Running
Events
Event Guide 2026
28–30 August 2026 · Banchory, Royal Deeside
Gravel sport. Outdoor culture. One festival.
Organised by Red On Sports · explorr.co.uk
Loading the guide
Getting here, staying here, and everything to sort before you leave the house.
Welcome to Banchory, and to the explorr Running Events.
This weekend has deep roots. For years Banchory has hosted Run Banchory — a race built by local people who wanted to show off the ground they run on, and one that gave thousands of runners their first finish line in Royal Deeside. explorr grows directly out of it.
Our thanks go to Scott Birse and his team, who shared our vision for a festival in Banchory and whose continued support has been central to growing this event. Run Banchory built the foundation. We’re adding three days, a Festival Village and a weekend of racing around it.
What you’ll run on Sunday is the real thing: forest tracks above Scolty, riverside singletrack along the Dee, quiet gravel through Blackhall Forest, and a finish straight into a festival. Five races — marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k and the kids’ events — with updated routes for 2026 and a packed weekend programme built for every type of runner.
Off the course, the Festival Village runs from Friday lunchtime to Sunday evening — music, food, talks, an expo and a bar that stays open late. Bring the people who came to watch. They won’t be short of things to do.
Our ambition is straightforward: to make explorr a fixture in the Scottish sporting calendar. That starts with this weekend, and with you.
Thank you for your trust, and for joining us again. We’re looking forward to your feedback, and to seeing how the racing unfolds.
Run well. Look after each other out there. We’ll see you at the finish.
The Gravel Stage Race is Saturday. The festival runs all three days — music, talks, food and racing from Friday lunchtime through to Sunday evening. Here is how the weekend falls.
| 12:00 | Festival Village opens |
| 12:00–20:00 | Registration & Info Desk |
| 12:00–21:00 | Food village, bar and coffee — bar open late |
| 16:00 | Scolty Shakeout Ride 16km through Scolty Woodlands, taking in sections of the Gravel Stage Race and finishing on the trails along the River Dee. |
17:30–18:15
No Single PathPanel talk
Where a bike takes you, and how you got on it. Round the world, Audax, the daily commute, the professional peloton — with Markus Stitz, Iza Murtagh and James McCallum.
| |
18:45–20:30
PoteenLive music
Together since 1984. Ray Moore, Gordon Ledingham and Alistair Sey play Scottish and Irish folk that slides into ceilidh, country and rock without warning.
| |
| 21:30 | Festival Village closes |
| 08:00 | Festival Village opens |
| 08:00 | Registration & Info Desk opens |
| 08:00–22:00 | Food village, bar and coffee — bar open late |
| 09:00 | Race briefing |
| 09:30 | Registration closes |
| 09:30 | Start pens open |
10:00
Gravel Stage Race startRace day
Neutralised roll-out from the heart of the Festival Village. Riders leave together, through Banchory and out towards the first stage.
| |
10:30
Out & Back explorr Shakeout RunRun
Join the Out & Back crew for a relaxed 5km leg loosener along the River Dee. Meet at the Red Bull tent.
| |
| 11:00 | Kids Dirt Crit — coached lap All three age groups ride the course together with Deeside Thistle coaches. Every corner seen, a few tips picked up, nerves settled before the first start. |
11:30 · 12:00 · 12:30
RacesKids Dirt Crit
Racing for Under 8s, Under 10s and Under 12s.
| |
| 13:45 | First finisher expected — Gravel Stage Race |
| 15:00–17:00 | Podium presentations General Classification podiums. The fastest across all four timed stages, called up in front of the Festival Village. |
17:15–17:30
Fuel for the DistancePanel talk
What to eat, when, and how much — on the bike and on your feet. With Steve Marson, founder of Veloforte, and James McCallum.
| |
| 18:00 | Medal sessions Sprint and Mountain Classification podiums. |
| 18:30 | Charity Night Hike |
19:15–21:15
KasbahLive music
A Scottish three-piece playing classic rock and pop from the sixties to now. Known for getting the reluctant onto the dance floor.
| |
| 20:00 | Info Desk closes |
| 23:00 | Festival Village closes |
| 08:00 | Festival Village opens |
| 08:00 | Registration & Info Desk opens |
| 08:00–17:00 | Food village, bar and coffee |
09:00
Kids running eventsexplorr Running
Deeside Dash and Wee Dash, on the park loop.
