There are three events taking place: the junior and senior World Championship races on Friday 15th and the World Long Distance race on Saturday 16th . The courses are based around the K42  Adventure Marathon course and take in some stunning highlights of the Province of Neuquen in Patagonia.

The juniors will race over a route of 6.6k with 393 metres of ascent. The course will initially take them north into the forest with a steep and technical climb. When it reaches the highest point of the race (1246 metres) the runners turn south and begin a steep descent. They will then have to contend with a stream crossing (with ropes), before a fast, runnable descent on a wide path all the way down to the finish.

The seniors World Mountain Running Championships will take place over a 14k course with 754 metres of ascent. They will start in the streets of Villa La Angostura and head north along a dirt track and into the forest. The first 2.5k are quite flat, but then it starts to climb up through the forest and becomes steep and technical. This is followed by a section of technical descent, before the runners head to the Inacayal Waterfall, then start to descend again on a faster path. This takes them down to the street which heads to the finish line.

World Longs

The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships takes place the next day and the course is 41.5k with 2,184m of ascent. Again, it starts in the streets of Villa La Angostura and then starts a climb on forest tracks. It climbs steadily until around 7k, then there’s a long, fast descent.

The middle section is generally flatter, but with some technical sections and a creek crossing, then the big climb begins just after 20k. This long climb will take the runners up to the summit of Cerro Bayo at 1785 metres, where they will be in snow. They will then begin a long and fast descent, mainly on dirt tracks, back down to Villa La Angostura.

Countries who will take part include the USA, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, France and Spain, who have all featured heavily in this year’s World Cup. So competition will be fierce. 

The courses look fantastic and varied and should test any runner. The championships are going to be really exciting and we look forward to bringing you all the news as it happens live from Patagonia. Follow our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for updates.

Photo: Robbie Britton

Women’s senior race

The 2019 World Cup winner, Sarah McCormack, will be running for Ireland. After a very successful season, where she won the Snowdon Race and was second at the MaXi Race, Drei Zinnen and Smarna Gora, she must be one of the favourites. She will face strong competition from many women.

Firstly, the World Cup winner from 2017 and 2018 (second this year), Lucy Murigi, proved that she will be a contender, winning Smarna Gora a few weeks ago in a thrilling race with McCormack. The Kenyan team will not feature at the Champs.

Sarah Tunstall of GB will also be a strong contender, having finished third in the world championships in 2017 and having won Grossglockner and Drei Zinnen this year and finished fourth at the European Championships earlier this year. Her compatriot Emmie Collinge must also be one to watch. She was second in the world championships in 2015 and won the European Mountain Running Championships the following year.

Other women to watch include Italy’s Elisa Sortini and Alice Gaggi, France’s Elise Poncet and Grayson Murphy. Collegiate stand-out Murphy is an excellent road runner who has recently returned to the trails and was the clear winner of the US trial. Her excellent leg speed could be a huge factor in the mountain race.

Photo: Alex Donald

Men’s senior race

The men’s World Cup winner, Andrew Douglas, will also be in Villa La Angostura, and will be among the favourites, having had an incredible 2019 season. Joe Gray won the US trials and as 2016 world champion and 17-time national champion, he must also be one to watch.

GB’s Jacob Adkin, this year’s European Champion, is a favourite to be up there. Watch out for young Adkin starting sensibly and finishing with his trademark blazing strength. Anyone new to the champs could well learn from Jacob, as if you’re ahead of him in the first few kilometres and not expecting to podium, then you’re going too fast.

The Italian team is strong as ever with Xavier Chevrier, Luca Cagnati and Casare Maestri among others who could well feature in the top 10. Fast Running’s man in Italy, Francesco Nicola, believes his team can challenge for the gold medal and we think he’s right.

The French team is a very experienced one with Julien Rancon and Alexandre Fine. The Kenyan team contains Robert Panin Surum and Timothy Kimutai Kirui, who, as ever, could very well feature or not trouble the front at all. It seems the latter was correct as the Kenyan team will not feature.

