Five top-ten finishes for Borderers at Fife hill races
This year’s Scottish Athletics junior hill-running league continued at Lomond Hills, near Falkland in Fife, on Sunday and Borderers racked up three top-ten places in round two’s under-18s’ race, with another three runners not far off.
Gala Harriers’ Seb Darlow was the region’s first runner home, placing third in 28:23, just short of a minute and a third behind winner Ben Hodson, representing Dumfries and Galloway’s Stewartry Athletics Club.
Darlow’s clubmate Charlie Dalgliesh was sixth in a field of 14 in 31:33 and they were accompanied by four members of Moorfoot Runners – Rory Pretswell, fifth in 31:03; Isabella Moran, 11th in 37:41; Lewis Riddell, 12th in 40:07; and Eala Mackay, 13th in 43:39.
Gala’s Angus McCarthy and Moorfoot’s Zach Harris claimed another couple of top-ten finishes in the day’s under-16s’ race, respectively placing third in 32:06 and fifth in 33:14.
Moorfoot’s Eilidh McGeoch and Emma Moran and Gala’s Annabelle Stewart were also among 21 finishers, ending up 15th in 37:57, 21st in 43:40 and 20th in 42:05.
First place went to East Lothian’s Tom Ibbs in 28:35 and Central Athletic Club’s Ella Hunter was first girl home, and seventh all told, in 33:27.
Two races in, those results take McCarthy to the top of the series’ standings in his age band, with Harris third. Darlow, Isabella Moran and Gala under-20 Kirsty Rankine, not at Falkland at the weekend, are also third in their age groups.
The league’s third meeting is at Broughton Heights in the Borders on Saturday, May 16, with round four following at Braemar on Saturday, June 6.
Two more Borders rounds are next up at Melrose on Saturday, June 20, and Peebles on Sunday, August 16, ahead of this season’s finale at Kincraig on Saturday, September 19.