Susan Partridge regained the women's title, denying Freya Murray three in succession.

The City of Glasgow woman won in 2003, but has focused on the marathon since she was in the gold-medal European championship team at Holyrood that year. However, she is making a determined effort to win a place in the GB team for the world event on the same Edinburgh course on March 30. On this showing, she might just make it.

Catriona Morrison, world and European duathlon title-winner, pushed her most of the way, finishing 23 seconds down, with Murray third, only just over a patella tendon injury which has forced her to train mainly in the pool. Sports Institute Foundation support has allowed Morrison to go full time, and the benefits are already showing.

The 28-year-old Partridge (pictured) is based in Halifax where she runs a translation agency geared to sport. Plans to run the London Marathon will be shelved if she makes the world cross-country team. "There will be more marathons, but the world championships aren't in Edinburgh every year."

Last year's under-15 winner, Beth Potter, was 16 in December. Under-17s and under-20s run together, but the prodigious Bearsden Academy girl came home ahead of them all.

A GB internationalist on just four hours training a week last year, she increased that to six in December, but has cut swimming training (she won two silver medals at the West District event two months ago).