CALLUM Hawkins yesterday became the first Briton for seven years to beat Mo Farah - over any distance and on any surface - but he still left Holyrood Park slightly gutted.
With Farah back in a surprising seventh, the 24-year-old from Elderslie was on the cusp of a famous first victory for any Scottish runner at the Simplyhealth Great Edinburgh X Country as the line came into sight. Having left last year's winner Garrett Heath for dead, and feeling that he had finally got rid of Leonard Korir of the USA after 8km of trying, the crowd roared Hawkins on as he crested the final, fiendish turn, a right-hander on an up-slope which also crosses a small burn. While he appeared to have recovered sufficiently from a minor slip to triumph, Korir had other ideas. The tape was only about eight metres away by the time the veteran American-Kenyan burst past Hawkins to spoil the party by all of a second.
This Kilbarchan AC athlete - a remarkable ninth-place finisher in the Rio marathon in Rio in only his third race over that distance - said he had pushed himself so much with a time of 24.04 that he had seen stars, but it is his star which is on the ascendant as 2017 begins. While this was Farah's last-ever cross country appearance, the Scot is likely to see plenty of him in the future. The 33-year-old plans to move up from the track to the marathon after the 5000m and 10,000m double at the World Championships in London this summer and Hawkins said last night he isn't the only Briton who fancies his chances when Farah has an off-day now.
"I’m a bit of both [pleased and disappointed]," admitted Hawkins. "I thought I had it. I couldn’t hear anything because of the crowd. So I'm pleased with the way I ran but disappointed I got beaten. I noticed there was a bit of a gap but I slipped a bit at the last burn bit. I don’t know if that would have made a difference. In the last year or so I have just developed the mindset, ‘just go out and if I die, I die’. I gave it my all and I’m seeing stars now.
"If he [Farah] has an off day like he did today then there are now a few of us who can take him. It just shows what he has done for British athletics, to spur on guys like myself Andy Vernon and Andy Butchart as well. I think it shows British athletics is moving on and moving in the right way."
Already pre-selected on the strength of his Rio performance, Hawkins said "all his eggs" were now in the basket of the World Championships marathon in London in August, even skipping the traditional London marathon in April. "I'm just going to do what I did in Rio and here and put myself up there and see what happens," said Hawkins. "We will see what the competition is like but it is on home ground and that might give me an edge."
Farah, unbeaten by British rivals since going down to Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon at this venue in 2010, put on a brave face but said Hawkins was a special athlete. He had been rooting for the Scot to win as he saw him and Korir ahead of him down the final straight.
"I am disappointed with seventh but you have got to be honest with yourself and the last couple of weeks of training haven't gone as well," said the man who was knighted in the New Year's Honours list. "I could have pulled out of the race and stayed at home but I was running for my country.
"All credit to Callum, he is a great athlete and he showed that without a doubt, what a great performance. I was hoping he was going to win the race. He has shown that he is a great fighter and he just has something about him. Even last year, he worked so hard to get rid of us and it just got away from him. He wants it more than everyone else."
While the US took the overall title, with Europe in second and GB & NI in third, the day began with Inter District races. Morag McLarty of Central AC took the Senior + Junior Women's crown in a time of 22.18, with Kris Jones of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers the first home in the men's equivalent. Hamish Armitt of Giffnock North and Lily Evans-Haggerty of City of Glasgow claimed the Under-15 prizes.
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