​Gala Harriers over-40 Darrell Hastie goes for gold again at Scottish Athletics’ 2024 short-course cross-country championships

That gold went to the Galashiels club’s Darrell Hastie for the second year running for finishing as first over-40 veteran in the senior men’s 4km race.

Hastie’s time of 11:56 saw him finish top of his age class and 35th all told in a field of 467, just over half a minute behind overall winner Ben Potrykus, the Inverclyde Athletics Club runner clocking 11:19.

The first Borderer home was Moorfoot Runners' Kieran Fulton, placing 29th in 11:51, followed by fellow under-20 clubmate Thomas Hilton, 37th in 11:58, and Gala under-20 Robbie Welsh, 85th in 12:35.

Fulton, Hilton and Welsh finished sixth, seventh and 25th in their age bracket respectively, victory in that class going to Strathearn Harriers’ Harris Pagett in 11:38.

Gala’s Ian Maxwell also managed a top-ten finish in his age class, as seventh over-60, clocking 15:55 for 341st place overall.

Gala’s Isla Paterson followed up a silver medal win last year with a bronze in the under-20 class in the senior women’s race, also over 4km, placing 18th overall in 13:53 in a field of 281 headed by Edinburgh Athletic Club’s Nancy Scott in 13:07.

That race was also contested by five other Gala Harriers, two of them recording top-ten finishes in their age brackets – Julie Johnstone, ninth over-50 female finisher and 122nd all together in 16:16, and Eileen Maxwell, seventh over-60 and 219th all told in 18:51.

Teviotdale Harrier Isla Bryson finished 50th in 14:49 and as 11th under-20.

Gala’s Ava Richardson got home seventh in the day’s under-17 girls’ race in 10:42, under half a minute behind winner Zara Redmond, representing Kilbarchan Amateur Athletic Club.

The next of four of Richardson’s clubmates competing was Kirsty Rankine, 20th in 11.28.

Gala’s Archie Dalgliesh was 25th in the boys’ version of that race in 9:34.