Several of the runners competing this year had also completed the Glas Tullichen uphill race the day before.

The 4.5 mile course climbed from the main forest car park to the Scolty tower then traversed the top of the hill to enter the forest at the west of Scolty.

This was a long downward section before the second ascent of the hill by the steeper and rougher west path to the tower.

From the top, the runners followed the steep path, favoured by mountain bikers, through the trees to the car park and finish.

At the front of the field Dan Whitehead, from the local Cosmic Hillbashers club, opened up a winning lead of more than two minutes to record his first win over the current course in a time of 33.36 minutes.

All his previous Scolty wins were over the old course, which started at King George V field.

Behind him, the field of runners from Fife, Stirling, Edinburgh, Dundee and many local runners completed the course. One runner even came from Cornwall for the race.

Of the organising club, the Deeside Runners, Alan Smith (in seventh) led the way from David Hirst (15th), Owen Bass (16th), Ruth Mackenzie (19th, to finish third lady), Clare Martin (43rd), Jane Douglas (46th) Kathy Dale (49th) and Ursula Bass (51st) flew the colours for Deeside runners.

The first veteran over 40 was Des Crowe in 37.36 and also third overall. He had run at Glas Tullichen the day before.

In the associated women's race, Sonia Armitage, from Monymusk, representing Aberdeen AC, (13th overall) won the women's race in 41.06. The Deeside women won the women's team prize.

The junior races attracted record entries from a much wider area than the seniors, with athletes coming from Fife, Dundee, Forres, Livingston, Edinburgh, Stirling and even Cornwall as well as local runners.

They were either chasing points in the Junior League or selection for a Scotland team to race in Italy. All the juniors started together five minutes after the seniors, so the faster ones were chasing the seniors over the common section of the course.

In the Quarter Scolty Race over one mile, the U12s ran up the west path to the junction with the rough summit path before turning round to run back to the finish. There was a record entry and the boys' race was won by Fife AC's Logan Rees, in a new record time of 9.15.

Ewen Kerridge from Banchory was second in 10.58 just ahead of Joseph Wright (Banchory). Ross Nichols of local orienteering club MAROC was fourth, with Finn Nixon (Kincardine O'Neil) fifth and Ballater's Douglas Croll sixth.

In the U12 race for girls over the same course, Banchory Stonehaven AC's Clare Gibson won in a time of 10.58 leading Jennifer Ricketts (3), Evelyn Mason (4), and Molly Williams (5) from Premnay and Caitlin Cambell (6) from Strachan.

There was a second junior race for the U19, 16 and U14 age groups, which formed part of the Scottish Junior Hill Running League. The Junior Scolty race was a close race with the first five boys finishing within 37 seconds of each other.

Banchory Stonehaven's Robbie Simpson won the U19 age group in a time of 15.54, only four seconds ahead of a Livingston athlete. The Cornwall athlete won the U16 age group in a time of 16.12, with a Dundee runner winning the U14 group in 17.49.

Monymusk's Rachel Armitage won the U16 girls race, with athletes from Forres and Livingston in second and third respectively.

Halina Rees, sister of the U12 runner, won the U14 girls race from local orienteer Frances Wright (MAROC) in second place. The girls ran the same course as the boys.

The older juniors ran to the top of Scolty before a long downhill run on the west path back to the finish after 2.5 miles.

The junior races gave the Scottish electors something to think about as they choose the junior teams for a race in Italy. Selection is the older U16s and younger U19s and also takes account of the first selection race at Ben Lomond in May.