HER 40th birthday looms, but Liz McColgan's competitive juices still flow as strongly as the River Tay which flanks

the course where she won a

historic first Scottish cross-country title on Saturday.

The old guard of Scottish endurance running gave youth a spirited reminder of their powers on Perth's North Inch. Glen Stewart took the men's title at the age of 33, punching the air in delight at overturning hyped suggestions that the event was about to celebrate its youngest winner in quarter of a century. Added to that, Ron Hill Cambuslang won the senior men's title with three veterans in their six-man team.

Further demonstration of how hard it is for new talent to emerge was evidenced by four of last year's age-group winners successfully defending their titles (Ashleigh Murray, Derek Hawkins, Freya Murray, and Willie Duncan) and two others who stepped up to medal first time at the next level (Eilidh Menzies and Scott Hawkins).

On a perfect day by the Tay, Dundee Hawkhill Harrier McColgan was a class apart. She won by 48 seconds from Catriona Morrison, who is in Great Britain's triathlon pool for the Athens Olympics. Former world mountain-running champion Angela Mudge, aged 33, was third. This comes just a week after McColgan's Scottish indoor title over 3000 metres.

Pursuit of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth medals had kept McColgan from this event since 1983, when she was third to Fiona McQueen. ''I really did want to win this one,'' said McColgan, who is currently chair of the national governing body. ''I was really nervous and keyed up. This means a lot to me.

''It's good at the age of 40 to do this. Four years ago, during all the surgery, I'd have been glad if I'd thought I'd be able to run three miles ever again.''

Though last year's winner, Susan Partridge, was absent, and Freya Murray, who had beaten McColgan for the Scottish 4000m title, opted for a comfortable junior victory, McColgan said she would still have been confident.

''You can't write people off, and some runners go wrong by not respecting folk, but I felt I was pretty much in control. I'm nowhere near the runner I was - perhaps 70% of my best, but I'm physically stronger because I do weights. That's not the same as cardiovasular fitness.''

Stewart took the men's title for the second time in three years in what was perhaps the most hotly-contested race in a decade.

Fifer Andrew Lemoncello, last year's under-20 champion, had been tipped to win, but was perhaps too confident in his finishing speed. Five men were still locked together with 800m left. The 38-year-old four-times former champion, Bobby Quinn, had been pushing the pace belatedly when Stewart unleashed a savage burst from the top of a steep rise, a tip he took from his father, the former Commonwealth Games 10k champion, Lachie. The group shredded and world internationalist Phil Mowbray hung on for his first Scottish medal ahead of Fife's stricken Lemon-cello. His day will surely come.

This was Stewart's 19th Scottish senior title, added to three as a senior boy. ''I felt I'd been overlooked, and had something to prove today,'' said Stewart axed from lottery funding despite reaching two Commonwealth finals in 2002, since when he has become a father.

McColgan's daughter, Eilish, was denied a family double when beaten for the under-13 title by Lauren Mackin. The sister of Davis Cup tennis player Allan Mackin prefers golf, and hits balls every day. ''I only run for 45 minutes once a week,'' she said. ''I'd rather be a golfer.''

Cambuslang made history with their senior men's success, their fourteenth in 17 years. They packed their six counting runners into the first 22 of 408 finishers for a total of 95 points. Edinburgh Athletic Club had six in the first 11 in 1975, and their next six would have finished fifth. However Cambuslang, on Saturday, would also have won the bronze medals with their next six runners home. These six totalled 196, which would have brought them third behind Shettleston. Never has one club so dominated a national championship.

Jamie Reid, runner-up for the West title, and coming back after injury, was their thirteenth finisher in 44th. Had he been in either Shettleston or third-placed Fife's colours, he'd have made their medal-counting six.

Jon McCallum, the Commonwealth 1500m runner, led Cambuslang home in seventh, while Steven Wylie, last year's runner-up, raced on antibiotics after an injury at work.

There was a jocular suggestion that Cambuslang might receive two sets of medals, as can happen in relays.

In the national, clubs can enter as many runners as they want, and the first six across the line constitute the team. In relays, clubs may enter several teams.

Cambuslang's counting six on Saturday included three veterans: John Cowan, Colin Donnelly, and John Brown. For Cowan and Brown, this was their first senior championship gold, despite the Lanarkshire men's catalogue of success in the previous 16 years. Mountain running internationalist Donnelly, aged 44, has been on 13 of the 14 winning teams.

The mountain influence was also seen in Carnethy's winning women's trio: Mudge, Lyn Wilson and Tracey Brindley, the squad which won world team gold for Scotland in Alaska. lThe Scottish indoor and outdoor sprint champion, Nick Smith, logged the fastest 100m of his career, 10.29 seconds, helped by a 2.3m wind, in Stellenbosch on Saturday. His legal best was 10.32 last year. The Fife sprinter, who gave up the chance of a world indoor place to train in South Africa, will race again there next weekend.

Edinburgh's Brett Rund, who won the national indoor 200m title as Smith took the 60m, won over that distance in 21.66.