The 24-year-old from West Linton, who is now based in Boston, delivered a talk to around 25 youngsters who hope to follow in his footsteps.

The professional athlete, who runs for Adidas, will compete in Edinburgh this weekend against the best cross country runners in the world.

But he took time out of his training schedule to give an insight into his journey from the Peebles Three Bridges Primary School races to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and his European bronze medal over 1500 metres.

The invited audience comprised runners from across the Borders who have represented their clubs in championship cross-country races or Team Borders in the East League.

Chris said: "It was a pleasure to take some time out from my training to speak to the young distance runners from the Borders.

"Potentially, somewhere in that room were future international athletes and I hope I managed to pass on some useful advice about what that takes.

"It really is imperative for me as a person to pass on anything I can to the next generation of Scottish athletes.” Chris revealed that after the Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday, he will focus on indoor training ahead of the European Championships.

He added: ”Training is going well and I’ll get a good indication of my winter form on Saturday at Holyrood Park in the Great Edinburgh Cross-Country.

"I’ll then be heading back to Boston and will race indoors with my eyes firmly fixed on the European Indoor Championships in Prague in March.”