Athletics: Sarah Inglis enjoys superb week on track and field at prestigious events

Feb 4 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

LOTHIAN Running Club’s Sarah Inglis has started 2010 in unstoppable fashion and this week she showed she has no intention of slowing down as she sprinted her way to unprecedented glory.

In a thrilling weekend Sarah earned her first senior representative vest, make a TV appearance, set a new personal best which was later found to be a new Scottish record and to put the icing on the cake she claimed the Scottish 4k Cross Country title.

The remarkable chain of events began last Friday when, with less than 24 hours notice, she was asked to step in as a replacement runner for the Commonwealth Select team at the prestigious BBC televised Aviva International at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.

The originally selected athlete Gemma Turtle had to pull out through injury.

But never one to shun a challenge the 18-year-old grasped the opportunity and found herself lining up alongside a quartet of quality and much more experienced rivals including UK steeplechase record holder Helen Clitheroe, Germany's former European Cross Country silver medalist, Sabrina Mockenhaupt, American Lindsay Allen and Swede Ulrika Johansson.

Not surprisingly Sarah was part of a very exclusive group and was one of only three Scot's competing at the meeting.

Cheered on by the home support Sarah duelled for fourth place for much of the race with the American Allen before eventually finishing fifth and setting a new indoor PB of nine minutes and 48.49 seconds.

It was later found that this time was also a new Scottish Indoor under 20 record, beating the previous record which was set in 2005 by '89 of a second.

Less than 24 hours later Sarah was back in Glasgow lining up in the Bellahouston Park for the Scottish Senior and under-20 4k Cross-Country Championship.

In the early stages of the race it was eventual senior race winner Elspeth Curran, Kilbarchan and Sarah who opened up a 20 metre lead, however midway through the second lap the exertions of the previous day began to tell on the Lothian runner and she dropped back to finish in fifth place overall in 13 minutes 46 seconds.

It was however good enough to clinch her the under-20 Scottish title.

After the race an exhausted Sarah said: “I tried to win outright but I was dead on my feet after a lap and a half'.

“It has been a brilliant weekend and Saturday gave me a glimpse of the atmosphere and crowd Glasgow can expect at the Commonwealth Games.”

Sarah will be back in cross country action on Saturday representing Edinburgh University at the British Student Championship at Stirling.