A Fife coal merchant is the undisputed king of coal carriers.
Jimmy McIntyre retained his crown in the World Coal Carrying Championship veterans race, staged in West Yorkshire.
He crossed the finish line in four minutes 59 seconds — 22 seconds ahead of his nearest rival — having lugged an eight-stone bag of coal on his shoulders for three-quarters of a mile.
Jimmy, 49, is the reigning Scottish coal carrying champion, having won the last race held in Kelty in 2015, and won the world title last year in the village of Gawthorphe.
He said he was delighted with his latest victory and to gain entry to the elite sub-five club of competitors by completing the feat of endurance in under five minutes.
He said: “It’s such a tough event. It’s a real lung buster. It’s mostly uphill and you are running as fast and as hard as you can for the duration.”
The race, held every year since 1963, has a great atmosphere, he said.
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“The whole town comes out and there’s a maypole on the village green where you dump your bag to finish.”
A coal merchant for 29 years, Jimmy, of Kirkcaldy, has had plenty of practice lugging coal but put in extra training for three months before the event by running with bags on his shoulders.
He said: “It’s one thing delivering coal to customers, but it’s quite another running with it.
“You can’t swing your arms, you just have to shuffle your feet and hope for the best.”
The father-of-two runs several times a week, a member of Fife Athletic Club and Kirkcaldy Wizards running club.
He strived for seven years to win the Scottish title, twice coming second at Kelty before he won with a time of four minutes 34 seconds four years ago.
In Gawthorpe, he sweated in 23 degree heat to be first to drop his coal sack on the village green in the over-40s race.
There was little rest afterwards before returning to training, however, as his next challenge is only three weeks away.
Jimmy and three team mates are preparing to run the 10-mile PARAS 10 endurance race in Catterick on May 18, carrying 35lb Bergen rucksacks.
