David Eikelboom finally has his second Yukon cross-country crown.

And local speedster Lindsay Carson joined him in the winner’s circle on a crisp autumn afternoon in Whitehorse Sunday.

Thirty runners, from age four and up, took part in the 2015 Yukon Cross Country Championships. The event took place at the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club.

Eikelboom, who won his first Yukon title in 2012, led the field around the course, completing his 10-kilometre race in 36 minutes 44 seconds.

The 28-year-old Ontario native has been steadily improving since his arrival to the territory three years ago.

In 2012, for instance, he won the 10-km cross-country championship in 39:43.

Eikelboom is a former Yukon River Trail Marathon champion, and was a force on the local running scene all season.

“This race and the trail marathon capture a bit more of the essence of Yukon running,” said Eikelboom, the current president of Athletics Yukon.

“When we were setting the course for this, we made it hard. The first kilometre had tons of hills. ... It kind of captures, as (local runner) John Carson calls it, blue-collar running. It’s not smooth, it’s not necessarily the best-looking, it’s hard work.”

Fellow open runner Jordan Lindoff finished behind Eikelboom in 47:12.

Meanwhile, Carson took victory in the women’s eight-km race, beating all comers to the finish line in 31:53.

Former women’s champ Maura Sullivan was second in 36:01.

“It was a great way to open up my season,” said Carson, 25. “This is the first cross-country race I’ve done with the Yukon and it was a good rust-buster for me.”

Carson moved North two years ago and was recently carded for athletic funding by the territorial government.

Sunday’s run essentially kicked off her cross-country season, as she is planning to compete next month at the B.C. provincials in Nanaimo, followed by nationals in Kingston, Ont., in November.

The course was set up in a two-km loop format with runners completing a number of loops based on their race category.

The course was a challenge, admitted Carson, a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.

“It was a cross-country race, but it was more like a hill workout,” she said. “But I gave it my all.”

Masters winners included Scott Williams and Cynthia Freeman, while Darby McIntyre and Sonjaa Schmidt took the 13 to 15 age category titles.

Noah Connell and Kate Mason won the 11 to 12 age category.

A one-km youth race was also held prior to the main event, with nine-year-old boys Felix Masson and Simon Connell tying for first place in 4:15.

Fellow nine-year-old Louis Mouchet placed third, two seconds behind the leaders.

Last year, no runners competed in the open categories.