Butchery brand brings back 5k race for January
PERTHSHIRE butchery brand Simon Howie is set to get running shoes at the ready as its 5k Puddin’ Race is set to return in 2027.
Marking the second annual Puddin’ Race, the Dunning-based event is set to return on Sunday 24 January 2027 to help raise funds for local charity Buttons & Bows Baby Bank.
Entries for the second 5k Puddin’ Race go on sale at 9am on Wednesday 7 October, with runners being warned to get their tickets sorted quickly if the first race is anything to go by.
The 2026 Puddin’ Race, which took place on Burns Night – 25 January – earlier this year, saw just over 500 runners take part in the event and helped to raise over £1,000 for mental health charity SAMH.
And for 2027, there is even more at stake. Both the fastest male and female runners will be crowned The Great Chieftan and Chieftanness o’ The Puddin’ Race with each set to take home a t-shirt and trophy to commemorate the event.
The 5k race will start and finish at Simon Howie’s farm in Dunning and will see runners take in the sights around the butcher’s factory, its wind turbine, along farm tracks and through the village before returning back where they started. At the end, every participant will receive a medal and a haggis to help celebrate Burns Night.
Founder of the brand Simon Howie said: “When we came up with the Puddin’ Race last year, we genuinely didn’t know if anyone would fancy running round our farm in Dunning in the middle of January for a haggis. Turns out, more than 500 people did!
“We were completely blown away by the response. It sold out in three weeks, the atmosphere on the day was brilliant and almost as soon as it was over people were asking us if we were doing it again. So, we really had no choice, the Puddin’ Race is back.
“Burns Night is our busiest time of the year and we’ll be producing over one million haggis, so things are already slightly mad around here in January. Adding hundreds of runners, kids and a few dogs into the mix probably shouldn’t make sense, but somehow it does.
“We’ve kept everything people loved about the first race – including the haggis at the finish line, and added a few extras for year two. Most importantly, this year the race will support a fantastic charity right here in Perthshire, Buttons & Bows Baby Bank, so every puddin’ pounding the pavements will be helping local families too.”
