Western Isles XC Championships 2007
sponsored by Hebridean Transport

Seilebost XC Success

Seilebost machair was the venue for this seasons Hebridean Transport sponsored Western Isles Cross Country Championships. Sport Harris (with a little help from SRAC) organised the event and put together an interesting and challenging course on the Seilebost machair surrounding Seilebost School. Bad weather forecasts had schoolteachers, parents and even the Gazette’s own intrepid photographer Rod Huckbody making enquiries as to whether the event was going ahead as planned!

The first race, a combined race involving under 17 and 20’s with senior runners got the best of the day’s weather. In the following races the younger runners battled their way round a course with hill climbs and a tough slog over the increasing wind battered beach and deserve great credit for their efforts. In a time when youngsters are often not credited for physical activity this could not be levelled to the runners from throughout the Western Isles that took on the course and the wind, all are true winners!

There were many fine and entertaining performances that pleased the respective coaches and parents in attendance from Uist, Harris and Lewis. Iain F MacDonald of North Uist AAC romped home first in the combined race (U17, 20 & seniors) and although running in the under 17 category finished two minutes clear of his nearest challenger! Iain has had a fine winter and will have been pleased with his run, perhaps he’ll return to Harris in a fortnight to contest the Harris 10k? The NUAAC team of under 17 girls also looked very good taking a clean sweep in their category. The team will have welcomed Laura Johnson moving up an age category as she led the team home to continue her successes through the various age categories in this competition.

The enthusiasm of the next two races may have been the most enjoyable of the day as the under 9’s lined up for their 800metre race; at the gun it seemed they were saving nothing for past the first 80 metres! However it was still a contest to the end in both the boys and girls races. Conner MacLean of Laxdale took of like a bullet with only winning in his head, but Neil Maclean (NUAAC) and Stornoway Primary’s Michael MacMillan also shared the thought of winning. Connor did manage to keep his lead from the gun but Neil and Michael provided a superb challenge finishing seven seconds and 14 second respectively behind Connor in second and third place! In the under 9 girls race there was always going to be a good race between the excellent closely matched pair of Mairi MacLennan of Back and Peigi McKellar of Harris. The to had battled it out neck and neck in the Lewis and Harris Championships, but on “home soil/sand” Peigi won a well deserved victory, having placed second to Mairi in the Lewis and Harris cross country. (Look forward to them teaming up in SRAC’s red and gold!)

Campbell MacDonald of Tolsta and Nyree Troughton NUAAC both two time winners as under 9’s, successfully moved up to the under 11 age group won their respective races. Both as the results below show have fine young runners just behind them from Uist and Lewis and it is encouraging to see such good competition.

The under 13’s and 15’s ran together in both boys and girls races and both events were well represented with some of the best cross country runners in the North of Scotland!

Girls under 13 champion Holly MacIver; SRAC was the early leader in the girls race ahead of older sister Jane (u15) and the Uist pair of Fiona Morrison (u13) and Eva Troughton (u15). The lead group were followed by a second group including Ceit Stewart, Ailis Murray, Kirsty Munro, Rebecca Munro (all SRAC) and Eilidh MacIver of Ness. The weather by now was really proving difficult and it was a Herculean challenge for the girls to “power” into the wind, hill and sand! But Saturday morning session of the Uist club at Langas and SRAC Castle Grounds session prepared the girls for their tough race in harsh conditions! The leads eventually changed and as the older head of Jane overtook Holly, but still Fiona and Eva were hanging on going into the final climb 300 metres from the finish line. The MacIvers did do enough to win, but they were hard won races and were well challenged by Eva and Fiona. Yet more encouraging potential for future of athletics in the Western Isles, both sides of the Sound of Harris!

SRAC then had a fine one, two three, in the boys race through their North District championship winning team led by Robert Jones. Jones (u13) had been led in the first lap by Robbie Greg (u15), but a natural over the country (and the longer the better) Jones powered to one of the most impressive wins of the day! Teammates Calum Robertson and Josh Sinclair, second and third place respectively are still getting closer to Robert and the track season should see yet more good races.

Events in the island’s are often not too easy to organise and particularly in the winter, but this was made easier by the support and sponsorship of Hebridean Transport to whom we a re indebted, thanks! The Leverburgh / Berneray ferry was replaced by a smaller vessel on the day which reduced capacity, however North Uist AAC are not easily put off coming “north” to win medals and arranged for some of the party to travel on Friday and stay in Leverburgh, before departing on two different crossings! Uist efforts to attend swelled the competing entry which was one hundred and thirty runners and that a lot of soup! But well done to Shonag, Rhoda and Ethel for feeding everyone! Thanks to all timekeepers, marshals that braved the cold and sponsors Hebridean Transport.

Alf Tupper