After more than three decades, Aberdeen’s Duthie Park will once again host a competitive road race, reviving a route once graced by Olympic greats. The Gathimba Edwards Foundation (GEF) is bringing back this iconic racing experience as part of its Safari Series, replacing the Hazlehead Park 5K with an exciting new event on Sunday, 18th May 2025.
This change reintroduces a famous, fast and flat 5K route to the city, offering runners a chance to achieve personal bests.
In partnership with neospace, GEF is excited to provide this new racing opportunity. Scott Paton, Managing Director of neospace, shared his excitement about the partnership, saying, “We are delighted to support GEF in bringing this fantastic event to Duthie Park. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the community and aligns with our commitment to promoting health and well-being.”
Duthie Park holds a rich history in Aberdeen’s running community. In the early 1990s, it hosted international races featuring Olympic medallists such as Steve Cram, Liz McColgan, and Yvonne Murray. These events, organised by Brendan Foster, were precursors to the Balmoral races and included mile races where winners clocked times around the four-minute mark. The park was also the starting point for the first North of Scotland championship races in the 1890s.
The GEF Safari Series, licensed by Scottish Athletics, offers runners the chance to compete over three different distances on the road, each providing a unique Kenyan safari animal medal upon completion. The other two races making up the series are the Prime Four 3k (and kids 1k) on Sunday 29th June and Mel’s Union Street Mile on Saturday 23rd August. A kids 1k is also part of the Duthie Park 5k event.
Myles Edwards, co-founder of GEF and former Scottish 1,500m champion, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing the Duthie Park 5k back to Aberdeen. It is not only an exciting event from an awareness and fundraising perspective, but it also gives runners of all abilities a new event to look forward to in the racing calendar. We are really grateful to neospace for making it possible.”
Adding to the event’s charm, GEF will introduce a frog mascot for the Duthie Park race, paying homage to McPuddock, the famous frog in the park’s Winter Gardens.
For more information and to stay updated on registration details, please visit the GEF Safari Series event page.
Event Details:
- Date: Sunday, 18th May 2025
- Kids 1K Race: Starts at 10:30 AM
- Adults 5K Race: Starts at 11:00 AM
- Location: Duthie Park, starting at the McGrigor Memorial Obelisk; the race will consist of slightly more than five laps around the park.
Registration: Details and entry links will be available soon on the GEF Safari Series event page.
