"There were two things I was sure of when I decided to race "the toughest adventure race in Europe". First, that I would be overwhelmed by the Outer Hebrides; second, that this would be the hardest race I've done. On both counts, I underestimated "
	- Robert Nagle, winner of the Eco Challenge, Raid Gauloises and Southern Traverse.  Runner up twice in the Solo Challenge

The Western Isles Challenge Solo Event is unquestionably one of the world's toughest athletic tests, involving around 10-12 hours of sustained physical effort per day for three consecutive days over some very inhospitable terrain. Disciplines required are hill-running, road and mountain biking and sea-kayaking

An outline map of the route is  here. It basically follows the Team Event route, but with less hill-running and more biking. There is also only one canoe leg per day, instead of two or more for the team competitors. Distances in this year's event will vary according to the options chosen, but as a guide, approximate distances in the last event were:

The solo event attracts some of the world's top adventure racers:  for the 98 event event the field included Robert Nagle, Adrian Crane and Ike Wilson

Rules for the Individual Event are essentially the same as for the Team Event, e.g. in respect of qualifications, sea kayak experience, clothing requirements etc The main differences are here

There is no fee to enter the Individual Event. At present, there is also no purse, but this may change depending upon sponsorship negotiations. There will be prizes of outdoor gear at least

A maximum of 15 individual competitors will be accepted for the event, so please get your entry in early!  You can enter here

For further details please contact RD Ian Callaghan

For a great account of the solo event, read Robert Nagle's 1996 Race Diary here or Matt Fitzgerald's report of the 1998 race here

	Mark Laithwaite, 1998 solo event winner and British champion quadrathlete, crosses the finishing line
	Ados Crane takes a short swim following a squall in the Sound of Barra