DIGGING DEEP
IT is a tradition which gives a nod to Scotland’s rich mining history.
And after a hiatus, the coal carrying championship was held at the weekend for the first time in five years.
Men, women and children competed in races to carry coal sacks for a kilometre (0.6 of a mile) through the village of Kelty,
Fife. The race originates from stories that colliers in the late 1800s ran home from the pits with lumps of coal, known as ‘rakers’ or ‘clugs’, in their bags.
Founded in 1995 by organiser Michael
Boyle to honour Kelty’s mining heritage, the annual event attracted thousands of spectators. But lack of sponsorship then the pandemic meant this was the first championship to be held since 2016.
The races included men carrying 110lb bags of coal, women 55lb bags and children 33lb bags.