The organisers of the Isle of Skye Half Marathon have announced that the latest edition of their popular event will now be held on Saturday, 11 September. A recent statement marks the second time the date of the race has been changed due to the on-going coronavirus crisis.

The 2020 edition of the race was to have taken place on Halloween (31 October), but was bumped to 12 June 2021 in the hope of restrictions easing by that time. With last week’s statement from Scotland's First Minister giving no sign of any return to large events by the summer, organisers have pushed the date of the 2021 race out another three months.   

Reaction from runners has been largely positive, with most understanding the difficulties faced by the organisers, Skye Events. Some expressed disappointment, however, that the new date is the same as that for the next Great North Run. 

All registered runners have again been contacted regarding their options, just as they were in August when the date was last changed. No details are currently available regarding entries for the 2021 edition of the Isle of Skye Half Marathon. The 700-runner event, which starts and ends in Portree, sold out entirely in 2019.  

On the back of sponsorship and race entries from runners around the world, Skye Events returns thousands of pounds to the local community. Last year, the social enterprise raised more than £23,000 for Skye Community Response with their ‘Skye’s the Limit’ campaign to get ‘virtual teams of four’ running, walking and cycling throughout June. 

‘Skye’s the Limit II’ will be running until Valentine’s Day, with Skye Cancer Care and Skye and Lochalsh CAB set to benefit from the thousands of miles logged.  

Image courtesy: Isle of Skye Half Marathon (Facebook)