A 35-year-old ultramarathon champion from Dumfries has died while attempting to beat the record for a race to the most north-westerly point on mainland Britain.
David Parrish, a former Royal Marine, NEW who often hiked alongside his spaniel Munro, was trying to become the fastest man to complete the Cape Wrath trail, one of Britain’s most gruelling race routes.
Parrish was found in the remote mountainous area of Kintail in the north-west Highlands on Saturday at about 10.25pm. NEW It is understood that the alarm was raised the open tracking device he ran with indicated he had stopped making progress. In a statement, Police Scotland said: “There are no suspicious circumstances and his next of kin are aware.”
Kintail Mountain Rescue Team paid tribute to “an experienced hillgoer and mountain runner who tragically died doing something he loved.”.
The current record holder, Pawel Cymbalista, an endurance runner and coach who lives in Mallaig, said that the news of Parrish’s death had “shaken him to the core.
“David was in touch before his attempt and I was very supportive of him chasing the record. I know what he was going against on this route. Running this route in a solo, unsupported style brings so many risks.”
Cymbalista said the Cape Wrath trail was one of the oldest routes in the UK, with few proper paths, high grass and boggy areas. During his own attempt, he saw only three other people and sustained himself eating high calorie nut butters, wraps and bagels, while drinking fresh water from mountain streams.
Parrish has planned the attempt before Easter, but postponed it because of Storm Dave.
Despite having competed seriously for only a few years, Parrish had already won the Cape Wrath Ultra in 2023, his first ultra race, in a total time of 45:28:48, the second-fastest time in the event’s history.
This time, he was running the route to raise money for Scottish Mountain Rescue in memory of his close friend, Luke Ireland, who died from hypothermia in November 2014 when the weather changed suddenly as he was running in the mountains around Glen Clova.
Parrish wrote on his fundraising page: “Alongside fellow Marines, volunteers from the Scottish Mountain Rescue deployed in large numbers to search tirelessly for Luke and, tragically, bring him off the hill.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Mountain Rescue said the service was “devastated.
“David was a generous, warm-hearted and inspiring member of our community, who had chosen to take on this challenge in memory of a close friend who lost their life while running in the hills.
“David’s dedication to honouring his friend’s memory, while raising funds to support our service, truly moved us all. His fundraising efforts will support our volunteer teams as they continue to respond to emergencies across Scotland’s mountains, leaving a lasting legacy to both friends in the Scottish outdoors.”
The 234-mile (376km) route from Fort William to Cape Wrath winds through spectacular but physically challenging terrain, covering the windswept peninsula of Knoydart and Applecross and the dramatic peaks of Torridon.
Hundreds of donations flooded in to the fundraising page after the news of his death, taking the current total to more than £15,000, with friends and fellow competitors describing him as an inspiration and passing on condolences to his family.
Parrish started running as a teenager and when he joined the Royal Marines and colleagues say he spoke about using long-distance running to decompress from the relentless demands of the job.
After leaving the Royal Marines he developed his running competitively, first in local races, where he became club champion with Dumfries running club in 2022. Last September, he won first male finisher in the Dragon’s Back race, a six-day, 380km ultramarathon crossing the mountainous spine of Wales from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle.
