By: Brian Jenkins

Race Date: 19^th October 2024

Venue: Dufftown, Moray, Scotland

A trawl of the internet (during the Christmas holiday) brought up some interesting races for the forthcoming year. Amongst these was an intriguing trail event in Speyside (Scotland), making the most of its world-famous whisky distilleries, and whilst I would not consider myself to be an enthusiastic trail runner, I have been known to dabble.

The event offers 4 different distances:

• “The Full Dram” (42 km)
• “The Half Dram” (21 km)
• “We Dram” (42 km 4 person relay)
• “Wee Dram” (10 km)

Further investigation showed that the 2023 edition of the race was cancelled (on the day of the race itself) due to adverse weather, so the weather in the Highlands (in October) was always going to be a risk, and with many potential 2023 racers being forced (by the circumstances) to defer their entry to the next year, getting a place was always going to be a challenge. With this in mind, I joined the ballot, and they said “yes”.

In a conversation with fellow Strider Robert Hoffmann (a fan of the local liquid produce) he too was intrigued, and after he had made his own investigations, he too joined the ballot, and he too got the nod from the organisers. Both of us were signed-up for the “Full Dram” – the marathon option.

With the race being on a Saturday the race expo was held in Dufftown (in the heart of Speyside), on the Friday, and we picked-up our race numbers, race t-shirt, dibber (familiar to anyone who has ever run the “Round Sheffield Run”) and a race-branded whisky glass (it is a whisky-themed race after all).

The much-trailed expo “whisky tasting” proved to be a shot of single malt (from the Tamdhu distillery, a sponsor of the event) and was a bit of a disappointment (a few other whiskeys as well would have been particularly welcome), but we left the expo with the last elements required for the race.

On the race day we went to the finish line at the Glenfiddich distillery, just down the road from the race expo, and we were then put on buses to take us to our respective starting points.

The Glenfarclas distillery itself provided the start line for the “Full Dram” whisky marathon. The race was started and the runners ran past the bag-piper serenading us under the arch which marked the start line.

The first few miles were over fairly narrow trails, so your pace was very much dictated by the speed of the runner in front of you, but due to the necessity to moderate pace from the outset (it’s a marathon after all) I wasn’t complaining.

The path soon went past Ballindalloch Castle, over a well-manicured golf green and up a hill, which was only moderately steep, and mercifully short.

The route then follows the Speyside Way downstream through all the autumnal colour that Speyside can muster, and past the following distilleries: Tamdhu, Knockando, Dalmunach and Aberlour.

At Craigellachie we left the course of the River Spey and followed its tributary, the River Fiddich upstream towards the finish.

In the last mile, the sight of the Balvenie distillery raised the spirits (pun intended), as the announcements from the finish line at the Glenfiddich distillery could be heard in the distance. The last corner was turned, and there was the finish immediately ahead.

The finishers’ goody bags provided a number of whiskey miniatures based on the distance run, most from the distilleries that we had run past. The runners of the marathon got the most (quite right too). The medals, were wooden and made from old whisky barrels (a welcome change from the metal bling given away at most other events).

I would say that the atmosphere of the race was more akin to an ultra than a marathon, the water stations provided large water barrels which you had to use to fill your own cup (which you had to provide and keep with you for the whole race). They also provided all manner of cakes and snacks. So the usual grabbing of a bottle of water on the run, was replaced by a full-on refreshment stop. No whiskies were provided to runners during the race itself.

The dibber we were issued with was used to “stop the clock” as we crossed 3 busy (by Highlands’ standards) roads, and some momentum was lost.

As for the weather, there was a named storm (“Ashley”) bearing-down on the area, with a Met Office amber weather warning in place for that night. But, the weather during the run itself was unseasonably mild, with very little wind and absolutely no rain (pretty much perfect running conditions).

Previous editions were around 27 miles long (so I have been told), but this year the “Full Dram” race distance was slightly under the regulation marathon distance, as a result I strolled around the event village (with my watch still running) to make up the last requisite 0.2 mile (I blame Strava for the need to complete the regulation distance).

Although ostensibly a trail run, most of it was run over fairly easy-going trails, so that was a bonus (for me). I was a long way off my marathon P.B. (which I had achieved less than a fortnight before), but thoroughly enjoyed the event.

The race was won by Greg Dunning (Petts Wood Runners) in 02:54:20 and Jenny Rohdin (of no identified club) in 03:27:21.

Striders’ Results: