From Aberdeen to Abbotsford, from Wick to Weymss Bay, hundreds of runners took to Scotland’s streets, parks, hills and trails to complete the Virtual London Marathon, officially known as ‘The 40th Race’.

Despite being hundreds of miles from where the ‘real’ London marathon was taking place, many Scots runners enjoyed support from total strangers who recognised their bibs. 

One wrote on Facebook: “It was absolutely amazing that so many people peeped the horn or waved at me. It makes such a difference when the old legs have had enough.”

As with any marathon, some runners laced up their trainers for the challenge – and bling – as well as the chance to be part of an event that hopefully will just be a one-off. Others used their 26.2 miles to continue fundraising for the good causes they had hoped to support in April.

Runners had 24 hours from midnight on Sunday to complete a course of their own choosing in one go, or in parts over the day. 

Wanda McMillan completed 57 laps of her housing estate in Elderslie to make up the 26.2 mile distance. Instead of asking for donations of money, she asked supporters to drop off food for the Renfrewshire Food Bank Appeal. 

Mark Bishop, one of the directors of the National Trust for Scotland, ran a course taking in several of the Trust’s Edinburgh properties, including Malleny Garden, Newhailes, Gladstone’s Land and the Georgian House, in order to raise funds for the charity’s Save our Scotland Appeal. 

Claire de Lange chose a route around Glasgow, taking in places with meaning for her and her late husband Con, as she raised funds for The Brain Tumour charity.

Fife's Duloch Spiderman also took to the streets with his trusty sidekick 'The Duloch Batgirl' (aka Carol Quoi). Sadly, Spiderman’s powers faded during the race, but Batgirl carried on her fundraising efforts for CRY: Cardiac Risk in the Young to finish in 3:46:24. 

While feedback about the virtual event was generally positive, some runners reported issues with the app not accounting for all their hard-run miles – especially those done in loops.

Atrocious weather in the morning also forced many runners to change their planned times and routes.

Cold and wet weather in London also made it hard going for those in the elite race around St James’s Park, including Scotland’s Steph Twell. The Scottish record holder pulled out after 17 miles due to an injury made worse by the conditions, but still hopes to qualify for the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics through a later event. 

Image courtesy: Duloch Spiderman (Facebook)