THIS year's Might Deerstalker obstacle race in Innerleithen has been cancelled.

The annual event was scheduled to take place on Saturday.

But organisers have had to pull the plug due to the adverse weather.
Jim Mee, the founder of Rat Race Adventure Sports which runs the event, said: "It is with deep regret that we must announce that The Mighty Deerstalker 2018 will not take place this weekend. 

"Wherever you are, you will no doubt have looked out of your window and seen some white stuff. The Beast from the East has indeed landed with a vengeance. We have been monitoring the forecast, the conditions on the ground and making plans accordingly with a clear view to operating this event. 

"Until very recently, that looked achievable. It is now clear that has changed; the snow fallen surpasses the estimates given, particularly in the localised event area and the central belt of Scotland. 

"The upgrade to red warning issued yesterday [Wednesday] in central Scotland, coupled with a more uncertain weather outlook towards the weekend, has manifested a number of circumstances that do now make it impossible to proceed with our plans.

"Therefore with the interest of the safety of our participants and crew top of mind (and mindful that making a call any later may actively affect live travel plans), we are taking this decision now."

The Deerstalker Race has been running for 12 years.

But Mr Mee said "safety is paramount" and that cancelling the event is the right thing to do.

He added: "We love this event. It is the longest-serving one in our portfolio. It is special and unique in the British running calendar. 

"But equally, the decision we have reached is the right one to make now, based on wider safety grounds in the country-at-large."