Race on the Edge. An achievable, exciting, engaging, truly adventurous and absorbing journey through the most spectacular, wild and remote landscape the UK has to offer – the Hebridean Island chain off the west coast of Scotland!
You will find yourself running (a fair bit), and on a mountain bike or hybrid (quite a bit), kayaking (a tad), and navigating (a bit – if you seek optimal wriggles through the complex terrain).
Perfect for racers, achievable for newcomers, and everyone in between. Entries will be welcome from Solos and Pairs.
The Heb is brought to you by Durty Events, featured several times on the BBC2 Adventure Show and winner of British Triathlon ‘Event of the Year’ 2012, and course planner Gary Tompsett of various adventurous infamy!
Day 1 – 125km
Day 2 – 75km
Competitors will not use support vehicles (leave ’em at the ferry!). You will either move your equipment along the course yourself (i.e. you’ll be riding your bike!), or the race organisation will move equipment (e.g. bikes) between transition areas.
The course maps will be published in full before the race – no nasty surprises!
We want everyone to have a great journey through the best of the Hebrides, finish at a reasonable time, and bite off as much as they can chew (and hopefully a little bit more!). Some checkpoints will be optional, but will carry a time adjustment to be added to your overall final time if you choose to miss them.
There will be sensible cut-offs and long course/short course options to make sure everyone stays in the race, and is finished at a sensible time for food, drinks, recovery, reliving tales of your day’s adventures, and on Sunday evening, the Heb Party!.
The Heb will be achievable – everyone will have fun, adventure and challenge in one of the most amazing places Europe has to offer.
Expect to be journeying for 2 long days. However, you will stop each night and there will be camping facilities, water etc. at each overnight.
On quiet roads, beaches and straightforward trails. Bike choice is up to you, we think anything except a pure road bike will get round, and a hard-tail MTB with semi-slick tyres might be the optimum choice.
There will be three or four running sections of varying lengths. Most will have ‘short course’ and ‘long course’ options that are entirely for you to decide. You can choose what suits your strengths and abilities, and helps you finish at a sensible time each day.
Again, this will be straightforward – no specialist skills required (though a bit of paddling experience won’t do you any harm). You will be using 2-person ‘Sit On Top’ boats – really easy to handle, and easy to get back on to should you fall in (you won’t!). The locations we’re using are spectacular, and very ‘Hebridean’, but will not be risky or dangerous.
Mostly very simple, though some optional checkpoints may require higher level navigation skills.
*All details TBC and subject to change at the organisers whim!
The full kit list will be developed over the time before race-day. Please see the Participant Notes for full details of requirements for the race.
Fri 1st September circa 1.50pm (TBC) – Ferry from Mallaig to Lochboisdale
Fri Afternoon – Arrive on Hebrides and transfer by coach and truck to Otters Edge campsite at Benbecula
Sat 2nd September @ Morning – RACE DAY 1 STARTS!
Sat Day – Bike, Run and Kayak in Benbecula, North Uist and the incredible uninhabited inter-tidal island of Vallay
Sat Eve – Camp at Otters Edge Campsite Benbecula. Food!.
Sun 3rd September @ Morning – RACE DAY 2 STARTS!
Sun Day – Bike, Run and Kayak in South Uist
Sun Eve – Party! (at the Polochar Inn, with live music), Camp at Kilbride Campsite on South Uist
Monday 4th September @ Early (yuk!) – ride to catch ferry back home from Lochboisdale
Please see links and bits of information about the Hebrides and some of the locations we’ll be visiting below.
We’d strongly encourage you NOT to rush the Hebrides – it’s just not the way things work round here! Take your time… come out a few days early, or travel back a few days late. The islands will certainly repay you!
Calmac Ferries: www.calmac.co.uk
Timetables, Fares and other useful info. There are various routes to/from the islands – the race will be using the new Mallaig-Lochboisdale service.
