Scott and Anya win 10,000m golds as six men break 30 minutes at Crownpoint

Friday 25th April 2025

More details to be added to this report in due course. Please bear with us, thanks.

Scott Stirling seized track gold to add to his recent successes with a superb 10,000m performance at Crownpoint.

The Scottish 10-Mile champion moved clear of Logan Rees with around nine laps remaining in the 25-lap contest.

Stirling, the Falkirk Victoria Harrier who has GB and NI international honours, clocked 28:49.77 for a PB and well inside the 29:16 Kristian Jones delivered when winning this event at the same venue some years ago.

Shettleston’s Taha Ghafari gave the home club a podium place in third(at 29:15.83) with Fife AC’s Rees having taken the silver (29@03/24) at the end of a week in which had suffered from illness.

‘It is always good to win a Scottish title and I’m pleased to run quicker than I did at Highgate last year to get a PB,’ said Scott, who is coached by John Pentecost.

‘Logan and I had a plan and the two pacemakers, Jamie MacKinnon and Andrew Thomson, worked really hard to help us towards that.

‘I’ve been racing Logan in cross country and the roads this year so it is good to put one over on him and win. He has come back from America and raised the levels again – similar to myself and Jamie Crowe last winter. That’s what we all want to do – raise the standards in Scotland.

‘To hear that Kristain ran 29:16 here a few years ago as a ‘stadium best’ is another compliment for me and I will take that.’

In fact, the top thee all beat that time belonging to the Welsh athlete from Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, with six men sub 30 minutes (the others being Lewis Hannigan, Hamish Hickey and Mohamed Warsame).

Garscube Harriers athlete Anya MacLean won her first Scottish title with gold in the Women’s division.

The Scotland XC international was trying 25 laps for the first time and clocked 36:05.51 for the victory in the opening of the 10,000m races.

Silver went to Cambuslang Harriers athlete, Katie Clubb, in 37:07.39 and third to Libby Sutherland of Kilbarchan AAC in 37:40.50.

‘It is the first time I have ever raced 10k on the track and when the sign came up with 19 laps remaining I did wonder what I had let myself in for,’ smiled Anya.

‘But I managed to tough that bit out and you just have to keep at it. I’ve done them on the road so wanted to try this and it is a first Scottish Senior title.

‘I was a medallist at Falkirk in cross country in my teens and I’ve been running since day dot (in my life). I could not imagine life without it, really.’

Scottish 10,000m Champions in Masters age groups:

W35 Aly Kemp (Orkney) 37:59.07

M35: Micky Breen (Corstorphine AAC) 32:47.25

M40: Colin Reilly (Cambuslang Harriers) 32:58.18

M45 Neil Lafferty (Greenock Glenpark Harriers) 33:26.15

M55 Robert Paterson (Inverclyde AC) 34:27.09

M60 Chris Upson (Cambuslang Harriers) 36:01.83

Within the Scottish Champs programme, the GAA added a series of 800m races for younger athletes in the U17 and U15 age groups.

It was good to see these athletes developing their strength and speed over two laps in very decent conditions at Crownpoint.

Thanks as every to our hosts from the GAA, other volunteers and of course our scottishathletics Officials.