The Classic Sub 24 Hour
Scottish Mountain Challenge
Credit: David Lintern
Charlie Ramsay's Round
Just before noon on Sunday 9th July 1978, Charlie Ramsay from Edinburgh, Scotland, and a member of Lochaber Athletic Club in Fort William, was seen running down the lower slopes of Ben Nevis, his mind seemingly possessed by a desperate degree of urgency as he crossed over the footbridge and onwards for a further 25 metres past the youth hostel, to his finishing line.
There, his family and friends met him, as he checked his watch and fell to his knees with a mixture of exhaustion and elation.
For the previous 23 hours and 58 minutes, Charlie had climbed a total of 23 Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet/ 914.4 metres) of which Ben Nevis was the last. With just 2 minutes to spare he had achieved his dream of circuiting all the Lochaber mountains in a single day. Behind him he left a trail of exhausted bodies, his support team and even his teammate, Bobby Shields, who had to retire after 16 tops, so sustained was the pace.
Charlie had set a record, which was to last for nine years, and had created Scotland’s Classic Mountain Marathon, a distance of 56 miles/90.123 km and 28,500 feet/8686.8 metres of climbing.
Start and finish at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.
Go clockwise or anti clockwise.
Visit all summits in the correct order, depending on the direction of travel.
Complete the route within 24 hours.