Ultra runner Wiebke Lammers describes her FKT (Fastest Known Time) on Scotland’s coast-to-coast John Muir Way as “the cherry on the cake”.
The 48-year-old data management officer completed the 134-mile trail, with 1750m of total ascent, from Helensburgh on Argyll and Bute’s west coast to Dunbar in East Lothian in 40 hours and nine minutes.
While she is delighted to have claimed the FKT title, she says the run was meant to more of a “great day out with friends”.
Wiebke, originally from Germany and now living in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, explains: “I have been doing ultra runs for about 10 years and I have completed many challenges such as the Arc of Attrition, Devon Coast to Coast, the Jurassic 100 and the Lakeland 100 twice.
“I love a long-distance run or a hike – especially a hike – and when I moved to Alexandria four years ago I realised the John Muir Way was close by.
“I started exploring it and I also noticed on the FKT website that while there was a time set by a man, James Stewart, for the fastest supported run and two others, self-supported and unsupported, set by Kristian Delacour, there wasn’t a female FKT.”
A few years went by in which time Wiebke completed a few more ultra races, including the Winter Spine Race and the Cape Wrath Ultra.
She picks up the story: “For some reason, I started thinking about the John Muir Way again as a non-stop run.
“I happened to bump into Kristian at the Tweed Valley Ultra late last year and he encouraged me to go for it.
“I decided it would be good training for another event I have this year, the Northern Traverse in England, and I also thought I would see if any of my running friends wanted to support me.
“I planned to run the route in January and it would mean short days, long nights and quite a bit of running in urban areas, so I knew company would be a good idea.
“I was surprised by how many people, especially fellow members of my running clubs, the Westies, said they would help. So, that was decided – I’d aim to run the full length of the John Muir Way and, if I managed that, I would set an FKT.”
Wiebke set what she calls an “ambitious goal” of 30 hours to complete the route. She says: “I am not a fast runner. I am usually at the back of the middle pack in an event, or even towards the back of the field, but I still really enjoy long-distance challenges.
“I wanted to see how far I could run and also to explore how much sleep I would need over the long distance.”
Wiebke’s John Muir Way FKT
Wiebke reveals that the weather was great for the FKT, which she started at Helensburgh at 7am on January 17, 2025. There was only a short spell of drizzle and while cold, the rest of the challenge was bright and sunny. Even the nights were calm and included two “amazing” moon rises.
She ran east, fully supported by 22 friends. They helped to pace her, kept her company, carried kit, clothes changes, food and water and met her at various different points.
She says: “I had such fun. It was so great to have so many people supporting me. I’d always wanted to have a great day out with friends doing something like the Bob Graham Round so this was my way of doing something similar.”
The only difficulties came at Linlithgow, around halfway into the route, when Wiebke says “my quads blew up”. She adds: “It was annoying that my quads suddenly hurt because the rest of my body felt fine.
“Maybe I had not done enough squats before the run. I had a few small blisters on my feet, which is to be expected, but once my quads had gone I needed to hike, not run.”
By far the hardest section came at the end of the John Muir Way. She says: “I was so sleep deprived – I’d had only a 10-minute nap in the Meadows in Edinburgh at about 90 miles and the second morning of the run – and my body was really fatigued as we headed into the last section in East Lothian.
“I didn’t want to eat either. I have never had any digestion or nausea issues during ultra runs but I can get to the stage where I don’t want to eat at all. Everyone kept offering me food and I knew I needed it for energy but I couldn’t face anything.
“In the end, I promised my team I’d eat whatever they next handed me. Someone gave a biscuit – it looked enormous – and I didn’t want it but I started nibbling it and then I felt a lot better.
“This was a good lesson for me – even when I feel like I can’t eat anything, I need to try to force myself to do so because it makes the body feel so much better.”
Wiebke enjoyed overwhelming relief when she finally reached the museum, John Muir’s Birthplace, in Dunbar at the end of the route at 11pm on January 18. Her watch showed 139 miles due to a couple of diversions on the way and occasional missed turns due to sleep deprivation.
She says: “The last 15 miles had been so hard and so slow and I was just so relieved to get to the end.
“I am very happy to have set an FKT and I have no doubt that there will be many other females who can go much faster than me but having my name against such a title really is the cherry on the cake of a great day out with friends.
“I hope that other people are inspired to run an ultra. You don’t have to be the fastest to do these events and there are plenty of people who take part who are just there to enjoy the adventure.
“I sometimes still have this little voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t be proud of myself because I am not fast but I realise more and more that this is wrong.
“I should be proud of myself for completing many long races and challenges I shouldn’t worry about my speed. I hope more people can do the same.”