Council bosses have been urged to splash tens of thousands on an official “Granite City Marathon” event.
Looking to follow in the fast-paced footsteps of other Scottish cities, Tory leader Richard Brooks is hoping such an event would boost Aberdeen’s economy and “attract many more tourists”.
The Conservatives reckon £50,000 of council cash should be set aside for a study into whether the Granite City Marathon could be a possibility.
Cities such as Edinburgh, Inverness and Perth already host annual races, with Glasgow being the home of the Great Scottish Run every year.
What would an Aberdeen marathon look like?
Aberdeen is the largest city in Scotland without a major running event in the city centre.
But that could all change under the Conservatives’ proposal, which will be debated in budget talks this week.
Mr Brooks outlined a potential route that would take in several of the city’s landmarks.
He said: “Depending on the route, it could take in the beach and the Old Aberdeen King’s College building.
“With some of the hills that could be included, this could be a very tough marathon.
“But I’d always want to see the last mile include Castlegate, finishing in front of the iconic Marischal College building.”
‘It could be a very hard marathon’
And it would by granite by name, and rock-hard by nature…
Mr Brooks said the hilly terrain “could make this a very hard marathon”.
He added: “It could be something that goes with the word ‘granite’ and brings about a lot of interest.
“With marathons, you do get tourists coming in but you also get competitors from all over the world you want to be involved in something that’s a little bit different.”
Granite City runners have been asking the question for years now as to why Aberdeen doesn’t have its own marathon.
The closest thing Aberdeen has to a marathon at the moment is the Deeside Way Ultra – a gruelling 33-mile route along the old railway line.
Granite City Marathon could draw hundreds to area
Mr Brooks sees the Granite City Marathon potentially bringing in much-needed cash to council coffers.
The Tory group leader added: “The Granite City Marathon would potentially draw hundreds of people into the city on a yearly basis.
“There is so much that we can learn from other cities that have done this.”
The proposal will be discussed at Wednesday’s crunch budget meeting, in which councillors will lock horns over which services will be funded or cut across the city.
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