In bleak mid November, club members Helen and Paul Webster headed to the east coast for the Fraserburgh Half Marathon, they caught up with Matt to tell us all about it.
Ever wondered why there aren’t many winter races? Fraserburgh Half coming in the middle of November is the exception and is renowned as a cold and windy one. We were alarmed at the forecast for 50 mph gusts and snow, a fear that steadily grew as we had to move the van twice during the night due to ridiculous wind and waves.
However by the 11am start time, the sun was breaking through and it was possible to walk upright into the wind. The rest of the line up seemed to be mainly hardened club runners, many in shorts and T-shirts despite the -5C wind chill. Timing tags on we set off from the running track. The route is a lollipop; a mix of roads, farm lanes and muddy bike trail. Pleasantly rural apart from the first bit next to the A90 where you get to admire the litter and roadkill.
It was very well marshalled by super-cheery volunteers, there were 3 water stations, one fully equipped with jelly babies. At the end you have to do a lap of the track, hard in a strong wind but nice and soft underfoot after the last couple of miles of pavement pounding. We weren’t expecting fast times given the conditions but Paul was really happy with his 1:58:11 - his first time below 2 hours, I finished in 2:05:16 with the last 2 miles into a headwind accompanied by horizontal hail.
It was a relief to get back in the warm but the highlight was the massive spread of sandwiches, soup and home baking laid on by Fraserburgh Running Club - no need to visit the Wimpy!
Would you recommend this event to others in the club and why?
Yes for those with a sado-masochistic streak, it fills a gap in the race calendar, is well organised, and last but not least is cheap to enter.
Billed as "A Wild Half Marathon Trail Run to the base of Scotland's most iconic mountain, the mighty Suilven," it was a race I couldn't miss out on. Assynt is one of my favourite places in the country and the opportunity to participate in an inaugural race there was too good to pass up.
Back in August 2021, Calum Maclean and Jenny Graham took on the longest straight-line hike not crossing a road in the UK, in 2025 Cairngorm Runners Jonathan and Sam Bellarby gave a different route a try!
The beer lovers marathon, in Liege, Belgium, is a little bit different. Run a full marathon (42k, 434m climb), 18 stops - 1st one is breakfast with croissants, the next 17 are all different Belgian beers (as well as food and water), each stop has live music, it is themed fancy dress - 2025 theme was Belgian comics - and there are rolling cut-offs with finish by 6 1/2 hours.
Monday Runs - There are 4 sessions every Monday at 1830: beginners, intermediates 1, intermediates 2 and adventure. The exact plan is posted a few days for current members on our Spond page. Monday runs are social runs and last about an hour.
New runners and guests are always welcome to join us. To find out this weeks meeting point please drop a message in our public Facebook group and one of our Jog Leaders or Committee members will get back to you.
Wednesday Training - Wednesday Speed sessions are open to all and tailored to be challenging for all abilities. Our starting point can vary so new runners and guests should post in the Facebook group and one of our Jog Leaders or Committee members will get back to you with the details. Members can see the full calendar in the Spond app.
Other Casual Runs - Check out our Facebook group. There is always someone looking for a running buddy.
They are not official club runs and normally end in coffee and cake!