Race to recreate iconic scene on the beach

AROUND 700 runners will recreate the iconic opening scene from Chariots of Fire as they race along a St Andrews beach on Sunday.

The movie’s unmistakable theme by Vangelis will blast out as athletes take on the annual 5k Chariots of Fire Beach Race on the West Sands.

With competitors all dressed in white, and some of them barefoot, the annual event has become synonymous with St Andrews.

And organiser Ben McLeod is delighted to be back after two years of cancellations due to Covid restrictions.

“It’s such a joyous event,” he said.

“The atmosphere is very relaxed but there’s also that feeling of anticipation when the music starts.”

The race also includes pipers at the halfway point and the promise of a fudge doughnut and a beer at the end.

Ben launched the Chariots of Fire Beach Race in 2011 with around 100 competitors.

He was manager of three St Andrews restaurants at the time – the Doll’s House, the Glass House and the Grill House.

And he was delighted when he was asked to star as an extra when Danny Boyle remade the film’s opening scene for the 2012 London Olympics, starring Rowan Atkinson.

Although he moved to Berkshire in 2013 to retrain as a teacher, Ben still returns to his former hometown for the race each year.

It normally attracts people from across the world, some of whom are serious runners and others who simply love the thought of recreating the Chariots of Fire sequence.

All competitors wear white, as the actors do in the film. And they are encouraged to splash through the sea as they run.

Ben added: “It’s all about the mass participation, the music and having a doughnut and a beer on the beach.”