Kirkintilloch Olympians will stage two of their races on the same day next year, with news that both the 12.5K race and Neil McCover Half Marathon will be take place on 9 February as part of a 'festival of running'.

The same 'double-header' did in fact take place earlier this year after the the Half Marathon had to be rescheduled from its usual October date due to a flooded course. The format clearly worked, and organisers will be hoping for similar success in 2025.

The 12.5k will be run on the same course as last year and can be summed up as a quiet but 'hilly' country route around Lenzie and Kirkintilloch. The challenge of the route’s 12 hills is eased by the interest it offers runners, passing by Scottish landmarks like the Gartshore Estate, one of the country’s earliest railway lines and the famed Irn-Bru factory.

The race has been held since 2006 and is now firmly established as a favourite part of many runners’ winter schedule. It is ideal for those contemplating a spring marathon or half marathon thanks to its unusual distance – around 8.75 miles.

This Half Marathon event is ever-popular, scenic and friendly and is a memorial for Neil McCover, a competing athlete, club chair and junior coach at the club who was killed in a cycling accident in 2010. The route takes runners through some of the scenic countryside and towns of East Dunbartonshire. The course is held on public roads and pavements and is undulating, but has recorded some very fast times and allowed many runners to set personal best times.

Adding to the festival feel of the occasion there will also be a 5K fun run for younger runners to get involved with.

If you would like to know more visit the Kirkintilloch Olympians website.

Image: Kirkintilloch Olympians Facebook