Inverclyde Athletic Club has once again donated £1,000 to Athletics Trust Scotland after its annual hosting of the Loch Thom Trail Race.
Race organiser and club captain Sean Gaffney handed over the donation to clubmate and ATS ambassador, John Bell, and Chair of the Board, Graeme Jack, at the Ravenscraig Stadium in Greenock.
The event started in 2024 and donates all proceeds to the charity. Both years the club has raised a fabulous £1,000, which contributes towards our work supporting communities who face barriers to being active to access opportunities to enjoy athletics and running.
“The mission here is to raise as much money as we can for Athletics Trust Scotland and, at the same time, highlight running in Inverclyde,” said Sean. “We might have one of the highest levels of poverty in Scotland, but we’ve got bags of talent and enthusiasm. We’ve got that terrain, we’ve got places to run, we’ve got great scenery. You can run right along next to the Clyde and if you time it right, you could be running along the Esplanade and see a pod of dolphins.”
“I saw it was going to be Scottish Running Week and I thought, why not? Let’s put it on that same week as well because Athletics Trust Scotland is just everything that I want in athletics.”
In the first edition of the race, the club had approximately 100 runners entered for the 7km kilometre course. This year, a 4km distance was added to make the event more accessible. The race has generated more interest from beginners in the local community and has led to the club developing sessions that accommodate different needs alongside their traditional club nights for more experienced runners.
“It’s been great to see the impact on people’s mental health. For people who have never run before, they come along to our group on a Wednesday, and they might have had a bad day at work, and they run, and they instantly notice how much better they feel after it.”
A huge thank you to our friends at Inverclyde AC and everyone who participated in the Loch Thom Trail Race. We’re so grateful for your support!
