Robbie Simpson got the new year off to a record-breaking start when he defeated a field of 108 runners to win yesterday’s Aonach Mor hill race at Torlundy, near Fort William.
The Deeside runner completed the two-mile route, which includes a 2,000ft climb, in 21min 13sec to scythe 62sec off the previous record he set five years ago.
Simpson finished 75sec ahead of last year’s winner and four-times Ben Nevis race champion Finlay Wild (Lochaber AC), while North of Scotland cross-country championship bronze-medallist Graham Bee (Inverness Harriers) was third in 23:27.
Simpson will be back in action today when he competes in the Detox 10km at Lumphanan which he is bidding to win for the fifth year in a row.
David Weir (Forres Harriers) collected the over-50 age group award at Aonach Mor when he finished seventh overall in 23:35, 20sec ahead of the leading over-40 age group runner Jon Gay (Lochaber AC).
Diane Baum (Lochaber AC) won the women’s prize by clocking 29:29 to get the better of Lisa Gamble (Carnethy), who was runner-up in 31:19, and Megan Bee (Highland Hill Runners), who took third spot in 31:54 – one second ahead of Elizabeth Adams (Westerlands). Phyllis O’Brien (Hunters Bog Trotters) was the leading over-50 runner when finishing seventh in the women’s race in 33:16 while Helen Leggett (Lochaber AC) was the top over 40-year-old in 33:52.
Scotland international Ben Hukins (Ronhill Cambuslang Harriers) opened 2014 with a clearcut victory over a field of 126 participants in the Aberdeen Parkrun New Year’s Day 5km. It was his 10th win in 16 parkrun outings.
The Aberdeen-based runner, who will compete in next weekend’s Scottish inter district cross-country championships at Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park, recorded a winning time of 16min 49sec.
Stonehaven half marathon champion Ron Gauld was runner-up in 18:12, while Stuart MacDougall (Bellahouston Harriers) completed his preparations for today’s Detox 10km at Lumphanan by taking third position in 18:31.
Aberdeen’s Moira Davie (Forres Harriers) clocked 19:06 to lead home the women’s field and score her fifth win in nine parkrun appearances.
Gemma Cormack (Aber- deen AAC) was runner-up in 19:28 and Carolyn Milne (Jog Scotland), who has an Aberdeen record of 20 wins to her credit, was third in 20:08.