Brilliance and dogged perseverance

It was a real privilege to be able to attend the World Cross country Championships held today in Edinburgh's Holyrood park. I went with my boy and we were treated to some class acts.

The Ethiopians took 6 of the 8 possible Golds and including all the individual medals with only the Kenyans getting in their way for a couple of the team events.

As well as the brilliance of the top runners, what was also nice was the dogged perseverance of some of the slower runners, some of were lapped by the stars. On a muddy track in the cold wind they stuck it out to the end and it was great to see the crowd giving them a big cheers as well.

These events are also a wonderful window on Edinburgh for the world to look in. That's why I was delighted as Leader when it was announced that our bid for thsi event was successful. In terms of promoting our city as a place to work and play, this kind of exposure is invaluable.