The Otter of Leith

Charlotte had gained a place to run in the London Marathon this year, which she had been intending to do in full otter costume (to raise funds for the Water of Leith trust). So when the marathon was cancelled she decided to run instead the 28 miles that are the full length of the Water of Leith, starting at its source in the Pentlands. This entailed a considerable walk from the nearest road to the source, then the first few miles running on rough tussocky bog without the luxury of a path.

And she finally made it along the Shore to where the WoL empties into the docks. She seemed in remarkably good shape. The odd colouration on her face is not due to a medical condition but is the remnants of her otter face paint, whiskers and all, mostly sweated off. And although you can't see it in the pic, she also had a fake otter tail pinned to the back of her shorts.  Over £4000 raised so far - well done indeed, Charlotte!

If you check out the WoL twitter feed you'll see some more photos of her at various stages on the run: here. I never thought to ask if she'd seen an otter on her way down!