​Jedburgh Running Festival making comeback after three years off

​Organisers have confirmed that Jedburgh Running Festival is making a comeback at the end of the month and it’s expected to attract hundreds of athletes from across the Borders and further afield.

The event, first held in 2005, was a popular fixture on the region’s athletics calendar up until 2020.

It was called off that year, like almost all other sporting events, due to coronavirus restrictions but, unlike most others, it hasn’t been run since.

A comeback was planned last autumn but it was called off again due to entries being slow to come in, only for a flurry to be submitted after that decision was made and it was too late to reverse it.

This year’s revived festival will consist of the Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra-Marathon on Saturday, October 28, and 10-kilometre, half-marathon, wheelchair and hand-cycle races on Sunday, October 29.

Entries are now closed for the 38-mile ultra-marathon, starting and finishing at Maxton and taking in Bowden and the Rhymer’s Stone, near Melrose, its 300 capacity having been reached.

Race director Garry Ramsay said: “I’m delighted that we're able to bring the events back this year.

“The festival was first staged way back in 2005 and we peaked with a turnout in the region of 1,000 runners, so the aim now is to build the event back up to that size.

“The Scottish Half-Marathon is a great event and it has in the region of 4,000 runners, so if we could get to a quarter or third of that, it would be great.

“We’ve seen a growth of mass running events across the UK, so it would be great to have a big Borders one too.

“We have a great committee of dedicated people who have worked very hard to bring the festival back this year, really because we want to bring runners and tourists from all over Scotland and the UK to the Borders and our fine little town of Jedburgh.

“We are keen to encourage people to enter now to avoid a sudden rush on the day, so I’d urge anyone who wants to have some fun to sign up at the website and ensure they get their festival T-shirt before the event too.”

Sunday’s 10km Jed Renilson Wheelchair Race from Bonjedward to Mounthooly, staged for the first time since 2019 as a stand-alone event last year, is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet, with entries in from no fewer than six world champions and Paralympians including Gordon’s Samantha Kinghorn.

For further details, go to www.jedburghrunningfestival.co.uk