Falkirk Victoria Harriers: Club record best ever success at Lindsays National Cross Country Championships

A clear, calm day with good conditions underfoot ensured there were great weather conditions for the 2236 athletes from 101 Scottish clubs competing in this coveted annual event.

And on the day, there were individual and team medals up for grabs and Falkirk Vics made the most of home turf – beating last year’s medal success with a fantastic return of two silver and two bronze team medals.

First off were the under-13 girls and boys races. Starting at Callendar Park House, the 3.2k course headed northwards towards Callander Road then turned back downhill passing by the front of the house and along to the golf course.

A loop of the golf course was followed by a flat run that passed the kiosk then an uphill climb followed to the Antonine Wall.

The course flattened out at this point while the youngsters prepared for a last push and short downhill section before coming onto the path leading towards the House and the finish line.

Emily Christie was the first Vics’ girl to cross the line, coming in fifth place overall in a time of 13:14. Skye Robertson put in a fantastic effort for what was her first time competing in this national event and finished 17th in a time of 14:01.

Neve Taylor, who also was competing in this event for the first time, was the next runner to cross the finish line in 14:23 and Josie Anderson followed at 14:33, completing the team of four. Ruth Donaldson finished in 16:39 and Isla Philip completed the Vics’ line-up in 18:40.

The combined team effort saw the girls take second place to win silver, an impressive start to the day.

Next up were the under-13 boys, consisting of Luke Sedman, Ben Upfold and Thomas Mitchell. In a field of 114 runners, Luke had a tremendous run, finishing in tenth place in 12:21, followed by Ben (30th) in 13:13 and Thomas (46th) 13:41, who were both taking part in this national event for the first time too.

The under-15 races increased to 4.3k, largely following the under-13s route but with the addition of a hilly loop near the start and extra hills on the golf course.

Katie Hedges was the first Vics athlete to cross the finish line, coming 18th overall in 18:23 with Hannah MacLeod following just one second later. Lois Cant took 23rd spot in 18:26 while Isabella Ogg finished 25th in 18:33. This combined effort led to the girls winning bronze in the team event.

Corri McGougan ran well in what was her first national event in the category, finishing in 19:09, Lucie Gibson followed at 19:10 while Chloe Davies (19:14), Hannah Johnston (20:44), Sarah-Jane Kane (20:48) and Hanna Brindley (21:07) also had great showings.

The under-15 boys also had a very successful race with Luke Culliton crossing the finish line in a well deserved sixth place in 14:58, swiftly followed by Ray Taylor in eighth position in 15:11.

Callum Hendry followed in 19th place in 15:45 and Hamish Hunter was the fourth Vics’ athlete finishing in overall 37th place in 16:19 to secure a bronze medal for the boys team. Cahal McAtarsney ran well in 16:51 with Fraser Gemmell finishing in 17:43 and Liam Flaherty completing the line-up in 18:52.

Moving onto the under-17s women’s race, the route increased to 6.2k, twice round the under-13s route.

Again there were impressive results with Abbi MacLeod putting in a strong performance and coming eighth overall in 25:57, followed by Charlotte Horne in 13th place in 26:27 with Caitlyn Christie in 14th place in 26.32 rounding off the team and securing a fantastic silver medal in the team results.

Piper Smith and Holly Holmes also put in impressive performances, finishing 25th and 26th respectively in 27:49 and 27:58.

With only two entrants from the club in the under-17s men’s event, and a requirement for four entrants in order to be eligible for the team results, there were no medals to be won but Elliot Lees and Daniel Gray put in impressive performances and finished in 58th and 61st in 24:40 and 24:49 respectively.

Erin Hendry was the only Vics athlete taking part in the under-20 women’s 6.8k race, finishing 27th in a time of 31:54. Callum Little and Gregor Hunter ran the men’s under-20s race finishing 21st and 25th respectively in 24:08 and 24:38.

The senior men and ladies races featured three laps of the course to total 10k.

Freya Ross was the first Vics athlete across the line in the ladies race, coming 15th overall in a time of 40:10. Eilidh McCallum completed in 49:35 coming 105th in her age category while Helena Gribben and Monica Anderson followed shortly after in 53:13 and 55:37 respectively.

The senior men’s race was the largest field of runners of the day, with 672 entrants. Scott Stirling ran in a magnificent 32:50, coming 5th overall, with Kane Elliott the second Vics ace across the line, coming in 28th place in 34:19.

Other runners were Scott Burton (39:16), Michael Ross (41:27), Colin Anderson (41:53), Scott Ballantine (44:33), Gary Smith (47:00), Malcolm Finlayson (47:10), Derek Esson (51:46), James McLaren (53:05) and Martin Gower (55:36).

That concludes the major cross country events of this winter season. Next month sees the final of the Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Emirates Arena.