Visit Hebrides: www.visithebrides.com
Links to accommodation providers, and places to see/things to do in the Hebrides.
North Uist/Benbecula/Berneray: www.northuist.org.uk
Information on accommodation, eating out and loads of other stuff.
South Uist: www.southuist.com
Information on accommodation, eating out and loads of other stuff.
Barra: www.isleofbarra.com
Hebrides Search and Rescue Team: www.hsar.org.uk
Volunteer staffed (and donation funded) SAR team for the islands. Good people.
This event covers a mixture of terrain and bike choice is up to competitors. Bike choices will be entirely down to rider ability.
The Kayak sections are suitable for all abilities. We use ‘2 man sit on top’ kayaks, the kayaks are in fairly sheltered water and there is full water safety cover at each point.
Full route information will be provided as a Race Book at Race Registration on the Ferry. We will email this out to anyone who requests this as they will not be on the ferry. This event is all about tactics so we don’t give away the exact course details in advance so no one is at an advantage.
You can bring a campervan but you are responsible for booking this in to the campsites for the appropriate nights (Otters Edge Campsite Friday and Saturday, Kilbride Campsite for Sunday). You will also be responsible for booking it on to the Ferry and for the logistics of how you move the van from Benbecula to South Uist on Sunday whilst you are racing.
Unfortunately we are unable to offer deferrals, for information on refund options please see Terms & Conditions – Durty Events.
For information on refund options please see Terms & Conditions – Durty Events.
If you have signed up as a solo or a Team and wish to change, this may be possible (depending on participant numbers). Drop us an email at least 1 month in advance of the event we will do our best to assist you. Please note changes may be subject to a small admin fee see Terms & Conditions – Durty Events for more information.
Entries Close 18th August 2023
See who has entered so far… this only includes entrants who have allowed us to share their entry.
If you have entered and would like to appear here, please login and edit your entry and tick to appear on website.
| Name | Gender |
|---|---|
| John Helyer | Male |
| Tony Haresign | Male |
| gerry wheeler | Male |
| Clive Richardson | Male |
| Martin Riddell | Male |
| Suzie Dick | Female |
| Donald Munro | Male |
| Nicola McGuigan | Female |
| Lynsey Allan | Female |
| ian hill | Male |
| Mike Harvey | Male |
| Kevin Mackenzie | Male |
| Carol Lock | Female |
| Richard Haynes | Male |
| Alan Affleck | Male |
| Name | Gender |
| Name | Gender | Team Member 2 | Name | Team Member 2 | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorna Kelly | Female | Tommy Kelly | Male |
| David Milroy | Male | Alan Robertson | Male |
| CYPRIEN JOSSE | Male | THEVENOT Lyne | Female |
| Simon Caldwell | Male | Carmen Elphick | Female |
| Joy Michie | Female | Louise Johnstone | Female |
| Roddy Henry | Male | Liz Cook | Female |
| Len Wallace | Male | Louisa Oram | Female |
| Spencer Wood | Male | Craig Joy | Male |
| Matt Jones | Male | Rob Smart | Male |
| Mandy Peffers | Female | Wes Dale | Male |
| Peter Denston | Male | Lee Bradbury | Male |
| George Horsman | Male | Robbie Bannerman | Male |
| Alex Hilton-Baird | Male | Neil Galer | Male |
| Gillian King | Female | Alan Dick | Male |
| Bill Horsman | Male | Colin Thompson | Male |
| Victoria Semple | Female | Jennifer Jones | Female |
| Henrietta Hamilton | Female | Jenny Wallace | Female |
| Ken Maynard | Male | Jill Cadwgan | Female |
| Ian Heywood | Male | Melissa Heywood | Female |
| Colin Cossar | Male | Scott Dawson | Male |
| Andrew Higgins | Male | Mark Clarkson | Male |
| Name | Gender | Team Member 2 | Name | Team Member 2 | Gender |
