Historic start to cross country season for Falkirk Victoria Harriers
Last Saturday marked a historic start to the cross-country season for Falkirk Victoria Harriers, with the club’s senior men claimed their first victory at the East District Relays since 1980.
An outstanding team performance saw the Vics return to the top of the podium, ending a 46-year wait and providing a memorable highlight on the opening weekend of the season.
Kane Elliott, Kieran Reilly, Benjamin Macmillan and Luke Culliton stormed the 4K course in a finishing time of 50:23.
The East District Relays, held at Dechmont Law in Livingston, brought together clubs from across the region, with athletes competing across a range of age groups for district honours. Alongside the senior men's historic success, Falkirk Victoria Harriers enjoyed a number of strong performances throughout the day, showcasing the club’s depth of talent across both the junior and senior ranks.
The girls’ A team delivered an impressive performance to secure 10th place out of 51 teams. Isla Hedges set the team off to a flying start, recording the sixth-fastest leg overall in a time of 9:30. She was followed by U16 athlete Ariana Bennett, who clocked 11:49, before U18 Emily Christie brought the team home with a strong final leg of 10:00.
Falkirk’s B team also enjoyed a successful outing, finishing just one place behind their clubmates in 11th. Sophia Kimberly, Megan Blair and Skye Robertson combined to secure another top-15 finish for the club, with Skye closing out the race in an impressive 9:58 to round off a strong team performance.
The vics were also represented by the girl’s C and D teams who showed great determination across the course, gaining valuable experience against strong opposition from clubs across the district, with C team finishing in 29th and the D team finishing 37th.
Great performances continued in the boys U14, U16 and U18 teams. Harriers A team including Conal Rooney, Kaelin McCabe and Ben Upfold, who ran the 11th fastest leg overall, impressed with 7th place.
The senior and masters women were also in action, with teams putting in a determined performance over the challenging 4K legs. The senior women's team Isabella Ogg, running 15:21, Katie Christie, clocking a quick 15:45, and Eilidh Mccallum, closing in 17:27, finished in a respectable 15th place.
Despite U20 Lucie Gibson and Chloe Davies not having a complete team, they went and gave it their all on the course, producing fast times and making the club proud.
The masters team of Karen McAlister, Monica Anderson and Fiona Matheson delivered a strong collective performance, with all three athletes contributing to a combined finishing time of 58:53.
The men's masters teams also took to the course, with Eric Donaldson, Michael Hedges, Andrew Philp, Malcolm Finlayson, Neil Bennett and Johnathan Faulks forming two teams of three.
All six athletes put in determined performances across their respective legs, contributing to the strong representation across the masters categories.