The results of an annual Boxing Day race have been cancelled – after it was found that at least 50 people had cheated at the charity fundraising event.
About 280 runners lined up on Boxing Day to take part in the Nairn Turkey Trot in the Scottish Highlands.
But after an investigation found widespread rule breaking at the 5k event, the 2025 edition has been declared ‘null and void’.
The aim of the race is for runners to guess what time they will complete the course, with the winners being those who are closest to that after being recorded by official event equipment.
But athletes are not allowed to wear personal timing devices, to ensure it is a fair race for everyone who participates.
However, an investigation by organisers found that more than 20 per cent of participants had uploaded their times to GPS websites, like Strava or Garmin.
As a result, they have now cancelled all predictive times for this year’s competition – the 39th – and say they are considering no longer making it part of future Nairn Turkey Trot events.
Kevin Reid, chairman of the organisers Nairn Road Runners, said it was cheating on a scale which the event had never experienced before.
Twenty per cent of runners at the annual Nairn Turkey Trot on Boxing Day (pictured) cheated, an investigation by the organisers found
He said: ‘It is a bit mad and it is not like the event is for big prizes, the winner gets a box of chocolates. I don’t see why athletes would feel the need to cheat.
‘An awful lot of people used Strava and Garmin to record their runs. That basically null and voids anything to do with the times.
‘At least 50 people were using timing devices at the race, we think around 25 per cent of those who took part in the event did so.
‘It was brought to our attention on Sunday morning. We received a few complaints where people highlighted things. When we looked into it, we discovered quite a few runners had been using Strava to upload their times.’
‘The terms and conditions of the race clearly state not to use GPS devices of any sort to record the times. It goes against the nature of what the event is,’ he added.
Mr Reid said organisers were left devastated that so many runners had been found to have cheated in the race on Friday, as the event raised more than £1,200 for Highlands mental health and suicide prevention charity Mikeysline.
But the race will continue to be organised in the future, as it will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026.
However, because of the actions of those who they say cheated, it is unlikely – although yet to be confirmed – that it will continue to be a predicted time event.
Mr Reid added: ‘We highlighted to runners they were not supposed to use timing devices. Yet, people chose to do so.
‘It may mean the event from now on will just be a fun run and no longer have predictive times. Potentially that is the way we have to go forward.
‘When you have around 300 runners, it is impossible to police them if they are not going to follow the rules. We can’t be watching everybody.
‘You could understand them doing that if the race was for big money, but it was small prizes, it was meant to be just for fun.
‘We will run the event next year, but I don’t think we will bother with predictive times.
‘The main thing is we raised money for Mikeysline and that is what we are taking from this year’s event. There are also collection buckets still to be counted.’
However, Nairn’s Turkey Trot is not the first race to be mired in a cheating scandal.
In 2023, top ultra-marathon runner Joasia Zakrzewski was disqualified from the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool event after taking a trophy for third place when it was found she ‘took vehicle transport during part of the route’.
One of the more bizarre examples of cheating came when Sergio and Arnold Motsoeneng colluded during the 1999 Comrades marathon in South Africa.
The siblings were accused of competing as each other and also of switching places during the race on one entry ticket.
An investigation found out about the foul play because despite their likeness, photographs showed the pair running with a watch on different wrists while one had scars on his shin.
