It may have taken place at the beginning of the month, but this stunning image warrants publication! Back on 1 October, once the sun had set, the forests around Peebles were transformed into an enchanting wonderland with a spectacular light display for the Tweed Valley Trail Run. And as you can see, it was a stunning setting.

The nightfall event was the highlight of a thrilling day of racing which saw hundreds of runners take to beautiful Scottish Borders trails in a line-up of 5K, 10K and 20K races.

Peebles Triathlon Club runner, David Carter-Brown, scooped the top spot in the 20K event with an impressive 1:29:36 – returning a few hours later to prove he had more in the tank with a well-fought third place finish in the Nightfall 10K behind Nicholas Boyd (38:30) and Gregor Nixon (39:28).

The fastest females on the day were Amanda Woodrow over the longer distance (1:47:59) Madelaine Chaney (55:22) in the 10K and Alex Campbell in the Nightfall 10K (52:59), securing her second podium of the day after finishing third in the earlier 20K race. Isabella Moran, S1 student at Peebles High School, showed that the future of local running is in safe hands as she sailed to victory in the 5K (28:56) – second only on the day to Male Veteran David Waldie (26:23).

Runners from across Scotland and beyond were treated to gorgeous riverside trails, forest paths and hilltop views. But don’t be fooled: the routes were as challenging as they were scenic. Tweed Valley Trail Run Ambassador, Jamie Millar, had a few words to say about the hills in particular: “The hills were a killer, I’ve never run anything as steep! Was happy to survive ‘cardiac hill’. The course was super technical and hard, but fun – a proper adventure run!”

But the real magic of the day happened at dusk. A glowing stream of head torches headed back along the river and into the trees, where a section of forest had been transformed into an amazing light show. This woodland ‘tunnel of lights’ was a nod to the previous Tunnel Run organised by Hillside Outside, the award-winning team behind this year’s new event.

After the Nightfall 10K, one runner commented: “I know it’s a race, but I had to stop and take photos of the amazing light show! It was so atmospheric in the trees.”

The Tweed Valley is known across Scotland as a mountain biking destination, but it’s hoped that the Trail Run will have put it firmly on the map as an off-road running paradise too. The Hillside Outside team are already hard at work planning next year’s running extravaganza – if you’ve been inspired to take part, sign up to the Trail Run newsletter on their website for the latest info. 

Image: JWDT Photography