Scottish Running Week
Today marks the start of Scottish Running Week, Athletics Trust Scotland’s annual week-long celebration of athletics and running.
We have been encouraging the running community around the country to join us in celebrating the sport we love and fundraising to help us make it more accessible for all.
This year, clubs involved include Cambuslang Harriers, Fife AC, Garscube Harriers, Greenock Glenpark Harriers, Inverclyde AC, Kilmarnock Harriers, Maryhill Harriers, West Edinburgh Running Club and West End Road Runners.
Inverclyde AC are organising the popular Loch Thom Trail Race at Greenock Cut for the third year in a row.
The event is generously supported by ProTay, which means all funds raised are donated to charity.
Graeme Jack of ATS joins Inverclyde AC folk following their Scottish Running Week efforts last year
West Edinburgh Running Club are organising a week of activities, including an inter-club paarlauf and bake sale at Cramond promenade on Thursday and a parkrun takeover at Holyrood Park parkrun on Saturday.
As well as athletics clubs, we are grateful to the individuals, event organisers, jog groups, schools and run clubs that are participating in the celebrations across the week.
All funds raised will go towards ATS’s mission to make athletics and running for accessible for all, with our work focusing on three communities who are underrepresented in the sport: people with disabilities, people affected by poverty and ethnically and culturally diverse communities.
West Edinburgh Running Club
One young person who benefits from ATS’s work is 13-year-old Zara, who attends free community athletics sessions run in partnership with scottishathletics and Scottish Sport Futures for children living in areas of deprivation.
“One of the things I like most about the sessions is the social side. I’ve made lots of friends here and I’ve become a lot more confident, so much so that I decided to join my local club. I’ve been going down to club training for a while now and I’m determined to keep improving.
Competing makes me happy, even though I can get nervous! I’ve been to competitions like the Scottish Cross Country Championships in Falkirk, the Young Athletes Road Race Championships in Greenock and school races. The cross country was hard but it has made me more confident to try new things though and show myself I can do more than I sometimes think!”
If you would like to find out more about Athletics Trust Scotland, follow them on socials or visit their website.
+++
Tags:
Athletics Trust Scotland, Scottish Running Week