Ireland’s Zak Hannah, who finished sixth in the World Cup this year, will also be a strong competitor, and will be looking to build on his strong top 20 position from the European Championships earlier this year, as will Slovenia’s Timotej Becan, who finished fifth in the Mountain Running World Cup.

Other runners to watch include Hans-Peter Innerhofer of Austria and any number of strong Czech, German and South American athletes.

Women’s long distance race

Over the longer distance the women’s race should also be really exciting. One of the most interesting athletes to watch will be Laura Dahlmeier of Germany, who has famously swapped an incredibly successful career as a biathlete for mountain running.

France’s Blandin L’hirondel won this year’s Trail World Championships, so it will be interesting to see how that translates to mountain running. Judith Wyder of Switzerland should also be up at the front, having had a hugely successful season in Skyrunning.

Her compatriot Maude Mathys will also be a strong contender [Although we should add that the Swiss mountain running star has previously been reprimanded for anti-doping rules violations – Editor].

Spain are fielding a very strong team, with Sheila Aviles (who was 3rd at this year’s Trail World Championships) and Azara Garcia de los Salmones (4th at the Trail World Championships, 2nd at this year’s OCC), among others expected to feature.

Ireland’s Nicola Duncan will be relishing the fast, runnable climbing and could well feature well this weekend. The ultra distance athlete has been racing well in recent weeks over the trails and has been focusing on this event for the Autumn.

Several runner to watch include Italy’s Sylvia Rampazzo and GB’s Charlotte Morgan, both former champions, Adeline Roche of France, who’s best performance to date remains her 2017 World Trail Champs win and Kellie Emmerson of Australia, who is more of a longer distance specialist but could surprise many in the final kilometres.

Men’s long distance race

The men’s long distance race has had a couple of big names pull out – Luis Alberto Hernando of Spain and GB’s Tom Evans [although as Evans was strong enough to finish third in the Milton Keynes Cross last weekend it is disappointing to hear he won’t be representing his country – Editor]  – but it still has plenty of incredible athletes.

The 2019 World Trail Champion Jonathan Albon from GB will be among the favourites, as will Italy’s Francesco Puppi. But it’s perhaps the US team which has aroused the most interest. Jim Walmsley, Hayden Hawks and Mario Mendoza are strongly expected to feature in the race.

Hayden Hawks especially has some of the best leg speed in the event with a 13:54 5k PB and great experience over the longer ultra distance events. The show down between Hawks and Walmsley could make for real entertaining watching, but Fast Running is backing Hawks to come out on top in the US battle, but the fierce competition could put the team atop the podium if Mendoza runs well.

Other runners to watch include Switzerland’s Stephan Wenk, and France’s Nicolas Martin, both excellent on the trails and over ultra distance so look for strong finishes.

Ireland’s Paddy O’Leary and Gavin Byrne both broke the Wicklow Round record in 2019 and O’Leary has been in South America for a number of weeks preparing for the race… or just on an extended holiday with some races. We’re not sure. Look for both to run well in their national vests after great seasons so far.

Junior races

The junior races will be hotly contested and the future of mountain running is looking very bright. Among the runners are the British junior Joe Dugdale, who won this year’s European championships, and Joslin Blair of the US, who won the 2018 WMRA International U18 Mountain Running Championships.

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Among those securing their place on the team are multiple World & European medallist Sarah Tunstall (Kendal), 2016 European champion, Emmie Collinge (Alta Valtellina) and 2017 world bronze medallist and 2019 European senior men’s and junior men’s champions, Jacob Adkin (Robbie Simpson; Keswick) and Joe Dugdale (Copeland).

Tunstall, who was fourth at the recent European Champs in Zermatt, leads the senior women’s team alongside Collinge which sees the experienced medallists joined by Phillipa Williams (Sheffield RC) and Heidi Davies (U.S. Malonno).

Williams will make her debut for Great Britain & Northern Ireland following a solid performance at the trials where she finished second. Meanwhile, Davies, a junior bronze medallist from the 2016 European championships, completes the quartet.

