https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57975285

It sounds very lavish compared to how these things tend to be run, but do we think this kind of lavishness will attract the number of racers needed?

£15k for an event seems to be eye-wateringly expensive to me, despite the fancy goings-on during the 4 days. There does seem to be 7 months of support before then though, which is no doubt pricey (but surely if the people are able to afford that price as they are so good, they’ll have all this support around them already – will they not?).

It seems a massive amount of money for what it is in my view, but I’m not rich (so can’t afford this) and I’m not an ultramarathon runner, so don’t know if it is appealing. However, I thought I’d ask to see out of touch my thoughts are as I’m sure there will be some people who reckon that is a great price for the event (which lasts about 7 months and isn’t just the 4 days of the running).

No idea. I’m struggling not to get all reverse snob about it and wonder what kind of hideous ‘alpha’ men will be getting involved.

I don’t care how many fairy lights they put up, it’s still a bloody tent. Will be interesting to see whether there is any crossover between the ultramarathon and ultraglamping communities. I suspect not much.

Imagine what other bucket list stuff you could do for 15 grand.

“the most exclusive, luxury ultra-run experience on the planet”.

Like all other exclusive, luxury experiences, doesn’t even figure in my universe.

Sounds brilliant

Is the run optional?

Race director Rebecca Silva told BBC Scotland the idea was for the runners to “race like a warrior but recover like a king”.

Love it!

I wouldn’t go near anyone who actually entered this event, but if someone wants to take £15k off them for a few days of telling them how awesome they are whilst feeding them quails eggs dipped in SIS gel, they get my support.

Just looked at their website and their ‘primal’ adventures include distillery tours, sounds pretty epic. Can’t help feeling their whole shtick is marketing ‘wild’ experiences for people who have money but can’t be arsed learning how to do stuff for themselves.

WTAF!

What if you happen to be on the same trails as the event by accident. Will there be security pushing you to one side so the runners who have paid don’t get slowed down by the ‘proles’

I’ve heard that some highland hunts are pretty expensive to attend so maybe this isn’t too different?

I may be interested, how luxurious is the sag wagon?

If they are able to take lots of money off people who clearly have more money than they need then good luck to them. The article said they have run a non competitive event of similar ilk that was very successful so they clearly think they have identified a market.

In other news, people pay over £100 for a watch.

It’s not the £15k glamping I object to, just their **** marketing, but presumably they know their audience.

It seems like an intersection of markets that nobody would be interested in- surely anybody capable or motivated in running 100’s of miles in Scotland is not also interested in glamping along the way. But they say they organised it in France and it was really successful so maybe there’s a market?

I guess at 15k a ticket they don’t need too many to sign up.

For me the planning, preparation and training would be half the fun of running an ultra and so I wouldn’t want to outsource all that even if I was that rich anyway.

You get a pre programmed Garmin smart watch included in the price.

Shut up and take my money.

I wouldn’t go near anyone who actually entered this event,

I don’t think they want to go near you either, the point is to create an exclusive experience that people who lead exclusive lives can talk about to their exclusive mates.

Presumably your £15k.includes getting someone to run it on your behalf?

It’ll be nice to sit by the Fyre of an evening.

“race like a warrior but recover like a king” 🤮 – do people still say get in the sea”?

I’ve no doubt that that will attract the very worst human beings on the planet.

Am I the only one thinking that that marketing all has a touch of the Fyre Festival about it?

Fingers crossed 😀

EDIT: Clearly not. Great minds eh @scuttler ?

If you saw that Audi advert with Tom Whatsisface on and were impressed then this is the race for you.

 but do we think this kind of lavishness will attract the number of racers needed?

Are you kidding? I will bet your money it’ll be massively oversubscribed.

Are there 40 wealthy blokes* who get a hard on for all that special forces guff out there? I suspect there probably are.

*and it will be blokes.

surely anybody capable or motivated in running 100’s of miles in Scotland

– it doesn’t even appear to be that though…seems to be 120 miles over 4 days…

The course looks pretty dull in parts, lots of road.

