David Parrish, a 35-year-old ultra-marathon runner from Dumfries, died while attempting a 234-mile challenge in the Scottish Highlands, just weeks before his wedding. He was found dead in a remote mountainous area of Kintail last Saturday at around 10.25pm.
Parrish, a former Royal Marine, was trying to set the fastest male completion time for the Cape Wrath Trail, which runs from Fort William to the far north of Scotland. His fiancée, Jade Lau, said they had been finalising wedding preparations, including writing speeches and putting together playlists, for their planned nuptials in three weeks.
Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. The cause has not been disclosed. Lau described Parrish as “full of life, funny and loving” and said she was “always very proud and confident of his abilities”.
Parrish had previously completed the Cape Wrath Trail in 2023, winning the event and recording the second-fastest time. This year’s run was dedicated to his close friend and fellow Royal Marine, Luke Ireland, who died aged 20 during a mountain run in 2014. A fundraiser for Scottish Mountain Rescue has raised almost £40,000 in Parrish’s memory.
Tributes have poured in from the running community. Dumfries Running Club, of which Parrish was a member and club champion in 2022, described him as “an immensely talented runner and a wonderful person”.
