Since when did running become so exclusive?

Many of us have reached the conclusion of late that the world has gone mad, so it will come as no surprise to learn that it’s now possible to sign-up for a run with an entry fee that’s proudly claimed to be ‘the second highest in the world’.

To those who have long regarded running as a) something that you would pay not to do or b) an activity that’s appealing because it’s one of the few things left in life that’s free, entering the four-day ‘Highland Kings Ultra’ might seem like an odd way to blow £15,499. But, according to organiser Primal Adventures, ‘a significant number’ of the 40 slots for the April 2022 event are already filled.

Running has moved on a bit since Oxford medical student Roger Bannister became the first to crack the four-minute-mile at the Iffley Road track in May 1954 without the aid of a FitBit, running App, a single bit of Lycra or even ergonomically-designed shoes that make Jimmy Choos seem like a bargain (although Bannister’s brittle leather GT Law and Son running spikes did fetch £266,500 at Christie’s back in 2015).