Cycling couple get married during 24-hour race

Strathpuffer regulars Steve and Tracy Brown tied the knot at the weekend's race

Two cycling enthusiasts stopped during a lap of a 24-hour endurance race in the Highlands to get married.

Steve Brown and Tracy Munro, from Inverness, were taking part in their 16th Strathpuffer, a competition held near Strathpeffer.

The couple's ceremony was held next to the race's mascot - Bill The Skeleton - and fellow competitors wished them luck as they whizzed by.

Tracy said: "It is also where Steve proposed to me so it seemed very apt to have the wedding on the Puffer course."

The Butterfly Conservation worker and Steve, who recently retired from the NHS, went on to complete the race.

Tracy said: "The day was great and everything that we could have hoped for.

"To be competing at the event and then stop during a lap to hold the ceremony was just brilliant.

"It meant we were able to share the day with not only family and friends but also the amazing cycling community that is the Strathpuffer."

She added: "Those not competing had walked in to join us, creating a great atmosphere with riders cycling through the middle of the wedding."

The couple were married on the Puffer course next to race mascot Bill The Skeleton

The newlyweds went on to finish the race

The race - nicknamed The Puffer - was started in 2005 but disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

Last January's event was the first since 2020.

Previous competitions have been staged in deep snow and sub-zero temperatures.

The Puffer is a popular mountain bike event

Most of the competition takes place in darkness

The race follows a traditional 24-hour mountain bike format with laps of an eight mile (12.5km) route.

The Puffer started at 10:00 on a Saturday and competitors must finish by 11:00 the following day.

The event is open to solo cyclists, pairs and teams of four.

The race is held in woodland near Strathpeffer

The route is completed by individuals and teams of riders