Communities Mourn Deaths at the 2026 Marathon des Sables and on the Cape Wrath Trail
The post Communities Mourn Deaths at the 2026 Marathon des Sables and on the Cape Wrath Trail appeared first on iRunFar.
Two deaths in the trail running world over the past week have left communities in mourning. On Wednesday, April 8, a runner identified only as Grégory passed away during the 2026 Marathon des Sables Legendary stage race in Morocco, and on Saturday, April 11, David Parrish of the U.K. died while attempting a fastest known time (FKT) on the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland.
Grégory at the 2026 Marathon des Sables Legendary
The Marathon des Sables Legendary is a six-stage race across the Sahara Desert where racers carry all their own gear and food for the entire race, while the organization provides water and sleeping shelters each night at race bivouacs. Racers must pass a background health check before being allowed to start.
According to the Marathon des Sables race organization, an entrant being identified as Grégory suffered a medical incident around 4 a.m. ahead of the fourth stage. Although he received on-site medical care and was quickly evacuated to a hospital in a local town called Errachidia, he passed away a few days later.
The race organization released a statement which read, in part: “This event has deeply affected the entire Marathon des Sables community, as well as all those who shared this journey alongside him … We kindly ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this time.”
David Parrish on a Cape Wrath Trail FKT Attempt
David, a 35-year-old former U.K. Royal Marine, was attempting to set an unsupported FKT on Scotland’s 240-mile (386 kilometers) Cape Wrath Trail when he passed away in Kintail, a remote and mountainous area in the Scottish Highlands about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Fort Williams, the southern terminus of the trail. He was using the FKT attempt to raise money for the Scottish Mountain Rescue in honor of his friend and fellow Royal Marine Luke Ireland, who died of hypothermia while mountain running in 2014. On his fundraising page, David wrote highly of the Scottish Mountain Rescue team and noted the invaluable services the volunteer-based group provides to the mountain community.
The Cape Wrath Trail extends from Fort Williams in the south to the Cape Wrath lighthouse in the north, and David was familiar with the route, having won the 2023 Cape Wrath Ultra, an eight-day stage race along the route. David also won the 240-mile (385 kilometers) Dragon’s Back Race in Wales in 2025.
David was reported missing on Saturday and was located later that night during a search led by volunteers from the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, which is represented by the Scottish Mountain Rescue organization.
A written statement from the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team said, “Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. David was an experienced hillgoer and mountain runner who tragically died doing something he loved.”
David’s fundraiser is still open for donations and has raised more than £23,000 pounds as of this article’s writing.
iRunFar extends our sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Grégory and David.
Communities Mourn Deaths at the 2026 Marathon des Sables and on the Cape Wrath Trail by Eszter Horanyi.