Admin en route to winning the European Uphill Championships in July. Photo: Robbie Britton

A strong men’s team, but only three

After his European success earlier this year, Adkin will be a contender once again in the senior men’s race. Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett; Inverclyde), winner of the trials, will go into the championship in supreme form having already secured the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup title with one race to spare.

Following injury, Joe Steward (Harry Kelly; East Cheshire) makes his comeback appearance after a second-place finish at the trials in Wales last weekend.

It’s a shame there is only three men named in the squad as it takes three to score and the men’s senior team, that consisted of Adkin, Douglas and Robbie Simpson, are the current European Champions. Steward can be a strong third counter, but a bit of insurance to support the stand out pair of Adkin and Douglas would give a higher chance of medals.

Junior mountain running looking strong

European champion Joe Dugdale spearheads a strong junior men’s team which includes fellow European team gold-medallist, Matthew Mackay (Steve Duxbury; Rossendale). Joe Hudson (Alan Buckley; Keighley & Craven) and Matthew Knowles (Lancaster & Morecambe) will make their first appearances for GB & NI.

In the junior women’s team, trials winner Lauren Dickson (Andrew Henderson; Lasswade) joins debutant Eden O’Dea (Deeside), and Eve Pannone (Derek Hurton; Eden Runners) – the highest placed Briton at the European championships earlier this year – as the trio to face the best in the world.

A word from the management

Team Leader, Anne Buckley, said:

“This year’s championship in Patagonia are going to provide a unique challenge to all teams, so I am pleased to have selected such a strong British team who are contenders for the top positions, both individually and as a team.

“The team includes several athletes who have previously won individual and team medals on the world and European stage, so they have experience of the championship environment which is invaluable. For the debutants, they have earned their places on the team and demonstrated they are ready for this level of competition.”

The British Athletics team for the World Mountain Running Championships (up and down) in Villa La Angostura, Argentina on Friday 15 November 2019.

Senior men:

Jacob Adkin (Robbie Simpson; Keswick)

Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett; Inverclyde)

Joe Steward (Harry Kelly; East Cheshire)

Senior women:

Emmie Collinge (Alta Valtellina)

Heidi Davies (U.S Malonno)

Sarah Tunstall (Kendal)

Phillipa Williams (Sheffield RC)

Junior men:

Joe Dugdale (Copeland)

Joe Hudson (Alan Buckley; Keighley & Craven)

Matthew Knowles (Lancaster & Morecambe)

Matthew Mackay (Steve Duxbury; Rossendale)

Junior women:

Lauren Dickson (Andrew Henderson; Lasswade)

Eden O’Dea (Deeside)

Eve Pannone (Derek Hurton; Eden Runners)

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The post Strong teams named for World Mountain Running Champs appeared first on Fast Running.

PB’s were plentiful in a weekend rammed full of 10ks and the Gold Coast and Leamington Spa half. The weekend was kickstarted with the spectacular and buzzing Highgate Harriers Night of 10,000m PB’s, a night of PB’s it was no less!

British fireworks at Night of the 10,000m PBs

As thousands of spectators took to the track in Parliament hill, the race which has been dubbed the Glastonbury of Athletics, did not disappoint. The Night of 10,000 PB’s, which incorporated the European 10,000m cup, saw some extraordinary performances from both men and women.

The standout performance of the night from a British perspective came from Aldershot and Farnham’s Steph Twell. Twell again proved her impressively strong form, delivering what is believed to be the race of her life, to cross the line in a cracking 31:08 (a 1 minute 8 second track 10,000 PB!) and claim gold at the European cup.

Not only did she top the podium, but she achieved an Olympic and World qualifying standard. Steph Twell stormed round the last lap to complete a 2:58 final kilometre and comfortably give her the win by 7 seconds. Twell said, ‘I can’t believe how easy I felt and I’m delighted’.

