How World Cross planted seed for Short Course XC . . . now look at the growth

Friday 6th November 2026

Laura Muir won Women’s gold at 2013 Short Course at Bellahouston with the trophy for that race now named after (former President) Alan Potts

Over 1300 names are on our start-lists for the Lindsays Short Course XC at Kirkcaldy High School.

Recent growth in this event has been remarkable – but how did it start? And why?

By Alex Jackson

The first Short Course Champs – or 4k Champs as it was originally called – took place in Glasgow at Pollok Estate in January 1999.

It had come about as a way of selecting Scottish athletes for 4k races at the Inter Counties XC Champs later that season.

The World XC Champs had introduced 4k races in 1998 and the Inter Counties races were the vehicle to select GB teams for the World event (the 4k races in the World XC Champs were dropped in 2006).

Numbers at Pollok in 1999 weren’t significant . . .

‘In that first year only 67 men and 24 women finished,’ recalled Alex. ‘I wasn’t there; not a lot of people were.’

Mike Johnston’s recollections are of . . . flooding.

‘The first event was on the fields at Nether Pollok which we still use for GAA Endurance sessions,’ said Mike.

‘The finish area flooded several times during the day and was about 12 inches under water during the U20 Men’s finish.

‘When the IAAF event stopped in 2006, the Road Running and Cross Country Commission and Scottish Athletics were heavily criticised on the Scottish Athletics ‘Bulletin Board’ for continuing with the event as it was ‘clearly pointless and nobody would ever want to race the event’.

Men’s race start at Lanark last year (photo by Bobby Gavin)

From the year 2000, Bellahouston Park was the venue for the champs in January. In 2012 the event moved to November, that move plus the up to then poorly attended Glasgow Schools races moving to U15 and U17 National Championship ensured a sharp rise in numbers.

In 2014, there were discussions if Scottish Athletics would move the RR and CC Championships age groups from 40 to 35.

It was put to a vote with clubs and they again voted to leave it at 40. However, 10-year age category Masters medals were introduced at the Short Course Champs. Again, entries went up sharply.

In 2016 the event moved from Bellahouston Park to Renfrew for a year before then alternating between Lanark and Kirkcaldy.

A Short Course XC event that came about for World XC Champs races that are long gone – and had fewer than 100 running in the first edition – has 1327 entries tomorrow (up from 1249 last year).

The Senior Women’s race at 382 is edging towards 400 entries. Neither of which seemed remotely likely back in the final year of last century.