Entries have opened for Run Balmoral 2025 which will take place over the weekend of 26-27 April. And, in a major move towards improving sustainability objectives, next year's event will contribute to one of the biggest nature restoration projects ever undertaken in the Cairngorms.

The River Dee Trust conservation charity has committed to planting a million native trees along the riverbank between now and 2035 as part of a massive scheme to help protect Atlantic salmon and other wildlife in and around the River Dee and its tributaries. The project was launched in 2020 and already over 460,000 native trees have been planted.

So, in 2025, instead of providing t-shirts to competitors, Run Balmoral will contribute one new tree for every runner who signs up to take part in their races which means they could be planting more than 5,000 trees next year.

Run Balmoral ‘s Chair James Knowles said: "We have been talking to the team at the River Dee Trust about this idea, and it is incredibly exciting to bring it to fruition for the 2025 event. It is the right time to make this positive change, and our sponsors and runners are very much behind this initiative.

“It is amazing to think that over 5,000 trees will be planted across key sites on the upper Dee catchment area, where they are most needed."

There is more exciting news with the duathlon being replaced by a six-mile trail race on day two, so even more opportunity for runners of all persuasions to be involved. The other popular races will remain: the MPH primary schools 1.5K, the RAM Tubulars secondary schools 2.5K, the Harbour Energy 5K, and the Stena Drilling 10K on the Saturday, followed by the new six-mile trail race and the Bristow 15-mile trail race on the Sunday.

And, of course, the John Clark Motor Group Devil of Deeside offers the ultimate challenge – with runners tackling the 5K, 10K, six-mile, and 15-mile races.

All runners will be rewarded with the fifth and final medal in the series depicting notable landmarks within and around the Balmoral Estate - in 2025, it will feature the Auld Brig o’Dee.

If you'd like to know more, visit the Run Balmoral website.

Image: Run Balmoral Facebook