Ups and downs: Our guide to the Hill Running season ahead

Tuesday 14th March 2023

Scout Adkin won gold at the Lindsays National XC after recent superb performances in hill running (photo by Bobby Gavin) 

By Angela Mudge, Hill Running lead for scottishathletics

Scottish hill runners are preparing for the season ahead and we are pleased to offer this preview of a number of events – with opportunities to run on the hills for your club, your (hill) district or even wearing a Scotland or GB and NI vest.

The British Athletics Hill and Fell Running Championships kick off the hill running season on March 25 in Northern Ireland over the Mourne Marauder.

To finish the series, runners must complete three of the four-race series. The Scottish counter is on July 1 at Meall an t-Suidhe.

The scottishathletics Senior hill running season starts on April 29 with the East District Championships at Stuc a’Chroin.

That’s followed by the scottishathletics Senior Champs on Arran on May 20 over the classic Goat Fell course. The West Districts are on May 31 at Kilpatricks Hill Race and the North Districts on July 29 at Ben Rinnes.

Our junior championships are on September 17 on Creag Bheag, Kingussie.

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Scottish trio (L-R) Holly Page, Naomi Lang and Scout Adkin were silver medallists for GB and NI at the World Champs in Thailand

The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships and U18 Mountain Running Cup are both early in the season this year.

The WMTRC are on 6-10 June at Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria. These courses promise to be classic alpine style races.

The event includes an uphill only race, a classic up and down race (junior and senior), a 45 km mountain trail race and an 80km ultra-trial race.

Last year Scotland had a strong representation in these championships with Scout Adkin (Moorfoot) finishing fifth in the up and down race and Holly Page and Naomi Lang (both Carnethy HRC) backing her up to win team silver.

All trial dates and details can be found at https://www.uka.org.uk/competition/running/mountain-running/world-trial/

The Senior Up and Down trial is incorporated into Inter-counties Mountain Running Championships on May 7 in the Howgills, Sedbergh. If you are interested in representing your District please contact your district rep by April 15.

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The Snowdon International on July 15 is also hosting the Senior Home International.

Scotland will also be sending a team of athletes to Trofeo Nasego, a WMRA World Cup race in Italy on September 2. It’s an uphill only event.

This is the first time Scotland will send a team to a World Cup event and should be an exciting opportunity.

For the juniors , the U18 Mountain Running Cup is on May 28 in Annecy, France. Scotland will take three junior girls and boys (born in 2006 and 2007) to the event.

The trial will be held on Sunday 30 April at the Lomonds Junior Hill Race, near Falkland. If you are interested in this event please contact angela.mudge@scottishathletics.org.uk

Scotland hosts the Junior Home International over the Cademuir Rollercoaster course in Peebles on 10 September.

The trial for the JHI is over the same course on August 12. With home advantage, the Scots should perform well on this course.

The junior league (U20, U17, U15, U13 categories and races for younger athletes at some) starts on April 22 with the Dumyat Junior Hill Race. These races are designed as a gentle introduction to hill running. Details are at www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Juniors2.aspx

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Tags: Angela Mudge, hill running