Great Edinburgh Cross-Country 2017
McCormack Continues Fine Edinburgh Record
Great Edinburgh Cross-Country
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland
Saturday January 7th 2017
Athletics Ireland Press Release - Feidhlim Kelly
Fionnuala McCormack continued her fine record at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country with a second place finish in Holyrood Park yesterday.
Since 2012 McCormack has chalked up two victories and now five consecutive second place finishes. McCormack split the Turkish duo of Yasemin Can and Meryem Akdag with the latter fading in the closing stages of the 6km race.
McCormack took the lead from the start but looked like suffering the same fate as the European Championships when the Turks forged ahead and set a metronomic pace. Akdag was unable to sustain the pace on the picturesque and undulating course with Arthur’s Seat as the backdrop allowing McCormack to get up for second.
Can won in 20:26 with the Wicklow woman second in 20:57 with Akdag third in 21:02.
“It was tough but it was good,” said McCormack afterwards. “I definitely enjoyed that a lot more than the European Cross Country – partly because of the course and partly because I was more competitive. I love it here. I’ve ran here so many times before. Even out on the course it’s like home support it’s brilliant.”
The Irish 4x1 km team of John Travers, Donore Harriers, Kerry O’Flaherty, Newcastle, Raheny’s Kieran Kelly, and Ciara Mageean, UCD, finished fourth, in a closely-fought 4x1km relay. The British team, led by Laura Muir, won in 11 mins 10 secs, with the USA second in 11:17, and Scotland A third, in 11.18. Ireland placed fourth, in 11.22, ahead of Europe, who came fifth, in 11:23.
In the men’s 8km, Mick Clohisey, running for Europe, finished 26th in 25 mins 52 secs. Leonard Korir, the Kenyan-born American, sprinted past Scotland’s Callum Hawkins for a last gasp victory in a thrilling race. Third was the 22-year-old Kenyan-born Aras Kaya in 24:21. In 2015, Kaya won the Russian cross-county title in 2015 while attempting to gain Russian citizenship. When that didn’t work out, he turned to Turkey, and became eligible to compete for them in June 2016.
Junior race winners were Harriett Knowles-Jones, Great Britain, and Noah Affolder, USA
Results of Great Edinburgh Cross-Country 2017
Highlights of Great Edinburgh Cross-Country 2017
