Run Stirling XC

Winners – Scotland U20 Women (L-R) Cera Gemmell, Megan Keith and Eloise Walker

#Muddybrilliant ! Scotland bring their A game to win battles of Stirling

To say Scotland earned pass marks at the Home Countries XC and Celtic XC International at the inaugural Run Stirling event would be something of an understatement.

Seven out of ten teams came up with team gold medal-winning performances, in fact, and with a clutch of individual medals therein, the overall verdict would therefore almost certainly read: A +

Truly appalling weather conditions greeted around 1000 starters at the first British Cross Challenge event in Scotland for 16 years.

And those wearing navy blue Joma vests didn’t disappoint with the Senior Men and U20 Women winning their own ‘Battles of Stirling’ in fine style in the main Home Countries XC.

All this despite a surprise fourth place for Andy Butchart, with the local hero and Olympian among those to lose his footing on the muddy surface around Kings Park and Stirling Golf Club – in his case allowing Kristian Jones of Wales to re-take the lead.

Butchart had insisted Scotland could ‘dominate’ and in many regards that prediction came true.

Jamie Crowe delivered a fine personal performance to take silver and eclipse his Central AC team-mate Butchart, who was edged into fourth on the line by England’s Adam Hickey.

But with Lachlan Oates of Shettleston home in sixth place (eighth overall), and crucially ahead of the third Welsh counter, Scotland took the Men’s Home Countries XC golds for only the second time – to repeat the 2012 success.

‘We’re delighted to win the team golds and it was a really strong effort by the boys,’ said Jamie.

‘I’ve trained at Kings Park many times over the years, while at Uni in Stirling and with

Andy Butchart with Central AC, and I’ve never seen it as muddy. I also train with Kris in Dundee, so I know how good he is.

‘So I’m chuffed to get second place in that kind of race and it just takes things on a wee bit for me after good progress in 2019.’

Like Jones, Butchart was among the many fallers on a day when athletes competed against the course and the conditions as well as the opposition.

‘I took the lead then took a really bad fall and so as soon as I hit the deck, I thought ‘that’s it’,’ said Andy.

‘I wasn’t that keen when I saw the course with it being so muddy. It was just a matter of if you were fit and you could stay on your feet, you’d win the race.

It was like an absolute mud-bath so you don’t get any traction. Kris is really good at these kind of conditions.’

Ben Greenwood of Perth Strathtay had a superb run to win the U23 Celtic XC individual gold and lead Scotland to success in that competition as he was followed home by Jack Leitch (Edinburgh Uni) and Hamish Hickey (Central AC). James Donald backed up the counters.

‘That’s three decent cross country performances I’ve put together this winter and I’m really pleased with that one today against strong opposition,’ said Ben, a track specialist at 800m not so long ago.

‘It was a bit different from cross country in America, that’s for sure. There you see people dropping out because it 30 degrees!’

GB international Kate Avery had looked favourite for the Senior Women’s race and she justified that label to take gold from Abbie Donnelly and Bronwen Owen. Scotland’s Mhairi Maclennan was just outside the medals in fourth.

Annabel Simpson of Fife AC (ninth) and Nynke Mulholland of Inverclyde AC, in 10th on her Scotland debut, were the other counters, backed up by Fiona Brian of Metro Aberdeen.

Scotland took silver medals there in the Home Countries competition with England the clear winner.

Scotland U23 women won gold in their Celtic XC match in fine style with Zoe Pflug taking the individual silver and Holly Little the bronze. Constance Nankivell was the third counter in fourth place to make it nine points to Ireland’s 12. Kerry Macangus backed up the counters.

might be a headline act – and so it proved.

Megan Keith took the gold medal and was followed home by silver medallist Cera Gemmell. With Eloise Walker home in fourth place that ensured team gold medals in both the Home Countries and Celtic XC matches. Hannah Anderson backed up the counters with a fine 10th place run.

It’s the first time ever that Scotland U20 Women have won the Home Countries golds and the determination was writ large across the face of all four athletes throughout the race.

With seven points, they were winners from England on 14. In the Celtic match, Wales took the silvers.

‘I’ve only just learned that about it being a historic win and that’s a great feeling for all of us,’ said Megan.

