Olympians tame the tough conditions and storm to cross country success in Lanark

The cold, biting wind and horizontal rain was about as far removed from Tokyo as you could possibly imagine, but two of Britain’s summer Olympians revelled in the tough conditions on home soil which were presented by the Lindsays Scottish Athletics Short Course Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Nov 6).

The going underfoot at Lanark Race Course had been reasonably firm at the start of proceedings, but the ever-changing weather meant that racing became far from straightforward.

This was nothing that Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir and 5000m finalist Andy Butchart hadn’t seen before, though, and they took it all in their experienced stride to land their fifth and fourth individual titles in this event respectively.

Muir shot into the lead right from the start of the senior women’s race, before then opting to sit in on the opening lap of the 4km course and bide her time.

When she did eventually make her move it was utterly decisive and she ultimately broke the tape in 13:09 with a healthy nine-second gap between her and the tight battle for second which was won by Central AC’s Morag Millar from Eloise Walker, an athlete who is also coached by Muir’s mentor Andy Young.

“It was hard. It was really windy so I tried to tuck in on the first lap and then stretch the legs a bit on the second,” said a contented Muir, who is one of the nominees for British Female Athlete of the Year in the AW Readers’ Choice Awards. “That’s cross country at its best – wet, windy and very muddy.”

The European champion was the centre of attention on a life-affirming afternoon which served as a stark reminder of what the sport had been missing during the pandemic. To see so many club and elite athletes, plus a clear sense of community, on show again provided warmth despite the November bitterness.

“Nothing beats racing at home and I like nothing more than cross country, where it all started for me,” said Dundee Hawkhill athlete Muir, who will remain in Scotland for the rest of the year as she lays the foundations for what will be a busy 2022.

“My first GB vest came at cross country and that’s where my whole running journey started so it’s been so nice to come back and to race against so many friends who I’ve known for so long.”

The women’s under-20 race was incorporated into the senior event and was won by in-form Megan Keith, a nominee for the AW British Junior Athlete of the Year, from her fellow Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds athletes Isla Calvert and Hannah Anderson.

In the team standings, the Edinburgh University line-up took first place, ahead of Glasgow University and Edinburgh AC.

In the men’s race, new father Butchart decided to attack right from the word go but had to hold off the pressure applied by Central AC clubmate Jamie Crowe. The former eventually won by five seconds in 11:47, with Shettleston Harriers’ Lachlan Oates clocking 11:56 for third. The third Olympian of the day to toe the start line, 1500m Olympic finalist Jake Wightman, finished 14th.

“It’s a flat course, so it suits some better than others, but I think the conditions made it an honest course,” said Butchart, whose partner Lynsey Sharp gave birth to their son Max four weeks ago.

“If you’re not going for it then what’s the point? I like to run hard and that’s what I did today.”

Not surprisingly Central AC – recently-crowned Scottish Cross Country Relay champions – took the team title, with Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds second and Cambuslang Harriers third.

There was more for Central to celebrate as Ben MacMillan, fifth overall, was first under-20 ahead of Livingston’s Andrew McGill and Kane Elliott of Falkirk Victoria.

The under-17 contests were won by Garscube’s Louisa Brown and Giffnock North’s Reuben Macdonald respectively, while the under-15 races were won by Millie McLelland-Brooks of Glasgow School of Sport and Kilbarchan’s Oliver Patton.

Provisional results can be found here