Mixed fortunes, but Hay and Murray both retain Scottish Cross Country crowns

THERE could scarcely have been a greater contrast between the manner of victory of the two defending senior champions Alastair Hay and Freya Murray in the Stewarts Scottish National Cross Country Championships at Callendar Park, Falkirk.

Murray was supreme in the women's race, taking the lead from the start and opening up a decisive gap of well over a minute by the end of the first of the two laps on a frost-covered surface. She won by 1:44mins from Emma Raven, who outsprinted Rosie Smith down the final slope.

Hay, however, had lots of company, which he gradually whittled down over the three laps until it boiled down to another a fight-off with last year's Eritrean-born challenger Ziggy Woldemichael. Recovering from 20 metres down at the start of the final lap, Hay took off before the final bend and ran for the line.

"I never like to look round," said the 24-year-old Livingston-based physiotherapist, who won by five seconds and covered the three-lap, 12km course in 37:40.

Still mourning the recent death of his father, who also ran in this race last year, Hay was understandably emotional and insisted he was not at all certain he was going to win. "I was a bit concerned going up that last hill as I could hear people shouting for Derek."

Kilbarchan's Derek Hawkins did indeed finish fast in his first senior race to take the bronze medal only ten seconds down on Woldemichael. "I'd have been right in it if I hadn't slipped and fallen on the second lap," said Hawkins, the 2009 Under-20 champion.

Murray, in the form of her life as she bagged her fourth Scottish senior title, clocked 27:41 for the 8km women's race, which was only her fifth over the country this winter, her previous outing having been a runaway victory in Potchefstroom last month to take the South African title.

"I love running in the Scottish and felt really good today," said the 26-year-old Newcastle-based structural engineer, who is off to Japan this week for the Fukuoka International Cross Country.

Meanwhile, today's showdown between European Indoor champion Mo Farah and triple Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham will not take place after both athletes withdrew.

Farah was reported to be not feeling 100 per cent while Bekele, who won the 5,000 and 10,000m double at last year's World Championships in Berlin, has a calf injury. Jessica Ennis pulled out through injury last week.