This year’s Fairlie Lions Mackenzie Half Marathon went off with a hitch.
While the event was well attended, there were a few changes made to the event on the day due to a devastating fire nearby.
Fire crews were called to Carnegies Restaurant in Allandale Rd, Fairlie at about 6.30am on Saturday.
The building was found in flames.
The fire had been mostly extinguished by 10.30am, but not before it destroyed much of the restaurant’s ceiling.
Event spokeswoman Jasmine Shaw said the fire had an impact on the event as organisers made a slight change to the start of the 21km and 10km courses to keep everyone safe, while clearing the way for emergency services.
With the route going near the fire, organisers made the quick adjustments to keep their runners safe.
There was also the quick rescheduling due to a lack of marshals, as many of the local fire brigade members were doubling as course marshals and all were called to action.
Despite the setbacks they had a record number of participants, with 1001 people registered to take part across the 21.1km, 10km, 5.5km and 2.5km events.
‘‘We were lucky that the power being cut . . .didn’t affect us. We were on a different circuit it seems.’’
‘‘We did have a couple of generators ready to go if need be though.’’
Fairlie once again leaned into its Scottish roots.
‘‘Kilts were flying and bagpipes were sounding,’’ Miss Shaw said.
Runners braved overcast skies, cool temperatures and the lingering smell of smoke to tackle river crossings, gravel trails and hill climbs through the rugged beauty of the Mackenzie Basin, Miss Shaw said.
