Road to the Olympics: Recall "Chariots of Fire"?
This is one of a weekly series of stories, called Road to the Olympics, that will focus on different aspects of the preparations for the Summer Games in London.
(CBS/AP) ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Remember the opening scene of the classic movie "Chariots of Fire" with British runners churning through waves and sand to the soaring strains of music by Vangelis?
Well, that snippet of filmmaking history came alive in Scotland on Wednesday as Olympic torch bearers, making their way past Scottish landmarks, reenacted the scene on the 26th day of the relay.
Just over a third of its way on the journey to the Olympic Stadium in London, the torch was in Scotland, being carried past such sites such as the Falkirk Wheel and Edinburgh Castle.
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In St. Andrews, 13-year-old Joseph Forrester, trailed by 20 schoolchildren, carried the torch along West Sands beach as the music from the movie soared over the sands.
"Chariots of Fire," a 1981 movie about British athletes in the 1924 Olympics, won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Score.
The Olympic flame, accepted for Britain by Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was carried on a May 18 flight from Greece to England by British star soccer star David Beckham. In Cornwall, he launched it on its 70-day, 8,000-mile journey across Britain.
A total of 8,000 people, including several royals, will carry the torch, arriving at the Olympic Stadium in London on July 27 for the start of the opening ceremonies. It will remain there until Aug. 12, when the games end and the flame is doused
Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Phillip, already has taken a turn. Riding on her horse Toytown, on which she won world and European titles, Phillips carried the torch at Cheltenham racecourse, before lighting a cauldron to mark the end of day five of the relay. Since then, she has been nominated to the British equestrian team for the Olympics.
Buckingham Palace says the Prince William and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and his brother, Prince Harry, will be on hand when three torchbearers carry the flame through the palace grounds on July 26 - the day before the opening ceremony of the Olympics
Among the celebrities already serving as torchbearers are musician will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who tweeted during his run, and world-renowned opera star Bryn Terfel, who carried the torch into Faenol Park in his native Wales.
Most torchbearers are ordinary British citizens, including a number of former Olympians, who have the option of buying their own torches and gear. A number of these torches have turned up on eBay and prices reportedly have reached $240,000. Some - but not all - sellers have said the proceeds would go to charity.