2017 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country

This is a class performance. This very fine race indeed. A world class

performance. Mo Farah begins 2011 in winning style. We have found another

star here. The world No 1 and she looks the part. What a marvellous

piece of running this is. An easy, easy victory.

Welcome to Holyrood Park here in Edinburgh, for the Great Edinburgh

International Cross Country and we have a magnificent afternoon of

athletics. There is the monument of Scotland, known locally as the

Monument of Disappointment. When it was built, they ran out of cash. And

we have the Scottish Parliament just behind us and they have come out to

enjoy some top class cross country. Many have come to take a peak at a

British athlete who has dominated all over the last few years and

added too more global golds to his haul in 2016. He is so good now we

have to call him Sir! Here we go, can Mo Farah win his third Olympic

gold medal. No British athlete has ever been able to do that. Try and

work my way through the field and try to get close to the front.

Somebody catches my leg and straight to the ground. At that point, there

is nothing you can do about it. I was panicking. I was back in the

mind, no, it can't happen, I have worked too hard. You have to make

some sacrifices. Who wants to be away from where they have friends

and family? You have got to get up. I have to. He is quickly up. Just

got a little clip there. I promised my daughter I was going to get a

gold medal, I can't let her down. Here comes Mo Farah. They succumb to

the inevitable and bow to his superiority. Mo Farah wins the gold.

I work hard and spend a lot of time away from my family and everything

and I just had to believe in myself and get through it, get through it.

I wanted to do it for my kids. I was tired, but you have to get over it.

It is the next race. They will attack again, but Farah has more to

give. Mo Farah is going to get gold for Britain again. The double

double. I felt like I did my kids proud and my nation proud. He will

be here. He had a few years where he didn't run much cross country. He

was here last year, but he didn't win. Gareth Heath from America won.

We will talk more about him in a moment and Callum Howkins had a

great 2016. -- Hawkins. He is becoming a real star of British

distance running. Challenges for Mo for the elite men race and we have

the elite women and they add up to points in total and plenty o' keep

you entertained. And it is not just the elite athletes here, thousands

come to blow off the cob webs after Hogmanay and see if they can tackle

this course below Arthur's Seat. Here is the story of that race. Yes,

today isn't just about the elite athletes. We have the Great Winter

Run. And we have have 3,500 people taking on the course. It attracts

many different people for many different reasons. There is a lot of

devastation and death. Exercise helps me deal with those challenges

that we have every day. I did the run last year, with four other

members and we decided to sign up again this year and I think we have

ended up with 13. We will all be there and probably sing them over

the finish line hopefully. JJ will have the story of that race later.

Paula and Brendan have joined me. Happy new year. I'm a virgin to this

event and I was told wrap up warm, it is like a spring day. You brought

it with you. It was sleet here in previous years I saw watching at

home. It is an iconic fixture in the schedule. What does it show the

elite men in terms of their training? All eyes are on Mo. You

have got to go down a bit and take it easy in the back end of the year.

Now he is getting up again ready for the World Championships in London.

He did take it easy. I don't think he is 100%. And for the first time I

can remember, you look at the race and there are three athletes who

could beat Mo. We haven't said that for many years. And they're very

good athletes. Gareth Heath beat him last year and have won it three

years running. He fancies himself as Mr Edinburgh? Yes and it is a happy

hunting ground for him. He won over the shorters ditans -- shorter

distance twice and he said he prefers it the muddier the better.

It is not that muddy. It is firm under foot. That will suit Mo more I

think and play more into his hands. But Callum Hawkins should run well.

A lot of British guys want too race well and go away for training. This

is the Great Scotland Run. He established himself as a name. He

has taken huge steps forward. The way he ran in Rio, to walk away from

a ninth position disappointed is the sign of somebody with a long way to

go. That half marathon record he ran there in Scotland stood him in good

stead. He has prepared well and raced well in the European cross

country. So in good shape and wants to finish the cross country part of

his winter on a high note. If he had a good 2016, what about Laura Muir.

She started this year with great intent with that wonderful run where

she smashed that world, that British record should I is a I for the

indoor 5,000 metres. A fantastic performance and a fantastic year she

had. She is getting excited about this year and talking about doubling

up in the European indoors and in London in the 5,000 and the 15

hundred. While Mo said he is stepping away from the track after

this year, we may have the new Paula Radcliffe actually. She is quicker.

But she is a strong runner mentally. She is running in the relay today.

Which not part of over all match. But it is a mixed sex race with two

men and two women. She will be in that. But now let's look at the how

the afternoon will pan out for you. Well, Laura Muir had a magnificent

year in 2016. Let's remind you about the landmarks and the bench marks

she pushed herself to last year. Laura Muir leading. This is

aggressive running from Laura Muir. Down the back straight, she has

opened up, a long, long way ahead. It is a massive performance.

3.57.51. That is a new British record. Laura Muir is positioning

herself. She knows there will be a move and she is going to be amongst

it when they move. Laura Muir's race looks run. Poor Laura Muir. She was

driving hard down the back straight. Hassan trying to get back on terms.

This is what she wanted in Rio. A much more representative run from

the Brit. Watch the clock. Oh, my word! 3.55.24. She has smashed the

British record. Rio was the big thing for the season and you didn't

get what you wanted, you must look back on the year with a huge amount

of pride? Yes definitely. I think someone asked to pin point one race

I thought was my favourite and I don't think I could. There was so

many different times where even just things, become bg British champion

and running and breaking the record. 20 #16 was the year that I stepped

up to that world stage. Hopefully this year I can build on that. You

started 2017 with a bang, straight into another record, 5,000 metres

indoors. Was it a surprise too you how fast you ran? Yes and no.

Because I knew from my training I had been going well and running PB

sessions and I knew a good time was on the cards. But you never believe

it until you have it on paper. It was hard, it was my first 5K in a

while and the first indoors. It was door and I ran a bit by myself. It

was great to run that quick in January and I'm excited for the

season. I assume the target this summer, World Championships in

London, back in the tough 1,500 metres? Yes, 1,500 will be sort of

yeah the main forefront this year. But not ruling out the 5K. The time

table does work for that. We will have to see how the summer goes and

try both distances and hopefully come London I will be in great shape

for either or both. That is interesting. Is that a natural move

for you do you think? Yes, I think it is not a move up as such, I'm

going to stay at 1,500, but I'm shown I have that strength over 5K

and we know the ability is there. It is hard to tell until you race

against these girls, running a world class 5K is different to a little

one in Glasgow. The 1,500 is still the favourite at the moment. When I

broke the record in the London stadium, that was amazing the

atmosphere was, I don't think I have experienced anything like it. To

have that in London especially having missed out on 2012 so, it one

my first big Championship at home. It will be special. What about a win

on home soil? In the relay? Yes that would be great. I have run the relay

the past couple of years a and we won last year. I would love to bring

home the gold as captain and try and set up the rest of the team for the

races. What an incredible 12 months for her. Crammy was almost

speechless when she said he wanted to double up. Did it take you by

surprise? No, I think she knows how strong she is over 1,500. The 5,000

she ran in a controlled way and finished very strongly. Could she do

that? Very feasible. The last person at World Championships to double

indoors was Zarbo. Maybe she had less speed over 800 metres. She may

go for the 1,000 in Birmingham indoors. She has her head screwed on

and aiming at the right direction. I think she has got to keep going as

she is and stay healthy and focussed. You feel she could be that

person that almost the vacuum after Jessica Ennis-Hill retired, perhaps

Laura's year will be... Or the new Paula Radcliffe as Brendan said! The

first event is the relay. Two men, two women. Steve Cram will talk you

there it. Happy new year to you and all the people watching and the

great vantage point half way up Arthur's Seat. Four athletes in each

team. One kilometre lap. Great Britain may start as favourites,

partly because Laura Muir is running. We start with the men and

we have the male and then a female. This is for the Stewart Cup. So it

is a separate event from the over all races which are adding up to the

team challenge. The two junior and the two senior races over the longer

distances. This is a separate event for the Stewart Cup. A lot of pride

at stake and a lot of good athletes on show. The US. A hoping to spring

a shock. Last year the Scottish team beat Great Britain, probably because

they had Laura Muir. Her team got James Bowness going on the first

leg, char sheen Thomas, James West and Laura.

Jake Wightman going for Scotland on the first leg, Brendan has joined me

in the box, always a fun event, really, but the athletes take it

very seriously, great distance to be doing, one kilometre, you can give

it your all. Absolutely right, and it is the sort of thing athletes

will have enjoyed over the years, this is a new initiative, and this

was introduced in Kampala for the first time, and I'm sure we'll see

athletes from around world running in a mixed relay, they will find a

new boost for cross-country, certainly for the first time in

Kampala. The Scottish team on the inside is young Jake Wightman, I am

not surprised he was in the British team, you would think he would be a

more favourite athlete over this distance at this time of year. He is

running well, running one lap of this course, then handing over to

the next athlete. In his case, that will beam Aharon Henry. In the case

of the British team, it is Charlene Thomas. Jake Wightman is stretching

out, Bowness having fun here, here won as part of the British team.

