Heavy Events
Start time 12pm - Main Arena
Events include: Putting the shot, Throwing the 28lb weight for distance, Throwing the 56lb weight for height, Throwing the Scot’s hammer, Tossing the caber, Haggis Hurl, Peebles Stane
Full details of the Heavy Events schedule is in the programme available locally on the day for £3.00
Heavies 2026
Judges and Compilers: Alan Pettigrew, Walter Weir, Anne Pettigrew, Pete Hart
Peebles Highland Games is breaking new ground this year as for the first time in our 54 year history, we are holding a Ladies Heavy Events Competition. While the origins of the Scottish Highland Games date back centuries as tests of strength for male clan warriors, women were long restricted to cultural competitions like piping and Highland dancing. The inclusion of women in the "heavy events"—such as the caber toss, hammer throw, stone put, weight for distance, and weight over bar—is a relatively recent evolution.
Women began pushing for inclusion in heavy athletics during the late 1970s and 1980s, mirroring the global rise of women in strength sports and field events. Initially, female athletes competed informally or in exhibition matches. Early pioneers adapted men's equipment before official sanctioning body rules established standardised implement weights tailored for women.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Scottish athletic organizations and international bodies (such as the North American Scottish Games Association) formally recognised women's divisions. Standardized specifications were codified to match athletic progression as follows:
· Stone Put: 8–12 lb
· Heavy Hammer: 12–16 lb
· Weight for Distance: 14 lb (light) and 28 lb (heavy)
· Weight Over Bar: 28 lb thrown over a high bar
· Caber Toss: Scaled in length and weight relative to male cabers to ensure proper turning mechanics.
Today, ladies' heavy events are a cornerstone of Highland Games worldwide. Divisions now cater to various skill levels and demographics, including Women’s Open, Masters (40+), and Lightweight categories. World championships and sanctioned leagues draw elite throwers—from former track and field athletes to professional strongwomen—ensuring women’s heavy athletics remain a thriving part of Highland culture.
Please help us welcome our first competitive female heavy events athletes to Peebles Highland Games today.
Women’s Heavy Events Competitors 2026
Kirsty Wilson
Mhairi Porterfield
Stacey Wilson
Kirsty Wilson
Kirsty Wilson is a former Scottish international athlete who competed in hammer, shot put, and discus.
Known for her power and consistency across the throws, she brings that same competitive spirit to the Highland Games.
A proud mum of two young boys, she continues the family tradition of strength in Scottish sport.
Mhairi Porterfield
Mhairi is a former Commonwealth Games athlete with a background in hammer, shot put, and discus and is now delighted to be part of the expanding ladies heavy programme.
She is a proud mum of two, and enjoys competing alongside her husband (Graham) in the Games heavy events.
Stacey Wilson
Stacey Wilson is an Edinburgh-based PE teacher and mum of two who previously competed in shot putt, hammer, and discus.
She now enjoys taking part in the heavy events at Highland Games and is thrilled to be competing at the first women's Games in Peebles. Stacey is proud to be part of this landmark event celebrating women's strength, skill, and tradition.
Men’s Heavy Events Competitors 2026
John McLeod
Robert Garner
Paul Dearie
Brian Docherty
Malcolm Banks
Graham Porterfield
John MacLeod
John from Lochinver in the north west Highlands is 6’-2” and weighs 116kg. This is John’s 23rd year competing on the Highland Games Heavies Circuit although today marks only his third appearance at Peebles Highland Games having won the Heavies Championship on his Peebles Debut 8 years ago in 2028. John will be one of the favourites for this years’ competition having been pipped by a single point by Angus McInroy in 2025. Tied on points going into the final event, Angus won the caber toss to secure the trophy at John’s expense.
Malcolm Banks
Malcolm started competing at Brodick Highland Games in 2012, and now competes as often as work allows having also previously competed in Scotland at Bute, Ardrossan and Gourock Games. Malcolm’s work as a super yacht captain has randomly put him in a position to have competed in the Blairsville Highland Games in the Appalachians, and Central Florida Highland Games. A very different experience to traditional Scottish games but no less welcoming to a visiting kilted and booted mariner!
Malcolm notes that training can be challenging, but that he always tries to find a corner of a field, or a bit of beach to try and get in some practice which has included throwing cannon balls, large stones and even drift wood logs as cabers. Having competed at PHG for the first time last year, Malcolm is looking forward to returning to Hay Lodge Park this afternoon where he is looking to improve on his last place finish.
Paul Dearie
Paul from Shotts has been competing in Highland Games for the past 12 years with overall victories at Brodick, Morvern and Southend over that period.
Paul has now become a regular at PHG with his best results coming in 2022 when he came second to Daniel Carlin. Paul has won the 60 yard dash in kilts on a number of occasions, usually cheered on by his mum, Jan. This year Paul will be hoping to lift the Peebles Heavies Trophy for the first time.
Graham Porterfield
Originally from an American Football and Rugby background Graham moved on to athletics taking part in the shot, hammer and discus.
Having tried Highland Games heavy events a few years ago, he loved the atmosphere so much that he decided to start competing on a regular basis. Graham debuted at the Peebles Highland Games in 2022 and returns this year for his fourth appearance having had to pull out at the last minute in 2025 due to injury.
Brian Doherty
Brian from Clydebank has long been into athletics and was Scottish junior champion for shot put and discus back in the early 2000s. He retired from throwing in 2003 but made a comeback on the Highland Games heavy events circuit in 2023. Brian’s first competition following his comeback was Helensburgh Highland Games in June 2023 and by the time he competed Peebles Games came around in September he’d competed at nine different competitions. Having missed out on competing at PHG last year, Brian will be looking for a good showing at Hay Lodge Park this afternoon.
Robert Garner
Robert from Crieff has been competing in Heavy Events for 4 years now but this is his first visit to Peebles Highland Games. Robert started doing heavy events in between strongman competitions but having ‘fallen in love’ with the atmosphere and throwing disciplines at Highland Games, he has now ‘packed-in’ strongman completely to focus on his throwing.
Robert says his favourite event is the weight for distance while his least favourite event is probably the caber toss which he appreciates is controversial recognising how iconic it is. Let’s see how he copes with the famous Peebles cabers in the final event this afternoon.
Caber Toss
The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber". It is normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. In Scotland the caber is usually made from a Larch tree and is typically 19 feet 6 inches (5.94 m) tall and weighs 175 pounds (79 kg).
The Hammer Throw
The hammer throw is also an Olympic event, although the hammer thrown in the Highland Games is quite different. It consists of a metal ball, which can weigh up to 22lbs, connected to a wooden handle.
Putting the Shot
The shot put is a favourite at all good Highland Games. Competitors throw a large stone of around 20 - 26lbs in weight as far as they can. The stone is thrown either after a short run-up to the toeboard or from a fixed standing position, depending on the rules of the competition.
