This year’s
Dominion Gas Ythan Challenge was for the first time
organised by the community groups which benefit most from
the event through an organizing committee comprising
representatives from The Meadows sports centre in Ellon —
where the popular event starts and finishes — and Ellon
Rugby Club, Ythan Amateur Swimming Club, Ellon Ladies Hockey
Club, the Middleton Trust, and Ellon ATC.
The main event
sponsor for the third consecutive year is Aberdeen-based
Dominion Gas, leading suppliers of industrial cylinder gases
to the global oil industry and previously known as Dominion
Technology Gases.
Organising
committee chair Ian Griffiths, of Ellon Rugby Club, said:
“We are delighted with how this year’s race went and our aim
is to ensure it remains a flagship annual event, not just
for Ellon but for north-east Scotland.
“We have had
some excellent feedback, and will take on board all
suggestions made.
“Our main
sponsor was once again Dominion Gas, whose generosity meant
we could use computer chip timing for the third year running
– this time using Aberdeenshire Council’s system for the
first time – to separate the entrants into three waves. This
meant there were no bottlenecks on the course and we were
also able to offer a swift results service.
“We are really
delighted with how the race went and would like to offer our
congratulations to all the category winners and also give a
huge vote of thanks to Dominion Gas, to all our other
sponsors and supporters, to Charles and Angela Wolrige
Gordon for allowing us to use Esslemont, and to the many
volunteers who helped out on the day.”
As usual, the
race started and finished at the Meadows, with runners
setting off at 11am and then heading along the side of the
Ythan into the beautiful Esslemont Estate, usually closed to
the public. Here the adventure really began, with a variety
of obstacles to slow down the runners and the river Ythan to
navigate before they headed back to the Meadows.
Our thanks for making the 2008 event such a great success
to:
> main sponsor
Dominion Technology Gases
>
The Running Shop Aberdeen and Inov-8 for providing
prizes
>
Sangs
of Banff, who for the eighth consecutive race provided
our runners with water on the course and at the finish
line
> Costcutters
of Ellon for their continued support in providing goody
bags for all finishers
>
Dome,
for donating and maintaining this website
> Race
consultants Alastair and Alice Simpson for their
invaluable input, advice and support before, during and
after the race
> We’d also like
to thank everyone else involved, in particular Charles and
Angela Wolrige Gordon for once again allowing us to stage
the event on the beautiful Esslemont Estate.
Our thanks too to the following, in alphabetical order:
> George
Chalmers, for donating and delivering straw bales
> HM
Coastguard Aberdeen, for organising the river obstacle
> St Andrew’s
First Aid Grampian
> ...and to
everyone else who gave up their time to help in the
run-up and on race day