Wightman having a little slip, struggling to hang on, Great Britain

need to stay close to give Laura Muir a bit of a chance on the last

leg. Jake Wightman has been in good shape already this season, he has

won a couple of shorter races, and look at the speediest binding.

Bowness coming around the outside, trying to close the gap. -- the

speed he is finding. The USA in third place, then some gaps starting

to appear. A little luck from Jake Wightman, kicking away a little

early, Bowness has done a good job, handing over to Charlene Thomas or

Great Britain. Scotland will have Hendry on the second leg. That was a

good performance by James Bowness, gauging that really well. Now

Charlene Thomas on the inside, the American athlete running strongly.

The three of them now pulling away, so Scotland, USA and Great Britain

making a meal of this one. Charlene Thomas has really set off

aggressively for them. Yes, she has, she is very happy that the cause is

not too muddy out their really looking forward to taking the bat on

in a good position, and she has set out with intent to do that right

now. Charlene needs to judge your effort well, it is not very far, the

first leg may have been the quickest we have ever seen, and according to

our statistician, 2.36, that is pretty quick, I think the quickest

previously was 2.3 nine. Laura has the record for a woman. Charlene

gauging the effort, the Americans closing the gap, Leanne Farber, then

Hendry for Scotland. Alex Bell had a great record of 800m, representing

England in red and white. Just going through the camera there. So it is

all bunching up, Charlene Thomas will hand over to James West. And a

little bit of a gap, I know the Americans were very keen that they

had a chance here. This is turning into a bit of a scrap between Great

Britain and America. Farber moving closely behind Charlene Thomas, so

now the pressure will be on James West. That is a good run there from

that position, the Irish are moving through.

Charlene just holding a good position here, very good performance

from the Irish athletes, moving into third place, closing down on the

American, but good from Charlene, judging her effort well. Yes, she is

not as comfortable on the hills as Farber, who makes up ground there,

but every time she gets a chance to use the extra pace as, she is doing

that, and I think she should be able to hand over with the US if she is

able to get back in front, excellent run from Monday behind. The

Americans doing really well, and Farber will know Will Lear

instantly, always sporting a beard, and they will be taking on James

West. The others are a little bit too far adrift. James West has got a

job on his hands, I was watching some online clips recently, Will

Leer training with Nick Willis, the two times Olympic medallist, up in

Flagstaff. Will Leer has an interesting thing, he knows Laura

Muir is going last, he would not know much about James West, he is at

university now, and he might be thinking, if I can get a gap and

give Heather a bit of Aileen on Laura Muir, they might have a

chance, but it will be hard to do that. -- a bit of a lead. James West

is running a strong second place, getting closer to him. If he were

clever, he might settle for just being behind the leader when they

come to the change, but the pressure is mounting on the USA, and Laura

Muir is in fine form, standing on the start line. She will be getting

nervous, anxious about where she will take the baton, but the

American is running well, James West are running well, the Irishman

running strongly in third place. A little bit of the back story is that

at the world cross-country there will be a mixed relay of this

fashion, so slightly hit by the fact that it is in Uganda, a lot of

countries will not be sending full teams. It will really help to bring

world cross-country back to the strength it has enjoyed in previous

years. If you compare to these two men in terms of their best 1500m, no

contest, Will Leer is much quicker than James West, who is just 20

years of age, at Loughborough now. They have both been caught by Kelly,

and the Scottish athlete now getting closer. Will Leer happy to sit and

watch now, I suspect he will be trying to save it and at least get

through 400m, but when you hand over, Laura Muir will love the

position. What about Scotland? Well, a real burst there, maybe a little

bit early, a couple of hundred metres to go. A real burst by the

Scottish athlete, running powerfully, young James West is

holding it, the American, Will Leer, we expected him to be quicker and

closer. Now James West is about to hand over to Laura Muir, who is on

the start line. She sees the Scottish press coming down first,

but it is not for her. The Scottish athlete is and the inside, then

Laura Muir takes over in a great place. A great performance from the

Scottish athlete, who is based in the United States. His team-mate

came in... Jo has been replaced by Gemma Reidy, Laura Muir's young

training partner, show the match so she knows she will not be catching

Laura Muir. You know what coach said to her? Just run as hard and as fast

as you can, and she is, it is not going to be about tactics - she is

going to try to run away from them all, and she is doing it in style.

She only really knows how to run that way, too late all on the

ground, to put it all out there, and she is really strong at the minute.

She is really strong mentally, because she has come back from that

training in South Africa in really good shape, backed that up in the

week with the 5000m race indoors, just wants to build on that again

today, but a really strong time down. Yeah, she will be heading down

to South Africa on Tuesday, some of the other British middle-distance

contingent are already down there. She spent a fair bit of time there

in November and early December before coming back, she had

Christmas and New Year at home. Great 5000m record in doors on

Wednesday, then back to South Africa, back to altitude, then we

will see her at the indoor in Birmingham, going for Kelly Holmes's

1000m indoor record. This is something we will see a lot of this

year, Laura Muir at the front of the field, this time it is a relay,

later it may even be 5000m, but like Paula said earlier, this is the way

she knows how to run, from the front, running fast, hard, and my

goodness, she is doing that today. Well, she will be delighted to be

winning this, equally delighted if their training partner Gemma can

hold onto second place behind her, the 18-year-old doing a good job,

she has got the Irish and USA athletes behind, but they are so far

behind Laura Muir. Big heroes of Scottish sport and Scottish

athletics, Laura doing what it does best, getting a great reception from

the crowd, they are nowhere near her, it will be interesting to see

what sort of time she runs. She is good at frontrunning, you saw that

with the 5000m record, she ran that pretty much on her own for the last

two kilometres. A comfortable win, storming away from the field, Great

Britain Winnie 4x1km relay and the Stuart Kuttner, USA in second place.

-- win the. -- the Stewart Cup. We think we have seen a record in the

men's race, 2:53 for Laura Muir, which is nearly ten seconds faster

than last year. Admittedly, it is not as muddy this year, but given

that she was running pretty much on her own, that is a brilliant

performance, and that is why she finished so Parkhead everybody else.

Coming home strongly, powerfully, ten seconds faster than last year,

and if she translates that onto the track, there will be fireworks all

summer, what a great performance, great start to the year by Laura.

Yeah, to: 49 for the last element in doors in the week? -- 2:49. She did

not really need to run like that today, she was controlling it, but

when she is out free, no pressure, that is when she can put more effort

in. She is very good at gauging that effort, she lays it all out and does

not overcook it. What a 2017 she has ahead of her, she is with Gabby now.

Thanks, Steve, ten seconds quicker than last year, the cause is not as

muddy as last year, but you seemed very fresh to us! No, I just wanted

to do a good job for the team, and when I saw the other girls, I

thought I had to break at home for them. Winter training in South

Africa has gone very well, 2017 has started well with the 5000m indoor

record, you are going for the 1000 in Birmingham - is it all mapped out

for you over the next few months? How much cross-country will there

be? This is probably the end of the cross-country for me, it is all

mapped out, the big goal this year is the records, I am hoping I can

perform the best I can when I get there. You have gone from being the

hunter to be handed in the last six months, a different mindset in 2017.

I was not used to being the one to watch, but now I am figuring there,

it is great, people recognise that I am running fast, I want to keep up

there. Wonderful in front of the home crowd, congratulations. Steve

Cram can mop up all the results there and talk us through it.

No doubt about the winning team, Great Britain, a big win.

Great Britain getting the afternoon off to a good start, but that was

not part of the overall competition. Which is a great shame with such an

emphatic victory! The events that do count for the overall match the

junior men's and women's race and the elite races. The points are

scored across all those races. It was won by Great Britain last

year, USA will be hoping to reclaim it, the junior races, the best four

scores count, but the best sex in the senior races. We will keep you

across the score through the afternoon. Juniors to start, over

two Steve Cram for the junior men. This race contained the favourite

Alex Yee. He won last year and went to the European cross country

Championships as the favourite and sadly fell. He almost tried to get

up and then ran over again. He got up and finished 11th. So everybody

was looking to Alex Yee to see if he could make up to that are

disappointment in December at the Championships. He started off with

real intent. Teams from Europe, and the USA. Europe wearing blue with

orange shorts. The USA in all blue. Britain in their familiar British

strip. Once things settled down, there wasn't much to choose. The

British were well represented. There was some problems with slipping and

slidy. Scott -- slipping and sliding. The first couple of laps

were pedestrian to be fair and then things started to heat up as the man

who is the first to break ranks was one of the Americans.

He has been suffering from a cold over Christmas and new year. It was

the American Affolder who was the first to put his foot down and as

soon as he did that, Alex Yee started to struggle. You can see him

at the back. It was left to Scott Beattie to try and hang on to the

American. He was being followed by Gonzalez, who finished in the top

ten at the European Championships. And this this tricky section. They

don't go up as high as they used to, but there are some twists and turns

and you have to be careful about where you put your feet and there is

a stream they cross. Proper cross country section on the other side of

the road here. On the third lap as they were coming down here, Affolder

was leading, Scott Beattie up there. Shields was close by. A bit of,

there was a lack of concentration or whatever, as they were heading down

and Scott Beattie took a tumble. That was a shame, because he was

looking comfortable at that point. He was quickly on his feet, but it

meant any chance he had of challenging the American had gone.

