A HARDY Scots runner managed to come in fourth in a gruelling race up and down Ben Nevis – despite being covered in blood after a rock split his head open.
Callum Fraser needed seven stitches after a piece of debris came loose from Scotland’s highest mountain on Saturday and smacked him in the back of his head.
The 26-year-old from Fort William, Scottish Highlands had already ran the majority of the 14km race and was on his way back down when he was momentarily stopped in his tracks by the incident.
Undeterred and keen to complete the race, Callum’s adrenaline took over and saw him come in fourth out of more than 350 runners taking part in the yearly Ben Nevis Race.
The determined engineer ended up taking just one hour and forty one minutes to complete the race – taking just 30 minutes for the descent.
Dramatic images show Callum covered in blood down his face, neck and all over his Lochaber running vest.
Speaking today, he said: “I think I actually knocked the rock as I was running past then I overtook it on the downhill section.
“It gathered speed and struck me on the back of the head.
“I was already halfway down the hill and I thought well I can either walk from here or just carry on running, so I kept on running.
“I didn’t actually feel it at the time, the adrenaline kept me going but I was getting a lot of funny looks on the way down from people.
“As soon as the race finished, I went to the medical tent and was then taken to Belford hospital in Fort William where I got seven stitches.
“In my head I just thought I had done most of the work so there was no chance I was stopping.
“It was my best finish to come fourth in my sixth race and I’ll be back next year one hundred percent. It’s not put me off whatsoever.”
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team posted images of Callum on Facebook yesterday, writing: “No LMRT assistance required here, only true Lochaber grit and determination, congratulations to Callum Fraser on finishing fourth at the weekend after a close one.
“Well done to all the runners who completed the Ben Nevis Race and Finlay who triumphed once again as Lochaber dominated the results.”
The post attracted over 1,500 likes and comments from impressed social media users who branded Callum hardcore for completing the race covered in blood.
Pawel Cymbalista said: “I hope you had a few pints after celebrating this battle, pretty epic battle scar I would say.
“My mum almost fainted when she saw you at the finish.”
Vicky Taylor said: “Bloody legend he is.”
Stuart Anderson said: “A mere flesh wound, other sportsmen especially footballers could learn a lot from these true athletes’ grit and determination.”
Elma MacInnes said: “Well done Callum, it looked like nothing was going to stop you finishing.”
Leigh Kinnaird said: “This is seriously hardcore, legend.”
The Ben Nevis race is an annual event which sees keen enthusiasts scale the United Kingdom’s highest mountain before rushing back down again.
The first timed event on the 4,413ft mountain was in 1895.
