Scottish Silver for Moorfoot girls

Beth, Mairi and Charlotte - happy girls

In near perfect cross-country conditions at Kirkcaldy on Saturday, the Moorfoot Runners U17 Women’s team came away with a fantastic team silver in the National Short Course Cross-Country Championships. On a chilly but sunny and calm day, the terrain was familiar to those who in the past had raced the venue in the Scottish Primary Schools Championships, albeit the undulating and twisting course was set up differently on this occasion. Conditions were on the soft side of good but were perfect for quality running.

Racing over 3km, Charlotte Clare committed to a very positive start, well inside the top ten to half-way, but dropping a couple of places as the fast early pace took its toll. Not quite in her slipstream, but in close contact and having a tremendous run, was Beth Hobbs. Inside the final 200m Charlotte rallied again with her usual stirring finish to pick up a couple of places and crossed the line in 9^th place in 11.05. Beth kept on well for 13^th in 11.14. That looked to put the Moorfoot girls in a competitive position in the team race (three to count) with a medal chance hinging on how far up the field third counter Mairi Wallace could finish. Mairi was still suffering the effects of the heavy cold which had caused her to miss the Lasswade XC the previous Sunday and was also racing on a course way shorter and less hilly than she prefers. Clearly not firing on all cylinders, Mairi sensibly started steadily and then plugged on to finish 28^th of the 56-strong field in a time of 12.06, below her best but still enough to mean an attentive ear being cocked for the announcement calling the podium teams to presentations.

Unfortunately all the cocked Moorfoot ears missed the announcement and it was only after a later visit to check the results that Charlotte and Mairi spied the results and word spread that the team silver had been won. Giffnock North were the runaway winners, with the Moorfoot girls pipping Edinburgh by one single point, 50 to 51. The delighted girls belatedly received their medals from Scottish Athletics Past President Alan Potts, then dashed to the finish to cheer on Laura Muir as she powered her way to victory in the senior women’s race. 

A further bonus for the girls was to be photographed with and congratulated by Laura. Certainly a day to be cherished and a just National XC medal after a couple of years contending for the National Champs proper but missing the required fourth counter.

Laura Muir with the girls

Earlier in the day, Megan Hobbs and Eilidh Mooney had their own ding-doing battle down the home straight in the U15 2km race. In a field of 81, Megan just got the better of Eilidh with a strong finish for 61^st in 8.30 with Eilidh two seconds back in 62^nd.

In the U17 Men’s 3km race, Craig Angus had a solid run for 47^th of 82 in 10.09, two seconds behind Moorfoot training partner Euan Hood who was the third counter in the Lasswade team which took team silver.

Ailsa Innes was 16^th U20 and 50^th overall in the senior women’s race and Sophie Collins had another strong run for Edinburgh University Haries finishing 34^th in 15.08.