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The event involves four laps of a 6km course around the park’s centrepiece loch, with each team member completing a lap before handing over to the next runner.

Despite some last-minute issues with injuries and illness, team manager Kevin Hamilton pieced together a strong squad of four runners for the prestigious event.

Hamilton took on the opening leg. A strong showing saw him mixing it at the front of the pack, and he handed over in fifth place to John Lenehan. Strong early running from Lenehan put the club into the overall lead, before East Kilbride’s fast-moving Grant Baillie relegated Edinburgh AC to second. Long-distance specialist Iain MacDonald battled hard on leg 3 to keep East Kilbride within sight, and the final leg started with Edinburgh AC around a minute in arrears.

Edinburgh Athletic Club’s male team triumphed at the annual Scottish Veteran Harriers relay event

Fresh from a fast sub-16-minute 5km time the previous day at Edinburgh’s Cramond Park Run, Stuart Johnston began the chase on lap four. With less than a mile to go, he caught and passed East Kilbride’s leading runner, and the Capital club took the win after a thrilling 80 minutes of racing.

Team manager Hamilton commented: “It was a fantastic day for the Club. It’s a great event, very well-organised and Strathclyde Park is an excellent venue for racing. We have been on the podium here a couple of times recently but never actually won it. Conditions were decent and everyone ran really well. It was a good battle with East Kilbride and it was great to take the win!”

Also in Glasgow on the same day were the national indoor championships, with a number of athletes competing in the 3000m event. In high-quality men’s races Lewis Orr clocked 10:44 while Peter Graham ran 10:30. In the ladies’ race Sue Ridley returned a time of 11:56 while Sharyn Ramage finished in 12:49.

Edinburgh Athletic Club team triumphs at the Scottish Veteran Harriers relay event