Young hill runners ready for Italian test at International Youth Cup

Thursday 18th June 2026

Photo by Francesca Grana for WMRA

Eight junior hill runners are heading to southern Italy this weekend to race for Scotland in the U18 International Youth Cup.

This year’s IYC event, on Sunday 21 June takes place in Galgliano del Capo in Puglia.

There are 121 athletes expected from 16 countries including USA and Mexico as well as strong European representation.Each country can field four male and four female athletes and the first three count towards the team prize.

The course is 4.6km long with a 191m of climb along tracks and paths above the cliffs of the Adriatic coast.

However, the main challenge this year is likely to be the searing 30C temperatures forecast for race day.

Scotland’s team this year has a real mix of youth and experience as Ben Hodson, Billy Sutherland and Nancy Corrie all competed last year in Slovakia, but the remainder of the team are competing in this event for the first time.