Glasgow 2019 Ambassador Laura Muir will tomorrow protect a fearsome unbeaten record as she anchors the British mixed relay team at the Simplyhealth Great Stirling Cross-Country.
The double European indoor champion’s preparation to run in her home city continues in earnest, with European Athletics Indoor Championships set for March 1-3.
And Muir has the chance, with Stirling Castle as a dramatic backdrop, to get a taste of the fervour of Scottish crowds and the unique rush of competing in front of home support.
Athletes checking out the course ahead of the Simplyhealth Great Stirling XCountry #GSXC2019 pic.twitter.com/Wi6klQ3tjf
— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) January 11, 2019
The Diamond League champion said: “I feel really confident with where I’m at, compared to my preparation for other Championships.
“There’s still work to be done ahead of Glasgow 2019 but I think I’m in a good position to race well over the next few weeks.
“The hardest thing will just be the volume of training. I train six days a week so that’s going to be the toughest point, sustaining that all the way through.
“I trained all the way through Christmas – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day. It’s just my normal routine – my training doesn’t stop.
“I worked really hard all the time. I’m ready to race now.”
Excitement building for tomorrow's SimplyHealth Great Stirling XCountry & Castle Run. Lots of come & try activities with @activestirling1 so come along, see great athletes like @lauramuiruns & give it a go! #GSXC2019 pic.twitter.com/E4tQhYcCwh
— sportscotland (@sportscotland) January 11, 2019
The fifth edition of the event, which sees Britain take on Team Europe and USA, has moved north to Stirling after four years in Edinburgh where Muir claimed a quartet of victories.
She will run a 1km leg alongside Alex Bell, Philip Sesemann and Jamie Williamson, who represented GB at the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg in December, finishing fourth.
After inter-district senior and junior races, women’s 6km and men’s 8km events will take place before Muir gets underway at 14:35.
The event will be shown live on BBC One, Connected TV and online from 13:15-15:15.