Cross country joy for Hannah and EKAC
Strathaven star Hannah Anderson was in top form for East Kilbride Athletic Club at the Scottish Cross Country Championships, as a host of her team-mates also enjoyed great displays over the last month.
Hannah took home a silver medal in the Under 17 women’s race, on a fantastic day for the club in Falkirk.
The EKAC runner was up against the race favourite, Anna Hedley of Fife AC, who has won all her races this season and she raced into an immediate lead on the first of two laps.
Hannah fought back towards the end of the lap and went into the lead for a short while, but a slip on a steep muddy section cost her some distance and she finished nine seconds back at the tape.
But this capped a great cross country season for Hannah, who won the West of Scotland Championships last December and got her first fullScotland vest in the Under 20 team for the Run Stirling Celtic International Cross country in January.
Another 32 EKAC runners toed the line for the age group races at these Championships, held in very muddy conditions in Callender Park.
Jonathan Hunter and Ryan McNamara had strong runs in the under 13 boys race, followed by Hannah Kelly, Gracie Carlin and Millie Aitken in the Under 15 Girls event.
Calum Charters, Lewis Moir, Paul Cairns, Sam Hosie and ThomasO’Neil ploughed through sleet showers to finish 18th in the Under 15 boys’ race, while Emma Livingstone backed up Hannah in the Under 17 Women’s race.
In the Under 17 men’s race, Hamish Andersonregistered a great 20th place finish and he was chased home by Chris Cairns.
With a record size field in the ladies’ 10k race, EKAC were led home byKelly Baillie in 94th place.
Kelly was ably supported by Vivien
Thorpe, Gemma Kirwan, Anne Cairns and Fiona Mollison.
The EKAC men’s team registered a 10th place finish, their best result in this event since 1992. They were led home by Grant Baillie, who was the first in the Over 40 Masters category in 42nd place.
In a field of around 700, other EKAC finishers were JohnFergusson (57), David Ross (92) and Jamie Clements (93). Martin Lynas, David Thomson, Gary Craig, Jack Kirwan, Vincent Glennon,Graeme Haddow, Keith Charters, Gerry O’Neil, Arthur Mulholland and John Edwards completed the EKAC contingent.
All the athletes performed well in challenging conditions, which lived up to the oldcross country motto that ‘runs will take place whatever the weather’.
Earlierin the month, showcasing his fine current form, Grant Baillie took a silver medal in the Masters Over 40 category at the Scottish Masters Championships at Johnstone.
Grant was always in the leading trio andpushed the pace throughout the three-lap course but just lost out to Commonwealth Games Marathon runner Ross Houston, who built up an 18 second lead over the last mile.
Masters over 50 athletes Keith Charters, Gordon Colvin and Arthur Mulholland combined to take 15th place in the over 50s team race.
In the women’s event, Grant’swife Kelly Baillie ran a great race to finish 10th in her category, backed up by Kay
Pic: Bobby Gavin
Conneff in 15th and Vivien Thorpe in 20th, giving them sixth place in their team event.
For EKAC athletes, February kicked off with the Club Cross Country Championships at Kirkton Park in Strathaven.
In what was to become quite common during February, the weather proved to be blustery with wintry showers and underfoot conditions were extremely slippery, but the 67 EKAC athletes were up to the challenge.
Themedallists in the age-groups races were:
Under 11 girls: 1 Matilda Frew, 2 Carrie Charters, 3 Olivia Baxter
Under 11 boys: 1 Euan Thorpe, 2 Ben Baillie, 3 Zac Graham
Under 13 girls: 1 Aimee Anderson, 2 Kayleigh Pew, 3 Tyler Kelly
Under 13 boys: 1 Jonathan Hunter, 2 Ryan McNamara, 3 Jamie Connor
Under 15 girls: 1 Leah Muirhead, 2 Hannah Kelly, 3 Millie Eatherington
Under15 boys: 1 Lewis Thorpe, 2 Sam Hosie, 3 Thomas O’Neil
Under 17 women: 1 Hannah Anderson, 2 Emma Livingstone Under 17 men: 1 Chris Cairns Senior women: 1 Rachael Thomson Senior men: 1 David Ross, 2 Jamie Clements, 3 David Thomson
Masters Women: 1 Kelly Baillie, 2 Vivien Thorpe, 3 Gemma Kirwan
Masters Men: 1 Vincent Glennon, 2 Gerry O’Neil, 3 Keith Charters
Not to be outdone, the club’s sprinters put themselves on the line fora special 150 metre uphill, into-the-wind handicap race during abreak between the other races.
The winner was Jenna McNab, withMadeline Frew in second and Taylor McNamara in third. Several athletes chose to wash off the mud in the stream running beside the course, but all agreed it was a great event and gave thanks to the organisers who made it possible.