As part of the conditions for running the Trotternish Ridge race we had to jump through a few hoops. As it's a SSSI area we need to submit photos of each check point before and after the runners have been through. We also need to divert runners away from a Golden Eagle nest and an area of rare bog plant that only grows here and Iceland.
In the 8 years we've run it there has never been any damage done to the ground. Runners approach the check points from a myriad of directions and the day after the race when we're collecting CPs etc there's rarely even any stud marks. What is evident though is rubbish dropped from walkers doing the Skye Trail and a motor bike track that some tool left when he rode the whole route 10 years ago. Saying that, I often use the remnants of the motor bike tracks as a navigation aid when it's misty.