A runner from Inverness has set a new record on the UK’s tallest mountain. Francisco Javier “Javi” Cabrera Valdes ran seven times up and down Ben Nevis in under 24 hours. He beat the previous record time of seven ascents by Paweł Cymbalista in 2021.
Javi, 40, a member of Highland Hill Runners, ran a total of 106km and more than 9200m to set the impressive solo and self-supported feat at the weekend. After he finished, he said: “I felt elated.”
Pawel said: “What a great effort from Javi. These records are there to be broken and I am very happy that Javi has done this. Seven up and down Ben Nevis is very hard work so big congratulations to him.”
Javi set off from the base of 1345m tall Ben Nevis – at the gate to the so-called tourist path near the Ben Nevis Inn – at Fort William at 5.57pm on Friday May 19. He finished 21 hours and nine minutes later at 3.06pm on Saturday May 20. Javi averaged 3.01 hours for each of his climbs of Ben nevis.
Javi, who is a pupil support assistant, says: “At this point, I took the decision to settle for seven ascents. I had less than three hours left for a potential eighth rep and I did push harder on that seventh descent – it was my fastest actually – but at the bottom I was nine minutes over 21 hours, which left me with only two hours and 51 minutes for an eighth ascent.
“All my reps since the fourth one had been more than three hours so it was very unlikely I could do it in time. That was it.
“I thought, seven times would do.”
The weather during the record run started warm and calm but turned colder and very windy after the third rep. There were patches of fog at times that affected how far Javi could see ahead and some light rain, which made the rocks slippery.
Why the Ben Nevis 24-hour record?
Javi, who is originally from Spain, was inspired to make the Ben Nevis record attempt by Pawel. He says: “I’ve taken part in the Ben Nevis Race before and my fastest time is 1:50. I have also run down the Ben in a horrible state in about an hour after completing both a Tranter Round (2017) and a Ramsay Round (2019).
“With this in mind, I reckoned that roughly speaking I could, on average, climb up in two hours and get down in an hour. So I worked out that for a 24-hour challenge I’d be able to mange eight times.
“It’s amazing how we can persuade ourselves of something when simplifying it…”
Javi also reports that he feels comfortable in the mountains of Lochaber. He says: “It feels like home to me thanks to years of racing and different challenges, as well as knowing many people who do mountain challenges. That familiarity somehow helps to normalise these kinds of challenges.
“To be honest, when I look at what other runners do, such as Donnie Campbell’s fastest non-stop Munro round, Pawel’s Cape Wrath Trail record run and Finlay Wild’s crazy times in the Big 3 Rounds, to name a few of the better known ones, doing a steady 24-hour thing seemed more feasible.”
Javi takes part in many races, such as Cow Hill. Credit: Gordie Taylor 
Loch Ness 2022. Credit: Irene Mallol
Training for the Ben Nevis record
Javi, who has a three-year old daughter with his partner Irene, says: “I like doing many different things including races, Munros and challenges, so I don’t focus on a specific goal. I am really bad at choosing – because I want to do everything! – so I try to maintain a certain level of fitness all year round and go for something when the opportunity presents itself.
“My running routine is quite simple. On average, I run 50-mile weeks with 2000 to 3000m-plus of ascent.
“On week days, I run up and down to the mast of Craig Dunain in Inverness. I make use of a treadmill with inclination when the weather is rubbish or my knees complain too much during the descents.
“At the weekends, I do more mast runs, Parkrun, races and Munro bagging.
“On this occasion, I already felt quite fit so I just put in some more miles and climbing for about three weeks and did around 65 miles with more than 5000m-plus per week. I rested for three days and then went for it.”
Tough times on the Ben
Javi says: “I felt very strong climbing up on the first ascent, but I felt my legs were heavier than they should be on the descent. I had been sore most of that week after the Beinn Bhan Horseshoe race only six days before.
“From then on, I decided to take the downhill sections easier than initially planned, making sure I took even shorter strides and finding ‘micro switchbacks’ within the path width to reduce the steepest parts.
“The idea was to save my legs as much as possible and also to delay the knee issues that I usually have after long descents.”
Javi also fought fatigue. He says: “In terms of physical tiredness, it always manifests itself to me as a feeling of boredom and wanting to be at home. This happens just before I run out of energy. Now I know that I only have to put some calories in and it will pass.
“During this challenge, I felt like that once, when starting my fifth rep. I had already stopped eating solids after only two cereal bars and was lacking calories so I forced myself to eat an extra Snickers bar and half a cereal bar and it passed.
“I find a useful way to to trick my mind is dealing with the challenge in terms of reps or laps, using the well-known technique of splitting it into smaller chunks.
“For example, it sounds much easier to do something eight times than thinking about facing all those miles and climbing in one go. If I’m very tired, I tell myself I can at least try one more rep and then I’ll reassess again after that one and so on.”
