Braemar, United Kingdom · Saturday, June 13, 2026

Fixed Distance 50K

Cairngorms Ultra Trail

Race completed

60 km Distance

1,146 m Climbing

4.7 Grit · Challenging

57.0058° N, 3.3997° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Climbing rate 19 m / km Rolling. Moderate undulations. Requires consistent effort across varying grades.

Time limit 12.5 hours 12:30 min/km average. Generous. Walkable throughout for most of the field. About average for a 50K. Measured against 1035 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~92 Mid-sized. Company early, well spread out by halfway.

DUV results for the 2024 edition (60km) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, June

Daytime high 14°C

Night low 7°C

Rainfall Showers likely

Daylight 17 h 48 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for June — NASA POWER, grid elevation 414 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2024	60km	92	David Elder · 05:49:09	Katie Bain · 06:12:32
2023	60km	69	Stuart Paterson · 05:03:47	Suzanne Lafferty · 07:07:35
2022	60km	95	Stuart Ross · 05:04:28	Rosie Doull · 06:05:50
2021	62km	105	Josh Bakker-Dyos · 05:09:52	Dee Watters · 06:55:02

The field grew 33% between 2023 (69) and 2024 (92). 36% of the 2024 field were women.

DUV results for the 2024 edition (60km) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

The Aid Station

Course-specific beta from the community

⛰️ terrain

This is a rolling course. Expect fast, runnable sections where rhythm is key.

By UltraHub Expert

👟 gear

With trail terrain, choose a shoe with moderate cushioning for optimal performance.

By UltraHub Expert

Gear for this race

Chosen for 60 km of trail with 1,146 m of ascent.

Trail Running Shoes 60 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
Race Nutrition 60 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 60 km, without the bounce.
Headlamps A 12.5 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 60 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Adidas

Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra

RunRepeat found the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra to be perfect for midfoot and forefoot strikers, while iRunFar noted that the shoe feels incredibly effici…

★★★★★ 4.5

Adidas

Terrex Speed Ultra

RunRepeat found the Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra to have a grippy outsole and great lockdown, while iRunFar noted that the shoe works on a variety of trail conditi…

★★★★★ 4.5

Spring Energy

Awesome Sauce

Real food gel with 180 calories. Rice-based with natural flavors.

$4 ★★★★★ 4.6

Salomon

ADV Skin 12

Industry-standard 12L race vest with front flask pockets and minimal bounce.

$180 ★★★★★ 4.8

Petzl

NAO RL

1500-lumen reactive lighting headlamp with 15-hour runtime. Automatic brightness adjustment.

$150 ★★★★★ 4.7

Garmin

Enduro 3

Ultra-endurance GPS watch with solar charging and 300+ hour battery in GPS mode.

$900 ★★★★★ 4.8

All gear guides →

Overview

The Cairngorms Ultra Trail is a 60km trail race in Braemar, United Kingdom, held in June. With 1146m of elevation gain, the course averages 19.1m of climb per kilometre. The route is 97% off-road, following well-defined paths and tracks.

The race has been run 4 times since 2021, with 92 finishers in its most recent edition in 2024. Its field size is larger than 76% of 2649 comparable 50k events. The 12.5-hour time limit means a cutoff pace of 12.5 minutes per kilometre, which is tighter than 41% of 1008 peer races.

Similar races

Other 50K trail ultras, closest in distance first.