WATCH: Ross County Athletics Club teenager wins River Ness 5k at Inverness
CAITHNESS teenager Billy Sutherland stormed to victory as he won the men’s title in the River Ness 5k on his debut in the event.
The 15-year-old from Latheronwheel proved too fast for the chasing pack as he claimed victory on Sunday in a time of 16 minutes and 15 seconds.
The Wick High School fourth year pupil broke his previous best time over the distance by over a minute to record what he considers the biggest win of his career so far.
Ruairidh Stirling of Inverness Harriers was second in 16:37 with Archie Dalgliesh of Gala Harriers taking third spot in 16:40.
Sutherland, who is a member with Ross County Athletics Club based in Strathpeffer, but trains with athletics coach Sophie Dunnett in Thurso, said he was thrilled to produce such a dominant performance to claim victory.
He said: “I haven’t broken 17 minutes before, so I’m really happy.
“My previous best was 17:16. I can’t really believe it.
“I have never done this course before and it was very good.
“I thought that I would hold on to somebody else. I can’t believe it and I am really happy with that.
“The pace felt good and it went really well. It felt like I was going quick.
“But everything was perfect today. This was a race I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so I’m very happy with the result.”
Sutherland has only been a member of Ross County Athletics Club for a couple of months with the majority of his training still in Caithness with athletics coach Sophie Dunnett.
He has joined Ross County Athletics Club in a bid to get more exposure to major athletics and cross country events in the north.
He says that he will be back to defend his River Ness 5k title next year and look to continue his good form as he aims to become even faster.
He said: “Now I have to aim for sub-16 minutes. I’ll be back next year.
“I will look to compete in Edinburgh and Inverness next year and just keep doing it.”
