Prince Harry backing Balmoral Challenge charity races

North-east runners have the opportunity to support a charity event, backed by Prince Harry, at Balmoral Castle this summer.

The Walking with the Wounded Balmoral Challenge takes place on June 23 and 24 and is open to teams of four who can opt for one of three races over mountainous routes in and around the Deeside estate.

Walking with the Wounded was set up in 2010 by Prince Harry’s former Army officer colleagues Ed Parker and Simon Dalglish after Ed’s 26-year-old nephew lost both legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan.

Parker will give a motivational talk to participants in the Balmoral Challenge.

The charity aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by wounded service personnel and to raise funds to help them make a successful transition to civilian life.

Prince Harry has been a supporter of the charity since it was established and has played an active role in manyof its projects, including treks to the North Pole and South Pole.

The Balmoral Challenge is expected to attract 100 teams and anyone who has entered the Run Balmoral races on April 22 and 23 is being offered a £50 discount on the full team entry fee of £260.

There are three challenges on offer, the toughest being the Triple Crown. This is a 33km race which starts from a secret drop-off point with competitors making their way back to Balmoral by way of a route which climbs over three Munros.

This is open to anyone aged 18 and over.

An alternative is the Prince’s Stone challenge.

This is held over a route which extends to a minimum of 20km with teams having to pick up points along the way as they search for the Prince’s Stone within a set time limit.

This is open to competitors aged 16 and over with at least one over-18 year-old as part of the team.

The third and final challenge is the cairn Chaser which takes the form of a 15km run exploring the various cairns dotted around the forests within the grounds of the Balmoral estate. This is a family-oriented event suitable for anyone aged 12 and over although there has to be one team member over18.

Participating teams will meet and compete against the charity’s beneficiaries from across Scotland and hear first-hand how they have overcome physical, mental and social injuries, such as homelessness, to get back in to work and gain independence.