| |
| 09:30 | Race briefing and guided warm-up — running events |
| 09:40 | Start pens open — running events |
| 10:00 | Registration closes — running events |
From 10:00
Running race startsRace day
Marathon, half marathon, 10km and 5km.
| |
| 10:45 | First finishers expected |
12:00–14:45
Podium presentationsPodiums
Running podiums, by age group.
| |
| 17:00 | Info Desk closes |
| 18:00 | Festival Village closes |
The Festival Village is in King George V Park, in the middle of Banchory — 18 miles west of Aberdeen on the A93, on the northern edge of the Cairngorms.
Banchory sits on the A93 between Aberdeen and Ballater. From the south, come up the A90 to Stonehaven and across on the B979, or take the A957 Slug Road. Sat nav to the car park, not to the park — the two are on opposite banks of the river.
The nearest mainline station is Aberdeen, about 18 miles east, with direct services from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and the south. Bikes travel free on ScotRail but reservations are compulsory on most long-distance services — book the bike space at the same time as the seat, well ahead of a bank holiday weekend.
Banchory is on the Deeside bus corridor from Aberdeen city centre, running along the A93 and taking roughly an hour. Buses drop in Banchory town centre, a few minutes’ walk from King George V Park. Coming from the central belt, Ember runs electric coaches into Aberdeen and Dundee — check their routes and bike policy when you book.
If you’re within riding distance, the Deeside Way runs traffic-free from Aberdeen to Banchory and delivers you almost to the Festival Village gate. It’s a good way to arrive and a very good way to get home on Sunday.
The official event car park is a field on the south bank of the Dee, a 500m walk from the Festival Village.
This is private land and it’s pay and display, booked online in advance. Either print your ticket and display it, or enter your vehicle registration when you buy and skip the printing.
Book your parking — explorr.co.uk/parkingCamp on site and you wake up a few minutes’ walk from the start pens. The official campsite sits alongside the Festival Village, with showers, toilets and water taps.
Banchory and Royal Deeside are well set up for visitors. If you’re still looking for somewhere to stay, visitabdn.com/businesses/category/stay lists what’s available across the area.
This is the fastest way to hear anything from us. Scan the code, join the channel, and the weekend comes to you — route and timing updates, weather calls, start-line reminders, results as they land, and things we’re not putting anywhere else.
It’s a broadcast channel, not a group chat. We post, you read. Nobody sees your number, nobody gets 200 notifications about someone’s lost saddlebag, and you can leave whenever you like.
Whichever distance you’ve entered, come rested, come healthy, and be honest with yourself the week before. If you’re unwell on race morning — chest infection, fever, anything viral — don’t start. There’s another one next year.
By starting your race you’re confirming that you’re fit and well enough to take part.
Every race in this guide carries a Strava link to its route. Give it a proper look before you travel, and load it onto your watch if you run with one. Signal in the forest is patchy — don’t plan on downloading anything in the car park.
Trail shoes with some grip — these are gravel, forest track and riverside paths, not tarmac. Layers, because late August on the tops can be warm at the start and cold higher up. A charged phone, carried where you can reach it. And whatever nutrition you like to run on, on top of what’s at the feed stations.
Get in touch at info@explorr.co.uk and we’ll talk through your options.
Your number, your morning.
Head to the Registration & Info Desk tent in the Festival Village. It’s signposted from every entrance to King George V Park.
| Day | Open |
|---|---|
| Friday 28 August | 12:00–20:00 |
| Saturday 29 August | 08:00–20:00 |
| Sunday 30 August | 08:00–09:30 |
Every runner must bring photo ID — passport or driving licence — to collect a number. No ID, no number.
Your race number with integrated timing tag, safety pins, and your event wristband. Everything you need to start is in that envelope.
They need your photo ID, or a photocopy of it, and your written permission. Both. A text message doesn’t count.
Email info@explorr.co.uk before race weekend and we’ll agree an arrangement with you. Don’t leave it until Sunday morning.
A parent or guardian must collect the number and sign for it. Bring ID for the adult, not the runner.
Same tent, all weekend. Questions, lost property, lost children, anything at all. Open Friday and Saturday 12:00–20:00, Sunday 08:00–17:00.
