On 11th July, Cumbria-based runner James Gibson made a rare completion of the Martin Moran Round. Running solo and unsupported, James set a new record for the route, beating Robin Downie's inaugural 2022 time by just a over ten minutes, to set a new fastest time of 20 Hours 38 Mins 27 Seconds.

Taking in nine Munros and six Corbetts, including all the Torridon and Coulin greats, the round was conceived and first done by local runner Robin Downie in memory of the highly regarded Strathcarron-based mountain guide Martin Moran, who died in an avalanche in the Himalayas in 2019. Covering over 80km, with an elevation of 8,890m, it involves rough and remote ground throughout, with some highly technical terrain including the scrambling traverse of Liathach.

While the handful of people to complete it to date have generally done so with support, James chose to do it in solo and unsupported style. And as if all that weren't enough, he also added two more Corbetts to the route, Sgurr Dubh and Sgorr nan Lochan Uaine.

I just kept saying to myself, put one foot in front of the other and keep moving

Among many other hill running achievements, in 2023 James made the first successful completion of the Trans Cuillin round, a link-up of all (and we do mean all) the summits in Skye's Black and Red Cuillin:

Back in 2021 he was also the first to complete a continuous round of the Wainwrights in winter:

With that sort of pedigree, how did he get on with the Martin Moran Round?

"It was the most incredible solo day out in Torridon; a journey in some of the best hills that Scotland has to offer, with some fantastic weather to enjoy its stunning scenery" he says.

"The Martin Moran Round had been on my 'list' for some time, and now that I have done it, I can truly say it's up there in terms of difficulty in comparison to other 24-hour rounds like the Bob Graham. It's the terrain that makes the round very difficult; often the ground is very rough, either rocky and tricky to move over, or 'off piste' on heathery ground. But it's this that attracted me, and I can honestly say that it's up there as one of my favourite rounds in Scotland." 

"What's not to like about a full day out in the hills surrounding Torridon?! It's fitting that Robin created this incredible round in memory of Martin Moran, who inspired so many people over his lifetime, from getting people into the hills all over the world to his own personal endeavors including the first completion of the Winter Munro Round and completing all of the Alpine 4000 metre summits as one continuous journey over 52 days with his friend Simon Jenkins, again the first people to do this monstrous effort."

Going by his Strava, James totalled 51 Miles, with 8,800m of ascent. He put a lot of forethought into making the route as direct and short as possible, he tells us, and also took some different lines to the round's originator Robin Downie, some inspired by Ian Stewart's successful attempt last year.

You have to stay switched on throughout the day and not lose focus, especially on the technical ground

In order to maximise usable daylight and to have only a little darkness at either side of the day, James started his attempt at 03:30am on July 11th. Some stars had to align for the attempt to be feasible, he explains.

"I had some guiding work in Assynt a few days prior to the attempt, and had managed a good stint of training after being injured for the first part of the year. If the weather was to play ball, this would have been my last possible chance of an attempt this year. Thankfully with a good spell of dry weather in the forecast, I knew it was a goer. The weather was a little too warm for my liking, but it was certainly better than rain, wind and no visibility."

Wester Ross-based Robin Downie has an intimate knowledge of the hills, but even he admitted to feeling daunted by the prospect before his first successful completion of the route. How did James feel feel about his chances in the run-up to his attempt?

"Having spent lots of time in the hills of Torridon, both running and climbing, I'd like to say I know those particular hills well. But I treat any area with rough terrain with the highest respect and understand the risks involved, more so when doing big journeys like this solo and unsupported." 

Taking in all the big peaks in Coulin and Torridon, the round involves plenty of tricky route finding. While he already had a working knowledge of the headlining Torridon hills, James' familiarity with much of the rest of the route was scanty. This adventure aspect appealed to him, he says:

"I had done most of the main Torridon hills north of the glen - Beinn Aligin, Liathach, Beinn Eighe etc - but many of the hills on the southern side I hadn't done prior to the day. I really enjoyed the challenge of not knowing all the ground that I was going to encounter. Of course this will have added onto my overall time, but this was something that I was happy to accept.