British European Cup Victory

Only 8 seconds behind her was the second Brit, but first GB vest, Eilish McColgan. McColgan ran a strong race, finishing as always with a gutsy final lap to put her one second behind Chemtai Salpeter of Israel. Whilst it was not the win McColgan was aiming for, McColgan said she was ‘pleased with that and the time’.

It didn’t stop there, other highly placed Brits included, Alice Wright 9th in 32:27.57, Verity Ockenden 12th in 32:34.47, Charlotte Arter in 32:40.63 and Sarah Inglis in 32:52.51. The impressive performances from the GB team, led them to team victory at the European cup!

The Night of the 10,000 PB’s truly lived up to its buzzing reputation. To give an atmosphere like no other. In the words of Twell, ‘The crowd were amazing. I’ve never heard a roar like that and it really lifted me’.

Connor delivers

The men’s A race saw more outstanding PB performances delivered. The win went to Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, but in a solid third was Great Britain’s, Ben Connor in a cracking time of 27:56.60, with a 22 second personal best!

The next Brit across the line, in his 10,000m track debut, was Belgrave’s Nick Goolab in 28:10.49 (8th). Slightly further down the field in 21st and 23rd, were Matthew Leach in 28:47.24, and Jack Gray in 28:49.53.

A night to celebrate the best in club racing

The success of the event could be said to come as much from the depth of the racing as the stand out performances in the A races. The senior races kicked off with a close fought race won by South London Harriers’ Ollie Garrod (31:36.92) with Daniel Kashi (31:42.39) and Patrick Roddy (31:44.48) second and third place respectively.

Will Green was a popular winner of the Men’s E race as the temperatures warmed up. The V40 athlete sliced a healthy chunk of his PB to win in 30:50.38. Sam Johnson of Birchfield Harriers was second in 31:00.19 and Jack Bancroft of Bristol & West third in 31:07.00.

Glasgow City athlete Sean Fontana was narrowly missed out on sub 30 on his way to victory in the D race in 30:02.81. Gaert Jorritsma (30:09.97) and Thames Valley’s Daniel Mulryan (30:11.49) rounded off the top three positions.

Top quality women’s field

The women’s C race saw international athletes go head to head demonstrating the ever increasing depth of the meeting. Hanne Verbruggen was the winner in 33:30.67 ahead of Julia Mayer (33:53.69) and Abbie Donnelly (33:56.13). England 10km international Dani Nimmock was fourth in 34:38.56 (editors note – Fast Running’s own Hannah Irwin had a strong run finishing just outside her PB in 34:46.50).

The women’s B race was an all international affair won by Belgian athlete Nina Lauwaert in 32:52.29.

Photo: Gill Bland

Mohamed Mohamed storms to a new PB

Hillingdon’s Mohamed Mohamed dominated the Men’s C race to in in 29:00.24, a full 35 seconds off his road best. Romanian athlete Stefan Gavril was second 29:33.44. Birchfield Harrier Omar Ahmed came home in third in 29:34.89.

Speaking after the race Mohamed said “I’m very happy with my performance and I want to thank all the officials and volunteers and the organisers of the Night of the 10,00m PB.”

As with the women the men’s B race was all international and saw a fine run from Isreal’s Yitayew Abuhay to win in 28:44.74.

Photo: Robbie Britton

Adkin is European Champion

Miles away from the track, the European Mountain Running Championships took place in Zermatt,  Switzerland.

Keswick’s Jacob Adkin took the win in the men’s senior race in what looked like a fine day for mountain running. Adkin’s win comes after a fine run of recent success with a win in last week’s Mont Blanc Marathon Vertical KM and the European trial at the start of June.

The young star started patiently and overtook his coach Robbie Simpson around the four kilometre, before storming past everyone for the win. The course did a fast loop of Zermatt and then was all uphill, at a very steep gradient, to Riffelberg at 2582m.

Adkin, helped by Robbie Simpson (seventh) and Andy Douglas (ninth) took gold for the senior men’s team.