This is the stream they cross. One or two others just stepping

carefully across there. The American looks strong and for a while looked

like he may have it all his own way. Europe giving chase with Worku and

Gonzalez. Britain were struggling to see where their challenge would come

from with Yee at the back of the field and that tumble for Scott

Beattie. The American is an interesting cashing character. One

rumour I was if his grandfather said if you break four minutes, I will

buy you a Porsche. He didn't have to run that quick today. But he had a

real tussle in the last lap. Gone is zalez looked like he could challenge

him. But he made his move at the right time and had enough finish. He

didn't look back. Nothing he could do about the American. He was

rewarded for his front running and a great performance. Really strong

over the last 150 metres. Afold ffolder with the win. Disappointment

for Britain. The USA starting their afternoon off very well. Gonzalez

first and Lundy next and the Americans packing well behind the

winner. Beattie lost his number, got up and recovered to still finish the

first British athlete in eighth place. The full result:

I have with me the winner of the men's junior elite race. Noah

Affolder. You had it in the bag from early on. Yes, there is some fast

kids from all over Europe and the country. A and I wanted to represent

my country well and make, show people I deserve to be here. For

Team USA what a great start? Yes we have an amazing group and we came

out here, felt great coming out and I think we just put it together

today. In the junior women's race, as with the men's initially, Great

Britain looked as if they had the favourite in Harriet. Having

seen the performance of men, they had to be wary. The first lap there

was a big group and Emilia Quirk of Britain was there. Just turned 17.

Harriet just hung around for a bit to check I think whether there was

going to be any real challenge. A shorter race for the women. Four

kilometres. They had one short lap of a kilometre and then went on the

two big laps. Harriet very strong and Paula just to bring you in on

Harriet, it was a great performance at the European Championships, she

comes from great endurance stock, mum and dad both international

athletes and she ran a canny race? Yes and she is from great cross

country stock. She knows all about cross country running and had a

great run in the European cross country and seems to have trained

well and come here with a definite intention to go out and maybe

everyone else work hard. After the first lap, you can see the way the

teams were sitting. Britain had some work to do. The USA started with

real intent and put altheir junior women had started quickly. But two

or three of the British athletes moved through the field nicely.

Quirk was in the chasing group. The gap got bigger and bigger. A good

piece of front running. Lau who performed well in the Europeans and

some thought could have been greater to Harriet Knowles-Jones. She was

nowhere and was content to sit with the chasing group, which, in which

she had some come patriots from Europe. It was closer for the team

competition. Just to reiterate that it is the points that add up when we

have the senior men and women to come. The total points will

determine who wins the team challenge. Nothing Harriet can do

about what is going on behind her. Stuck to her task. The only thing

you need to do is to make sure nothing silly happens. As Paula said

she is a good exponent of the cross country art. One of our bright young

talent and you look at some of people who have won this and we hope

they will have good senior careers. Harriet Knowles-Jones, clear winner,

giving Great Britain their first victory in terms of team

competition. Individually any way and she would be able to turn around

and see a real good battle going on behind in terms of the minor places.

Amelia Quirk came fourth. That meant Great Britain and the USA were in a

right tussle. We had to wait for the fourth counter to get across the

line. Some big gap there is and Harriet Knowles-Jones managed to put

ten seconds between herself and the second placed athlete, Lau.

The USA just pipped Britain by one point. The winner of the junior

race, Harriet Knowles-Jones, well done, that went to plan? Yes,

completely. I have been talking with my coach since the Europeans and we

knew I was strong enough and then sit in and push on on the last lap.

I made a move on the hill that was probably a bit early. But it pulled

off. I had a good team and Amelia finished high up. My whole family is

here, 18 of them! That helps. That is not her family, that is the

winning American team who won by one point. Let's add the points together

from the junior men. Plenty of work for Britain and Mo

Farah to do. He is still to come in the elite men's race. He added to

his global gold haul in Rio. Can he kick off 2017 with a victory.

Garrett Heath will have something to say. He was the winner last year.

Muddier conditions though. Will it suit Mo? Yasmine Can will be the

woman to beat. And Callum Hawkins finished ninth in Rio and is

emerging as a star to watch. It has been some year and probably

running-wise the best I have had. Going to London it was just about

the London marathon was about qualifying for Rio to go out and run

an almost 90 second PB, I couldn't ask for more. In Rio, I felt better

shape than I did at London. So I felt like I should go for it and see

what happened and ended up finishing ninth, which was a, I had a sneaky

feeling I cowl get that. Would get that. I goal was top ten. So to get

that, I couldn't put it into the words. In the Great Scottish Run, I

hadn't done much training and since even the Great Scottish Run things

have been going well and went on to the European cross count are and

finished third and got a medal. That is a great finish to the year. I

think the race is stronger than last year. It will be tougher. I think

just maybe the same, grind it out, do what I usually do, put myself

amongst it and see what happens. And we will be one of those looking for

a Mo scalp. That elite men's race is at 10 to 3. Earlier wit Tuz turn of

the masses. Thousands of runners attempting to blow off the Hogmanay

cob webs or start off with a new year resolution. It is not juts the

-- just the elite runners and here the conditions are perfect. I love

running. It is a great start to the year. You know the track, how do you

find it. I tough but good. About the hills. They're a bit cheeky? OK.

From Dublin, we come each year, we run the 5K and watch the athletes.

S. Do you know the track? No, I have never been around the track. I'm not

sure. How was your training over Christmas. Not the best. A lot of

unhealthy food. But I will probably struggle. Good luck. The runners

were split into three waves. The white wave was first to set out.

Everyone taking part has a reason for doing so and a lot are doing it

for charity. This is a popular choir in the city,

so this is not just an individual challenge, it can be worn for a

community also. Sometimes in our lives... #

IDs to be a vocal coach with the council. I started my first choir

with 31 people. -- I used to be. It has just grown and grown since then.

With the aim of the choir, Sing in the City, we have over 550 members

at the moment, which spans nine choirs in Edinburgh, Fife,

Musselburgh. Singing in a group like that can be so uplifting, so much

fun. And it is such a great team, everybody is a real part of it, we

all take part in as many things as we possibly can. Music, to me, is

everything. I have been playing and singing since I was 13. Made a lot

of life choices so that I could follow music. And it is... It is

everything to me, it is just everything that I love, everything

that I am, everything that I want to be done it as every single emotion,

you can find everything in it, you can get so much from it. If you give

to it, it gives back. I work as a nurse, and that is obviously quite a

demanding job, and I can have a really bad day, and by the time I

come here on Tuesday after about half an hour I have forgotten how

bad it was. I have completely relaxed, enjoying it. I might not

smile as much as Kirsty encourages us to do! But inside I am definitely

smiling all the way through the three hours. I asked my members why

they came. I thought it was going to be about music and singing, but I

realised people came to sing for completely different reasons than I

do. They came because they had a stressful job, they had maybe just

had a brief and, an illness. You name it, there were multiple reasons

why people came. -- a bereavement. I did the run last year, we put it on

the Facebook page to see if anyone else wanted to join us, I think we

have ended up with 13, but we have done a lot of these things, we have

been going out now together for I think three years. So partly it is a

physical thing, but it is also the whole social aspect that goes with

it. Hearing them sing at the start,

cheering them saying at the end when we come down that long hill, it is

going to be fantastic. Hopefully, of the 13 us, we will not be running

together, we are at different stages, but we will be there when we

come across the finish line, probably sing them over the finish

line. There is the start of our final wave

of runners! It is not just the finish line they have got to look

forward to, because they are going to be greeted by this lot.

This pair of paramedics at the front are not just health cover, they are

taking on the challenge and want to raise awareness for healthy working

lives. It is an NHS initiative which we

started in Fife. We have done it for a number of years to encourage

people to have a healthier, happier lifestyle. The nature of our work is

about devastation and death, so when we go over together, you know, you

chat and talk about the jobs that you have went through, so it is the

de-stressing. Physical exercise helps me with the daily challenges,

it helps me put things to bed, as I say. When I am out, I feel good, and

things that have bothered me for 24 hours or so, ten or 15 minutes of

running, beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery, running along,

looking out over the sea, seeing Edinburgh in all its glory. I mean,

where would you get a better setting than that? Personally, it has

benefited me because I encourage it, so I feel as if I have to maintain

it myself. I keep myself fit and healthy. One of the hardest things

is to get other people encouraged. People do not believe they can do

it. They say, I am not a runner, I cannot run, but once you start, the

more you do it, the easier it gets. There is no special equipment apart

from a pair of trainers. One of my goals in 2017 is to make Healthy

Working Lives more popular, also because it is such a stressful job,

just giving everybody this outlet that we are lucky enough to enjoy,

trying to encourage that for everybody else. Hopefully improving

mental well-being. It is a great one to run, everyone is there for the

same reason, blow the cobwebs off for 2016, I love taking part, it

keeps me motivated for the rest of the year, and hopefully we can

encourage other people to join us and have great fun.

Not surprisingly, they are finding because a breeze, and they are

certainly enjoying themselves. -- the course.

