Thompson a class apart in successful defence of title, while Traynor finishes third

Chris Thompson secured his second successive victory in the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run in Glasgow yesterday, a largely satisfactory tune-up for the 37-year-old ahead of next month’s New York Marathon.

The Great Britain international was briefly threatened in the opening stages by Poland’s Marcin Chabowski and hometown favourite Luke Traynor, who finished second and third respectively. However, Thompson’s valuable recent spell at altitude helped him to surge clear during the fifth mile of the half-marathon course.

He was able to coast up towards the line in Glasgow Green with a few high-fives offered for good measure before clocking 62 minutes and seven seconds.

“Sometimes you just have to accept a day where you trust yourself,” Thompson, pictured, said. “I knew the other guys wanted a race so to beat them convincingly tells me everything I need to know. It was harder than last year so as a performance, it’s possibly my best-halfmarathon race, especially in those conditions.” Chabowski, a largely unknown quantity, was 17 seconds adrift with Traynor not far behind – the 25-yearold making further advances as he prepares to entrust himself to the coaching of Robert Hawkins ahead of his planned marathon bow next autumn.

“I feel I’m in the process of taking that next step,” the Scot said. “I’m ready to hit a big halfmarathon. He was ready here and I wasn’t.

“This summer I had unfinished business on the track but I had maybe too long a break afterwards. But there is a world cross country championships next year and so I want to be in peak shape in February, not now.”

Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Mare Dibaba was even more dominant in the women’s race with the Ethiopian, tracked for much of the way by Paralympian Derek Rae, completing her triumph in 69:15 with Bahrain’s reigning world marathon champion Rose Chelimo almost a minute behind.

Adam Craig, newly-returned to Edinburgh following a collegiate spell in North Carolina, claimed the adjoining Great Scottish 10k title in 29:43 with Gemma Steel winning the women’s race in precisely 34 minutes.

Double para world champion Sammi Kinghorn won the wheelchair 10k in 30:36 in her first significant outing since the Commonwealth Games but will now focus her energies on honing her sprinting ahead of the defence of her global crowns next autumn in the United Arab Emirates.