After a 12-year absence, Lomond School participated in the challenging Scottish Islands Peaks Race, completing it in an impressive time of 2 days, 20 hours, and 24 seconds. Notably, Lomond School was one of only two youth teams to finish out of five in that category, especially significant since no youth teams completed the race last year.
This thrilling adventure race features teams of sailors and fell runners—both youth and adult—held annually in the stunning landscapes of Scotland’s west coast. The race is continuous, meaning any stops or use of a motor can lead to disqualification, making it a formidable challenge both physically and mentally.
The race commenced on Friday 16 May at 12 p.m. in Oban with a brief hill run, followed by a sail to Salen on Mull, a run over Ben Talaidh, a sail to Craighouse on Jura, a run over the Paps, a sail to Arran, a run up Goat Fell, and finally, a sail to Troon for the finish. The Lomond School team consisted of S4 students Daniel and Ben and S5 students Tom, Archie, Cameron, Matthew, Luke, and Sam, all supported by a group of teachers and former pupils. The students finished the race in the glorious morning sunshine in Troon just after 8am on Monday 19 May.
Neil MacKay, a teacher at Lomond School and race coordinator, stated: “This has been a wonderful, tough and at times emotional journey for Daniel, Ben, Tom, Archie, Cameron, Matthew, Luke & Sam—not just over the past 68 hours, but also during the countless hours of training leading up to it. The team also had to adapt to unusual weather conditions for Scotland, the lack of wind! At times, the boat had to be manually rowed in order to move forward – at one point for 6 hours to move 3 miles! I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who supported the team, especially the adult runners Miss Murray, Morgan Serpell, Ross Flatman (notably for his exceptional helmsmanship), Mr. Fulton (who played a crucial role in training the boys), and finally, Skipper Michael Ferguson with his impressive boat, Cladach Mor. I can’t wait to do it again in 2026!”
Claire Chisholm, Principal of Lomond School, added: “The Scottish Island Peaks Race is an exhilarating adventure for all involved and exemplifies how the Lomond School community comes together, offering their time, expertise, and knowledge for incredible events like this. I am thrilled that our team successfully finished this notoriously difficult endurance race. Everyone in the school community was hooked to the tracking app for the whole weekend and we even had members of our Junior School paddle out on their canoe boats to meet the team during the race.
Everyone at Lomond School is immensely proud of every team member.”
