Off and running! Lindsays Cross Country opens with District XC Relays

Sunday 6th October 2024

Photo by Bobby Gavin

Laura Muir likes to support events in the Lindsays Cross Country Season as and when her schedule allows and, for the second year in a row, the triple Olympic finalist was in attendance at the West District XC Relays.

Brother Rory has swapped Aberdeen AAC for Cambuslang Harriers now he is based in Glasgow and this made a West XC debut.

Laura turned out to cheer him on and, while she wasn’t quitebedecked in red-and-white herself, she witnessed a great afternoon for Cambuslang.

There was also a chance meeting – and photo opportunity – with another Olympic 1500m finalist, Lynne MacDougall.

Respected coach Lynne was the youngest-ever finalist in the Women’s 1500m America back in 1984 and there were brief words with Laura about Los Angeles (venue for the 2028 Olympics!).

Cambuslang Women claimed victory in the Senior race with a strong team effort from the trio of Hannah Addison, Eve MacKinnon and Zoe Pflug. Inverclyde AC took the silvers and there were bronze medals for Kilbarchan AAC.

It wasn’t too different in the Men’s race with Cambuslang’s quartet of Chris McClew, Callum Tharme, Jamie Mackinnon and Andrew McGill over-turning the early lead by Inverclyde AC and then Kilbarchan AAC.

By the finish, Inverclyde had taken second and Giffnock were into the bronze medal position.

Giffnock North are strong in the younger ages at national level, never mind the Districts, and there was double West title glory here.

The Giffnock lads won the Young Males race from Garscube and Cambuslang while Giffnock went 1-2 in the Young Females race with VP-Glasgow taking bronzes.

Giffnock won the Women’s Masters golds and Cambuslang won the Men’s Masters title, taking silvers as well.

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East Results

Morag Millar won a Scotland international vest on the roads during the summer and, in Scottish Women and Girls Sport Week, the mother-of-two demonstrated her cross country expertise to claim team golds for Central at Livingston.

Two Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds teams and Aberdeen were ahead before the last changeover but Morag stormed through for the win – with Aberdeen taking the silvers as Annabel Simpson brought Fife AC to the podium.

There was almost a replica in the Men’s race as Logan Rees followed up his 10k win in Inverness the previous week. Anchor leg runner Logan lifted Fife Ac to the silvers with Central AC holding on for the win as Dundee Hawkhill Harriers took third.

Edinburgh Uni, in the hunt earlier in the race, were thus squeezed out of the podium as in the Women’s race.

That Fife Ac silver medal team included Paralympic T20 1500m champion, Ben Sandilands.

Lasswade AC won the Young Girls race with a dominant performance throughout as Harmeny took second and Aberdeen AAC.

Edinburgh AC took the win in the Young Males after establishing a big lead early on. Aberdeen AAC closed the gap to take silvers as Team East Lothian came through for third.

With thanks to Morven Bruce

Photos by Neil Renton on Scottish Athletics Facebook

Photo by Neil Renton

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North Results

More photos and content on North RR and CC Facebook page

A cliff-hanging Senior men’s race, where Inverness Harriers edged defending champions East Sutherland at the finish, provided a perfect climax to the Lindsays North District XC Relays at Nairn.

East Sutherland built up a substantial lead over Moray Road Runners on the first two laps before an Inverness side, end loaded with the two fastest athletes in the race, emerged to take the title by 12 seconds.

On Lap Three, Scotland international Stephen Mackay (11:56) pulled back 24 seconds to snatch the lead on the line before Luke Davidson (12:16) confirmed the title. The other team members were Louis Ratcliffe and Donnie MacDonald.

Highland Hill Runners dominated the rest of the senior programme with wins in the Men’s Masters’ category (Francisco Javier Cabrera Valdez, William Nicholson, Kevin Souter and Graham Brown) and gold in the women’s contest (Kirstie Rogan, Megan Bee and Caroline Marwick).

In that race, HHR’s successful Masters team (Rhona Grant, Gail Macleod and Monica Padilla) was second across the line.

The fastest women’s lap of 14:24 came from Katie Meek, running for an incomplete Inverness team.

Ross County (James MacLachlan, Billy MacAskill, Lachlan Thomas) took the Young Males title by over a minute and a half from Inverness. Andrew Baird (Ross County B) had the fastest lap of 13:11.

Inverness A (Anna Meek, Niamh Dooley, Lyla Souter) had a margin of well over two minutes over their own B team in the Young Females race where Meek had the fastest time of 9:29.

With thanks to Charles Bannerman