Javi chose to start the challenge in the evening. He says: “I know that usually my lowest point, mentally speaking, is just before the night. I am totally fine running at night but it’s those moments of dusk twilight that make me feel some kind of sadness.
“As soon as it’s completely dark, I am okay. I couldn’t have faced having that feeling in the last stages of the challenge.
“Also, the mental boost of the sunrise around the middle of the challenge is always a welcomed bonus.
“During these challenges there are usually lows but I always remind myself that nothing lasts, everything good or bad always passes sooner or later, so I just need to keep moving and time will do the rest.”
Highlights of Javi’s Ben Nevis record
Javi completed the challenge solo and self-supported. He used the boot of his car at the foot of the Ben for resupplying food and water.
Javi says: “I am sure many people from Highland Hill Runners and other clubs would have gladly helped me, and of course my family and friends, but I never told anyone about the attempt itself.
“Only my partner, Irene, knew about it. I like the simplicity of doing things solo and I tend to change things last minute, both ways, to go for it or to call it off, so involving people would undoubtedly constrain that freedom, or my erratic behaviour!”
Javi described the night-time reps as “amazing”. He says: “There was only myself on the mountain but I enjoyed watching the lights at the bottom and the sheep with their glowing eyes and cute lambs running across the path calling for mum.
“The hordes of hikers kept me entertained, too. A few times I had to stop to let them pass in some of the narrowest parts of the path but they were encouraging me even though they didn’t know what I was doing.
“Some of them noticed me two or three different times going up and down and asked me if I was doing it two times. When I answered that it was my fifth, sixth or seventh time, many swore in disbelief. I had never heard such a variety of swearing in so many accents.”
Javi’s fuelling strategy
Javi kept it as simple as he could with products he already knows work well for him, including Tailwind, SIS gels, SIS electrolyte tablets, flapjacks, chocolate bars and a single 500ml flat Coke after his fourth rep.
He says: “Every rep I was drinking 500ml of water with a gel and a SIS electrolyte tablet. Then I’d fuel on other products on each ascent.”
In total Javi consumed:
- 14 x Tailwind sachets
- 13 x SIS gels (4 with caffeine)
- 6 x SIS electrolyte tablets
- 1 x Chia bar
- 1 x Clif bar
- 1/2 x Torq flapjack bar
- 4 x Snickers
- 2 x KitKat
- 1 x 500ml flat Coke
- 11 litres of water (10 of them mixed with Tailwind or SIS electrolytes)
Javi finishes strong
Surprisingly, Javi reports he had no major aches or issues after finishing. He says: “On the final descent, I felt very strong and ran faster than ever during the challenge. I know I didn’t have to save energy or my legs any more.
“Some hikers clapped from the Ben Nevis Inn when I reached the gate. I stopped my GPS, gave them thumbs up and shouted thank you to them. I walked to the car, got changed and took a selfie at the gate, which is the only picture I took.
“I was elated, particularly because I felt good and whole after it. I had no major aches or issues.
“I drove home and that is when I could finally rest and share my happiness with my family over beer and pizza to celebrate.”
Javi’s 24-hour Ben Nevis fundraiser
Javi works with children with additional and special needs. He says: “Every day, I see the real challenges that these children and their families face. That helps me to take a relaxed approach to my sporting challenges.
“After all, it’s just running, and something we love and choose to do. The worst that can happen, barring accidents, is that I don’t run as many reps as I thought and I go back home to the safety of my home and family.
“I never thought this record would attract much attention but on seeing the interest of people and the press, I’ve decided to set up a fundraising appeal to raise funds to help the children in my school, Dalneigh Primary, in Inverness.
You can support and donate to Javi’s fundraiser.
Javi’s other challenge successes
Javi joined Highland Hill Runners where he has made friends and running buddies. He says: “Building a network of like-minded people has helped me greatly in my running endeavours.”
Javi is close to competing all of Scotland’s 282 Munros. He has also completed:
- Tranter’s Round in 2017, anti-clockwise, solo and unsupported, 15:42.
- Great Glen Way in 2018, with David Gallie, supported by Gordie Taylor and Gus, 14:21.
- Round of Glen Coe in 2019, solo and unsupported, 10:33.
- Ramsay’s Round in 2019, anti-clockwise, solo and unsupported, 23:47.
- 2nd place at the Ben Nevis Ultra in 2019, 8:00
- 3rd place at the Loch Ness 24 in 2022, 24 laps, 104 miles, 21:25.
- He also shared the record of the Ring of Inverpolly (completed for the first time by Alec Keith in 1998). Javi says: “I did this challenge with Luke Taylor, who is a great hill runner and friend. Him being faster than myself was crucial in this achievement for me in 2022. We did it together but unsupported.”