Great Run to move Edinburgh cross country showpiece event to Stirling
It comes almost four months after Edinburgh abruptly ended its long-term backing for the televised showpiece, which has attracted the world’s best athletes.
With the city unwilling to maintain the six-figure financial backing required, despite pleas from the likes of Laura Muir and Liz McColgan, rival bids from England were launched for a race which is considered second only in prestige to the world cross-country championships.
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Hide AdBut despite interest from Glasgow and other Scottish cities, King’s Park in Stirling is set to become the new venue.
“The Edinburgh international cross-country is a fantastic event for Scotland,” said VisitScotland’s Events Director Paul Bush. “It gets 1.4 million viewers on TV. We’ve always been keen to keep it in Scotland.”
Scottish Athletics chief executive Mark Munro welcomed the offer of Scottish Government backing to keep the event north of the border. “It’s great because it’s an event kids can go to and see people like Laura or Mo Farah up close.”