It would be great if they had cut-offs and runners, sorry, warriors, got eliminated having paid 15k!

Are there 40 wealthy blokes* who get a hard on for all that special forces guff out there? I suspect there probably are.

It’s not the ‘special forces’ market though is it? Special forces don’t spent a huge amount of time in uber glamping tents with flower decorations. Sounds like total toss to me but clearly I’m not the target market. And as has been said before I have no desire to spend time around anyone who would want to buy into that.

Credit to the organisers though – if they manage to pick the pockets of 40 wealthy blokes to the tune of £600K then fair play. They’ll be earning it on the day mind – imagine being beholden to 40 mega **** for 4 days?

edit – and the location. Don’t get me wrong, I love the highlands but for £15K I’d be wanting to do this in a part of the world much harder to reach – northern Finland or Siberia.

Everythings relative, if they have a business plan that they believe can work then good luck to them.

surely anybody capable or motivated in running 100’s of miles in Scotland is not also interested in glamping along the way.

The longest stage is 34 miles which isn’t a huge distance and given that they probably won’t have cut-off times could be walked.

It’s not the ‘special forces’ market though is it? Special forces don’t spent a huge amount of time in uber glamping tents with flower decorations.

Yes, but the type of blokes* who do this ‘event’ will only be going on and on and on and on about the ‘Special Forces’ bit, and not the scented candles, when they’re talking far too loudly about it to the bored looking barmaid of the local wine bar

* and it will be exclusively blokes

t’s not the ‘special forces’ market though is it? Special forces don’t spent a huge amount of time in uber glamping tents with flower decorations

That’s not what I meant, they’re bigging up the run by special forces thing as part of the marketing. They’ve also got that Thrudark crowd on board who sell overpriced jackets to middle aged men by saying they’re designed by ex SAS.

I’m interested in what 5000 recovery-friendly but Michelin-starred calories a day looks like, though.

This sounds utterly dismal, but fair play to them for sheer comedy value. The running looks delightful, but not really something to “battle” like a “warrior”.

Sadly, I suspect each £15K client journey will be paid by the training budget of a banking/accountancy/financial services company to nurture excellence and resilience within their outstanding corporate leadership team going forward.

If I had a spare £15k knocking about I’d spend it on something adventurous like a leg of the Clipper race, not running between posh tents in Scotland.

There are hundreds of thousands of men who will think nothing of spending this much money on this event. These are your proper “Alpha” male types who will fall into broadly

1. self made business cows who are so full of their own BS that they’ll sign up and brag to their mates, who in the back of that, will sign up as “everything” in their lives is a competition.

2. The endless self promotors and influencers who will get their Patreon and crowdfunders to help them get to the entry fee

3. bored millionaires looking for something to do, very similar to group 1 but probably retired.

I reckon that you could fill the entry list 3 times over with no worries. Especially now it’s been on BBC the folk that do get in will be so smug about it to their friends, I’ll bet you could probably fill the next years entry list of the back of it

It’s getting all the marketing it needs already, can guarantee anything that pitches at the top and manages it will do ok.
Plenty of rich blokes with little more than money and possessions to show for it, wanting something to show they’re not Mr Burns yet.

But it may be a case of

It’ll be nice to sit by the Fyre of an evening.

(very good..)

I’m interested in what 5000 recovery-friendly but Michelin-starred calories a day looks like, though.

Single estate flapjacks with gold leaf

To be fair, if you’re paying off the midges individually £15k doesn’t go very far.

Are there 40 wealthy blokes* who get a hard on for all that special forces guff out there? I suspect there probably are.

*and it will be blokes.

Having seen pics from a Forces charity event a female 50-something friend attended in the Brecon Beacons, which seemed to be a “sponsored yomp with ex-special forces”, there seemed to be quite a few women who were up for it.

there seemed to be quite a few women who were up for it.

You have to admit it’s clearly pitched at blokes, the name for a start!

The only women anywhere near that event will be at the nearest Spa Hotel, sexting their tennis coach and dreading him coming back with tales of ‘racing like a warrior’