The annual Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon was run last weekend in the southern Highlands.

Dubbed ‘the connoisseurs’ mountain marathon’, the event takes place in a different place each year. After 2006’s wild country in Assynt, a more accessible route east of the West Highland Way and Strath Fillan was the venue.

Jon Aylward and Steve Bottomley took the elite trophy, a figurine which now comes in more than one piece after ‘damage in transit’. Second place went to Tim Laney and Stephen Pyke who improved on their overnight fourth place. First woman to complete the course was Karen Davison, teamed up with Shane Ohly, 11th overall and winners of the mixed class.

The event runs over two days and is a test of navigational skills as well as fitness and speed. There’s a good account of the race from Fellsman Hike champ Mark Hartell, with insights into how places are lost and even races squandered by finding the wrong re-entrant or haring up the wrong mountain. You can read Mark’s account on the Planet Fear website.

There are full results and lots of pictures of the event on the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon website.