The Scottish Butcher, Simon Howie, has hailed the launch of its first-ever 5km Puddin’ Race a resounding success, after the Burns Night-inspired run sold out within just a few weeks with over 500 runners keen to ‘pud’ on their running gear and run for a haggis in support of mental health.
Held on Sunday 25 January 2026, Burns Night, at Simon Howie’s HQ in Dunning, Perthshire, the first-ever event welcomed runners of all abilities and all ages to take part in a feel-good race designed to boost wellbeing, celebrate Burns Night, and raise funds and awareness for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).
The morning kicked off with the Kids’ Fun Run. While this race wasn’t officially timed and was all about having fun, we have to give a special shout-out to Alex Martin and Ainsley Young as the first boy and girl home.
Huge well done to all our young runners!
Despite the slightly drizzly weather the 5k started in high spirits with a piper accompanying the runners over the start line. The 5k route is quite a challenging route with some steep uphill and traily sections so the winner Alastair Marshall was quite rightly hailed The Great Chieftain o’ The Puddin’ Race, setting an extremely impressive time of 15:58.
Donations were invited from all runners signing up to the event and over £1000 was raised for SAMH, to support the charity’s vital mental health services across Scotland, before the race even started.
The Puddin’ Race formed part of a wider January fundraising drive by Simon Howie, which also included the brand’s Sideburns Night campaign, a nationwide challenge encouraging supporters to grow their sideburns in the lead-up to Burns Night and donate £5 to SAMH. Together, the two campaigns combined Burns Night tradition with light-hearted fundraising to tackle the January blues and support mental wellbeing across Scotland.
Founder Simon Howie said: “As the UK’s number 1 haggis brand and a family business putting on a family friendly event that welcomes people of all ages, both from the local community but also from further afield, to join us here in Dunning to celebrate Burns Night has been extremely special.
“The weather this month has been brutal but this really has been a celebration of us hardy Scots. We don’t let a bit of rain stop us turning up, especially if there’s a haggis to win!
“Our organising team, Clair Howison, James Tree and Scott Thomson have pulled out all the stops, so I want to thank them personally for all that they have done.
“What began as a bit of a whacky idea has turning into a massive post-Christmas blues-buster. We were blown away by how quickly the race sold out and delighted by the money it raised for SAMH so while it was a lot of work to juggle during our busiest time of the year, we also hope this will be the first of many to come.”
Participants crossed the finish line to receive a celebratory haggis and commemorative medal, with many also sporting exclusive Puddin’ Race T-shirts and tote bags. The event atmosphere reflected its core aim of bringing people together, tackling the January blues and highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on mental wellbeing.
Hazel McIlwraith, Director of Fundraising and Major Appeal at SAMH, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Simon Howie and everyone who took part in the Puddin’ Race.
“Community events like this play a vital role in helping us continue our work supporting mental health across Scotland, while also encouraging people to look after their own wellbeing.”
Following the success of the inaugural event, Simon Howie has confirmed it is exploring plans for future editions of the Puddin’ Race.
