Jamie Crowe stormed to victory in one of the most competitive races in the Inverness Half Marathon’s 40-year history, securing his first Scottish half marathon title. The Dundee Hawkhill Harriers runner clocked 1:05:19, narrowly edging out Aberdeen AAC’s Sean Chalmers by just one second, with Ryan Thomson of Cambuslang Harriers a further two seconds behind in third. With the top seven finishers all breaking the 66-minute mark, the event saw unprecedented depth.

Crowe, a three-time Scottish cross-country champion, said the race was tactical for much of the way before he made his move with a kilometre to go. Despite a late surge from his rivals, he held on for the win, adding another national title to his impressive resume.

In the women’s race, Edinburgh AC’s Nancy Scott delivered a commanding performance, winning in 1:13:24 ahead of GB mountain running international Naomi Lang, who set a personal best of 1:14:46.

Wallace Brogan of Shettleston Harriers took a surprise bronze with a four-minute personal best of 1:15:01. Scott, who recently set a PB in Barcelona and finished second in the national 10K cross-country championships, showed no signs of fatigue as she controlled the race. She also led Edinburgh AC to the team title alongside Kirsty Walker and Lucy Naga. Inverness Harriers’ Catriona Fraser won the North District women’s title.

In the 5K event, Lochaber AC’s Denis Prikulis took the men’s title in 15:31, while Aberdeen AAC’s Carolyn Cameron won the women’s race in a personal best of 17:44.

Race Director Malcolm Sutherland commented: "We were delighted to see a record turnout of runners for the 40^th anniversary of the event, and the athletes took full advantage of the conditions to produce some stunning performances. I don’t think we’ve ever seen so much strength in depth in both the men’s and women’s half marathons."

If you'd like to know more, visit the Inverness Half Marathon website.

Image: Inverness Half Marathon