"There are a few hills like An Ruadh-Stac, where knowing the best line would save lots of time, due to the nature of the rocky terrain. But the only bit that I purposefully reccyed was the gully between Sgurr Mor and the Horns of Alligin, allowing access to the Flowerdale Hills. This is incredibly steep, with near-vertical grass pulling on the way up."

Whatever the style in which it's done, the Martin Moran Round is a big undertaking; but running solo and unsupported, as James did, arguably makes it a different order of challenge, with nobody to carry the load, help make route finding decisions, or generally keep up morale and pace. Kinlochewe-based runner Doug Bartholomew also did a solo round in 2024, but while Doug stashed food at the road crossing, James brought it all with him.

"I enjoy doing rounds like this in this style for several reasons" says James.

"Firstly, I love the challenge of carrying everything you need for the attempt and having nothing else but the bare essentials (food, water, layers), with nothing to worry about, other than getting from start to finish. The other part of being solo/unsupported is that I can pick and choose when to make an attempt, choosing the best weather window. Sometimes I miss sharing the experience that I'm having with other people, but I do really enjoy the challenge of staying mentally motivated and looking after myself."

"I knew doing it in this style would make the challenge harder, but I just accepted it."

But that's not all. In addition to Robin Downie's original round, James ended up visiting two extra Corbetts, Sgorr nan Lochan Uaine and Sgurr Dubh.

"I saw that Ian Stewart had a successful attempt last year and also added on the two extra Corbetts in the process" he says.

"In the week prior, it was playing on my mind whether or not to add them too. But it wasn't until the final deciding point on Beinn Liath Mhor that I went for it. Though I was potentially risking losing out on the record time, I felt it was worth the risk. In my head I had a rough schedule to make it possible; and thankfully, I was bang on. Ian's choice of adding these peaks makes the round flow much better, and other than adding a little height, it's almost shorter. The hills feel wild and make the round even a little more challenging." 

Whilst the potential record time was a motivating factor from the off, it was not the sole incentive, says James.

"The main reason for wanting to do this was to have a fantastic adventure in some of the best hills in Scotland, pushing myself at the same time, whilst having the record in sight. I felt like it could be achievable if everything played out. I knew the time was going to be minutes of difference between mine and Robin's, but that's also what made me enjoy the entire experience." 

It's a great link up of hills, an amazing journey

Starting and finishing at Torridon village, Robin Downie's original round went clockwise to start with Beinn Alligin. Instead James chose to go anti-clockwise, kicking off with Beinn Damh and finishing, over 20 hours later, with Alligin. What was the thinking behind doing it in this direction?

"The forecast for the day was due to be cloudy, but warm for the first part of the day, clearing to a bright, warm and sunny afternoon and evening, so I wanted to save the more challenging hills and terrain until later in the day" he explains.

"I felt in my head that I could cover the ground on the south side of Glen Torridon a little quicker than the steep and less runnable hills on the north. The sunset on the hills that I had been over during the day from the Flowerdale Hills was pretty special too, the skyline of Beinn Eighe, Liatach and Beinn Alligin glowing a dark orange was certainly a reward at the end of the day." 

Summer is clearly best for available daylight, and it's perhaps telling that the handful of successful rounds to date have all been done between May and August. However James doesn't think it inconceivable that the round could be done at other less accommodating times of year. In winter conditions it would become a mountaineering journey.

"It would certainly make the round even harder and being situated in the northwest highlands, the weather isn't often as favourable as other areas. But of course anything can be possible if you put your mind to it, you just really need to want it.

"It would make a fantastic winter journey in the right conditions, but I would imagine it would take considerably longer due to the terrain. You would need to pick the right conditions! Some of the scrambles and steep ascents and descents in winter would be pretty exciting. You would need a very strong mindset to take on such a big journey and accept that it will very likely take considerably longer, depending on the conditions. You would also need the necessary mountaineering skills to undertake such a challenge, allowing you to make sensible decisions throughout." 

