Duns hosts finale of latest Borders Cross-Country Series
Edinburgh runner Charles Houston chalked up his third win of the latest Borders Cross-Country Series at its seventh and final senior round at Duns on Sunday.
That took him level with his Hunters Bog Trotters clubmate Tom Martyn but it didn’t count for anything as the 4.6-mile race was a presentation-only round, final standings having already been decided by the results of the preceding rounds at Lauder and Peebles last year, then Hawick, Paxton and Dunbar in January and Galashiels in February.
Houston’s two prior first-placed finishes and two runners-up spots had already seen him crowned as the series’ winner and he also picked up one of nine senior male age-class titles, for the 20-to-34 bracket.
Three of the others went to Borderers – Teviotdale Harriers’ Mark Young for the 35-40 age class, Gala Harriers’ Iain Stewart for 40-45 and Lauderdale Limpers’ Dean Whiteford for 45-50.
Dunbar’s Rowena Halliday was female winner overall and for the 35-40 age bracket, with three of the eight other age groups being won by Borderers – Lauderdale’s Naomi Dijkman for 40-45, Gala’s Gillian Lunn for 50-55 and Moorfoot Runners’ Carol Moss for 60-65.
Hunters Bog Trotters were top senior male team overall, with Gala second and Teviotdale fourth, and the Edinburgh club were also top senior female team, with Lauderdale third.
Gala were top female junior team, with Teviotdale second and Lauderdale third, and Gala were second to Hunters Bog Trotters in the boys’ version, with Teviotdale fourth.
Houston clocked 29:12 at Duns at the weekend, finishing 42 seconds in front of runner-up Rory Anderson, this series’ only round-winner, at Peebles in December, other than Houston, at Paxton and Hawick prior to Sunday, and Martyn, at Lauder in November and Dunbar.
Anderson was one of three Borderers to make the top ten of a field of 503 at Duns, with his over-35 Teviotdale Harriers clubmate Mark Young placing ninth in 32:11 and Stewart getting home tenth in 32:14.
A further two made the top 20 – Whiteford, 13th in 33:35, and Gala over-40 Paul Williams, 14th in 34:19.
Edinburgh over-45s Jill Mykura was first female finisher, and 15th all together, in 34:39.
Sunday’s 2-3-mile junior race was won by Team East Lothian Athletics Club under-13 Tom Ibbs, also the series’ junior winner, in 15:56.
Two Borderers made the top ten – Teviotdale under-nine Connor Davidson, sixth in 17:01, and Lauderdale under-11 Rafe Dorricott, seventh in 17:08.
Edinburgh under-13 Emi Daunt was first girl home, and tenth overall, in 17:24.