Cross-country with six legs is better than two

SCOTTISH running has gone to the dogs. Next weekend the relatively new sport of CaniX - competitive racing with man's best friend - takes to the countryside.

• Runner Colin Reid from Dunfermline with his running companion, four-year-old Mitch, the Border Terrier. Photograph: Ian Rutherford

The two-day event at Lochore Meadows Country Park at Lochgelly, in Fife, will include a number of dog races, where competitors attach their dogs to a harness round their waist and run cross-country with them.

Colin Reid, 42, and his four-year-old Border Terrier Mitch, one of the country's only regular teams in the sport, recently finished 23rd out of 41 in his age class of 40-49 in the European Championships and is now keen to introduce the sport to more Scots.

"You don't really need any special training to do it," said Reid. "Hopefully at this event there will be a lot of Scottish people trying it out for the first time. The dogs get used to it very quickly and they love it."

CaniX races typically stretch to around 5km, although some of the events this weekend will be shorter. Britain has a CaniX team, made up mainly of English competitors, and in the recent European Championships held in Belgium earlier this month Reid and Mitch finished in seventh place within the UK team of 39.

Dogs are typically attached to their owners via a waist belt, a bungy line and a racing harness. Man and dog must work together to ensure maximum speed, taking turns to lead, and the harnesses are specially designed so that if a dog pulls, it will not injure its owner.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes are welcome to compete, from great Danes to chihuahuas. As a toy-sized Border Terrier, Reid's dog Mitch is one of the smallest competitors in the sport.

The two-day Fife event will also include bikejoring, which involves mountain biking with dogs, another canine-related sport that has experienced a recent surge in popularity.

There will also be a range of cross-country running events, with 18 different age classes aimed at both adults and children, as well as a 5km racing circuit designed for the more athletic competitors.

Reid, who is a member of the Carnegie Harriers running club in Dunfermline, admits he is now a full convert to the sport.

He said: "I prefer to run with the dog than without now. You work as a team and there's a lot of team work involved."