Diagnosed with bronchitis last Monday, Mhairi MacLennan peered ahead to the yellow weather warnings for this weekend and shrugged. Illness and the cold were not going to stop her.
The Scottish cross-country championships were held yesterday in Falkirk’s Callendar Park amid some of the most atrocious conditions in its history. MacLennan's coach Helen Clitheroe had tried to talk her out of competing on medical grounds but the 24-year-old is no snowflake.
“I gave her my reasons for wanting to do it,” MacLennan said. “It’s muddy. It’s only 10k.”
The Great Britain internationalist didn’t shirk, she simply smiled and ploughed onwards to victory for the second time in three years. It took her 39 minutes and 44 seconds after she had opted to push clear of Annabel Simpson.
“It was pretty tough,” she said. “There aren’t that many hills. There was the rain and the snowstorm. But the thing is – that’s my thing. I absolutely love it.
“It started hailing and I was running along with this massive grin on my face. It’s utterly fine with me. You just step in and block it out. I didn’t actually mean to go as early as I did. I just got a bit excited on the mud. I did think half-way round the second lap ‘cripes, I’ve got another one to go’. But you just enjoy it. I relaxed and remembered it was fun.”
Jamie Crowe broke away from Jonny Glen to win the men’s race, securing a 10th team title in a row for Central AC.
“The first leg was the coldest I’ve ever been,” Crowe said. “I could see people in coats and I was feeling jealous. But the second lap I started to kick on but I couldn’t feel my legs or my hands.”
Edinburgh AC prospect Freddie Carcas claimed the men’s Under-20 title with GB international Megan Keith earning the women’s crown, while Anna Hedley continued to make her mark in the junior ranks with a triumph in the Under-17 race.
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