Muir begins 2018 with 3,000m race in Glasgow

Milnathort athlete Laura Muir begins her 2018 campaign at the Glasgow AA Miler meeting at the Emirates Arena this Sunday.

Twelve months ago the Dundee Hawkhill athlete set the track alight with a superb indoor 5,000m British record time of 14 minutes 49.12 seconds.

The 2017 meeting saw Muir run the 3,000m but proceeded to run solo to the 5,000m finish and better Liz McColgan’s record.

The double European indoor champion is again entered in the Scottish 3,000m Championships and it remains to be seen whether Muir will again run the extra laps to complete 5,000m.

The pace over 3,000m will be fast enough with Muir, the only female in the A race, having the company of Sol Sweeney (Perth Strathtay) and James Donald (Dundee Hawkhill) amongst the field of 18 athletes.

With 11 3,000m races on the programme, Courier Country athletes are well represented over the age groups.

Race 3 sees Fife AC’s Owen Miller line up against veterans Gordon Barrie (Dundee Hawkhill) and KerryLiam Wilson (Cambuslang).

On Saturday Scottish athletes head for Antrim for the latest round in the UK Cross-Country Challenge incorporating the Celtic Countries International.

No fewer than 28 athletes have been selected to wear Scotland vests for the races at the Greenmount Campus, including three men and three women at senior level.

The Scotland trio of Luke Traynor, Andy Douglas and Lachlan Oates were all in action in different road races over the Hogmanay/New Year holiday and in Northern Ireland will face Dundee Hawkhill’s Kristian Jones representing Wales.

Annabel Simpson (Fife AC) represents Scotland U23s while Ben Sandilands (Fife AC U15) and Kristof Hornyik (Dundee Hawkhill) make their international debut for Scotland U17s.