adventure and a love of the outdoors, particularly the stunning, idyllic setting of his childhood explorations, and you have Highland Kings.

The fighting spirit of Kenneth I, the first King of Scotland, and legendary warrior Robert the Bruce will inspire runners as they traverse historic paths, with bagpipes serenading their journeys and a ceremonial sword at the finish.

So, although one can imagine a future event in, say, south-east Asia or the Andes, Highland Kings feels very much rooted in Scotland, based at the stately Dalness Estate in the shadow of five Munros (a Scottish mountain taller than 3,000 feet).

There’s a reason iconic explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes calls Smith’s brainchild ‘a pioneering ultra, bringing together the best of Scotland to deliver a unique luxury, endurance and immersive wilderness experience.’ 

But Smith isn’t the only one inspiring you to tackle the race…

The race will take place in the stunning, idyllic scenery of the west coast of Scotland (above)

Runners will have to battle uneven terrain, inclines and descents, and potentially poor weather

The course is steeped in Scottish history and traditions, with bagpipes serenading runners

EXPERT HELP 

If you pay for the full Monty, £16,995 rather than the £8,995 for more experienced runners just paying to turn up at the start line, the army of world-leading experts available to you is enviable.

Jon Albon, ranked No 2 in the world by the International Trail Running Association, and Anna-Marie Watson, who has run the ‘Toughest Footrace on Earth’ Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert twice, coach you on mindset – 90 per cent of the battle, according to Watson.

Ultra-runner and triathlete Watson, who hated PE as a child but spent nine years in the Army, tells Sportsmail that Highland Kings’ luxury reward at the end of the day is a ‘game changer’ in terms of runner motivation, before hailing the ‘very special’ event.

Physio Alison Rose, who has worked at five Olympics with the likes of Dame Kelly Holmes, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Olympic gold medal-winning brothers Jonny and Alistair Brownlee, will guide you through the physical exertions, while communications specialist Tom Lowe is there to ensure athlete safety too.

Runners can call upon the expertise of triathlete and performance coach Anna-Marie Watson (left), and World No 2-ranked trail runner Jon Albon (right), as they get in shape for the event

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? 

It’s that world-class support which goes some way to explaining why Highland Kings feel the event is good value. 

And yes, £16,995 is a lot of cash in a cost-of-living crisis, with some critics questioning how accessible it really is. Not everyone will have that money.

Smith might argue the training team on offer means it’s so accessible even someone who has only run a 10K (assuming they have the money) can complete the race after six months of guidance. And the luxury on offer is pretty impressive too.

Runners receive a Whoop strap to track physical data, a Garmin watch programmed with the race routes, and massage therapists to ease aching muscles.

Home comforts: The luxurious bell tents on Dalness Estate that participants will be staying in

The spacious bell tents include a double bed with a memory foam mattress and Egyptian cotton sheets and a sheepskin rug, among lots of other nice touches like daily homemade cookies and granola bars from chef Alan Murchison and – crucially, I’m told – excellent locally sourced coffee.

All this means some in the ultra-running world have labelled Highland Kings as ‘soft’ or ‘cushy’, and lacking the real grind of a Marathon des Sables, where runners carry their own tents and food and sleep deprivation is a fundamental part of the race.

To which I’d say: it’s still 120 miles with 18,225 feet of ascent in four days, only five finished the full race last year, and if you really fancy a grim and austere experience, fill your boots elsewhere. 

But if you want some comfort as you put the miles in, it probably won’t come much better than this.

‘ALMOST LIKE A HOLIDAY’ 

For Sian Slater, the first ever person to sign up to the event, it’s that extra mile and those little touches that make the difference. 

Lavender bags. Hot water bottles placed carefully into bed for you. The first cup of tea in the morning. All helped give the impression it was ‘almost like a holiday’ for Slater.

The 59-year-old will be kicking off her seventh decade in April as the race starts and, speaking with genuine and infectious enthusiasm to Sportsmail, she credits the event with boosting her confidence, self-esteem and joie de vivre.  

2022 participant Sian Slater (above) waxes lyrical about her experience of the event

Slater says: ‘The mentoring and coaching programme was superb, and great value. You were working with the best athletes, coaches and experts in the world to prepare you for the event – something I never thought possible. 

‘I learnt so much and got to the start line in the best shape, and with a really positive mindset to take on the 120-mile challenge. 

‘One thing I wasn’t expecting was the community we created around the training. By the time we got to the event, there was a camaraderie that pushed and supported us through the event. I can’t wait to do it all again!’  

So she’s returning for a second year – and this time, she’s bringing her partner along too.

SO WHY DO IT? AND IS IT WORTH IT? 

For someone who has never run more than a 5K, and in the company of experienced runners, it was with no little trepidation that Sportsmail approached the foot of Ben Nevis for a ‘light taster’ in the form of a 10K run around Britain’s highest mountain.

Yet by the end, my eyes sparkled with exhilaration and I felt energised (admittedly achy too) rather than exhausted. Runner’s high, apparently, as Smith joked I should sign up for next year’s race. And I have to admit, money aside, I considered it.  

Here you take on forces which could break you, and make it to the end, unbroken. Going to corners of the remote Scottish Highlands, to the top of the world and back again. 

It’s worth asking what Highland Kings actually is. Is it a race, to come first and as quickly as possible? To some, maybe.  

Sportsmail (centre) enjoying a ‘light’ 10km run around the base of Ben Nevis, near Fort William

Reconnaissance mission: Sportsmail (left) checks out the route for the 2023 edition of the race

It’s also about individual journeys – competing against yourself, and your own limitations, as much as others – and is all the more relatable and emotionally resonant for it.

I can’t say whether it’s worth the money, but the fact that people from as far away as Singapore and the US have signed up and that six of last year’s contingent are returning would certainly indicate that it is, at least for them. 

Proving a point to yourself, that an extraordinary feat of grit and resilience is achievable for anyone with the money who sets their mind to it.

Slater insists, for her, it was not a question of who won, just people doing the best they can in the circumstances they have. And isn’t that just what life is? So there you have it: Highland Kings, ultra-marathon, metaphor for life.

The Highland Kings Ultra experience will start this November, in preparation for the 120-mile ultra-run in April 2023. It is described as the most exclusive, luxury ultra-run experience on the planet. ‘Race like a warrior, recover like a king.’ 

For more information and to sign up, visit: www.highland-kings.com.

Coming to a close: the joint winners of the 2022 event cross the finish line arm in arm (above)