These two kept me going, saying, nearly there! Are you pleased with

how you got on today? Yeah, it was good, great to hear the choir

singing at the end, wasn't it? How special was it, hearing the choir?

It really gave us a lift, it spurred us on at the end, it was really

good. V-Day is a challenge for anyone, but

with an accordion, how did you find that? -- five kilometres. Really

enjoyed it, music around the hill! I did not manage up the hill, but the

rest of the way round, two kilometres in, that was it. I think

they were all trying to run away from the! -- from me! Really enjoyed

it! The views are stunning, beautiful, stunning views. Were you

happy with your time? I don't even know what the time was, we just come

and have a good time, we just enjoy ourselves. 3500 competitors have

kicked off their year in fine fashion in Holyrood Park - are you

inspired? Get Inspired is on the BBC website, find inspirational stories

from people just like you, as well as hints, tips and practical guides

to give something ago. There is also an activity finder to help you find

something to try new you. You can ask us questions through our social

media accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe you can inspire

someone else to give something a try. We are passing the baton over

to you. It is an inspiring backdrop, that is Holyrood Palace, behind at

the parliament, these iconic buildings of Edinburgh, such a

beautiful corner of the city, and we have shifted our position so that we

have the incredible Arthur's Seat behind me. Those who were not

running with the masses today, many have taken a walk up in between the

races just to stretch their legs a little bit and end themselves an

afternoon snack or slice of cake. But the international match not

going particular the well for Great Britain, they are lying in third

behind Europe and USA, who are out in lead. They will be looking to

pick up points in the elite racers, the women are next, and one woman in

the field for Great Britain is the most decorated in the field, 12 gold

medals, two silvers, 11 cross-country championship, Great

Britain will be hoping Steph Twell goes well.

I want to say we are going to be dominant, we have a history for

cross-country, so I am going to put it out there that we will be the

main threat! But you do have to closely examined the competition and

Team Europe. We have a close neighbour, Finola McCormack, from

Ireland, she will be a good rival, especially on this kind of terrain.

We have also got gold and silver medallists from the European

cross-country championships, that will be a good contention,

opportunity to race in similar situations. It is trying to balance

the team competition to get the best performance. So I think everyone

will be looking for the highest position possible, but you are

racing as an individual as well. Yeah, a tough course for the women

to navigate, but not as tough as in some years, not as muddy and afoot,

not as windy, no rain, no snow. It is going to be an interesting race,

GB looking to get points, Steve Cram will talk you through it. Over to

you. As you say, and maybe not as

difficult as they have been over the years, and we have a big crowd out

watching, which is wonderful to see. They are seeing some of the best

cross-country exponents in the world. The USA will be hoping, as

they are leading at the minute after the junior races, that their women

can at least hang on to Great Britain and Europe. It will be

tough, I think, because the European team and the British team are very

strong. Marielle Hall running the USA team. Fionnuala has been in the

top two in the last few years, she has won in pretty good form, a

little disappointed with the European Championships, because this

is the lady who ran away with the race on that occasion, jazz in

Cannes, the former Kenyan, now running for Turkey. -- Yasemin Can.

With those two in the European team, it will be tough for Great Britain.

I know Steph Twell was hoping that Great Britain could dominate, but I

think it will be difficult. She is leading the team, a lot of

experience in there. Steph Twell, a Scottish athlete as well. So away

they go, six kilometres, not a long race really for some of these women,

a pretty short distance, four laps of this 1500m course, the testing

section across the road, it will be interesting to see how they settle

down, and indeed whether or not anyone really fancy setting an early

tempo. Because I think certainly the European trio at the front, the two

former Kenyan is running for Turkey, McCormack running for Europe on this

occasion. Paula, we have seen you commentating on the European race, I

said Fionnuala was disappointed, only because she set very high

standards for herself and is in good shape, but she never really got in

contention. No, she didn't, she didn't run aggressively at all, not

any manner we usually see Fionnuala attacking the races, anyway she has

set out today. Six kilometres on a firm course like today is short for

her, less in her court than the Europeans would have been, but she

was not 100% there, walked away frustrated after that race. She will

have trained hard over the break, come here knowing that she has

always raced here well, and she wants to underline that and make

amends for that disappointment in the European Championships. You were

right, she really has raised well here, first on two occasions, second

on three occasions since then, this is a figure and a format we have

seen for her, heads down, in the league, on a course which has often

been more difficult than this. -- in the lead. It is fairly firm on the

far side, not muddy on the near side, and the Lula -- Fionnuala

McCormack, from Ireland, representing Europe, this is an

adventure loves, and she runs extremely well in it. -- and event

she loves. So Fionnuala has gone to the front already, and as Paula was

saying, she did not really get the chance to do this at the European

Championships. The two former Kenyans, just to give you an idea,

Can ran both the five and ten in the Olympics, finishing seventh in the

10,000m, one better in the 5000m. And that is the pedigree, the track

pedigree that they can bring to this. OK, if it was really muddy and

cold, sometimes we think, OK, the Kenyans, but we have seen great

African athletes commit to unwrap and running really well. If they are

fit, and they obviously are, although it is a test for everybody,

these conditions, I do not think it would frighten them, but good to see

Fionnuala going with them at this early stage. FOSTER:, PAULA

RADCLIFFE: When the two Turkish athletes went by, they have a change

of pace that Fionnuala doesn't have. They can put in a change of pace

quickly and Fionnuala finds it hard to react to that. She is more

relying on it will be a steep uphill. The biggest dangers are not

the mud, but it is that long grass and falling because of that. And

when they go up the hill and jump the stream, it is slate under foot

and the spieps will slide -- spikes will slide on that. BRENDAN FOSTER:

These are the three class athletes from Europe. Two fantastic

performances from the Turkish runner. Now she is taking the

position that a lot of people expected, Can, there is issues about

athletes transferring country, she was born in Kenyan and moved to

Turkey. She is representing Europe today. But whoever she is

representing, she is a very good athlete. STEVE CRAM: I don't think

that is the issue, I don't think anybody wants to deny good athletes

the chance to compete. For athletes to able to transfer quickly. We are

going to see Kenyans running in the American team. You take Mo as an

example of somebody who moves, whether you move at 10, or 15 or 23.

If you have lived there long enough, that is fair enough. When it is an

obvious transfer to run for a count are. As good as she is, she might

not make the Kenyan team, but she will make the team for Turkey. It is

something the authorities are looking at strongly. A lot of

athletes feel strongly about it. Fionnuala has been vocal about it.

It is not aimed at the individual athletes, but it is about the

process and the process should be reviewed to make it more difficult.

I think you have to spend more time in a country before you get a chance

to run for the country. BRENDAN FOSTER: You can't help feeling there

is transfers of convenience. They live in their home country and

represent a different country. When they move to live and train and come

up with the culture of that country, then they should represent that

country. But these two representing Turkey and both travelled from

Kenya. It is 24 degrees in Kenya. Fionnuala McCormack proud to

represent Ireland and Europe. The European team are taking the prizes

here. STEVE CRAM: You can see the

standings in this race are not much of an improvement for Great Britain.

Although Steph Twell leading and Pippa Woolven there. Great Britain

not able to improve their overall position at this point. Europe will

be dominant and after this race Europe could be in a good position

in terms of overall competition against the USA. It will come down

to the men's race. I expect Europe given that they're in the top three

positions and they have another couple of athletes in that chasing

group as well, Bobocel coming back to form. It will be a long race for

Fionnuala. The two Turkish athletes are away. There is fifth and sixth

coming through for Europe. So at the moment, they're in a dominant

position and these two, well I'm sure they will continue to go away.

They have raced each other regularly. And as Brendan said, it

was quite, it was actually quite almost summer conditions at the

European cross country Championships. Often they're held in

cold and icy and snow in Sardinia there was nice conditions for all

the athletes to enjoy. It is not quite like that today. But by

Edinburgh's standard's it is spring like. BRENDAN FOSTER: By Edinburgh's

standards it is summer conditions! Often here we have had snow and wind

and rain. But we have still had some class athletes and here are two

class athletes representing Europe. Fionnuala McCormack is in third

place. But she is in the middle of a clean sweep with the European

athletes representing Europe being one, two, three, four and five.

STEVE CRAM: A world on Gemma Steel. We have got this great group of

distance runners. Laura Muir is throwing her hat into the ring for

5,000 metres and Eilish McColgan who is in South Africa doing winter

work. A word on Gemma. It has been a difficult period for her? PAULA

RADCLIFFE: Yes, it has been a tough last year, she suffered with illness

and with motivation and with not finding her body responding to the

training in the way it had done before. And then seeing the other

girls move on so well around her. She struggled with that decision

about moving to America and whether she should stick to the shorter

distances. She ended up stuck in the middle of all of those. She needs to

go back to basics and she is being coached by Rob Denmark and

concentrate on getting back to her best. She runs best when she is not

worrying. STEVE CRAM: Gemma Steel third last year. A long way off that

at the moment. Can and Akdag going through. The three European Athletic

l Leiths lead -- athletes leading. Barca and Bobocel coming through.

