Runners are gearing up for this weekend's Skye Half Marathon. Thought by many to be the premier race in the Scottish Hebrides, hundreds of entrants will experience the peace and tranquility of this island event on Saturday.

The race involves a 13.1 mile loop on closed roads, and provides runners with a unique opportunity to enjoy all that Skye has to offer. Famed for its community feel and friendliness, this race is a sell-out every year! And it's no surprise, the course really is set amidst the some of the most magnificent scenery in the UK.

This year participants will be rewarded with a unique wooden medal which was designed and made by Portree High School's technology department. The fun runners will also receive a medal - one that they can plant to grow wildflowers!

It wouldn't be the Isle of Skye Half Marathon without the presence of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band and Skye Highland Dancers! The pipes signal time to head to the start line and the dancers will be there to perform throughout the morning.

One person who is most certainly gearing up for a weekend of running is local runner, Bruce Crawford, who has a very special mission to accomplish. Bruce plans to start running solo around the route from Portree in the early hours of Saturday morning. He will keep running the loop throughout the night until he joins all other runners on the start line for the main event at 10.30am. He says: "God willing I hope to complete four laps of the course to achieve a double marathon distance."

Bruce is taking on this significant challenge to raise money for the building of a new building for the Portree and Bracadale Free Church of Scotland, which has been without a base of its own for 20 years.

Bruce continues: "This will be the farthest and longest run that I've ever undertaken. Running solo through the night will be a huge challenge before joining the mass event with 500 other runners on the stunning course.

"I would be incredibly grateful for any small sum that you can contribute to my effort to help encourage me through the night. The new building is not going to be just another church. It is a building for the benefit of the community at a time when such a facility is much in need locally."

You can support Bruce's efforts here.

More information about the Skye Half Marathon can be found here.

Image: Skye Half Marathon Facebook