In a highly competitive race Sarah Tunstall took fourth in the senior women’s event. The Kendal AC athlete looked strong throughout, showing her international class with such an excellent performance. It is worth noting that two of the podium athletes ahead of Tunstall, Maude Mathys and Cristel Dewalle, have had anti-doping rules violations in recent years.

Joe Dugdale won the U20 men’s race, leading the young team to their own victory.

Top class performances in Australia and the States

Further across the field in Australia, was the Gold Coast Half Marathon. There were some cracking female performances, with the top 2 athletes crossing the line in under 70 minutes. The Irish-born Australian long-distance runner, Sinead Diver, took gold in a beaming time of 69:45. Diver was closely followed by Ellie Pashley, only 5 seconds behind in 69:50. Just above the 70-minute mark was Lisa Weightman in 70:30.

Also across the world, in another of many 10k races, the 50th AJC Peachtree Road Race took place. Belgrave’s Tish Jones crossed the line in a very respectable 33:30, competing against some of the best.

Slightly closer to home, was the Leamington Spa half marathon. Rugby and Northampton AC’s Alistair Mcdonnell ran all the way to the men’s victory in a respectable 01:13:10. Mcdonnell was shortly followed by Andrew Savery and Sean Jones in 01:13:26 and 01:15:09 respectively.

Leamington AC’s Natalie Bhangal was first woman to cross the line, claiming gold with 01:28:49. Separated by only 22 seconds was Natasha White of Northbrook AC (01:31:33) and Bonita Robinson of Hermitage Harriers (01:31:55).

Inaugural Porthcawl 10km a success

The Porthcawl 10k really did shine under the sun with some cracking times across both the men’s and women’s races. Griffiths, the resounding favourite, crossed the line in a time of 29:55, confirming his place as one of the current top Welsh road runners.

Having begun the 2018 Healthspan Wales 10k Series with a third-place finish, Griffiths was happy to have reaffirmed his place within the series. He said, ‘I wanted to win, and it is always nice to get under 30 minutes, but he really made the race. That is my first 10k win this year and it is always nice to cross the line first.’

James Hunt had a breakthrough race, cracking the 30-minute barrier for the first time! Hunt of Cardiff AC crossed the line in 29:58 to secure second place. James Hunt dug deep, but it wasn’t quite enough to take the win from Griffiths. Hunt said, ‘Josh just came on strong in the last kilometer and I couldn’t hold onto him’. Coming across the line in 3rd place was Phil Wylie of Cheltenham & County Harrier in a time of 30:41.

Excellent return for Cockram

Natasha Cockram, part of this year’s Fast 10 class of 2019, took the victory in the women’s race in a time of 34:51. Cockram continues to show improvements since her return from Tulsa University and having struggled with injury since London Marathon.

Cockram reported, ‘I’ve been back running for the past three weeks and I’m just happy to be back racing again. It wasn’t about the time […] it was just about getting back into a race’. Second across the line in a time of 35:20 was Manchester Marathon winner Jenny Spink. Ruby Orchard of Cornwall AC claimed bronze in a time of 37:31, completing the women’s podium.

Photo credit: Porthcawl 10km

A busy weekend of domestic 10ks

Sunday continued to add to the 10k buzz that filled the warm weekend with races across the country including the Great North 10k and others in Brentwood, Newmarket, Porthcawl, Manchester, Gloucestershire, and Leeds.

At the Asda Foundation Leeds 10km the men’s victory was taken by Scott Hinchcliffe in a time of 31:29, followed by Marcos angwl Valero Palacios in 31:54. Only 3 seconds behind the Roundhay Runner was Gareth Joste in 31:57.

The women’s race saw the top 3 women easily dip under the 39-minute marker. The win went to Nik Tarrega of Knavesmire in 38:06, followed by Aisling Wall in 38:18. Third over the line was Ackworth Road Runners’ Sarah Hunter, in 38:28.

Further up north, in the Great North 10k in Gateshead, Tombridge’s Ashley Gibson took the win in a noteworthy 35:40, running her fastest time of the year so far. The silver medal was claimed by Hannah Wood in 38:06, and the silver by Laura Havis in 42:30.