Even in summer there's a lot of technical running. With rough and tricky ground all the way, and some significant scrambling - especially on Liathach - there are few places a runner can just switch off and not think about their feet. With a solid track record in big routes involving serious scrambling, such as the Cuillin, James was mentally equipped to handle this, but nevertheless it was far from a stroll.

"You certainly have to stay switched on throughout the day and not lose focus, especially on the technical ground, as that could end in a serious accident" he says.

"For me there were two main sections that, on reflection, I found the hardest. The first was the huge climb up to Spidean a' Choire Leith, trying to maintain a good pace in the warm afternoon sunshine and knowing that adding the two Corbetts earlier in the day may have jeopardised the record. The second was the steep, practically vertical ascent up Beinn Dearg; it was at this point I was really questioning why I was here, but I just kept saying to myself, put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. That ascent up the south side is absolutely savage! Something I won't be rushing back to do in a hurry." 

Unlike big rounds in more populous hill areas, the link-ups between the various hills in Torridon are generally pathless. With much time spent in isolated country far from roads and people, its remoteness is one of the defining characteristics of the Martin Moran Round.

"I would definitely say that the situations that you are in create an additional level of seriousness" says James, "however it's what makes rounds like this so special and attractive. There were many times through the day where I was surrounded by herds of deer, seeing golden eagles and seeing spectacular scenery with absolutely nothing or no one in sight, feeling truly wild!" 

Given the demands of the ground, don't imagine much of the distance was done at a blistering speed, James says. 

"The pace is naturally slow on such rough terrain. Combine this with elevation, and it's not very fast at all. I managed an average pace of pretty much 4km per hour - walking pace! It felt like there weren't many areas that you could open up and run faster, other than at the start and finish on the road." 

The terrain is of course only part of the story, since the weather too has the power to make or break any big round.

"Weather on the day was cloudy to start with" says James.

"This made choosing the optimal lines at the summits a little harder, but arguably a little cooler with having no sunshine. Then as the day progressed the clouds broke up, leaving a bright and very warm afternoon and evening. The temperature climbed to the mid-twenties, with no wind, making the climbs very sweaty! Thankfully, there had been a little rain earlier in the week, which meant the ground wasn't completely dry, allowing me to fill up water at various places through the day. A little less warm with a little breeze would have been perfect, but warm conditions in the northwest highlands are hard to come by, so I can't complain at all." 

When discussing big journeys, a runner's choice of gear and clothing is always a point of interest. Thanks to the weather, James could afford to take a minimalist approach.

"I tried to go as light as possible" he says.

"Having no rain in the forecast meant I didn't have to take any waterproofs or much in terms of additional layers. For shoes I used the INOV8 Mud Talon Speed: this is my go-to fell shoe and I love its lightness and aggressive grip. I used some of the lightest INOV8 clothing, including the Airlite pro top, which is incredibly breathable and light. I took a 4L vest with two 500ml softflasks, which I used one for carb/ electrolyte mix and the other for water. In terms of safety kit, I took a very small emergency shelter and a windproof, knowing that the weather, even on the tops, was due to be warm all day. Finally, food wise I mostly had cab mix, with a selection of bars and small peanut butter bread rolls. Any chocolate that I took was very soft in the warm weather!"

The round fully lived up to James' expectations, as something he would happily recommend to others.

"It's a great link up of hills, an amazing journey. The sheer amount of wild terrain makes this a tough and challenging round, something I imagine Martin Moran himself would have loved! Some of the standout highlights for me include doing the Pinnacles on Liathach fast and light; seeing the stunning skyline of the Torridon hills turn golden as the sun set into the Atlantic; and watching a golden eagle fly off and circle above me as I ran off the summit of Sgorr Dubh..."