Tour Scotland Video Sprint Races Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of 90 metres Sprint races at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. It is reported in numerous Highland games programs, that King Malcolm III of Scotland, in the 11th century, summoned contestants to a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich, overlooking Braemar. King Malcolm created this foot race in order to find the fastest runner in the land to be his royal messenger. Some have seen this apocryphal event to be the origin of today's modern Highland games. There is a document from 1703 summoning the clan of the Laird of Grant, Clan Grant. They were to arrive wearing Highland coats and " also with gun, sword, pistol and dirk ". From this letter, it is believed that the competitions would have included feats of arms. However, the modern Highland games are largely a Victorian invention, developed after the Highland Clearances.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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