Mo Farah's class tells in Edinburgh win

With Haggis Knowe shrouded in ice and snow, Mo Farah donned his best thermals for Saturday's Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country and promptly froze out his rivals. The Londoner, recently returned from six weeks in Kenya, was a class apart from his European and American challengers in the first outing of a year in which he hopes to build on the two European titles which he claimed on the track in Barcelona last June.

Those accolades, Farah signalled, have not satisfied his desires. Hence his willingness to rough it in the African mountains alongside many of the men who will stand in his way if his Olympic dream is to be realised next year. The endeavour, on initial evidence, has paid off. Leading Great Britain's challenge in the International Challenge over nine kilometres in Holyrood Park, he cantered comfortably until the moment came to set himself apart. He finished in 25:41, nine seconds clear of Galen Rupp, of the USA, but, with insufficient support from his GB team-mates, the hosts were relegated to third overall in the team standings, with the European select pipping the Americans for victory.

Farah will fly to New Mexico this week for a further spell of training, having taken advice from Paula Radcliffe, who is a regular there. "She likes it," Farah said. "It's quite similar to Kenya, slightly lower. The facilities are really good. I've checked it out for myself." While there, he will make a decision between competing at the world cross in Andalucia or defending his European indoor 3000 metres crown in Paris. "I want to do a few races in the USA and if I did decide to do the Europeans, I know I can do a few races beforehand," he said.

Steph Twell is another who will pack her passport this week and aim high. Scotland's Commonwealth Games medallist, short of absolute fitness, was only seventh in the women's 6km race won in some style by Kenya's Linet Masai.

She will depart today to Kenya with a UK Athletics endurance group for her first experience of altitude training. "I think it will open Steph's eyes," Farah observed. The 21-year-old was out-shone by European junior champion Charlotte Purdue, who briefly threatened to break Africa's dominance at the head of the field. However, as Twell acknowledged, a bigger picture is involved.

"2011 is huge but it is a transition year as well," she declared. "I put some good benchmarks down in 2010 but I want to go faster over 1500 and 5000. At the same time, I'm really going to use this year to get my training, my conditioning and aerobics under my belt. If I have a solid year and get my head down, I'll be content." City of Glasgow's Beth Potter was a creditable 15th, just one spot behind European champion Jessica Augusto.The elite men's 4km was won by Eliud Kipchoge, of Kenya. Headed in the initial stages by an ambitious bid from Stockport-based Steve Vernon, the Olympic silver medallist accelerated on the penultimate ascent to open up a gap which Beijing champion Asbel Kiprop could not close.

Organisers declared themselves satisfied with the event, including the international challenge which has revitalised proceedings. "It's recognised that the Africans are the best in the world," said Brendan Foster of Nova International. "So the next stage is to get everyone else to take on each other and that's where this idea came from. And everyone seems to like it."