One major north marathon has been saved while another appears to have taken place for the last time.
The Moray marathon, which has been held at Elgin for the past 33 years, looked to have come to an end when organisers announced earlier this year they had failed to identify anyone prepared to take over the responsibility for putting it on.
A group of enthusiasts has, however, now come forward with a plan to create a new marathon, together with a 10km and half marathon, which will ensure the popular festival of running is not lost from the fixture list.
Paul Rogan of Forres Harriers, is one of the driving forced behind the new Moray marathon.
He said: “When it was announced the Moray marathon was folding I got together with Graham Coull of Glen Moray Distillery and Gareth Jenkins of the Walk, Jog, Run Moray organisation to discuss the possibility of keeping it going.
“Graham is a runner and his company sponsors 10km and 10-mile races which usually take place in November.
“We looked into the scope for replacing these with a marathon, half marathon and 10km, utilising the traditional Moray date of early September.
“After a long chat we decided it was possible and we would give it a go. The courses we will use be completely different to the original Moray marathon ones as they will all start at the Glen Moray distillery.
“We have now decided on the exact routes to be used and are in the process of arranging for them to be officially measured.
“Entries will open soon and it will cost £14 for the marathon which, as far as I am aware, is the cheapest marathon entry fee in the country. We are just delighted Moray will still have a marathon and a festival of running.”
The news isn’t so good for supporters of the Lochaber marathon at Fort William, which appears to have come to an end after 31 years.
Lochaber AC’s Dugie Macdonald has been heavily involved with the event, which has hosted the Scottish championships on a number of occasions, since it was first held in 1984.
He said: “The club was becoming increasingly concerned about traffic issues. We have always had a very good team organising the marathon but the health and safety issues were becoming a worry to everyone and we felt it just wouldn’t be possible to continue. If someone else is interested in taking it over we would be delighted.”