Competition is hotting up at the front of the field on day five of the 2022 Cape Wrath Ultra.

The 44km stage from Kinlochewe to Inverbroom saw the two leading men, Graham Walton and Thomas Øderud, cross the finish line together and although Graham retained his lead, he is now just six minutes ahead of Thomas, who was the fastest runner of the day.

Thomas commented: “It’s been a very good day. It’s been pretty fun. I’m feeling strong.”

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Meanwhile, the lead changed hands in the women’s race.

Despina Berdeni had to pull out due to a shin injury and Laura O’Driscoll is at the front again, having recovered sufficiently from her ankle problem to keep going.

Fastest woman on the day was Vicky Savage, who is in second.

Vicky said: “The trail at the start was amazing – it’s just this boggy bit here that’s hard.”

The weather was kinder on day five, with sunshine mixing with the rain.

However, the cumulative effect of five days of the Cape Wrath Ultra means that of the 270 starters, only 120 are still in the full race.

Male

1st Graham Walton (30:55:15)

2nd Thomas Øderud (31:02:49)

3rd David Barry (31:21:57)

Female

1st Laura O Driscoll (34:46:17)

2nd Vicky Savage (37:37:58)

3rd Claire Gordon (39:53:36)

Day six has begun, and is the longest in distance at 72km, with 1,200m of ascent, from Inverbroom to Inchnadamph. You can read more about today’s route at The Route — Cape Wrath Ultra®.

Track the runners’ progress live at live.opentracking.co.uk/capewrathultra22.

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