Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

How a former bank worker has turned her trail running passion into a new Speyside business

Organising social runs has given Sally Bruce the taste to take on the Fochabers running shop.

Sally Bruce in red running jacked in woods in autumn.
Sally Bruce has completed multiple marathons herself. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

A former bank worker is preparing to turn a passion for trail running by taking over the former Outrun running shop in Fochabers.

Sally Bruce previously worked in retail and banking in Elgin while her husband served 30 years in the police.

Three years ago the couple opted for a change of lifestyle and moved to Speyside, one of Sally’s favourite areas to run.

The 50-year-old took her first steps into business by setting up Skedaddle North, organising runs between 5K and 15K in the area for those not familiar with the area or keen for company.

Now she is preparing to turn her hobby into a business by taking over the former Outrun running shop in Fochabers.

Small beginnings for running business

Sally’s love for trail running ramped up when she launched Skedaddle North just weeks before the Covid pandemic hit.

What was initially awful timing turned into good fortune. The country came out of lockdown with many looking to embrace their newfound fitness interests.

Trips to picturesque spots or local places of interest including the Craigellachie bridge, Linn Falls near Aberlour and Duffus Castle among others soon generate a following.

Sally Donald running in woods.
Sally Bruce has been taking groups of runners to picturesque spots in Moray. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Sally said: “A lot of people found running in lockdown, or got back into it, and wanted to keep it going but didn’t want to join a club.

“Some of the routes we use are maybe not obvious, so if you’re new to the area or live in a town, you maybe wouldn’t know it or necessarily have the confidence to run off into the woods on your own.

“It’s been small groups. I think the largest I’ve had is 12. It’s not just been random trail runs though. They’re always somewhere picturesque or interesting.

“People might go up and down the paths on the River Spey, but not know about Linn Falls.”

Why open a new shop in Fochabers?

The former Outrun running shop on Fochabers High Street closed last month. The previous owners moved on after 13 years to spend more time with their family.

Before they shut the doors, they approached Sally to find out if she would be interested in keeping the business alive in the village, albeit under a new name.

It’s an opportunity she now intends to seize with both hands.

Sally Donald with River Spey and woods behind.
Sally Bruce by the River Spey in Fochabers. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Sally, who lives in Archiestown, said: “Scarlett got in touch with me and said it would be a shame for the area to lose an independent running shop, it’s one of only two in Scotland.

“Everybody in the area knows it’s the place to buy your quality running equipment. You have to go to Inverness or Aberdeen otherwise.”

What changes can runners expect from Outrun shop in Fochabers?

The new shop, which will open before the end of the year, will be rebranded as Skedaddle Speyside.

Opening hours are still to be confirmed, but Sally doesn’t anticipate it being a six or seven-day operation.

Google maps image of Outrun running shop.
Outrun is long-established on Fochabers High Street. Image: Google

However, she expects to still offer expert advice about people’s running techniques using video that has been popular at Outrun.

She said: “It’s got such a great reputation locally, I don’t want to change too much about it.

“The main thing I want to do is develop a bit of a community around it like we have done with the Skedaddle social runs.”

Conversation