Metro Aberdeen teenager wins his first night-time race

Jordan Cruickshank is only 16 but the Metro Aberdeen club member showed great maturity to score an impressive victory over a field of 393 runners in the Illuminator 15km race at Aboyne on Saturday.

The Dyce Academy pupil never looked like losing and, although obviously exhausted at the end, he appeared to have enjoyed every minute of it. He expertly navigated his way through the darkness in 1hr 14min 37sec to finish well ahead of runner-up Mark Baxter, who ran 1:18:19, with Fergus Bisset third in 1:20:31.

It was Cruickshank’s first night-time race and he was delighted with his performance, saying: “I’m pleased to win but it was a very challenging course. It was very tough on the uphills and slippy on the downhills. But it was good fun.

“It’s the longest race I’ve done so I’m glad to have finished it in one piece.”

Emma Watt, who was third overall, was an emphatic winner of the women’s race, clocking 1:20:02 to finish clear of Kay

Ferguson, 1:31:04, and Shona Brown, 1:31:09.

The JS Kintore runner, who made a late decision to take part, certainly enjoyed the occasion but admitted it was a tough course.

She said: “One of my clubmates got injured and wasn’t able to run so I stepped in because I don’t need too many excuses to find another race. I really enjoyed it because the conditions were good although it was quite wet underfoot in places.

“I was walking up some of the hills as they were really steep and my legs were burning – but I blasted the downhills because that’s what I like to do, and I was getting up to a fair pace.”