The Scottish operating group was saddened to listen to of Charlie Ramsay’s (1943 to 2025) latest passing. He was 81 years outdated. Charlie was a superb mountain runner greatest recognized for creating the Ramsay Spherical.
“The Ramsay,” as it’s also typically referred to as, is a circuit of the mountains of the Lochaber area in northwest Scotland. It includes 24 summits over an approximate distance of 56 miles (90.123 kilometers) with 28,500 toes (8686.8 meters) of climbing. The problem is to finish it in beneath 24 hours.
Charlie Ramsay (1943 to 2025). Picture: Carnethy Hill Operating Membership
The Start of the Ramsay Spherical
On July 9, 1978, Charlie Ramsay accomplished the circuit now often called the Ramsay Spherical in 23 hours and 58 minutes — slightly below the 24-hour mark. His closing descent of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, has turn out to be legendary. Ben Nevis is the ultimate summit of the spherical when its run in a counterclockwise path. Runners need to descend nearly 1,400 meters in three and a half miles to achieve the ending level, the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, on the foot of the mountain.
With lower than two minutes to spare, one can debate whether or not Charlie was reducing it high quality, or it was excellent timing!
The historical past of the spherical is effectively documented on its web site. Briefly, the skilled walker and mountaineer Philip Tranter created Tranter’s Spherical, a 36-mile circuit with 19 Munro summits in Lochaber. The Munros are all of the Scottish mountains over 3,000 toes (914.4 meters), and in accordance with the Scottish Mountaineering Membership’s newest survey, there are 282 of them.
Tranter accomplished that circuit inside 24 hours, primarily climbing. With a hill runner’s mindset and shifting sooner every time potential, Charlie merely prolonged this spherical — taking in additional summits within the east and north to make a tough problem a wee bit more durable. The 23 Munros Charlie climbed within the effort additionally represented the Scottish 24-hour Munros file on the time.
After a niche of 9 years, Martin Stone turned the second particular person to finish the Ramsay Spherical. He commented: “When Charlie prolonged Tranter’s Spherical in 1978, touring a considerable distance additional east, he created a spherical comparable in distance and climb to England’s [famous] Bob Graham Spherical.”
The Ramsay Spherical has impressed 272 people to date to emulate Charlie in beneath 24 hours. After Charlie established his spherical, Paddy Buckley created his spherical in Wales, the Paddy Buckley Spherical, a number of years later. Collectively, the Bob Graham Spherical, Ramsay Spherical, and Paddy Buckley Spherical are the “huge three rounds,” and [completing all three] makes an amazing problem after the primary spherical is full.
By nature, Charlie Ramsay was a personal, humble particular person. The Ramsay Spherical web site doesn’t let you know an terrible lot about Charlie. It nearly performs down his function whereas making the spherical itself the primary story. Charlie and the fell and mountain runners of the Eighties would by no means consider what they did as something particular. They had been merely doing what they cherished, difficult themselves and having fun with the mountains and open areas with out in search of any accolades.
Charlie himself epitomized this. He was there to supply assist and help to the early pioneer completers of the spherical, and his help continued into latest years because the spherical grew in reputation. Charlie would have been involved with most people who’ve tried the spherical by e-mail or cellphone and made a private look at many makes an attempt.
Harvey, the well-known Scottish map makers, even produced a map of the Ramsay Spherical, and Charlie — via talks at numerous mountaineering occasions and with native operating teams — was keen to advertise the spherical and encourage skilled runners to tackle the 24-hour problem.
Charlie Ramsay and six-time Ramsay finisher, Graham Nash, at certainly one of Charlie’s talks to runners organized by Edinburgh Operating Store Run and Develop into in January 2020. Picture: Adrian Stott
He was simply as enthusiastic in encouraging mere mortals to run or stroll the spherical in phases of their selecting — both over an extended weekend or coming again at totally different instances to sort out shorter phases — as he was to advise elite runners aiming to problem the information. At a chat to a bunch of runners and outside adventurers in Edinburgh, he proudly let or not it’s recognized that his spouse, Mary, had accomplished the spherical, however not in 24 hours.
There’s a listing on the web site of the 273 completions of the spherical in beneath 24 hours thus far. In case your try was profitable, you’d write to Charlie with transient particulars, and he would add your title to the listing, all handled as equals. One Ramsay-ist has described it effectively: “There’s a unusual dedication and obsession simply to have your title listed on a fairly area of interest web site that solely loopy hill runners have a look at anyway!”
For that dedication and obsession, many owe due to Charlie for being the unique inspiration.
Tributes to Charlie Ramsay and His Legacy
Many tributes have been supplied to Charlie.
Andy Spenceley, Carnethy Hill Operating Membership
Andy Spenceley, an excellent pal and main mild within the Carnethy Hill Operating Membership, posted on the membership web site:
“Charlie Ramsay, some of the well-known Scottish hill runners, died a number of days in the past at 81. Charlie had been hill operating because the Nineteen Seventies, initially for Lochaber AC, with many completions of races such because the Ben Nevis Race, the Ben Lomond Hill Race, and Carnethy 5 Hill Race, and, after all, he was the founder and first completer of the Ramsay Spherical in 1978 … He then joined and ran for Carnethy, which was his native membership, and later was awarded life membership. He was nonetheless operating races for Carnethy effectively into his 60s, his final Carnethy 5 being in 2008.