Your race number carries your timing tag, your race distance and your emergency details. It goes on the front of your shirt, pinned at all four corners, visible for the whole race.
Front of your shirt, flat, four pins. Not on your leg, not on your back, not folded under a jacket. The finish camera and the timing mats both need to see it.
Each race has its own number colour, so marshals can tell at a glance who belongs on which route at a split. Check yours matches the race you entered before you go to bed on Saturday.
Every runner must complete the emergency contact and medical details on the back of the number — even if you have no medical conditions. It takes two minutes.
On your wrist from the moment you collect it until you go home. You will not be allowed into the start pens without it.
The start is on Dee Street. Access to the start pens is through the Festival Village in King George V Park, follow the signage and the directions given by marshals. Don’t try to reach Dee Street from the road side.
You must start your event in the start pen labelled with your race distance. The pens go off in sequence, a few minutes apart, and starting from the wrong one puts you on the wrong side of the timing mats.
The Deeside Dash and Wee Dash start in King George V Park, under the explorr arch — not on Dee Street. Head into the Festival Village and you’ll see it.
09:30, main stage, with a guided warm-up. Short, and worth ten minutes of your morning — it’s where any last-minute changes get announced.
| Race | Pens open | Start |
|---|---|---|
| The Deeside Dash | 08:45 | 09:00 |
| The Wee Dash | 09:10 | 09:15 |
| Marathon | 09:40 | 10:00 |
| Half marathon | 09:40 | 10:05 |
| 10k | 09:40 | 10:15 |
| 5k | 09:40 | 10:25 |
Leave a bag with us at the start and pick it up when you’re back. The Bag Drop tent is in the Festival Village, open Sunday 08:00–18:00. You’ll be given a label when you hand your bag in — show it to collect. Valuables are accepted, but at your own risk.
Published from Thursday 27 August at explorr.co.uk/start-lists.
Five races. One finish line. Know your route.
Everything goes off from Dee Street inside ninety minutes on Sunday morning, and everything finishes in the Festival Village. Pick your page, learn your route, and know which pen you’re starting in.
Two laps of the half marathon course, which means you get to know it — and then you get to find out what it feels like the second time round.
Forest track and riverside gravel above and along the Dee, with the climbing that comes with proper Deeside terrain. The first lap is about restraint. The second is where the day is decided.
The full Deeside distance, out for the adventure of the whole thing rather than the number on the clock. Big views up top, a festival waiting at the line.
Five feed stations, each passed twice — once on lap one and again on lap two. Every feed station carries bananas, Haribo, carbohydrate drink mix, water and Red Bull. Everything you carry out, you carry back or drop in a marked bin at the station — nothing goes on the ground.
Feeds 2 and 3 also carry Veloforte Rosso and Limon energy gels. Distances shown are lap one, then lap two.
Rolling gravel and forest, with the climbs that come with proper Deeside terrain. A real distance to get stuck into and enjoy every kilometre of.
You climb away from the river early, work along forest track with the views opening out at the top, then drop back down to the Dee for a riverside run-in.
Big views up top, a festival waiting at the line, and a course that rewards runners who hold something back for the last few kilometres.
Five feed stations across the route. Every feed station carries bananas, Haribo, carbohydrate drink mix, water and Red Bull. Everything you carry out, you carry back or drop in a marked bin at the station — nothing goes on the ground.
Feeds 2 and 3 also carry Veloforte Rosso and Limon energy gels.
Gravel paths and forest tracks that make you work for the views. The distance for stepping up from the 5k and seeing more of Royal Deeside on the way round.
You start along the river with the rest of the field, then break away onto forest track and climb enough to earn the view before turning for home.
Quiet underfoot, loud at the finish.
Three feed stations across the route. Every feed station carries bananas, Haribo, carbohydrate drink mix, water and Red Bull. Everything you carry out, you carry back or drop in a marked bin at the station — nothing goes on the ground.
Flat, fast and mostly riverside. The friendliest way into race day, built for first-timers, families and anyone who wants a finish line in Banchory without the training block.
Out along the Dee on good path, a turn, and back into the Festival Village with the crowd on both sides. Everyone’s welcome on this one.