And then America. Lots of new year's eve races around

the world. I think Steph Twell also ran in the race and got fourth. But

starting the new year into January, Can where she left off in 2016,

leading for Europe. And that lead getting a bit bigger. Fionnuala

might hope Akdag will come back to her. That gap opened up very

quickly. Since then the gap to Can is growing. But the other gap is

not. Fionnuala will be keeping focussed on that and can she reel it

in. The points there, Europe after two laps leading, dominating in

first five places. Six to count here. Britain into second place in

this particular race, but still languishing in the current match

standings. Pippa Woolven going through. Steph Twell not going so

well. I would expect her to be up with the other Europeans, much

better position. Pippa Woolven leading for Britain. Steph was ill

over Christmas. She said she hoped she was over it. But she is not

quite back to 100%. Look how hard fin knew lace work -- Fionnuala is

working. A big gap. And she is fine running on her own and would often

be running on her own at the front. She won the Lotto Cup front-running.

A shorter race. But today having to watch these two former Kenyans now

representing Turkey, makes them members of European team. The two

top places at the European Championships, Fionnuala out of

medals on that occasion, but in the top three here today. She has got

time to catch Akdag. Here is the battle for fourth, Barker and

Bobocel. Woolven and Arter the two best of the British athletes.

BRENDAN FOSTER: You said Steph twelve was not running well, but

these athletes are running away from the British contingent. But Can is a

very good athlete. There is only Paula Radcliffe who has ran better

than her at 10,000 metres. There is Akdag, she was second in the

European championships. Whatever country this lady represents, we

know she is Kenyan and represents Turkey and has been selected by

Europe, we no there is a lot of contentious issues there, about

transferring, but at the end of the day, we are looking at a fine young

athletes who is running very well today. She looks comfortable on this

surface. I think your comment about how good she is. Akdag is an average

steeplechaser on the track. That is maybe in evidence today. They're

coping with the ground very well. She will hear the bell and head on

to the last lap. Fionnuala still has time catch Agdag. I suspect the

Irish athlete, they're of course both are upping for the same time v

team, but she has a great chance of second spot. Can in the lead. That

lead increasing all the time to Akdag in second. Just about to cross

the line. She does so. 14 seconds adrift. Another gap of five seconds

to McCormack. That gap is one which she could close on the last lap.

Akdag may rally. But it gives her something to focus on her ahead of

her. Here is the chase for fourth place. Bobocel there and the two

Romanians and the two Americans. Arter and Woolven the best of

British athletes. Claire Duck going through. Steph Twell having a

struggle. We are looking at a fine performance by Can. I think there

will be an exciting race in second place, second and third between

McCormack and Akdag. It would have been good in Laura Muir had ran. She

is an athlete in form and I wouldn't be surprised if she had taken place

in the longer race she would be in contention. Some hope for the future

with Laura Muir running this kind of distance and look at the

determination of Fionnuala McCormack. She is closing Akdag, she

is probably frustrated that she is running behind athlete s who don't

fairly represent Europe. But Europe have four, well they have the first

four and another one in close contention. Before we see Charlotte

Arter running the first Briton and further down the field we see Steph

Twell not running so well today. PAULA RADCLIFFE: You can see the

contrast in form between Can and she is seeing how big the gap is. But

back to Akdag, her head has dropped and she is definitely tired. I don't

know if she is getting information that Fionnuala is closing on her.

But soon she will realise. That frustration Fionnuala has been open

about the fact that she was frustrated with the result in the

European Championships and that will serve as extra motivation.

You have got to use that sort of thing in a positive manner, not just

keep complaining - you have to use it to fire yourself up, say, these

rules... Seb Coe has got a big intro, he has spent his first year

in the IAAF trying to clean up governance, but this is a big issue,

it is about athletes transferring countries, because of convenience,

often for other reasons than just who they want to represent, where

they live, and they have to deal with that. It is absolutely

something that has to be covered by the new integrity unit, which is

being set up now at the IAAF, because let's be honest, there is

cash changing hands for people to move and race for different

countries, and that shouldn't be allowed to happen. There should be

setting criteria that you have to satisfy to represent a country. We

also have to be evenhanded about it, because we have had athletes

competing for Great Britain who have shifted allegiance, and that is the

point, you have to make sure that it is legitimate. Obviously, people are

allowed to, but it is up to the IAAF to draw up a set of guidelines based

on that. Anyway, use it in a positive way, and Fionnuala

McCormack has tried to do that, a lot of motivation to try to beat one

of the athletes are won medals at the European cross-country

championships, nowhere near Can, the European champion, a clearly there,

but a great scrap on for second place. 38, Akdag, is trying to hold

off Fionnuala, who has closed very quickly. -- her team-mates. That

five second gap was sort of staying the same, all of a sudden it is down

to a couple of seconds. There it is, and she has done what every good

coach tells you, when you catch them, go straight past them. That is

what I was told anyway, you, Paula? Absolutely, especially on

cross-country, when they are tired, go past strong, that is a kick in

the stomach for someone who is already tired. So great performance

from the champion, dominant all the way, a great display, really, of

cross-country running, she has had a great summer in 2016, representing

Turkey at the Olympic Games, the European champion now wins in

Edinburgh, and it is a dominant win for Can of Europe. And what a great

performance from Fionnuala McCormack. In the last five years,

she has finished in the top two, she has done it again, a real gutsy run

from McCormack of Ireland representing Europe, beating Akdag,

who finished well ahead of her at the European Championships, some

revenge for Fionnuala McCormack, great glass lap. She takes second,

Europe fill the top three places. They put more success behind them,

because the athletes chasing in, six counts, a really good battle for

fourth and fifth. Barker comes in, the two Romanians doing well. Pippa

Woolven, just behind her team-mate Charlotte Arter, the first British

athletes are seventh and eighth. America doing well, that will mean,

as we see the athletes crossed the line, a real mountain to climb for

Great Britain in terms of the team competition, although they are doing

reasonably well. A disappointing performance. 12, she comes across

the line in 16th place. It will be Europe who dominate. -- a

disappointing performance for Steph Twell, it may well be that the

points gap, if you like, between what the European women have done

here will put them in a really dominant position going into the

senior men's race. Judd coming through in 24th, as you can see on

the caption there. So a fantastic race for Europe, we

will clear up the standings in a moment, but second over the line for

Europe, Fionnuala McCormack of Ireland, how was it for you today?

It was tough, but it was good, I enjoyed it more than the Europeans,

partly because of the course, partly because I felt more competitive. You

always do well in Edinburgh. Yeah, island and here, I have ran here so

many times. -- I love it here. I didn't know whether I was safe in

second, there was so much support, great atmosphere. It looks like that

was a fantastic result for Europe as well. I could only hear some of it

as I was going around, and obviously the two in front for most of the

race were from our team, and then I heard the next two as well, so good

for Europe. Well done, Fionnuala, Steve Cram can clear up the

standings. Well, yes, I can confirm how well

Europe did there, Fionnuala's performance, top three finishes for

Europe. As I said, six counts, Europe completely dominating that,

they will come out as the victors with 28 points. The important thing

is the gap that gives them between Great Britain and the USA. 72 points

each, 44 points, if my maths is correct, that means that in the

match, Europe have gone from a position where USA were dominating

to a point where Europe are now dominating as we head towards the

senior men. It is going to make that mens reas

very interesting indeed, and that is going off in about 15 minutes' time.

-- men's race. On the 2.5 kilometres race, we can

hear some of the juniors' stories. We are the best team in Edinburgh!

We are raising money for a trip to Gothenberg. Some of us are running

individually. A number of his friends are running, and he thought

would be a good idea if he had a go himself. It is a fantastic step in

the right direction, a challenging start to his life, he was born five

weeks premature, he picked up a virus, and then he was on life

support for the best part of three weeks. He recovered from that, but

he was in and out of hospital for the first seven years of his life,

culminating in an operation at Great Ormond Street, and they turned his

life around. They were fantastic. I am running because my daddy has

had three brain tumours and has had a brain cancer, and he has had three

surgeries on his head, and my mum's friend has had a stroke, so I am

running for her as well. We are taking a group of children from

school to take part in the run, and we are here to have fun and support

the charity as well. It was amazing, fantastic! I was

really, really happy that I finished it. I never thought that I would

actually finish it, because me and my dad do a few runs every week, but

I always stop and get tired. Today is the first time I haven't stopped.

Good man! Well done to him and all the kids taking part, great to see

so many out today. They surely enjoyed the senior women's race, and

in the overall standings Europe are ahead, a big lead and head of USA.

