Amidst the backdrop of giant gunnera, palms and tender plant treasures from the southern hemisphere, visitors to Logan Botanic Garden will shortly witness another dramatic spectacle. George Sherriffs, Acquisitions Librarian at the Dumfries & Galloway site’s parent organisation, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), is making the final preparations for a new ultra-marathon challenge. Setting off from Benmore, the keen runner will race an incredible 356 miles over eight days to promote the work being done at Scotland’s botanic gardens.
George’s ambitious endeavour will see him circuit the research institute’s four Gardens at Benmore in Argyll, Logan, Dawyck in the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh. Starting at Benmore on Tuesday, April 23, he will run over 150 miles before arriving at Logan, Scotland’s most exotic garden on Friday, April 26. Then, he will journey to Dawyck, before finally arriving at the Edinburgh Garden on Tuesday, April 30.
As George arrives at Logan, after an overnight stay in Stranraer, people in Dumfries & Galloway are being invited along to the Garden to meet the man and hear about his incredible challenge. They can even sign-up to keeping George company for a small stretch of his epic run.
The route, amidst some of Scotland’s hilliest backdrops, includes several sections where he will run distances of some 50+ miles each day, including Day 4 when he will run 50 miles from Stranraer to Glentrool via Logan.
George explained: “I have undertaken multiple marathons and other challenging long-distance runs over the last 39 years and felt this would be a great way to highlight the vital research and conservation work taking place at our Gardens.
“This venture was originally scheduled for 2020, the 350th anniversary year of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – a number that aligned almost perfectly with the 356-mile length of the run – but we sadly had to postpone because of the pandemic. I now can’t wait to get started.”
Commending George for his incredible feat, Richard Baines, Curator of Logan Botanic Garden said: “George’s journey represents a significant physical and mental challenge, yet through his run, he raises awareness and mobilises tangible support for the work that we do at Logan and our other Gardens to combat biodiversity loss and the climate crisis.
“We hope that locals and visitors will join in and support George. Please pop along and say hello at 11am on Monday, April 22, as he arrives at Logan. The timing couldn’t be better as the Garden is looking great.”
Each of RBGE’s four Gardens are different in topography, soils and climate, enabling an exceptionally wide range of plants to be grown and researched for wider conservation efforts. Together, Benmore, Logan, Dawyck and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh constitute one of the richest plant collections on Earth, , at a time when the organisation is a leading force in the fight against the impact of the biodiversity crisis and climate emergency.
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