If it’s your first race, this is the one. If you’re bringing someone to their first race, this is the one for them.
One feed station on the route, plus water at the finish. Every feed station carries bananas, Haribo, carbohydrate drink mix, water and Red Bull. Everything you carry out, you carry back or drop in a marked bin at the station — nothing goes on the ground.
Two races for younger runners, both inside King George V Park, both starting under the explorr arch with the whole Festival Village watching.
The Wee Dash is a short lap of the park for our youngest runners — enough to get a number on, cross a line and collect a medal. The Deeside Dash is longer, on the same enclosed park loop, for children ready to race a bit.
Every finisher gets a medal. No cut-offs, no pressure, and a parent can run alongside if that helps.
Every route is signed in yellow. Follow the yellow signs and you are on course.
Where routes split, you’ll find a sign showing which direction each race heads. Read it, find your distance, and take that arrow — the runner ahead of you may be doing a different race.
Signage is there to back you up, not to navigate for you. The Strava route on your race page is the primary reference. Look at it before you travel and you’ll recognise the junctions when you reach them.
All four adult routes carry distance markers the whole way round. The colour band tells you which race a marker is for.
There’s a moment on the way back into Banchory, in the final kilometre of every race, where the path opens up and the clock is watching.
Flat out. One kilometre. Every runner registers a time, whatever distance you’ve run. No splits, no pack dynamics, no sitting in. It doesn’t matter where you are in the field or how the day has gone. For that final kilometre you give it everything that’s left.
Times are captured and published live through the weekend. Watch the board build, see where you sit in your age group, and see the fastest times land.
Every runner who registers a time goes into a prize draw for free entry to any Red On Sports event in 2027. The fastest runners pick up spot prizes on the day.
Injury, illness, or the day has simply gone. It happens. Here’s what to do.
If you need medical help at any point, make yourself known to a marshal, steward or any member of the event team. Our first aid team works from roving 4x4s and is deployed wherever it’s needed, so there is no fixed post to walk to. For anything minor, make your way to the next feed station if you can. There’s also a medical station in the Festival Village — marked on the Festival Village map.
Stop. Check they’re all right. Then report it to the next marshal you pass, or call Race Control. This is a rule, not a courtesy.
Marshals are posted at junctions, crossings and every feed station. They are your first point of contact for anything that isn’t an emergency — a wrong turn, a blister, a decision about whether to carry on.
Feed stations carry water, nutrition and a first aider. If you’re struggling, get to the next one — it is always the right call over pushing on into the forest.
In the Festival Village there is a medical station beside the finish, staffed all day, for anything that needs more than a plaster.
You may accept help from event staff or from another runner in the race. From anyone else, no. See Rules.
Because someone does. These are working forests and public paths, shared with people who didn’t enter a race. How we behave on Sunday decides whether we’re welcome back next year.
The last kilometre brings you back along the Dee and into King George V Park, through the Festival Village and across the line. It’s the best bit. Enjoy it.
Every runner is timed on net time — from the moment you cross the start mat to the moment you cross the finish mat. Your time starts when you cross the line, not when the gun goes, so there is no penalty for lining up further back in your pen.
Results, including split times from checkpoints along the route, are live on race day at explorr.co.uk/results.
Live timing, live tracking and the timing screens in the Festival Village — see Following the race.
Take it to the Info Desk and ask for the Race Director. That’s the only route for a results query, a protest, or anything about another runner’s conduct. Marshals, feed station crews and the timing team can’t resolve it.
The Race Director’s decision is final.
Everything handed in goes to the Info Desk in the Festival Village. Open Friday 12:00–20:00, Saturday 08:00–20:00 and Sunday 08:00–17:00. After the weekend, email info@explorr.co.uk.
Podium presentations for the top three overall in each race, men and women ranked separately, on the main stage in the Festival Village. Medals for every podium — there are no other prizes.
| Race | Podium | From |
|---|---|---|
| 5k | Top 3 men, top 3 women | 12:00 |
| 10k | Top 3 men, top 3 women | 12:15 |
| Half marathon | Top 3 men, top 3 women | 12:30 |
| Marathon | Top 3 men, top 3 women | 14:30 |
Full results are published by age group at explorr.co.uk/results. There is no separate podium ceremony for age groups, but the results stand on their own.
