Over 400 primary school pupils have taken part in the hugely popular annual McRobert Cup cross-country event at Torvean Park, Inverness.
A key sporting occasion in the school calendar, the High Life Highland organised event took place under the sunshine on the morning of 20th March.
Speaking about the event, Dagmar Borrowman, High Life Highland’s Active Schools Coordinator for the Charleston School cluster, and one of the event organisers said, “We were delighted to welcome pupils across 34 primary schools from Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey to Torvean Park, with each one of the participants contributing with brilliant efforts. It was also great to welcome Kilchuimen Primary and Ness Castle Primary to the event for the first time.
“In a change of scene, and with the support of The Highland Council, we were delighted to be able to re-locate to Torvean Park while the planned redevelopment of Bught Park continues.
“With the venue change we carefully chose to run the event with a reduced number of competitors, however, the response we received was terrific. We know how much our local schools and pupils appreciate taking part in this event, offering youngsters a taster of the cross-country world and all that it has to offer.
Dagmar continued, “The success of the event could not have happened without the additional support from our partners at Inverness Harriers Athletics Club, JogScotland, UHI and members of Inverness Rotary Club who provided volunteers on the day. We are also very grateful to our friends at Jacobite Cruises for provision of additional parking nearby.
Lending their support and cheering on the runners were dozens of families and school staff.
Shortly after the races reached their conclusion, prizes were presented at Inverness Leisure by Councillor Andrew MacKintosh and High Life Highland’s Director of Sport, Leisure & Safeguarding, James Martin. Announcements of the medal winners came from local running legend and High Life Highland’s Disability Sport Development Officer, Charlie Forbes, who also assisted at the finish line during the races.
Chair of Highland Council’s Education Committee, Councillor John Finlayson said, “Having been involved as a Head Teacher in escorting pupils to past editions of the McRobert Cup, I have seen at first-hand the joy that this sporting event brings to pupils. Physical Education and participation in sporting activities is enormously important in the development of resilience in our young people, and the continued success of this event should be a great source of pride for everyone involved.”
Concluding, Dagmar Borrowman praised the many schools, pupils, supporters, and volunteers saying, “Organising events like these, alongside our partners, takes a tremendous amount of work. However, when we see how much it means to the children to be taking part then it makes every single minute of planning all worthwhile. We are already looking forward to running next year’s event and welcoming pupils back to the McRobert Cup in 2025.”
