A culture change is taking place in Scotland.
In a country not known for its regular exercise and healthy diet, mass participation sporting events are becoming ever more popular, even without the Commonwealth Games effect.
As the Games Baton arrived in Jersey yesterday to be collected by English diver Tom Daley - it will now pass through the Channel Isles, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, before crossing into Scotland on June 14 - the home nation was already fired with sporting fervour. Over 8000 women took part in the popular Glasgow Great Women's 10K yesterday, the UK's biggest women-only race. The event has helped thousands of women discover, or rediscover, the pleasure of exercise. As elated runners cheered their way over the finish line, more than 5000 riders were taking part in Scotland's largest cycling event, the Etape Caledonia, in Perthshire. The two events are among dozens of public running, cycling, long-distance walking and mixed-discipline courses open to the public in Scotland each year, with the list getting longer all the time. The Commonwealth Games should help get more people exercising, but they will be building on a strong base.
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