The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Butchart eager to lead Scotland on home turf
ATHLETICS: Home Countries XC International at the Run Stirling event
Olympian Andy Butchart will lead Scotland into the Home Countries XC International at the Run Stirling event on Saturday January 11.
The GB international, who finished fifth at the Euro Cross in Lisbon last week, is relishing the prospect.
The King’s Park course is home turf for Dunblane-raised Butchart, who trained in the Stirling park on many occasions a few years ago while coming through the ranks with Central AC.
Fellow GB international Mhairi Maclennan will lead the Scotland Senior Women’s team in the Home Countries match with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Run Stirling will be streamed live online by BBC and Vinco.
There are a number of other GB internationals in the ranks of this Scotland selection, too – notably the U20 trio of Hamish Armitt, Cera Gemmell and Megan Keith, who all came home from the Euro Cross in Lisbon with team gold medals with the British squads.
About 1,000 athletes in total are expected to be involved in the whole event which includes the British Cross Challenge.
“It is good to see an event like this being held in Stirling and well done to all those folk behind the scenes working to pull it all together – including those at Central AC,” said Butchart.
“With the British Cross Challenge element and the international competition, as well as a live stream on BBC and Vinco, it should be a great event and a strong advert for athletics in Scotland.
“It will be a little surreal for me racing there because I’ve done many a training run in King’s Park growing up as a kid and as a teenager with Central AC.”
Butchart won his first Scotland vest in the Celtic International XC in Wales in January 2013 when a late call-up paid off: He finished third as Dewi Griffiths took the U23 gold.
“It’s a while ago now but I do remember a very long bus journey south on the Saturday,” he said.
“There was snow and ice in Cardiff but I ran well and got on the podium, and actually that selection and performance gave me a bit of push at that time to train harder and try and realise my potential.’
A number of partners have combined to help stage the event including scottishathletics, EventScotland, Stirling Council, British Athletics and Great Run.
Butchart’s club, Central AC, is also taking on much of the organisation as host club.
Scotland Senior and U20 teams compete in the Home Countries XC International with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Scotland U23, U20 and U17 teams compete in the Celtic XC International with Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.