“Many Carnethy members and much more from the broader hill/fell operating group have obtained recommendation and encouragement from Charlie earlier than their try on the Ramsay Spherical. Only a few individuals would do the spherical and not using a phrase with Charlie and getting some insights from him in his affable however straight-talking type — he wasn’t one who wasted phrases — he preferred to inform it the way it was! Many can have their very own “Charlie Ramsay” tales — like mine of operating the Tranter Spherical with Charlie in torrential rain, inflicting us to bail out after the Mamores, with streams in spate and uncrossable. We then had a furry time making an attempt to get again to Glen Nevis, with Charlie being his traditional calm, unruffled self all through.”
Finlay Wild, Present Males’s Ramsay Spherical Document Holder
Finlay Wild, who set the present males’s file of 14 hours and 42 minutes in August 2020, unsupported, supplied his tribute:
“Charlie was an enthralling, participating character who all the time had time for individuals and loved sharing his enthusiasm for the hills. He shall be sadly missed. The Ramsay Spherical rightly sits on the prime desk of U.Okay. endurance hill operating. Charlie’s achievement in 1978 not solely produced a permanent, much-loved traditional problem however was an enormous step up for the 24-hour Munro file.”
Finlay Wild climbing Yewbarrow on the Bob Graham Spherical, England’s equal of the Ramsay Spherical. Picture: Paul Wilson
Helene Whitaker, First Girl to Full the Ramsay Spherical
Helene Whitaker (previously Diamantides), who in July of 1989 turned the primary feminine to finish the Ramsay Spherical and, with Mark Rigby, turned the general fourth and fifth Ramsay-ists, recalled fondly a day on the hills with Charlie, on the route that he created:
“A month after my spherical with Mark, we supported Adrian Belton, who lowered the then file to 18 hours, 23 minutes. Charlie additionally got here alongside to help, with Martin Stone. It was a gathering largely manufactured from the small group of runners to finish the Ramsay Spherical at the moment.
“I feel that the Ramsay is the very best spherical of all of the circuits in Nice Britain. Twenty-four Munros — because it was then — in 24 hours has a really neat symmetry. Although among the summits have been demoted from Munro standing, every hill is a stonking huge mountain in its personal proper. There aren’t any little bumps and lumps that it’s a must to go over to search out the route. It’s a clear, beautiful circuit, which was a good looking design.”
Jasmin Paris, Present Ladies’s Ramsay Spherical Document Holder
Jasmin Paris, additionally a member of Carnethy Hill Operating Membership, who set the present girls’s file in June 2016 of 16 hours, 13 minutes, supplied this tribute:
“My Ramsay Spherical expertise is among the many most memorable and satisfying of my operating profession, second solely to ending the Barkley Marathons.
“I didn’t know Charlie that effectively earlier than my Ramsay try, so I used to be shocked and delighted to see him ready for me by the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel on the inhospitable hour of two.45 a.m. once I was as a consequence of begin. I used to be equally happy to see him on the end, the place he shared within the champagne and euphoria of a staff of mates and a job effectively executed. That was Charlie.
“He was a real legend of the hills and extremely beneficiant together with his help and time. Within the years that adopted, I met him many instances on his walks over Allermuir, within the Pentland Hills, simply south of Edinburgh, once I was out coaching. After a cease to speak, I’d all the time run on with a smile. He shall be a lot missed.”
Jasmin Paris (heart) with Charlie Ramsay (to her proper) and her crew after her profitable completion of the Ramsay Spherical. Picture courtesy of Jasmin Paris.
To Act on Creativeness
In his e book “The Mountains Are Calling,” Jonny Muir, who accomplished the Ramsay Spherical himself, wrote: “Creativeness is to not be underestimated, however to behave on creativeness is the true measure of greatness. That’s Charlie’s legacy: giving individuals an outlet for his or her goals. Following Charlie’s preliminary completion in 1978, nobody efficiently repeated the spherical for 9 years. Then got here the spherical’s golden period, as 5 icons of hill operating, Martin Stone, Jon Broxap, Helene Diamantides, Mark Rigby, and Adrian Belton, iced the cake that Charlie had created.”
Charlie is survived by his spouse, Mary, and youngsters, Grant, Fergus, and Ashley.
With due to Andy Spenceley at Carnethy Hill Operating Membership, for permission to cite from their membership discover.
Additionally, we thank Jonny Muir for permitting us to cite from his e book.
Jasmin Paris at first of her Ramsay Spherical with Charlie and Mary Ramsay, and Graham Nash. Picture courtesy of Jasmin Paris.
Name for Feedback
- Do you know Charlie Ramsay? In that case, what are your reminiscences of him?
- Have you ever accomplished Ramsay Spherical?