CATIE O’Donoghue’s emergence as one of the most exciting new runners in the county was further underlined with a terrific victory in the Tri-Counties Cross Country Championships.

The 26-year-old, from Lakeside near Swindon, has only been running seriously for the past 18 months and Sunday was the first time she has tackled this event, which incorporated the championships for Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire.

If O’Donoghue was daunted by that prospect, she didn’t show it as she ran a tactically clever race in the bitterly cold, snow-swept conditions at the University of Bath to claim a thrilling overall victory in the senior women’s race.

“The conditions were really grim and initially I thought I wouldn’t want to race in snow and mud like that but actually it was a lot of fun,” said O’Donoghue.

“But I just didn’t expect to win at all and it was such a big surprise.”

With the sport being so new to O’Donoghue, she races with a certain fearlessness that can be a great advantage, plus she is clearly a very talented runner.

Coach Keith Brackstone, who has been working with O’Donoghue since she switched first claim membership from Swindon Shin Splints to Bristol & West AC, said: “Catie has come on leaps and bounds and has a lot of potential.”

In Sunday’s race she started conservatively, happy to sit in fourth or fifth place for the opening lap around the university fields.

“But then suddenly I found myself in the lead and felt really good so just kept going over the next two laps,” added O’Donoghue.

“I couldn’t relax because I knew there were some other women just behind me and I had to really leg it down the finish straight.

“I really enjoyed it and I am having so much fun.”

O’Donoghue’s sprint ensured she held off the experienced Emma Fisher of Wells City Harriers by one second, with Taunton’s Kate Drew back in third.

Along with her overall victory, O’Donoghue also lifted the Avon title and led Bristol & West to victory in the team competition.

O’Donoghue’s win wasn’t the only success for Swindon runners on Sunday.

Youngster Harriet Hillman, who is a member of Swindon Harriers, not only won the Wiltshire U13 title but also the overall race with another impressive performance.

Behind her, club-mates Beth Davidse and Kelly-Marie Marsh came fifth and sixth respectively.

That achievement was matched by clubmate Ella Spencer, who won the U11 girls’ race.

In the U17 men’s race, the Harriers pair of Max Sockett and Ethan Pierce finished 10th and 11th respectively, and Sophie Capel was sixth in the U17 women’s age group, just behind Catriona Edington of Marlborough & District Juniors (MADJA).

Harrier Jack Gunning was fifth in the U15s boys’ age group, with club-mate Archie Pierce ninth, just behind MADJA’s Alasdair Edington in seventh.

Also from MADJA, Benjamin Jones ran impressively to win the county silver medal in the U13 boys’ age group and Benedict Dare placed 10th in the U13 boys’ race.

In the U15 girls’ race, the Harriers trio of Ayla Tonkin, Rachel Oram and Lucy Spencer finished seventh, ninth and 12th respectively.

Tri-Counties Cross Country Championships, University of Bath results

Senior women: 1 Catie O’Donoghue (B&W) 27:28; 2 Emma Fisher (W, W45) 27:29; 3 Kate Drew (T) 27:41; 4 Alice Murray-Gourlay (T) 27:47; 5 Fiona Marks (B&W) 28:00; 6 Kelly Dicks (GWR) 28:15.

Teams: 1 Bristol & West AC 30; 2 Avon Valley Runners 52; 3 Chippenham Harriers 56.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Murray-Gourlay; 2 Bethan Francis (AVR) 28:27; 3 Karen Hacker (CH, W35) 28:48.

U20 women: 1 Hannah Hobbs (WH) 18:35; 2 Alys Withers (NS) 20:24; 3 Rosie Allen (WH) 20:52.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Caitlin Wosika (TB) 22:34.

U17 women: 1 Ellie Hobbs (WH) 19;20; 2 Jade Littlechild (TB) 19:41; 3 Lucy Fitzpatrick (TB) 20:30.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Littlechild; Fitzpatrick; 3 Caroline Brenchley (TB) 21:07.

U15 girls: 1 Beatrice Wood (CoS) 14:09; 2 Dalis Jones (WH) 15:10; 3 Rosie Hamilton-James (WH) 15:23.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Wood; 2 Megan Wright (CH) 15:33; 3 Olivia Roderick (IIF) 15:38.

U13 girls: 1 Harriet Hillman (SH) 11:57; 2 Freya Buglass (AVR) 12:19; 3 Jade Griscti (IIF) 12:24.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Hillman; 2 Buglasss; 3 Griscti.

U11 girls: 1 Ella Spencer (SH) 8:17 2 Millie Redman (NS) 8:20; 3 Erin Davis (WH) 8:33.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Spencer; 2 Daisy Cobham (CoS) 9:07; 3 Izzy Richards (CH) 9:38.

Senior men: 1 Simon Nott (CRC) 35:40; 2 Ed Knudsen (AVR) 35:55; 3 Ben Brewster (S’hampton) 36:34; 4 Chris McMillan (W) 36:53; 5 Adam Stokes (T) 37:51 6 Mike Towler (AVR) 38:28.

Teams: 1 Avon Valley Runners 98; 2 Westbury Harriers 172; 3 Chippenham Harriers 192.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Nott; 2 Knudsen; 3 Brewster.

U20 men: 1 Will Stockley (TB) 19:45; 2 Fleix Rusby (Wells) 20:01; 33 Aidan Daniel B’Ham Uni) 20:07.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Stockley; 2 Daniel; 3 Robert Howorth (TB) 21:02.

U17 men: 1 William Cheek (NS) 19:27; 2 Abdi Hasan (WH) 19:31; 3 Ben Rawlins (WH) 19:55.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Otto Copping (TB) 20:13; 2 Dan Davis (M) 20:52; 3 James Wright (CH) 21:08.

U15 boys: 1 Alex Parsons (TB) 13:20; 2 Sam Cobb (T) 13:30; 3 Tom Heal (T) 13:34.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Nile Battey (CS) 14:19; 2 Andrew Ingleton (IIF) 14:51; 3 Joe Milton (AVR) 14:53.

U13 boys: 1 Lukas Bailey (CoS) 10:48; 2 Ben Jones (M) 11:48; 3 Harry Maxwell (TB) 11:59.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Bailey; 2 Jones; 3 Maxwell.

U11 boys: 1 Ryan Reed (T) 7:42; 2 Charlie Coles (CoS) 7:56; 3 Alex Hearn 8:00.

WILTSHIRE: 1 Coles; 2 Hearn; 3 Jacob Fleming (AVR) 8:16.

KEY: (AVR=Avon Valley Runners; B&W=Bristol & West AC; CH=Chippenham Harriers; CoS=City of Salisbury; CRC=Calne Running Club; GWR=Great Western Runners; M=Marlborough & District Juniors; NS=North Somerset AC; SH=Swindon Harriers; T=Taunton; TB=Team Bath AC; W=Wells City Harriers; WH=Westbury Harriers; ZA=Zoot Athos.