A new Scottish trail and ultra running event has been launched for this summer with four races of different distances staged over two days.
The Blair Castle Trail Weekender on June 5 and 6 takes place in the grounds of Blair Atholl Castle and Estate in Perthshire.
With four races, from 5km to 58km, there is a distance and route to suit everyone, from beginner to experienced ultra runners.
The races include:
- Diana’s Grove 5k with just over 75m elevation gain.
- Hercules Garden 10km with just under 200m elevation gain.
- Dearg Up ‘n’ Doon 29km with just over 1000m of elevation gain. This race includes the mountain, Beinn Dearg (1008m).
- Full Tilt Ultra 58km with almost 2000m of elevation gain. This race includes two mountain, Beinn Dearg (1008m) and Carn a’Chlamain (963m).
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Trail race weekend
All races in the Blair Castle Trail Weekender start at the event village in Blair Atholl Castle grounds.
Runners will then pass the front of the historic castle and into the woodland of Diana’s Grove, which features huge trees, including the tallest Japanese Larch and Red Fir in the UK.
From here, depending on the choice of race, runners either loop round past Hercules Garden and back toward the event village; fork off up the winding trails of picturesque Glen Tilt; or head towards the 1009m high summit of Beinn Dearg.
The weekend will include a range of additional activities that are covered by the cost of your race entry. This extends to friends and family who are with you, even if they’re not running.
There will be a family activity tent, yoga classes, catering, a bar area, a post-race hot meal and live music on the Saturday night. It’s hoped there will be a line up of guest speakers, too.
Runners and their families are welcome to camp at the castle for a fee of £5 per tent. (Note: This includes toilet access, although no shower facilities.) There are also plenty of other accommodation options in the area, such as Blair Castle Caravan Park, self catering properties, hotels and B&Bs.
To find out more and to enter one of the trail or ultra running races, see EntryCentral.
