Douglas hits peak form to conquer Snowdon
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Halkirk mountain-runner Andrew Douglas hit the heights in Wales as he edged closer to World Cup glory.
Competing at Mount Snowdon, the fourth round of seven races, Douglas showed the rest of the field a clean pair of heels as he cruised to victory.
Having won the first two rounds of the season, his progress was checked in Austria the previous week with a fourth-placed finish.
Douglas, though, bounced back in style as he dominated from start to finish with the only debate during the race being "who is going to finish second?".
He won comfortably in a time of 1hr 04 min 04 sec – one of the course's fastest times. Italy's Martin Dermatteis was second in 1hr 06 min 34 sec, with his brother Bernard in third having crossed the line in 1hr 07 min 06 sec.
The next race in the WMRA World Cup will be held on August 11 in Sierre Zinal in the French-speaking Valais region of Switzerland where another win would surely all but crown Douglas as champion.
Douglas remains well and truly grounded, however, and is not taking the title for granted.
He said: "There's no room for complacency. I did the course in Switzerland that's up next for the first time last year and came eighth, so I have to improve on my performance there.
"Of the Snowdon run itself, it was just one of those days where you felt good from the start and everything just clicked into place.
"There was some bad weather at the start of the day but that all cleared up just before the race began. Apart from some mist at the top of the course, the conditions were great.
"Plus, unlike last week at the Grossglockner where it was all uphill, there were fewer steep inclines. The uphill half of the course was based around gradual climbs.
"We started on the road, which was ideal for me because my forte is a fast start.
"I was surprised at how well the ascent section of the course went. I thought the Italian guys would go with me when I made the break but they didn't and I was able to generate a good lead.
"When you build up such a gap, there is the temptation to ease up a little bit but you cannot do that. Other runners can always hurtle past you down the descent so you have to go hard the whole way.
"Even if I had been tempted to take my foot of the gas, that would have been a fleeting moment because I was determined to clock up a fast time and would have been going for one regardless of what position I was in."
With three rounds to go, Douglas is firmly in pole position to win the world title as he tops the championship standings 145 points clear of Martin Dermatteis.
However, with 100 points being awarded to the winner of a race (second place getting 90 points, third 85), a couple of bad runs from Douglas and two victories from his Italian rival could see a final race showdown in Slovenia this October.