The winner of each age group receives a complimentary entry to the 2027 event. We’ll be in touch after the weekend once results are final — you don’t need to claim it.
Runners head out from Dee Street across ninety minutes on Sunday morning and most of them disappear into the forest. Here’s how the people who came to watch stay involved.
Live tracking brings the whole morning with you — live timing off every checkpoint, live positions, projected finish times, and leaderboards updating as runners come through.
Follow one runner or follow the race for the win. Watch the Red Bull Flying Sprint board build through the morning as every finisher’s final kilometre lands on it.
The best place to watch is the Festival Village. Live timing screens run all morning beside the finish, with the leaderboards, the checkpoint splits and the Flying Sprint board. Add a coffee, then a beer, then the finish funnel filling up from 10:45.
Three days, and only one of them involves a race number.
Free to enter, all three days, for everyone. This is where the weekend actually happens — riders, runners, families, locals, and anyone who fancies a pint by the river.
The food village runs all weekend — vendors, speciality coffee, desserts, and a fully stocked bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Coffee from early each morning. The bar goes late on Friday and Saturday.
The expo runs Friday through Sunday with a strong line-up of brands showing the latest gravel kit, new launches and interesting tech. It’s a working space too — mechanical support, shakeout rides leaving from the Festival Village, and real time with the people building the sport. Come with a specific question or come to browse. Both work.
The Festival Village is free to enter, on grass, and open to everyone. Accessible toilets are available and marked on the map.
Accessible parking is available adjacent to the Festival Village. Spaces are limited, so reserve one in advance — email info@explorr.co.uk and tell us which day or days you need it.
Anything else that would make the weekend work better for you, just ask — the earlier the better.
Grab something to eat, get a drink, and stay where you are.
Knobbly tyres, a 1km loop, and a finish line in the middle of the Festival Village. Proper racing with real numbers and a crowd that’s genuinely there to watch.
The loop is enclosed, non-technical and suits any bike with knobbly tyres — mountain, gravel or cyclocross. Riders complete as many laps as they can inside their age group’s slot, so nobody gets lapped out and everybody is still racing when the finish comes.
Run with Deeside Thistle CC, with British Cycling qualified coaches on hand all morning.
Three categories, in two-year blocks, set by a rider’s age on 1 January 2026.
| Cat | Age group | Race time |
|---|---|---|
| E | Under 8 | 11:30 · 10 min |
| D | Under 10 | 12:00 · 15 min |
| C | Under 12 | 12:30 · 20 min |
Loosen the legs the day before you race. Join the Out & Back crew for a relaxed 5km leg loosener along the River Dee — flat, easy and sociable, with no clock on it. Meet at the Red Bull tent in the Festival Village.
A relaxed but rewarding evening walk into the forests above Banchory. 7.4km, climbing steadily to Scolty Tower, where the ground opens out and Royal Deeside goes gold in the sunset. Refreshments and snacks at the summit, then back down to the Festival Village — where Kasbah, the street food and a field full of people who’ve been racing all day are waiting.
No racing, no clock. Just a hill, a view and good company, guided the whole way by our team.
All profits are shared between Prostate Cancer UK, Breast Cancer UK and Banchory Outdoor and Active.
Saturday is the gravel day. The explorr Gravel Stage Race is a 120km route across Royal Deeside with four timed stages inside it — a one-day stage race that brings the best of multi-day racing into a single day. Same forest, same river, same finish line as your Sunday.
Riding 120km on Saturday and running on Sunday is a decision only you can make. Plenty will. If you’re not riding, it’s a fine day to watch from the Festival Village.
explorr exists because a lot of people decided a new event in Banchory was worth the effort.
To Aberdeenshire Council, Live Life Aberdeenshire and Visit Aberdeenshire — thank you. This weekend genuinely wouldn’t be here without your support.
To our commercial partners, who backed a first edition of something before there was anything to look at. To Forestry and Land Scotland and the landowners who let us take 120km of route across ground they look after. To the businesses, residents and community of Banchory, who’ve put up with the road cones and turned out anyway.
To our marshals and volunteers, standing at forest junctions in whatever the weather does, cheering people they’ve never met. You are the reason this works.
And to you, for entering something that had never happened before. That takes a certain amount of faith. We hope it was repaid.
