New challenge awaits runners at this year's Speyside Way Race ultra
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THERE will be an extra challenge on offer for ultra runners when this year's Speyside Way Race gets under way on August 28.
As the race returns to something approaching normal – Covid regulations last year saw the race postponed to November 14 – a new 100km route has been added.
This will get under starter's orders in Aviemore at 5am, with the runners finishing in Buckie. It will sit alongside the existing 37-mile route from Ballindalloch, beginning at 7am, and also finishing in Buckie.
One of those eagerly anticipating this year's event is race organiser Kyle Greig.
"We wanted to offer runners a new challenge and thought it would be good to offer a 100km as part of this year's Speyside Way ultra," he said.
"The Speyside Way is part of the Moray Way series of races and allows us to offer a wide variety of distances and locations.
"The Speyside Way 100km joins the Moray Coastal 50, Moray Way 100 Mile and the Dava Way 50km. Hopefully the new 100km route will not only attract new runners to the Speyside ultra but also to the other Moray races, as well."
While it is unlikely restrictions will have been completely lifted by the time the race takes place, it will be a completely different atmosphere to last year's event, which hung in the balance more or less right up to race day.
Greig continued: "Things are looking really good so far; at the moment we've got around 170 entrants for the 37 mile route and 50-ish for the 100km.
"It looks like we'll have a strong field this year and I've talked to many top runners who have said they're interested in competing.
"It'll be a totally different experience to last year's race, which was pushed back to November and held under some fairly strict Covid regulations. Only runners from tier 2 areas could enter and that really impacted on the field of entrants.
"The Speyside ultra benefits from being run over established trails and is socially distanced.
"We're actually very pleased that the Speyside ultra is going ahead as many bigger races are being cancelled already, so we may pick up runners who would've otherwise run in those.
"Ultra running is becoming quite a popular sport, it's very accessible and is quite attractive for marathon runners who want to set themselves a new challenge."
Greig appealed for volunteer marshals to come forward and help run the event on race day.
"We simply couldn't run the race without marshals, they vital," he added.
For more information on the Speyside Way ultra race and the other Moray races, visit www.moraywayultras.com
Updates are also posted on the Speyside ultra Facebook page.
