This weekend, the Lindsays National XC – Scotland’s national cross country championships – are in Falkirk and will be broadcast on runjumpthrow.com and runnerspace.com in North America.
Coverage will include a Saturday evening ‘as live’ broadcast and drone footage will be used for the first time as a pilot from UAS Flight Ops will join the team to bring you closer action.
Race videos will be on from 7pm, so you can get in, get the mud off, and sit down to watch in your own time. Full on demand highlights will also be made available after the event.
Last year, Callum Hawkins won it as he prepared for the New York Half Marathon and Morag MacLarty won her first senior title, taking the Senior Women’s race by 67 seconds from Rio Olympian Beth Potter. However, with MacLarty injured this year and Potter preparing to double-up in the triathlon and 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games, there could well be some new names crossing the tape this year.
Callum Hawkins one is him presenting Lindsays Trophy to Giffnock North AC’s Dudley Walker
In the men’s under-20 race, James Donald of Dundee Hawkhill looks be one of the favourites. James represented Scotland in the Armagh Road Races and came up with a superb run of 14.26 to finish 27th place. He was just ahead of former twice-winner of National XC, Alastair Hay of Central AC, and Shettleston’s Lachlan Oates, who took bronze last year.
Steph Pennycook of Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds will be one of the favourites in the Women’s race. Steph represented Scotland in the 4x1K International Relay at the Great Edinburgh XC and then finished 10th in the Armagh 3K in 9.26 recently.
GB international Mhairi Maclennan, a team-mate of Pennycook’s at Edinburgh Uni and also coached by John Lees, is another strong contender after winning the North of England Champs with Morpeth and finishing 9th at the Euro Cross under-23 race in December.
scottishathletics believe this will be the first time a national championship event in Scottish sport has had this kind of exposure. Our video package in the past from Falkirk has attracted 20,000 views over a period and we hope the whole athletics community will tune-in to watch family and friends.
Steph Pennycook leading Edinburgh Uni home to win in the National XC Relays earlier in the season at Cumbernauld
The drone, operated by an experienced, Civil Aviation Authority-permitted pilot, will fly over the golf course area in Callendar Park, working in tandem with traditional camera operators on the ground.
It’s not the first venture into race coverage for UAS Flight Ops, who provided footage of the English Primary Schools XC last year.
Matt Quine of Vinco, who will produce the footage, said: ‘We’re really looking forward to working with scottishathletics again at the Lindsays National XC on Saturday.
‘We’re excited to be bringing fans an ‘as live’ broadcast from the event for the first time in its history, showing it from new angles through our experienced drone pilot who has worked on large scale productions such as Channel 4’s ‘Hunted.’
scottishathletics Head of Communications, Peter Jardine, said: ‘We’re really excited to step up our coverage of this flagship event this year by introducing these innovations.
‘We hope adding both drone footage and a same day as-live broadcast will add to the excitement and sense of occasion that already surrounds this fantastic day of athletics in Falkirk.
‘We’re grateful to everyone who’s worked hard behind the scenes to make this possible, including Falkirk Community Trust, Lindsays, and of course the team at Vincosport and UAS Flight Ops.
‘With Falkirk a central location for many clubs in Scotland, I would envisage many of those competing and their supporters getting home late afternoon and then enjoying the action for a couple of hours from 7pm.
‘We’ve worked hard with Falkirk Community Trust on this and we’ve put up signs in Callendar Park to advise the public this will be happening on Saturday.’
Full event information including start lists can be found here.
Previous winners of the Senior Women’s race:
2014 Rhona Auckland
2015 Maddie Murray
2016 Beth Potter
2017 Morag MacLarty
Previous winners of the Senior Men’s race:
2014 Callum Hawkins
2015 Andy Butchart
2016 Andy Butchart
2017 Callum Hawkins
