Race Report: Donkey Brae 2026

It doesn’t seem to matter what the July weather has been up to—downpours, thunder, general Scottish dreich-ness—we all know that come race day for the Donkey Brae, it’s going to be a scorcher. 2026 was no exception, so with factor fifty applied and sunnies firmly in place, the Beacon Runners were out in all their sunshine-yellow glory to represent the club at Silver Sands on Sunday 2 August. 28 of us crammed into the starting pen to run the annual Donkey Brae 7-mile race, with a few additional team members taking photos and offering welcome encouragement to the runners along the course.

The Donkey Brae races are annual mixed-terrain running events named after the steep incline between Aberdour harbour and Hawkcraig Road, held as part of the Aberdour Festival. With 7-mile, 2-mile, and Fun run options, amidst the buzz of the assembled festival crowd, these family-friendly running races have been a favourite in the local running calendar for many years. The 7-mile route offers a bit of everything, from grass to tarmac to whatever you call that steep rocky bit next to St. Bridget’s, with 152 metres of elevation, fantastic views across the Forth, and enough twists, turns and bottlenecks for Lindsey Cleland to get her elbows out. It’s a well-known route to many Beacon runners, and a great showcase for local running in Fife.

This year 333 runners crossed the finish line, with 127 females and (quickly checks arithmetic…) 206 males. Beacon Runners had some notable results, with many top ten category finishes. In 35th place, Jamie Henderson (sans buggy) was first over the line for the club, and our very own Eddie Doyle took top spot in his age category with a brilliant chip time of 59:28. Well done, Jamie, Eddie, and every single Beacon Runner who put in the tremendous effort required to represent our friendly, inclusive club at this year’s race.

But of course, the race is only half the story. Special shout outs to Gerry Booth for organising the post-race meal at the Aberdour hotel, to Claire Howie and Rory Watson for organising the Wednesday route recces in the weeks leading up to the event, and everyone who took the time to take and share photos of the day.

Next up on the local race calendar is the Kirkcaldy Parks half marathon on Sunday 30th August, so get your yellows in the wash, polish the sweat off your sunnies, and see you in four weeks’ time.

- Laura Scotland