Britain a long way back, I am afraid, I am not even sure Mo Farah

can turn this one around! I am not sure it is mathematically

impossible for Great Britain to win, but it may be a battle for second

place between USA and GB, which will make the head to head more

interesting between Garrett Heath and Mo Farah, and he beat Mo Farah

last year, and he will be looking to see if he can claim back another

incredible scalp. Mo Farah had the most wonderful 2016 with his two

golds in Rio, adding to his overall haul of nine global goals in a row,

an incredible achievement, finishing the year with that knighthood. Steve

Cram caught up with him yesterday. An amazing performance by an amazing

man, the greatest we have ever seen, I rise Sir Mo Farah! I have to begin

with huge congratulations, Sir Mo, what an honour that must be. An

amazing honour, to be called Sir Mo, just unbelievable, in terms of where

I came from, where I started. I never imagined this in my life. When

you sign an autograph, is it just Mo Farah? Or have you been practising

Sir Mo? Mad Mo! You still have to get down to business, World

Championships, last year on the track, still applying? No,

definitely, my last year on the track, 2017 in London, what an

amazing way to finish. Has he got another? He is kicking

again! Mo Farah is going for it! It is going to be a glorious win! Mo

Farah for Great Britain! It is gold! It is all about London 2017, how do

I get the best out of myself? How do I plead for that race? As an

athlete, you want to end your career at the top. -- how do I peak? After

the London Olympics, it changed me as an athlete, my dream came true,

so my point is, like, you have achieved that, let's see what you

can do in the marathon now. I believe on the road I have got a lot

to learn. It has taken me quite a long time to achieve what I have,

and I think the marathon is the same way, do you just go for fast times

and practice in training? Or do you try to learn in races, race against

other athletes? There is a lot of stuff to be worked on. If I bring it

back, 5000 and 10,000 in the summer, both events deal? I would like to,

if my body lets me! For sure 10,000, comeback in the 5000 if I can. If

you had a choice... The ten. They succumb to the inevitable,

bowed to his superiority, Mo Farah wins the gold!

So where are you at right now? In Edinburgh for the cross country, how

does that fit into your preparations? It is something I have

done over he is, I finished second last year, Brendan, I am coming back

next year! -- over the years. My training has been going OK, but it

is early season, you have to think about the long-term. The cross

country will be challenging, a lot of good guys. Callum is going to

give me a hard time, then a few Americans, then Garrett Heath, who

beat me last year. It is not like Mo Farah is coming in to win the race,

it is not as easy as that. When I turn up, I will give 110%, see what

I can do. Garrett Heath won last year, the short race a couple of

years ago, he loves coming here to race Mo Farah. Yeah, it is going to

be tough, those guys will want to hand you down and try to beat you as

quickly as possible. But that is what makes cross-country exciting as

an event. It is going to be a tough one. In my opinion!

A really interesting period in his life now, Mo Farah, he has done

everything, nothing left to prove on the track, but this year, with the

home World Championships, perhaps if it was not in London it would not

hold as much appeal for him. It will be the motivation to get him through

his final year on the track, will it be different, his preparation? I

think a little bit, yes, because of everything that he has achieved,

because like you say, he has those back-to-back world titles,

back-to-back Olympic titles, so he needs the fire of it being back in

London, back in that stadium where it did not all start, because it

started in 2011, but where he achieve that success in 2012. It is

important for him to go back there. And because he knows it is going to

be his last year, that will be important, to go out on a high note

and really underscore his superiority, that is important to

him. Just as it is important to come here and race over cross country,

because that is where he started. Physiologically, so many miles in

the legs, so many winters of preparation - father time is coming,

his body is getting older, but he has always been able to manage his

body well, not succumb to injuries. He doesn't seem to have do miss

races, this final season, if you like, on the track, will he take it

down a little bit? The hajj sessions, will his body be able to

take those? -- hard sessions. That is the key and earlier Mo did

struggle with injuries and being able to recover. He struggled in

2008 with carrying too much injury. He has learned from that and he will

listen too his body. He will acknowledge that is the key

difference, he can still do the hard sessions, but he can't do them

back-to-back and he needs to take longer to recover. But he is good at

that and he has that maturity and strength behind that as well, which

backs him up and enables him to just rest more between the key sessions,

as long as he ticks those off he is in shape. One looking to his take

his scalp is Garrett Heath who seems to love this Edinburgh course and he

has had three victories back-to-back and beat Mo last year. We have been

trying to find out what it is about Edinburgh that makes him tick. It is

between Heath and Murray. He is thundering down the course. Victory

for Garrett Heath he has beaten the great African. He can see the finish

line. No danger for him in second. Across the road for the last time

for last year's winner. She he was not sure how he was going to be

doing. He has been superb. Garrett Heath wins the four kilometre

challenge. Great performance from him. The American two in a row. The

sprint is on. Garrett Heath has thrown down the gauntlet to Farah.

Farah struggling to catch the American. Garrett Heath, this will

be a massive victory. Now taking on Mo Farah and he is going to beat

him. Garrett Heath of the US a, the surprise winner. Mo Farah settling

for second. I love cross country, it brings

different strategy you don't see on the track. You never know what

you're going to get with the snow and the mud and the rain. It makes

it hard to go in with a specific plan of what to do. So you get out

and adjust as things get thrown at you and be ready to go. Every year

coming back here, I build more confidence each time it has gone

well. I have won the year before. So this year I'm confident, but you

know, I know Mo is fit and raring to go and Callum and a bunch of the

guys in the US team. And you can't count Europe out. There will be

plenty of hungry guys and I hope... I hope I will be there at the last

lap and ready for another show down coming down the last stretch. He

would never challenge Mo on the track. But he is hard as nails. He

is a ski champion as well. He loves to challenge. He loves it here and

he gets himself ready for this race each year. You can't say Mo has

focussed on this race. He not have turned up in shape. But he won't

have focussed in the same way. Cross country is a different style of

racing as we saw from the footage where he was trying to sprint on the

mud. Mo couldn't get the traction he can get on the the track. He can't

dominate it as well, because you run more according to feel in cross

country, more like Mo will experience on the roads. You can see

he is more muscular and it is suited with the conditions being slippy and

he was able to get the grip. And the cadence, it is not the same as the

choppier style of Heath that is more effective over difficult ground and

uneven ground. And Callum Hawkins is a challenger, in terms of pecking

Order in Britain, Callum will be one when Mo moves, he will be hoping to

take his place. Yes and that is good to see that queue of lads coming up.

Andy Butcher as well. They all raced well in the European cross country

Championships and they were not afraid to mix it with the two

Turkish athletes. Callum will have a lot of home support and growing in

confidence and strength and maturity. Let's see if Britain can

have a strong end to the race. Steve Cram will call this final elite

men's race. STEVE CRAM: As for as the team challenge, Europe are in a

dominant position. One athlete I haven't mentioned who may figure, as

we will come on to him in a second. I'm sure Garrett Heath will get a

big welcome from the Edinburgh crowd. Three wins. Two on the short

course and last year, it was still a shock to see, although it was seeing

him doing it. Aya, another former Kenyan running for Turkey, remitting

Europe -- representing Europe. Again dominant in Europe. Where Callum

Hawkins chased him home. Brilliant 2016, ninth in the Olympic marathon

and he led that race for a decent time as well. Representing Great

Britain and Northern Ireland, Sir Mo Farah. He will have to get used to

that. Sir Mo Farah introduced to the crowd. You don't need to keep

repeating his phenomenal performances in the last six years.

Away they go, the men's race over eight kilometres. That is two short

laps and four long laps. An intriguing race in prospect I think

we have here. No surprise that right from the start to the cheers of

local crowd, Callum Hawkins slips himself into the lead. He had a look

behind and Garrett Heath not far away. As Paula said, conditions do

have a real impact in cross country year on year. Courses, ground

underfoot and it doesn't, different conditions means that certain

athletes can thrive when in other conditions they don't. And it will

be interesting to see whether Garrett Heath can repeat that

brilliant performance on a firmer less muddy course. At the end of the

day, the pedigree that he has shown, Hawkins has shown, and Kaya and Mo

Farah. Andy Vernon moving up. A strong British contingent. Mahamed

Mahamed moves up from the junior ranks. He represents the seniors for

the first time. Johny Taylor and Ellis Cross and Jack Martin and

Graham Rush. A big British team and I'm not sure they will be able to

drag themselves back into the lead in the overall challenge, but they

will want to finish ahead of the USA and Europe here if they can. Paula,

actually both of you didn't mind going to the front in your careers.

The one thing Callum Hawkins runs with is a lack of fear. He has

respect, but no fear of anybody. PAULA RADCLIFFE: That is the way you

need to attack cross country and marathon running. You need to have

respect for the courses, but not be afraid. Callum's lack of fear if you

like comes from his confidence in the preparation and in the training

he has done. He knows he is in the shape of his life and ran well

through last year, went away and built on that again in his altitude

training. He came out and committed to racing there. He wasn't afraid to

go with the leader and to cover the moves and racing like that again

here today. Brendan, we are used to seeing Mo Farah not necessarily

being at the front at the start. But already Mo is well back in the pack.

Have these guys gone off quick? A couple of short laps. Pearson we

wouldn't expect to figure. They have gone off quickly. They have gone off

too quickly. They will have to settle. It is eight kilometres, it

is a good distance, it is six laps to run. You can tell they're going

quickly. If you look at the gaps opening, it tells you this race has

started with a fierce pace. Pearce has decided to take them on and he

is acting like a pace maker. But Callum Hawkins, who I saw at the

start, they have taken it to Mo. Maybe Mo is in the race has given

them extra urgency. But they will have to slow down soon. 2.51 that

first kilometre, given you have another seven to go, that was swift.

It is cross country and you should be careful about times. But when you

think of how good Kaya, the form he is in, he is happy to sit back,

maybe watching Mo a bit. Mo is right back in the pack. I would have

expected to see him at the front or near the front of the chasing pack.

