Title joy for Ben and Megan as Lindsays Short Course returns to Kirkcaldy

Saturday 5th November 2022

Megan Keith takes victory at Kirkcaldy in the Senior Women’s race (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Ben Potrykus and Megan Keith took the Senior golds on a superb day of cross country action at Kirkcaldy.

The Lindsays Short Course XC has grown in truly spectacular fashion over the past 10 years and there were no fewer than 1373 names on start-lists for Fife.

Quality and depth were thus delivered in both of the Junior/Senior/Masters races and Potrykus could be delighted with winning a highly competitive race while Keith’s class burned brightly to win be an impressive 24 seconds over 4k.

In fact, it was Record finisher numbers for both the Senior Women’s race at 260 and for the Senior Men’s at 484 – what a superb response by clubs.

‘It was a hard and fast race and a great one to win,’ said Ben, who came home in 11:11 with Central AC duo Tom Graham-Marr only two seconds back and Ben MacMillan taking bronze in 11:16 as five seconds covered the top three.

‘My plan was to go off quite hard and be near the front on the first lap,’ said Ben.

‘Then I planned to go really hard in the last kilometre. As it happened after 3k I was still worried I’d be passed and really had to make sure I kept pushing for the line to get clear of those chasing. I’m happy with that.

‘Central AC guys are always there or thereabouts and it is a good rivalry with ourselves at Inverclyde and others. We were second at Cumbernauld behind a Central B team with their A team in third.

‘This is kind of a home course for me so I was hopeful of turning the tables on Central. I wanted to be on top of that podium.

‘But it is a friendly rivalry to be honest and we are all driving each other on. I felt it was a great day for cross country and it is a spectator-friendly course with various points where folk can cut across and cheer you on.’

Central proved unstoppable in terms of the team race, however, with Hamish Hickey at eighth and Cameron Milne at 20^th completing their four counters. Inverclyde AC were second and the bronze medals went to countback after Shettleston and Giffnock tied on the same points.

Edinburgh Uni’s Matt Knowles won the U20 title from Jack Patton of Kilbarchan AAC and Tendai Nyabadza of Harmeny AC.

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Senior Women’s podium as Megan Keith is joined by Kirsty Walker and Jenny Selman

Megan Keith had dominated the U20 gold for the last two Short Course XC events and her intentions to do the same at Senior level were apparent very early in the Women’s race.

The Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds athlete, who won European U20 gold last winter, is moving up to U23 this year and saw Kirkcaldy as key in her preparation for Liverpool.

Megan clocked 12:34 to win from Edinburgh AC’s Kirsty Walker, who took the silver in 12:58, with Fife AC’s Jenny Selman landing another cross country medal only three seconds further back.

‘I am really happy with that performance,’ said Megan.

‘My coach (Ross Cairns) said to me to go and have a hard run out and get ahead early and that’s what happened. It was a case of starting well, seeing who came with me and then applying more speed if possible to make sure I could get ahead. I executed that plan well.

‘Qualifying for the Europeans with GB and NI is a big goal looming later this month but this should be a good stepping stone towards that.

‘You can’t just turn up at the end of November and hope to do well- you need to be race ready and the likes of Cumbernauld and Kirkcaldy will help with that.

‘I am stepping up to the U23 age bracket so that means racing in the Senior Women’s race. So I am excited about that and testing myself.’

The Women’s team race outcome reflected the individual podium with Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds taking golds, Edinburgh AC the silvers and bronze medals for host club Fife AC.

Hannah Ryding of Giffnock North AC won the U20 title from Meredith Reid of Inverclyde AC and Hannah Anderson of Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds.

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Start of the Men’s race with a Record 484 finishers (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Our Masters categories continued to draw growing numbers of athletes and inspire intense competition across ten-year bands.

The 1-2-3 in each of these, and other positions of course, can be checked via the Results link at the top of the story.

Inverclyde AC made it a double in terms of the Senior Men’s and M40 categories thanks to a win for Mark Doherty. Mark was followed home by Grant Baillie of East Kilbride and Matthew Blunden of Morary Road Runners.

Gala’s Sara Green has been in great from in W40 this autumn and took the win there again with 13:45. Garscube’s Lesley Bell took silver with bronze for Joanna Brown of Hunters Bog Trotters.

Our champions in the other age brackets were as follows:

M50 David Gardiner of Motherwell AC; W50 Allie Chong of Giffnock North

M60 Alastair Walker of Teviotdale Harriers; Yvonne Crilly of Lothian RC

M70 Tony Martin of Fife AC; M80 Les McNicol of Metro Aberdeen AC.