US donor pledges $12,500 for Ed's Loch Ness ultra run in aid of Clan Gunn centre

An endurance athlete is on course to secure a £10,000 donation for a Caithness heritage centre by taking part in an ultra run around Loch Ness this weekend – thanks to a generous supporter from across the Atlantic.

Ed Robinson, membership secretary of the Clan Gunn Society, has entered the gruelling Ultra X 125 Scotland which will involve running for 125km (77 miles) with an overnight camping stop.

He is raising funds for the Clan Gunn Heritage Centre at Latheron.

After an item about the event was published in the clan magazine, the Gunn Herald, a donor in the United States – who wishes to remain anonymous – promised to donate $100 per kilometre.

If he completes the run, Ed will therefore have raised $12,500, or approximately £10,000, from that single source.

He also has an online fundraising page.

Ed (36), who lives in Bath and has been training hard, said: "I was very pleasantly surprised when my fundraising efforts garnered such a generous donation. This will make a massive difference to the Clan Gunn Heritage Centre.

"When running in a long-distance race, it can be hard to stay motivated when your energy is at a low ebb, so it will be wonderful to draw on this generosity as a source of inspiration. The Clan Gunn Heritage Trust, which looks after the heritage centre, is a small charity in Latheron and to think that a private individual in the United States would sponsor my fundraising efforts for it is really inspiring and humbling.

"Now all that remains is for me to do my part and run a really long way."

The Ultra X 125 Scotland takes place on Saturday and Sunday, following a route from Inverness via the Great Glen Way to Fort Augustus and most of the way back, ending at Dores.

John Gunn, Younger of Gunn (son of the clan chief), a trustee of the Clan Gunn Heritage Trust, said: "The single donation of £10,000 is the most generous the Clan Gunn Heritage Trust has ever received and a real game-changer, particularly if we can attract matching funding offered by some of the local charities. It will allow us to complete the much-needed works to protect the fabric of the building and to ensure that we future-proof it, at least for the next 10 years.

“We are so grateful to Ed who actually has to do the hard work to earn this sponsorship. He has been training for months in order to put himself through close to a triple marathon over hilly terrain with a night of wild camping thrown in for good measure.

"We wish him the best of luck and a blister-free journey."

The Clan Gunn Heritage Centre, housed in Latheron's old parish church, will reopen in June for the first time since the initial lockdown. Various building repairs have been carried out during that time.

John said: "We are so excited to be opening the centre for the first time since Covid hit. Preparations have already begun and visitors will notice a number of new windows that have been replaced.

"The centre is a focal point for the clan’s history and, while it is of obvious interest to the clan, it also attracts a lot of interest from the general public and has become a popular stopping-off point for people driving or cycling the North Coast 500 route. We’re delighted to be back and raring to start the new season.”

The US-based donor said: "Ed is taking on a considerable task – training, preparing himself mentally and physically to conquer this huge run. And he’s doing it not for his own financial gain, but to give to our clan’s heritage centre. The effort he is putting in is one of the most admirable things I’ve ever seen or heard of.

"So I thought, well, if he’s willing to do this for our clan, then I want to support him, and support our clan. I believe the result of his efforts will benefit our Clan Gunn Heritage Centre for many generations to come. I hope that my donation will be helpful."

Ed's fundraising page can be found at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gunn-run – the anonymous sponsor is making separate arrangements.

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