‘I got out strong at the start and I felt it was a day for that. You were always thinking that it was important in team terms so it was great to have Cera and Eloise not far behind.

‘The conditions were pretty awful and tough to run in obviously, but you just have to try and keep driving on if you can. It’s great to win the individual gold as well and I’m enjoying my cross country at the moment.’

It was a similar story at U17 level with again some terrific performances by athletes wearing Scotland vests.

Anna Hedley of Fife led the way emphatically in her race as she followed up a Liverpool Cross Challenge win with a clear victory here.

Meredith Reid of Glasgow School of Sport took a Celtic XC bronze in third and Julia Cash of Giffnock North for a team win with just eight points from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Anya Maclean backed up the counters.

The Men’s U17 race saw a Celtic XC gold for Andrew McGill of Livingston on his Scotland debut. That helped lead Scotland to team golds there, too, with Harris Paterson of Giffnock taking a bronze medal as Lucas Cairns of Inverness finished fourth. Sam Griffin backed up the counters.

In the Men’s U20 race there were silver medals for Scotland in the Celtic XC competition. Ben Shaw of Giffnock was the first Scot home in 11th place and followed in by Christian Graham of Lasswade in 15th and Kristoff Hornyik of Dundee Hawkhill in 17th. Ryan Donald backed up the counters.

Sean Chalmers and Ginie Barrand, at different points in their lives, have experienced running and racing in the United States and France. Inter-District XC

No real reason, then, that they should be perfectly accustomed the difficult mud-bath conditions which awaited our InterDistrict athletes at Run Stirling.

But Inverness Harriers athlete Chalmers and the Metro Aberdeen runner, who is Robbie Simpson’s partner, proved too strong for all their individual rivals to take golds at Kings Park. Chalmers, in fact, placed sixth in the overall race – beating a whole host of international athletes – as he finished in 26:28, one second clear of silver medallist and East athlete Tom Martyn. West athlete Andy Douglas took third. In the team race, the East were clear winners on 40 points with six counters as the Scottish Students took the silver medals. ‘I am delighted with that because I was ill a few days ago,’ revealed Sean. ‘I’m a PE teacher at Fortrose Academy and I missed the North Champs because I missed the entry deadline. There was a lot on at work at the time! ‘I’ve raced for Scotland in the past and was over in America but I’ve had a few injuries and things did drop off a bit for a year or two. So it is good to be back running well and hopefully I can build on it for the rest of 2020.’ Barrand for her part surprised even herself by finishing high up in the race and ahead of fellow Inter-District athletes, silver medallist Michelle Sandison of the West and third-placed Rebecca Johnson of the Scottish Students. The East took the team golds with 46 points – winning by 12 from Scotland West. ‘I’ve never actually raced cross country in France and hardly ever here in Scotland,’ grinned Ginie. ‘I was third at the East Champs, though, and got the selection for here. The London Marathon is in my plans for April so I guess the training and fitness I have just paid off a bit on the mud there.’ The U17 Women’s title went to the East’s Pippa Carcas with a superb run that saw her finish third overall. It was an East 1-2-3 in fact as she was supported by Kirsty and Caitlin Purcell. There were team golds there for the East but the West won the U17 Men’s team golds. The U17 Men’s title went to the West’s Jack Patton and he was followed in by the East duo of Ben Sandilands (Fife AC) and David Addison (Corstorphine). East athletes took a 1-2 in the U15 Boys races via the efforts of Connor Bell and Struan Bennet with the West’s Reuben Macdonald taking bronze. The East were clear team winners. The North’s Anna Cairns won the U15 Girls race by three seconds from the West’s Hannah Ryding with the East’s Katie Johnson in third. Scotland East won that one. Scotland West won the U13 Girls race. Millie McClelland-Brooks took the individual gold and it was a West 1-2-3 as she was followed home by Olivia Warboys and Freya Campbell. The East’s Rowan Whitworth won the U13 Boys race but West duo Craig Shennan and Oliver Patton were next to help West to the team golds by a single point! North athlete Sean Chalmers (red vest) had a superb run to take Inter-District gold in the mud of Stirling

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