THE Scottish coast-to-coast race will not take place this year unless a sponsor can be found within the next couple of weeks. That's the dire warning posted by organiser Jim Stark who has been trying in vain since last autumn to attract a backer for an event which has proved to be popular with athletes from all over the world.

The three-day contest, first held in 1995, follows a scenic 190-mile route which starts at Ballachulish then winds through Glencoe, Blair Atholl, Glen Tilt and Braemar before reaching its conclusion at Girdleness lighthouse on Aberdeen's North Sea coast.

The race combines running, cycling and kayaking, with competitors tackling six separate stages spread over three days. The format has proved immensely successful and last year 120 participants from 10 different countries enjoyed the experience. Minnesota's Rod Raymond won the men's contest and Berlin's Corinna Schonemann collected the women's title.

There has always been strong television interest. Grampian TV devoted sufficient resources to produce one-hour programmes covering the 1995 and 1996 races and Stark has now secured further television exposure for this year's contest. He explained: ''Dream Team TV plan to film the coast-to-coast as part of a series of adventure sports races to be shown on networks throughout the world. I thought such strong television involvement would have made it easier for me to secure financial backing. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case so far.''

The event is scheduled to start on September 10 but arrangements have to be put in place now to allow planning to continue. Stark said: ''I'm still hopeful of getting a sponsor on board but time is beginning to run out. If the worst comes to the worst and I have to pull the plug on this year's race then I'll simply get on with the task of searching for someone to support it in 1999. Despite the difficulties in attracting funding I'm absolutely certain the race has a great future and I'm determined to keep working at it.''