Highgate’s Stephen Whiting tops the UK rankings for 45 to 49-year-olds this year – and he was the first Over-45 runner to cross the line in the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday.

Whiting was 32nd overall out of 4,119 runners, and his time of 1:11:29 was a personal best for the half marathon.

He had previously clocked 33 minutes 39 seconds over 10k at Hyde Park on January 1, leaving him top of the pile in his age group in 2013.

Meanwhile, Peter Downie continues to put his injury-hit 2012 behind him after beating 74 people to win the Mile End parkrun in 16 minutes 13 seconds.

In doing so, the Harriers’ flying Scotsman posted his best ever time over 5k and beat his previous record for the Mile End course by 47 seconds.

Elsewhere, Highgate’s young stars were on top form in the fifth and final meeting of the young athletes’ north-west London cross-country league at Wormwood Scrubs.

The Harriers were the top club overall in the girls’ section, and the Under-13 girls, Under-11 boys and Under-11 girls all won their team competitions.

Hannah Viner came first in the individual Under-17 girls’ category and Cecily Turner came out on top in the Under-13 class, while her club-mate Anna Willis came third.

Finlay Doyle, Conleth Gallagher and Nat Butcher were third, fifth and sixth respectively for the Under-11 boys.

The Harriers are now looking ahead to the 12-stage Southern Road Relay on the March 23 and Whiting and Downie’s form, coupled with Tim Gardner’s return from illness and the possibility of David Bruce being availability, has left Highgate in a confident mood.

Shaun Dixon will represent Middlesex at the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Birmingham on Saturday.

The event doubles as the Great Britain trials for the bi-annual World Cross Country Championships, which will be held on March 24.