Family silver! Superb podium places for Jacob and Scout Adkin in Annecy

Sunday 2nd June 2024

Photo by Kris Jones

Scottish hill runners have been making a significant mark on the global mountain running scene in recent years.

The Class of 2024 underlined that in quite spectacular style at the European Off-Road Running Championships in Annecy in France over the weekend.

And it was the Adkin family who added the real silver lining as brother and sister duo of Jacob and Scout both made the individual podiums in the uphill only race.

Come Sunday and more fine Scottish performances saw team golds for Scout and Naomi Lang at Senior level.

Wet conditions on Friday seemed to work to the advantage of the visiting GB and NI team, with team gold achieved in the Men’s race.

Joe Steward took gold with Jacob landing silver while Kris Jones, the Welsh athlete from Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, was in tenth to help secure that team victory.

‘We seemed to bring some typical Scottish weather to Annecy but it was awesome to be part of such a strong and successful GB and NI team with a silver lining,’ said Jacob.

Barely an hour later and Scout took second place in the Women’s race to add another podium place to the Adkin family album. There were team silvers there for the GB and NI women.

‘It was an unexpectedly tough course in those weather conditions,’ said Scout.

‘I’m delighted to win an individual medal and lovely to keeping the medal colour consistent in the family!’

In the two Junior races, Scottish success continued. Isla Hedley took sixth place and was rewarded with a team silver medal; Thomas Hilton was similarly sixth in his race as the British Junior men took bronze medals on a fab Friday for GB and NI.

Junior GB teams from the uphill only races featuring Isla Hedley and Thomas Hilton (photos by Mark Croasdale)

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Trail Champs races on Saturday

On Day Two, Georgia Tindley and Meryl Cooper raced over the trail event an A to B course over 58km and 3380m ascent/descent.

Conditions were dry and cool but the course was very tough from the heavy rainfall over the previous days. The pair ran strongly to finish 39th and 43^rd respectively.

After the downpour the up and down route was tweaked to avoid several sections of the lower slopes where the course was deemed unsafe. It had become a mud slide.

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Sunday Up and Down races

There was more superb news from the European Off-Road Champs on Sunday morning in Annecy.

The British women landed the team golds in the up and down race with a fine team effort. Scout Adkin was in fourth place and Naomi Lang in fifth with a brilliant run, too.

Scout was in second place at one stage before a 1k section that was effectively a road race while Naomi, in 10^th place prior to the descent, came up with a superb second-half of the race downhill to help the team.

Well done athletes, their families, coaches and clubs.

There were silver medals for the GB and NI men with Jacob Adkin the third counter in 15th place in the race..

And there were strong performances by the trio of Scots with the GB and NI Junior teams.

Angus Wright finished in seventh place and Jonathon Downey was in 21^st place as the team landed fifth place – with Angus the first counter and Jonathon the third.

Isla Paterson was 14th as the Junior women took team silver medals.

With thanks to Angela Mudge