In the men’s race there was less than a minute between the top 3. James McKenzie of Heaton Harriers won gold in 33:1, a massive 59 second PB! Second place went to Sparrow Morley in 33:44, followed by Dean Williamson, 20 seconds behind in 34:04.

Aburezeq wins again

For yet another year, Mohammed Aburezeq of Altrincham & District AC defended his title at the City of Manchester 10k. Aburezeq crossed the line in a cracking 31:14, claiming the win by over 40 seconds. Second place went to Tom Charles, who achieved a time of 31:55, ahead of Salford Harriers & AC’s Gamar Adam in 32:20.

The UKFast City of Manchester 10k women’s race was won by Kirsty Longley of Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton in 35:29. Longley was followed by Carol Parsons with a time of 36:55, and in 39:59, just dipping under the 40-minute barrier, was Rachael Rozhdestvenskaya of Sale Harriers Manchester.

At the Brentwood Running Club 10k in Essex, Springfield Striders dominated the men’s podium. The men’s race saw Pete Robinson claim gold in a rapid time of 32:09, a solid 1 minute 23 second PB. Robinson was only 10 seconds ahead of Crispian Bloomfield of Billericay Striders who was followed by James Sullivan of Springfield Striders in 34:25.

The Striders however didn’t feature in the women’s podium where Ruth Wallace of Fleet & Crookham AC cemented the win in 39:15. Crookham was followed by Jennifer Lovelock in 41:10 and Hayley Lamkin in 41:24.

A great weekend for Cambridge & Coleridge AC

To add to the long list of 10k’s happening over the sunny weekend was The Marcus Gynn Newmarket 10k. Ben Jones of Cambridge and Coleridge AC claimed the men’s title in 33:24, whilst the women’s gold went to Odette Robson of Saint Edmund Pacers in 40:31.

Cambridge and Coleridge AC have had a fine weekend overall with fantastic performances from the Night of the 10,000m PBs through to the Lord Mayors 5km.

After a slightly dramatic start to the day with an unexpected route change due to road works, the Gloucestershire 10k took place. The win was taken by Richard Dare in 33:36, with Alastair Campbell taking second in 33:53. The women’s race was won by Kelly Lyons in 40:30 with Alice Doggrell crossing the line second in 41:25.

Sesemann and Archer win Lord Mayor’s 5k City Centre Classic

Leeds City’s Phil Sesemann stormed home to victory on the challenging course at the Lord Mayor’s 5k in Norwich. Sesemann’s time of 14:35.3 was enough to edge out Jonathan Escalante-Phillips (14:40.3) and Brighton’s Stephen Ferroni (14:44.8).

Holly Archer was a dominate victor in the women’s race finishing in 16:50.6. The Cambridge and Coleridge athlete has had a fantastic 2019 setting a new 5km best of 16:04 at Ipswich Twilight. Joining Archer on the podium were Isabel Rodriguez (17:44.6) and Faith Viney (17:58.3).

parkrun UK

Kevin Skinner and Naomi Taschimowitz are your fastest athletes at UK parkruns this weekend (July 6th). Full rankings here.

If you would like to run faster at parkrun, top tips to help runners of all abilities can be found here.

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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The post Steph shines and Adkin is European Champion – the weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Andy Douglas is best known for his mountain running and having represented Great Britain on several occasions in the big hills he is now an established member of the team.

For the last three years, the Scottish runner has featured in or around the top 10 at World and European championships.

In mountain running there are European and World Championships and these can be ‘up and down’ or just ‘uphill only’ competitions. Given the fell and hill running background of the UK, British athletes often excel in the up and down races. Something about Brits descending like they’ve stolen something from the top of the hill.

“Uphill only is more of a struggle for me,” says the Inverclyde runner. “It’s mainly down to the difficulty of getting that sustained climbing into my training. We have plenty of hills in Edinburgh, but not like in Europe.”