Accepting these three have put their foot down early. But Mo at the

moment a long way, not so much in terms of distance, well, actually it

is quite a distance! Paula is looking and thinking the, yes. At

the front two of the favourites, Hawkins and Heath opening a gap.

PAULA RADCLIFFE: Is not exactly an intentional sitting back and

controlling the field as we have seen so many times on the track.

This is people taking the race to Mo and at the moment he is struggling

to respond to that. I wonder if there was some team tactics in that

Pearce got the ball rolling on the first lap. Garrett Heath can build

on that. But he would be surprised to see Hawkins saying you're not

having it your own way. As we see these two at the front, you can see

scrolling through all the athletics you can watch on the BBC through the

summer, in addition to the events and the trials for the World

Championships and the Diamond League in London before we head back to

that same stadium for the World Championships. All of the Diamond

League races throughout the season, you can see highlights of those as

well on the BBC. Plenty of athletics to look forward to right the way

through until September. It all starts here. What a year we hope is

in prospect or Hawkins and Farah. But fade, not -- but today, not

often you say this, just waiting for his name to come through, the 16th.

Mo has started very slowly by his standards. Well the others have

started very quickly. We haven't seen Mo Farah in the middle of a

pack like this and coming under pressure for a lot of years. His

early career he did win occasionally and lose sometimes. His recent

career, he tends to win. If he doesn't win, he is right in

contention. I noticed Hawkins looking back and a little smile when

he saw the gaps were opened and the great Mo Farah and he literally is

the greatest athlete we have had, in the middle of the pack, 12 seconds

behind and Callum Hawkins, the man who grew up last year. There is Mo

working hard. He has always known about working hard. That is what he

does. You can bet that wherever he finishes today, Mo will give an

account of himself and be committed to the event. He may not be as fit

as he normally is and not as fit as he will be in August in London.

There is Mo Farah, athletes around him. A slight look of disappointment

on his face. He is out of contention so far and Callum Hawkins is running

as an excited young man in front of his home crowd. He is doing the job.

The Americans are packing well. 28 points after two short laps. A long

way to go. The deficit between themselves and Europe means they

over all the USA are back in fronts ahead of Europe and Britain not

really I don't think going to lift themselves. Mo trying to move

through the pack at the minute. But its all down to Callum Hawkins at

the front. Heath up there with Korir and

Chelanga, the American team full of Kenyans, most of whom went there to

college and had been given US citizenship. Mo a long way down

there. I bet there have not been many years that Ben Connor has been

running alongside Mo in a cross-country race. If you look at

him closely, you will see a different look on his face - he

knows he is not in control today, these three guys have got a big

league now, and it is up to them to decide how this race goes. -- big

lead. If these guys do not slow, Mo has no chance of catching them.

Callum Hawkins has done his homework, he is a marathon runner,

exceptional half marathon recently, good cross-country just before

Christmas, and on his home patch, the race he has been aiming for.

Look closely at Mo Farah, the expression on his face that you do

not see when he is in control on the track. He is at the mercy of other

athletes, whereas normally the others are at his mercy - he

controls, he dictates, he orchestrates races when he wins

them. He is not doing that today. It is almost panic on his face, what do

I do here? I have come here, had a great end to the year, I wanted to

race well, and this is not going well. It is a bigger panic than we

saw when he fell in Rio, because then he knew he was still in

control. The really impressive person here is Callum Hawkins, when

you look back as far as Kaya, who beat him in the cross-country

championships, yes, a different style of race, but a huge distance

back to the man who we finished eight long distance behind in

Sardinia. -- who he finished a long distance behind in Sardinia. So

approaching kind of halfway in this race now, Callum Hawkins just had a

little luck behind to see who he has got for company, Korir, who was in

the Olympic final with Mo Farah, and Garrett Heath. Look at Mo, he is

working hard, he has got an self-induced second place as far as

Great Britain are concerned, moving ahead of Jonny Taylor and Dewi

Griffiths, but still out of the top ten. He has moved up 20 seconds

behind the leaders, a hard day at the office for Mo Farah. But this

sort of thing, I know what you guys are saying, I think he will want to

run as well as he can, he's going to try as hard as he can, but I don't

think you will get that distressed afterwards. He knows what is big

target is for the year, he knew he had to have some down time after the

to build up again, and he is in the process now. The new today was a

risk in terms of trying to win it, I don't think any of us three that he

might win - Paula, you might have. -- he knew. This is a race that Mo

has not aimed for, that is in the summer, and at the end of the day

the downtime you are talking about is absolutely right, but it is a

great reminder, come out early in the New Year, running against a

bunch of quality athletes. Remember, on the track they are not that far

behind him when he wins, and he's doing what I thought he would do

today, sticking to the task, working his way through the field. He knows

this is not the norm, he has a bunch of American athletes ahead of him.

