Highland Games Athletics Competitions
A Visitor's Guide
Track and Field Events
The Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games feature track and field events, including 90m, 200m, 800m, and 1600m races, as well as relays and a hill race. These attract athletes from all over the world. The main events require pre-entering; however, visitors to Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games can participate on the day in a 200 m race or the children's sprint and relay races.
Track and Field
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The basic premise of all races is that the fastest is the winner. However, the majority of the races have equality created for the competitors, which is known as "handicapping", where competitors expected finish time is taken into account. This effectively means that the faster athletes have to run further.
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In the main athletics competitions, there are two groups based on their age.
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Youth (12 to 15 years of age).
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Adults (over 16 years of age).
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There are also enter-on-the-day races with short sprint races for children aged 4 - 13 years of age and a 200m race for adults.
Hill race
Hill running, also known as “fell running” south of the Border, involves running up the hill behind the game's field. Athletes leave the paths to cover approximately 7.7 km (4.78 miles) of often muddy terrain around the forest, reaching the summit of Tom na h-Airidh, which stands at 354 metres (1161 feet). Without pausing to admire the views over Gare Loch, the Firth of Clyde, Bute and Arran, and the Arrochar Alps, athletes return the same way they ascended. Although they race simultaneously, there are separate categories for male and female athletes.
Royal Scottish Highland Games Races
Athletes are assessed based on their times and distances. The aim is to complete the race distance in the shortest time possible. In the Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games, athletes compete for the Championship titles in the prestigious 90-metre British Championship and the 200-metre Scottish Championship.
Other races include the 90 Metres, 200 Metres, 800 Metres, and the 1600 Metres.
Enter on the day races
There are some informal races that can be entered on the day. At 2:05 pm, after the hill race starts, there are some children's races that can be entered on the day. These are short sprint races for various age groups between 4 and 13 years old.
There is also an adult 200m handicap race available to enter on the day. This will take place around 2:10 pm.
Listen out for the announcement of when these events will start. The races will begin at the top of the games arena near the red athletics tent.
Schools/Youth Relay Races
A relay race is an event in which a team of four athletes each run 100 metres in a sprint race and then passes a ‘baton’ to the next runner to continue the race. The goal is to reach the finish line as quickly as possible, with each team member completing a segment of the course.
If your team of four would like to enter forms will be available between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm at the Helensburgh AAC tent, which will be located at the 90m start line. The races will be scheduled to start at 3 pm. Further details on the Competitor Athletics Page.
