A North-east mud run that aims to raise funds for a local cancer charity looks set to sell out.
Glack Attack is an annual 5km obstacle course organised in aid of Friends of ANCHOR. More than 700 people have signed up for the challenge so far, with participants taking on 29 muddy obstacles when the event gets underway on Saturday, October 27.
For the first time, children aged eight and over are invited to join their parents and take on the full 5km course. A shorter mini run for little ones aged 3-7 will also feature at this year’s event.
Sarah Robertson and her son Aiden Robertson, who is 11, have both signed up and Thursday got to trial some of the obstacles being purpose-built for Glack Attack.
“Aiden loves obstacle courses and has been desperate to do some sort of mud run, so he is delighted there’s one happening locally that he can take part in. He’s quite competitive too so I’m sure he’ll have a great time,” said Sarah, who lives in Aberdeen.
“My youngest, Millar, will be doing the mini run too and is looking forward to it. The boys’ grandad passed away four years ago from cancer and Friends of ANCHOR helped him a great deal while he was in the ANCHOR Unit. Aiden was really close to his granda, so he’s eager to raise money for the charity and is looking forward to being involved.”
Joining Sarah and her two sons in today’s road-test of the muddy route was Abigail and her 10-year-old son Finn Burwood.
“Finn is very excited for the run,” said Abigail. “He’s pretty active and enjoys his football and being outside, so he’s happy to be able to do the 5km adult course.”
Friends of ANCHOR is a cause close to Abigail as her mum used the charity’s services when she was a patient in the ANCHOR Unit. Abigail has since been an active fundraiser for the charity, climbing Kilimanjaro and taking part in Tough Mudder to raise funds.
“When my mum was going through treatment, Friends of ANCHOR was fundamental in that. The work the charity does is amazing, and we’re very grateful. The run seems like it will be a lot of fun and it’s nice to be doing it as a family affair - my sister is running with me too and my youngest, Hamish, who is nine months, will be there watching.
The founders of the event are the Ratcliffe family – Marcia and John Ratcliffe and their son Stephen – who host the challenge on their family-run farm near Dunecht, Aberdeenshire.
Marcia, who was an associate specialist haematologist for 32 years in the ANCHOR Unit before her retirement in 2015, set Glack Attack up in 2013 and brought Friends of ANCHOR on board as the official affiliated charity in 2015. Since then, nearly £42,000 has been raised for the charity, which exists to support cancer and haematology patients in the North-east, Orkney and Shetland.
Stephen Ratcliffe added: “We launched the mini run last year to give youngsters a chance to experience the muddy madness. This year we wanted to develop the race further so that those aged eight and over could take part in the full 5km course for the first time. We’re looking forward to seeing them tackle the obstacles which we’ve been hard at work building.”
The event will see participants will take on hay bales, nets, mud slides and much more, with “The Sheep Dip”, “The Glack Bog”, “Spider’s Web”, the “Not-So-Hot Tub” and “No-Hope-Rope” among some of the 29 obstacle names. Around 70 participants have signed up to fundraise for Friends of ANCHOR.
Carly Munro, Finance and Fundraising Coordinator at Friends of ANCHOR, said: “We’re thrilled to have more than 70 runners pulling on their Friends of ANCHOR T-shirts for Glack Attack, and we expect the T-shirts won’t be red by the time they reach the end of the course. It’s such a fun way to spend a day and we’re delighted the Ratcliffe family continue to support Friends of ANCHOR.”
A limited number of spaces remain for Glack Attack 5km and the mini-run for ages 3-7.
To register your interest, please email anchor@balmoral.co.uk.
