The results of a long-standing Boxing Day charity race in Scotland have been completely scrapped after an investigation revealed that at least 50 participants cheated, breaking the event's fundamental rules.
Widespread Rule-Breaking at Festive Fundraiser
Approximately 280 runners gathered in the Scottish Highlands on 26 December for the 39th annual Nairn Turkey Trot, a 5km event designed to raise money for charity. The unique format requires participants to predict their finish time in advance, with winners being those who run closest to their guess, without the aid of any personal timing technology.
However, organisers from Nairn Road Runners launched a probe after receiving complaints. They discovered that more than 20 per cent of the field had uploaded their run data to GPS tracking websites like Strava or Garmin. This direct contravention of the race's terms and conditions, which ban all such devices to ensure fairness, forced the committee to take drastic action.
'It's a Bit Mad': Organisers React to Scandal
Kevin Reid, chairman of Nairn Road Runners, expressed his dismay at the scale of the cheating, which he said the event had never before experienced. He highlighted the irony, given the modest nature of the prizes. "It is a bit mad and it is not like the event is for big prizes, the winner gets a box of chocolates," Reid stated. "I don't see why athletes would feel the need to cheat."
He confirmed that the predictive times for the 2025 edition have been declared 'null and void'. The scandal is particularly disheartening as the event successfully raised over £1,200 for Mikeysline, a Highlands-based mental health and suicide prevention charity.
Future of the Event in Doubt
The fallout from the mass cheating is likely to change the nature of the beloved community race. With around 300 participants, organisers say it is impossible to police everyone if they choose not to follow the rules. "We highlighted to runners they were not supposed to use timing devices. Yet, people chose to do so," Reid added.
As a result, while the Turkey Trot will continue and celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, the predictive time element may be dropped. "It may mean the event from now on will just be a fun run and no longer have predictive times. Potentially that is the way we have to go forward," Reid concluded, emphasising that the primary success was the fundraising achievement.
This incident echoes other high-profile cheating controversies in running, such as the allegations made against Tommy Fury regarding a triathlon finish in France earlier this year. It underscores the challenges event organisers face in maintaining integrity, even in low-stakes, charitable competitions.
