Olympian Laura Muir will defend her 4km women’s title in the Lindsays Scottish short course cross country championships at Kirkcaldy tomorrow.
The double European indoor championship gold medallist will be competing for the first time since racing to sixth place in the 5000m at the world championships in front of a packed stadium at London in August.
The crowds will be considerably smaller in Fife this weekend but Muir is assured no less an enthusiastic reception when she competes at Beveridge park.
She is always keen to support domestic events and has won this title three times over the past five years, with Banchory Stonehaven AC’s Rhona Auckland breaking that sequence with wins in 2013 and 2014.
Scotand international Fiona Brian leads a Metro Aberdeen squad which includes Claire Bruce, Petra Hampton and Sarah Knox.
Jade MacLaren should be Aberdeen AAC’s leading competitor while Veronique Oldham is expected to feature strongly in the over-50 age group.
Aberdeen AAC’s Michael Ferguson knows he’ll have to be on top form if he is to feature in the battle for the senior men’s 4km title in the Scottish short course cross country championships at Kirkcaldy tomorrow.
Ferguson is the only Aberdeen athlete to have picked up an individual medal in the 20-year history of this event, having collected bronze twelve months ago.
His rivals include Glasgow University’s Sol Sweeney who outsprinted the Aberdeen postgraduate teaching student last weekend to win the Scottish universities and colleges title at Garscube.
Ferguson will be joined in an injury-weakend but nevertheless large Aberdeen AAC squad which also includes Will Mackay, Euan Webster, Steven Murray, and Stewart Millar.
John Newsom leads the Inverness Harriers team while Hamish Battle should be Metro Aberdeen’s leading runner.
Stornoway’s Connor Maclean will attempt to defend the under-20 men’s title while Moray’s Cameron main will hope to make an impression in the same competition.
Sunny McGrath (Deveron Runners) and Hamish Hickey (Ross County) are among the leading north runners competing in the under-17 boys’ race along with Sunny Luke Davidson (Inverness Harriers) and the Aberdeen AAC duo of Jack Gillespie and Harry Hall.
Lucas Cairns (Inverness Harriers), Sam Griffin (Aberdeen AAC) and Scott Coull (Metro Aberdeen) should all do well in the under-15 boys’ contest.
Deeside athlete Robbie Simpson, who hopes to represent Scotland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, is the clear favourite to win the Glen Clova half marathon ahead of a capacity field of 350 runners tomorrow.