Perth and Kinross Schools’ Cross Country Championships 2026
More than 1,000 children and young people took part in the Perth and Kinross Schools’ Cross Country Championships on Tuesday 24th March at Perth Racecourse and through the grounds of Scone Palace.
The event, one of the area’s largest school sporting fixtures, once again brought together pupils from across Perth and Kinross to compete on the scenic one-mile loop route. Runners set off from the racecourse entrance, travelled through Scone Palace’s grounds, and finished back on the racecourse track.
Individual medals, team awards and trophies were presented across both the primary and secondary school races, recognising achievements at every level.
This year’s event was led and coordinated by Cath Devanny, Active Schools Coordinator at Live Active Leisure, in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council’s Education and Learning service.
Cath said: “The Cross-Country Championships are a highlight of our year. It is fantastic to see so many pupils represent their schools in such a beautiful setting. As an Active Schools Coordinator with Live Active Leisure, working alongside Perth and Kinross Council’s Education team, a big part of our job is creating pathways from volunteer-led extra-curricular clubs into competition, and events like this bring those pathways to life.”
The event was supported by staff from schools across the area, colleagues from the Active Schools and Sports Development teams at Live Active Leisure, Perth Roadrunners, and volunteer marshals from Aviva and SSE. Their help ensured the event ran safely and smoothly.
Special thanks were also extended to Lady Mansfield for allowing access to the grounds of Scone Palace, and to Perth Racecourse for providing facilities and on‑site services.
Learning and Families Convener, Councillor John Rebbeck, offered his best wishes ahead of the event, noting how valued the support from Live Active Leisure and the wider community is in making the championships a success.
Adding to the atmosphere, Finnie, the mascot of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, joined pupils and families on the day to cheer on runners and build excitement ahead of this summer’s Games.
