Great Stirling Run and Great Stirling xCountry cancelled

The Great Stirling Run and the Great Stirling XCountry event will not be held next year.

The organisers said the Great Stirling XCountry was "no longer economically viable" and the contract for the marathon was not being renewed.

The Great Run Company said the decision to cancel the events had been "difficult."

This year's Great Stirling Run marathon winner criticised organisers this week after the £1,000 prize was cut to £200.

The event which was first held in 2017 but was now said to be "unsustainable" in its current format.

The Great Stirling International Cross Country, which was traditionally held in Edinburgh, had moved to Stirling in January.

The company said the cost of staging that event had increased and commercial revenue was declining.

A Great Run Company spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately, the costs of staging this event are increasing at the same time as commercial revenue is declining and the reality is, the event is no longer economically viable for us to stage."

Regarding the Great Stirling Run, the company said its initial ambition had been to build a "world-class marathon in Stirling."

The spokeswoman said: "We've invested in the event over that time, but sadly we haven't been able to deliver that ambition and the event in its current format is unsustainable."

A Stirling Council spokesman said the news was "disappointing" but the authority was focused on "bringing new events to Stirling with new and existing partners."

He said: "The staging of these events in Stirling has further showcased the area's credentials and quality as a top-class destination for sporting events.

"We've already been contacted by organisations looking to bring new sporting events to the area, which would fulfil our dual aims to boost tourism and promote health and wellbeing through participation opportunities."