Stuart to hold running workshop

A FORMER Argyll man who ran 39 marathons in 40 days will be visiting Oban on Saturday to host a running workshop.

Stuart Hardie, 69, who now lives in the Channel Islands, lived in Ardfern between 1972 and 1988, and was well-known in Oban as both captain and coach of Oban Lorne RFC.

In 2009 he ran from John O’Groats to Land’s End, and followed that up with the impressive 39 marathons in 40 days at the age of 65, in 2011.

Stuart will be in Oban to promote chi running - a method of improving running technique to reduce injuries - which he is a trained instructor of.

He explained: ‘This is not an instant fix; it’s a technique to give steady improvement, similar to yoga or tai chi. We identify where improvements can be made and aim for incremental progress.

‘It’ll be good to be back up in Oban, and hopefully it will be a good turnout. We already have about 20 names of people attending.’

The workshop is organised in partnership with Billy Thomson who runs the sports shop, Intersport Oban, and was a team mate of Stuart during his rugby days.

Billy said: ‘I knew Stuart through rugby and have kept in touch with him, so when he came into the shop to see me a few years ago and told me about his chi running and what he had done with his marathons I thought it would be great to get him to come up and do a workshop here at Atlantis.

‘I thought it was an amazing achievement and it might inspire current runners to change styles and help with injury prevention, or inspire new people to take up running once they find out about the different ways to run.’

For more information, call Stuart on 07781450352, or email stuart@primalrunning.gg