Sharp and Muir to run XC for Scotland

Wednesday 25th November 2015

Laura Muir and Josephine Moultrie were involved in Mixed Relay last January – photo by Bobby Gavin

More international opportunities would be good for our athletes

Laura Muir and Lynsey Sharp are to join forces to lead the home challenge in a special International Team Relay in the Great Edinburgh XC meeting at Holyrood Park on Saturday 9 January.

Muir, who graduated to world class status in the 2015 track season, smashing the four minutes barrier for 1500m in Monaco and finishing fifth in the 1500m final at the World Championships in Beijing, will team up with Sharp, the Commonwealth and European 800m silver medallist, in a Scotland quartet that will also feature two male compatriots in the 4 x 1km relay event.

It will be a chance for both Scots to dust off the winter cobwebs and demonstrate some form on home soil at the start of Rio Olympic year. They will be up against teams from the USA, Europe, Great Britain, Wales, England and Ireland, and also a Scotland B quartet.

scottishathletics and Great Edinburgh XC organisers, Greatrun, will be confirming selections for the Scotland A and B teams over the next couple of weeks.

The January 9 event at Holyrood now offers another pleasing opportunity for Scotland to compete in an international athletics event. Following discussions, the A and B team entry means eight athletes will have the chance to run for Scotland in a televised XC fixture against some high class opposition.

The 4 x 1k relay race will be separate from the GB v USA v Europe match programme, in which world, European and Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah will be contesting the men’s 8km for Great Britain.

Also that day there will be Scotland teams in action in a Celtic International event at U23, U20 and U17 as well as Inter-District representative opportunities.

Run for Scotland at XC

For Muir, it will be a second taste of relay action in front of the BBC television cameras in Edinburgh. The 22-year-old University of Glasgow veterinary student helped Scotland to third place in a mixed 2 x 1km race at the 2015 event.

‘It was good fun last January,’ said Athlete of the Year Laura. ‘I always love running in front of a home crowd – even more so in a Scotland vest.’

Lynsey Sharp – loves wearing Scotland vest (photo by Mark Shearman)

Sharp, a member of Edinburgh AC, will get that chance at the start of year in which she will be hoping to build on the form that took her to a Scottish record 800m time of 1.57.71 seconds in Berlin in September. Only two British women have run faster over two laps: Kelly Holmes and Kirsty Wade.

The Great Edinburgh XC, televised live on BBC, is part of a New Year festival for runners of all abilities, based at Holyrood Park, next to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

The popular Pure Gym Great Winter Run, held on a scenic 5km course that loops around Arthur’s Seat, provides the public with a perfect opportunity to dust off the New Year cobwebs before watching the world’s best test themselves in the international cross country races.

Entry to the Pure Gym Great Winter Run is available online