If one thing is to find his career, he is always prepared to work harder

than anyone else, and Callum Hawkins is setting this up for the other

athletes. Garrett Heath is running a quite race in third place, Callum

Hawkins is running strongly and well, Korir running very strongly on

his shoulder. They are lucky they have an athlete who is prepared to

do the work, they are sheltering behind him. It is time for Callum to

start thinking about the strategy. He has got to think what he will do

in the later stages. This is a great career opportunity for him, an

opportunity for him to win a big international race in front of his

home crowd, an opportunity to take a big scalp, the first time we have

seen a knight of the realm running a cross-country race. Mo Farah is

further down the field now, lower down the ranks. It is a great one

for Callum. I think he might be trying to hand it back, it is

weighing him down today! Probably definitely the celebrations of the

end of the year, the fact that he has not focused on this, that will

be affecting the way that Mo has raced today. He will not have

expected them to go as fast as they did, and definitely that was in

Callum Hawkins' plan, he would have known it was to his advantage, to

get the pace moving as quickly as possible. Garrett Heath and Korir

are having a little bit of a ride on his coat-tails, but they are working

hard, having to work very hard to maintain contact. I think Callum

Hawkins knows this is best chance to try to win the race, keep turning

the screw in the middle of the race, making sure that everybody keeps

working hard. So Callum Hawkins, when they complete this lap, they

will have two more big laps to go, and particularly on the hills, he

gets a little bit of a lead and they work hard to get back. Garrett Heath

is having to hang onto Korir. If Korir lets Callum Hawkins go, and he

may be sensing that the gap, it is an invisible elastic band, if he can

snap it, you get that lead that they cannot hold back against. Callum

Hawkins using this bit of the course, Korir understanding, the

fact that Korir is just hanging on, that means that he now was pulling

away from Garrett Heath. Garrett Heath is losing contact, and he will

see, as they go across the stream and away and down the hill, I expect

the league to get a little bit bigger. Korir hanging on to Callum

Hawkins, the crowds doing their best, great crowds here in Holyrood

Park, watching the local from down the road in Glasgow, but nonetheless

flying the flag for Scotland and Great Britain here. He is getting a

lot of support, and the key thing about this course, whether marathon

or cross-country, it gives you the opportunity to learn the course on

every lap, and he is learning here stronger up the hill every time

around. He is learning that, he is storing that up, and he will be

using it to his advantage later in the race. You can see Kaya going

through, definitely making up ground on the leads are, as is Mo Farah in

this group. Mo is working hard, a familiar sight, he works hard

everyday of the year, really grafting. He knows he is not on top

form, his adviser, coach and partner was talking about this yesterday,

and they said he is clearly not in the form. He is ahead of Andy Vernon

and the rest of the British team, apart from Callum Hawkins. This is

about strategy for Callum Hawkins, he has never won a big race like

this before, never had such great athletes around him, and we are

seeing that Callum Hawkins is running the finish out of last

year's winner, Garrett Heath. This is his fourth occasion here, every

time Garrett Heath has run here before, he has taken the scalp of

Olympic champions by winning the race, and he is not going to win

this one. He has started to slow on the panel lap, Callum Hawkins has

led almost every step of the way, and the pressure of that tells. He

has to start thinking, how am I going to win this one? It was

interesting, Mo Farah moved up into seventh place, but he actually lost

eight seconds and Callum Hawkins, who moved eight seconds further away

from Mo. So at the front they are going quicker, despite the fact that

people are changing positions behind them. These guys are really forging

on, USA, Great Britain, first and second, USA are ahead of Europe, and

it is closing up in terms of the overall match standings. The gap

between USA and Europe is only 14 points, and that will change with

two laps to go. Great Britain are out of it, really. It is down to

those two to see who comes out on top. The Americans started very

dominantly, but one or two starting to slip back. Hawkins leads, as

Brendan was saying, the front runners' curse, have you got the

strength, the ability to pull away? Or does the fact that Korir is still

close enough, you can hear the breathing, the footsteps

occasionally, even though we are in the country, well aware that he is

right there with him. This is the section where, Paula, I think he has

got a chance of moving away. He moves better over this bit of the

ground and certainly up the hill. He might leave it to the last lap to

make a big effort, it will be interesting to see whether he tries

to get away here. The key is how we gauges is effort, how we manage is

what he has got left in his legs. The pace he said off at, both of

these guys are tired, you can see the way that Korir jumped there,

almost grabbing the rope in the ground, making Callum jump a little

bit. He still looks comfortable, Korir, but the smart thing for

Callum to do would be to save something to really attack this

session on the last and final lap. But it is exciting to see him

running so well, we talk about Mo Farah moving forward, moving on to

the marathons, moving onto the road. He will have a big challenge to be

the best British guy on the roads if Callum keeps improving. And he is

improving, trying to stretch and on that stuff part of the course, but

Korir has had an easy ride, just following. When he jumped over the

water, he looked particularly comfortable. He is doing it in

style, Callum Hawkins trying to win this one, he has got great fans

urging him along, but Korir is beginning to threaten, moving up

onto a shoulder with ease on occasion. These are the chances for

Callum Hawkins, this little incline, this jump over the water, can he do

it again? He keeps looking over his shoulder. He has to think about

tactics, he will hear the bells sound as they come down the hill,

one lap to go in front of his home crowd. Can he do something different

on the last lap? By leading, he has not been able to break Korir. Korir

is a better runner on the track, one minute faster over ten, so we will

find out he was better in the country - Callum Hawkins or Korir of

America, running next to him? Callum Hawkins leads by just half a metre

or so, the European champion, Kaya, has now moved into third place,

Chelanga giving chase, Garrett Heath starts to drift back. He has made a

brave defence, he got sucked into going out really hard, Garrett

Heath, and he is paying for it a little bit. He may have half an eye

on Mo Farah chasing behind him, working so hard. For Mo, you would

normally expect to see him with Ulad as company. It is a tough day for

Mo, but he is still sticking to the task as well as he can. He is 36

seconds behind Callum Hawkins. I am loving this! I am loving watching

Callum Hawkins do is at most to get away from Korir, on the track he has

a better pedigree, one minute quicker over 10,000m, but this is

here in Edinburgh in January, Callum Hawkins in front of a home crowd,

now working really hard. He probably knows, if he is going to win this,

he needs to get a ten metres lead before they come onto that downhill

section. He is really trying to win it now, saved a little bit on the

last lap, you can see the intense look on his face, I yard at two is

growing. Now a chance for Callum Hawkins up the hill, Korir responded

quickly. Now a yard or two, can it grow further? Steve was describing

the curse for the leader, can you open enough yards? Can you

disillusion the other athlete? Look how hard he is working, look at his

face, getting fantastic support, but he needs that fantastic support.

That is three or four yards, is it enough? It's just needs to grow a

tiny bit more, it is easier to break that distance on the cross-country

than on the track, because you can always maintained the vision and the

site on the person in front of you. On cross-country, with twists and

turns, you can build it up more in the mind of the person chasing, and

he is trying to do that at the moment, Callum Hawkins, really

working hard. Wouldn't it be great to see him going into the world

cross-country with this result? I do not think we are going to see it, he

doesn't want to make the trip to Uganda, so he will be focusing on

the roads for the rest of the winter, but it would be great to see

head into that with a strong victory today. That gap isn't quite big

enough yet. That is what I was going to say, the gap needs to be bigger,

Korir knows it, he is closing again on Callum Hawkins, who made a

massive effort to get away. He just wants to make sure, he knows how

strong Callum Hawkins has been around this section, so for the

first time the American moves into the lead, so Hawkins tries to hang

in there, it is going to come down to a big Stig. Does that mean the

former Kenyan, running for America, is worried about his kick? Look at

Callum Hawkins, this is great to see! As he broken him this time? He

has to go hard up the hill, get 15 or 20 metres if he can. Callum

Hawkins forging on. Hawkins is dig deep. This is the bit

of the course he has tried to extend the lead. A glance over his

shoulder. He is sprinting along the top. The gap is growing and he comes

to the last water jump! Is he strong enough? Well this is brilliant

running from Callum Hawkins. The man from Paisley, being cheered by the

home crowd in Edinburgh. He has led from the very first step of this

race. A real test of cross country ability, but it is a test of his

competitiveness. A slip over the stream. But he has got enough. Korir

trying hard to chase him home. Mo Farah couldn't hold off Garrett

Heath last year. America won last year and it could be America.

Hawkins looks over his shoulder and fights again. Has he got enough? It

is going to be tight and Korir just gets it. Korir of the USA just pips

Callum Hawkins on the line. Well, we said didn't we it had to be a big

enough lead. We thought it was big enough as Garrett takes third. Just

for a second around that top corner, a slip, a little slip, across the

stream, did that just make him lose a bit of momentum? That just gave

Korir the thought, that is all you need, you just need enough of a

little thought, that hey I can till catch him. Big finish from Korir to

win it. We saw a sprint finish from Heath last year. He has to finish

last year. Hard work for Mo today. 46 seconds behind the winner.

Finishes in 7th to be the second man home for Britain. That was hard.

Isn't it funny that Heath and Farah are still close in terms of race

this year, but not one and two, it was sixth and seventh this time. We

see Andy Vernon, who has been suffering with a bit of cold. I

think 12th. Maybe not a true reflection of his form at the

minute. Well, what a finish we had there. Such a shame for Callum

Hawkins. He was third at the European Championships and it looked

as though he had victory in his grasp here today. Korir is a fine

athlete and we said when it came to a sprint finish it might be that the

American might have enough. He needed a big gap at the end. It

wasn't quite there. And then when Hawkins thought he had it won, there

comes the challenge. He tries to respond and Korir again was able to

come back again. The crowd doing their best to cheer him to the line,

but not quite a lot. But whether a performance from Hawkins. These two

well ahead of the rest. America winning. Hawkins second. Let's tidy

all of that up. There is a new king of Edinburgh

cross country. It is Leonard Korir. But Callum Hawkins ran him close.

Congratulations. Thank you very much. I like the race. I can't

believe I won. I was already saying is I'm No 2. But I said I would give

it all. He missed me by half a second. If I realised. It never

looked like you said I'm No 2, I imagine it didn't feel like that to

you. Yes I just put it all out there and I was tired at the end. It was a

fun race. This guy just wouldn't leave me alone. I was putting

everything in to drop it. But he was the stronger man and made some good

racing. You made some head way on the the last hill. Were there any

tactics you were using to get rid of him? A bit of push it on. I made a

dig going into the first lap and I was trying to take the opportunity

with every hill. But he just hung in in and he was too strong. After a

fan it is a take 2016 -- fantastic 2016. Are your still not going for

to cross country. No I'm gearing up for the marathon at London.

Hopefully you will have more hotly contested races like that. Well

done, that was very entertaining. Now let's get to Steve who will mop

up the whole thing for us and find out the team scores. STEVE CRAM: The

USA won that race with 27 points. Great Britain and Europe identical

points. Charlie Hulson was in eighth place. So Britain are in second

place in that race. We add that into the over all total and... It is the

USA just by three points ahead of Europe. They win the challenge in

2017. Great performance from them. Kicked off by their junior men. They

built up a big lead in the first race of the afternoon. That was

enough so they could hole on -- hold on, despite the European women doing

well and doing well in the men's race. But not good enough. Britain

having to settle for third. I have been joined by Sir Mo. Well

done, that looked like hard work. Yes, it is a hard day in the office.

Got to be honest with yourself, it is not what I wanted. But it is

where I am. I have a lot of work do. But it was hard. You mentioned

honesty. Are you a bit behind where you would be say in a normal year?

Because of what has happened in the last 16 months, in the last

extraordinary few months. I'm definitely a bit behind. The last

bit of traching hasn't -- training hasn't gone as well as I wanted. It

is a team event and I want to represent my country and help the

guys. But Arley on it was like ten days before, what do I do? I did a

session and I knew from that it is going to be a hard day. But I wanted

to come here and represent my country and along with the guys, it

is about having fun and cross country is where it started. We saw

that footage of you as a kid winning the cross country as a 15-year-old,

does it evoke those memories of why you started? Yes, I love the sport.

But it is like you know everything you have to work hard and it is good

for the youngsters, everyone can come along and watch you and see you

working. You're heading into a tough period of training. What is next?

I'm going to go back home and go back and hopefully plan my next

training camp. I have a bit of work to do. I need to start planning. I

have a great team. So I'm not panicking. It is Arley season, it is

-- early it is early season and I have to get ready for London. But it

is hard work. Everybody wants a piece of you, including the palace,

do you know the date? No. Do you know who you're taking. The wife

obviously! You have enough kids to choose from. I would love to take my

kids, but I think they're too young to understand. Good luck with the

rest of the year. 2016 was fantastic. Let's hope 2017 produces

more success. And we have a cracking year of sport coming up on the BBC.

# There's going to be good time, good time... # I know there's going

to be good times! Some fantastic sport coming your way

in 2017. This is the next athletics, the indoor Grand Prix from

Birmingham on February 18th. The London marathon is always a

wonderful day. That is on BBC1. If you're training for that, best of

luck and maybe you're inspired by Laura Muir. Who has had a fantastic

2017. We discussed your new 5,000 metres record and you're going for

the 1K indoor record in Birmingham? Yes, it is great to start the year

as I have done and it is great to have a win here on home soil and

bring the team through. Looking forward to Birmingham and going for