for the 38th annual Scottish Independent Schools’ Invitational Cross-Country Championships.
Scotland’s Biggest Prep School Cross-Country Competition at Belhaven Bay Returns
Belhaven Hill School in Dunbar has just welcomed runners back for the 38th annual Scottish Independent Schools’ Invitational Cross-Country Championships. This is the biggest cross-country competition in the annual calendar. It is organised and hosted by Belhaven Hill School, the boarding and day school for 5 to 13-year-olds, as competitors take in a course from beautiful Belhaven Bay, which is overlooked appropriately, by the school itself, out to the stunning John Muir Country Park and back.
Relocating the event to Belhaven Bay from John Muir Country Park itself, Belhaven Hill hosted fifteen participating schools from Scotland and the north of England, and the school attracted a huge number of runners, with 384 pupils competing, just seven short of the all-time record. Schools entered four-six runners into each race for boys and girls, divided into age groups: Under 9s, Under 11s and Under 13s. The routes, which run near the beach and through the woods, cover 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 km respectively.
The schools taking part included East Lothian schools, The Compass, Loretto and Belhaven Hill, as well as Longridge, Lathallan, Merchiston Castle, Fettes, Cargilfield, St. George’s, Strathallan, St. Leonard’s, St. Mary’s, Craigclowan, Ardvreck, and Edinburgh Academy. The local East Lothian primary and senior schools were also invited to take part. Team coaches cheered the runners on over sand dunes and down woodland paths with the sea breeze in the air, and many stayed afterwards for tea and prize-giving at the start/finish with the beautiful bay behind them.
Medals were awarded to the top three runners in each race and trophies for the winning team in each category and, as the course was new this year, all six winning times classed as new records!
Noel Curry of Belhaven Hill School, who has organised the competition for the past seven years, says: “This course is the most challenging on the Scottish junior and prep schools’ calendar and is the highlight of the cross-country season. Belhaven boys and girls practise running every week and trained for the cross-country by running relays along our local beach and through the woods in their Patrol (house) competitions. Many of them manage the full 4.5-mile route from school out to John Muir Country Park over stiles, bridges, beaches, woodland in all weathers, from wind and snow to the most idyllic coastal sunsets.”
In the 2024 run, the U-9 and U-13 boys ran simultaneously; Cargilfield and Strathallan taking the team awards. The U-9 run was dominated by Belhaven’s Monty S., who won the 2.5 km run in just 9m 55s with the Belhaven team coming in third position overall in both races.
The U-9 and U-13 girls’ races were up next; Cargilfield and St. Leonard’s winning these, with Belhaven’s Annie F. remarkably taking third position on the podium, despite being a year younger than her fellow competitors. One to watch for 2025! This time Belhaven finished in silver position in the team competition.
The final pair of races was the U-11s, Emily B. picking up a silver medal in the girls’ race as Belhaven again finished second overall, but the final race came good for the host school as Belhaven won the U-11 race by a comfortable margin, to be the only school of the fifteen taking part that finished in the top three in five of the six team races.
The Belhaven organisational staff left with the huge satisfaction that their event, after Covid, storms, and now a venue change is now better, bigger and more successful than ever.
