‘Go Green for Garioch’ at transformed Inverurie event
May festival becomes community focused virtual run
The organisers of Run Garioch, one of Aberdeenshire’s largest running festivals, have decided to transform this year’s event into a virtual challenge. ‘Go Green for Garioch’ will run from midnight on Friday, 7 May until 11.59pm on Sunday, 16 May, with all registered runners eligible to take part.
During that 10-day window, runners will be encouraged to complete their runs at a time and location of their choosing, as well as upload images around the theme of ‘green’: the colour of the Garioch Sports Centre, the Inverurie sports and community charity for whose benefit Run Garioch is held each year.
A spokesperson for the 3200+ runner event told runABC Scotland online: "We know how much our runners, sponsors and charity partners look forward to coming together at Run Garioch each year, so taking the event virtual wasn’t an easy decision."
The opportunity to boost the community’s mental and physical health after a long winter and an even longer 12 months since the 2020 edition of Run Garioch was postponed played a big part in the race committee’s decision to go virtual.
"Rather than postponing Run Garioch for a third time – which was really was our only option in the current climate of uncertainty for large events – we decided to do something positive and keep giving our runners a springtime goal to work towards."
She added: "The recent relaxation of restrictions on outdoor activities couldn’t be better news for all our runners, as they will now be able to train – or complete their virtual race – with friends, family or clubmates."
Run Garioch was due to have been held on Sunday, 16 May 2021, having already been postponed from March 2020 and then September 2020.
In addition to finalising the categories for the social media photo competitions as well as further spot prizes for finishers of the virtual challenge.
Image courtesy: Garioch Sports Trust/Run Garioch