Bor overcomes wrong turn to prevail in men’s senior race at Great Stirling XCountry International Challenge, helping U.S. win seventh straight individual title, along with fourth team victory; American women and co-ed relay place third, with U-20 relay lineup taking second to Europe, fifth overall

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Despite a wrong turn earlier in the race, American Hillary Bor was still strong enough to make his move at the right time to capture the men’s 8-kilometer title Saturday at the Simplyhealth Great Stirling XCountry International Challenge at City Park in Scotland.

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Bor prevailed in 23 minutes, 48 seconds to help the U.S. win the men’s individual crown for the seventh consecutive year – after six straight wins at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh – in addition to leading four Americans placing in the top six to secure the team victory for the fourth time, along with 2013, 2015 and 2017.

"When it came to the last 400, I felt good, so I knew I had a chance if I pushed it from the top of the hill all the way down," Bor said. "When I walked the course this morning, I knew we had to have momentum coming down, so I pushed it really hard and gave it all I had on the downhill because I was like if they want to catch me, the uphill (before the finish line) is very short." 

Europe defended its overall team title, combining the results of both senior races and the co-ed relay, by accumulating 55 points. Great Britain was second with 84 and the U.S. took third with 90.

Bor was leading on the fifth lap, before the unfortunate miscue resulted he and two-time champion Leonard Korir briefly dropping back to fourth and fifth place, with three-time winner Garrett Heath taking over the lead.

"In my mind, I knew I was supposed to turn right, but I didn’t see the rope," Bor said. "I went over it, but thank God I was able to recover and come back."

Bor quickly regrouped and was able to hold off Sweden’s Napoleon Solomon (23:48) and Spain’s Adel Mechaal (23:49) in an all-out sprint over the final 400 meters. Korir, who was attempting to become the first male athlete to win three consecutive years in the senior race since Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele (2006-08), placed fourth in 23:49.

Heath, who captured 4-kilometer titles in 2014-15 before winning the 8-kilometer event in 2016, placed fifth in 23:56 and David Elliott completed the scoring quartet for the Americans by taking sixth in 24:00.

The U.S. edged Europe by a 16-20 margin in the new team format of racing six athletes to score four competitors after the senior races had featured nine athletes in each lineup, with six individuals scoring in previous years.

Bor, who placed 10th in 2017 in Edinburgh, joined Bobby Mack (2013), Chris Derrick (2014-15), Heath and Korir as part of the American men’s dominance in Scotland.

The U.S. women placed third for the fourth year in a row in the 6-kilometer race, won in 20:01 by Germany’s Elena Burkard, a University of San Francisco graduate. Burkard helped the European women win for the fifth year in a row by a 17-19 margin over Great Britain, with the Americans scoring 50.

American co-captain Anne-Marie Blaney was 11th in 20:29, followed by Rachel Johnson in 12th (20:44), Olivia Pratt in 13th (20:54) and Marisa Howard in 14th (21:01) among the U.S. scoring quartet. Grace Barnett (21:10) placed 15th and Ayla Granados (21:18) was 17th for the Americans.

In the co-ed 4 x 1,500-meter relay, which was a scoring event for the first time to conclude the competition, Laura Muir anchored Great Britain to a fourth consecutive victory in 17:36.

The Spanish quartet representing Europe was second in 17:45 and the U.S. lineup of Craig Nowak, Danielle Shanahan, Frankline Tonui and Stephanie Schappert finished third in 18:01. Nowak had the lead following the opening leg, before Alexandra Bell took control for Great Britain on the second leg, with Shanahan also being passed by Spain’s Esther Guerrero after being slowed by a wrong turn of her own.

The U.S. Under-20 quartet of Drew Bosley, Katelynne Hart, Jake Renfree and Kelsey Chmiel placed fifth overall in 18:11, but second among the U-20 entries behind Europe (18:08). It marked the first time in meet history the U-20 competitors ran in a co-ed relay instead of their own individual races.

Chmiel, a senior at Saratoga Springs NY, had won the women’s 4-kilometer U-20 race last year in Edinburgh, with Hart, a junior at Glenbard West IL, placing ninth, and Bosley – a senior at Homestead WI – finishing 11th in the 6-kilometer U-20 race. Renfree, a senior at Knoxville Catholic TN, was making his international debut for the Americans after placing second Dec. 8 at Foot Locker Nationals.