Member-only story
Run-On: Transitioning From Marathon to Ultrarunning
The Dava Way 50K in Scotland
Why the Dava?
The Dava Way is one of Scotland’s greatest trails, linking the towns of Grantown-on-Spey and Forres. It is a net-downhill trail run following the old Highland railway line for 24 miles through stunning Scottish moorland, woodland, and farmland.
The Dava 50K is the shortest of four races organised as part of the Moray Way Ultra Series, which is led by local lad, ultra-aficionado, and race director Kyle Greig. Kyle and his running buddy Tom Brian also run a very successful running podcast on all things running in Scotland called Tartan Running Shorts. This year, Kyle added in the inaugural Dava Way, its first appearance as a 50K trail race by adding in a short loop in Grantown-on-Spey, taking in the splendid River Spey and forest before setting off down the Dava to make up the full distance of 50K.
I relocated to North-East Scotland in August 2019 and even before I had moved in, I started to draw up a list of dream trail runs in my new home country. Moving to a new town as a runner was so exciting because I had so many new routes to explore and run. Re-locating to the Highlands of Scotland was a runner’s dream and I quickly built up a list of amazing races on my doorstep, including the Loch Ness Marathon, which I…