Douglas isn’t “bad” at the uphill only running though. Don’t be misled. He’s finished in the top 10 in both formats of the championships and flys uphill, just not as quickly as he speeds up and down hills.

“It just means I temper my expectations a little when competing at the uphill only champs,” he says. “I’d love a top 10 finish at the Worlds in Andorra this year. We have a really strong team too so I want to do the best I can for the others as well.”

It was only a few weeks ago that three Scots finished in the top 10 of one of the biggest mountain races outside of the championships, Sierre Zinal in Switzerland.

Robbie Simpson, who won bronze in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games, was second in the Swiss race, while Douglas was eighth and young Jacob Adkin finished 10th.

“The level just keeps getting better on the local scene,” states Douglas. “Jacob is a great runner who’s been really unlucky with injuries so it’s really good to see him running well.

“It just keeps me on my toes. The quality of the whole mountain running team increases with you.”

Worklife and training

Away from the mountains, the Hoka One One athlete works in asset management, spending 40-45 hours a week in an office.

“It’s great though as they’re understanding of my running,” he says happily. “I can get to work a little early and then train at lunchtime and there’s always time in the evenings.

“I’m not a morning person so that really works for me. It’s probably been reinforced over the years, but I just prefer to run in the afternoon or evening.

“A lot of my training is done alone, but sometimes I have company for the hill sessions. I love the longer hill sessions, the ones where you have to run hard up and down the hills. They’re probably the most specific ones to the mountain running champs and really make use of the hills around me.

“Something like five to eight minutes uphill with three to five minutes downhill, all done at effort, those are my favourites. The shorter 30-second speed hills are probably the bottom of my list. There’s almost a lactate dread.”

A happy athlete is a well-performing athlete

Douglas has been coached by Sophie Dunnett, who is based in the far North of Scotland, since 2009.

“Sophie is just the right coach for me,” he explains. “She is a lecturer in psychology and has a really good understanding of the mental preparation required for performing at the highest levels.

“A happy athlete is a well-performing athlete. That’s something that is key with the training. Sophie sets the key sessions but is very flexible with the work around them. She understands that I might have to adapt and go on feel in the bulk mileage each week.

“Just recently we all went up to Speyside for a group training weekend. We’re a range of abilities, but Sophie is great at getting everyone working together and I really enjoyed training with everyone else.”

Despite having two marathon results of 2:25 and 2:27 – that this writer would be rather happy with – Douglas has some unfinished business left with the roads.

“I had a lot more injuries when pounding the pavements,” he says. “I would like to go back and try again in the future, maybe somewhere like Boston or Chicago. The atmosphere at London was fantastic, I could run there again, even with the dark memories.”

So what does mountain running bring to the overall running picture?

“It certainly builds a lot of strength,” he says. “The variety really works all the muscles in the feet, ankles and legs really well. It keeps my love of running strong too.

“There’s mental toughness too. It comes from that quad burn when you’re going uphill or pounding down to the finish. I would like to see how that transfer back into the marathon now.

“I’ve been using the Hoka shoes for a while now and really like that extra bit of cushioning for the roads. I use the Cliftons for easy runs and the Tracers when I have speed sessions.

“The Evo Jawz shoes are perfect for me on the mountains. They’re certainly my favourite. They’re lightweight, have great grip and are excellent for the mountain running champs.”

RELATED: Hoka One One Evo Jawz review

The Championships

On Sunday, September 16, in Canillo, Andorra the world’s best mountain runners will come together and Douglas is hopeful of a good performance.

In the British team, he is joined by decorated mountain runners such as Sarah Tunstall, Jacob Adkin and Emma Gould, who medalled at the recent European Championships. The whole team has a great chance of impressing in the Andorran mountains and everyone at Fast Running wishes them the best of luck in their quest for medals.

RELATED: British Athletics name World Mountain Running team

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The post Andy Douglas: “A happy runner is a well performing runner” appeared first on Fast Running.

Jacob Adkin, Emma Gould, Andrew Douglas and Sarah Tunstall are named among a strong British team for the World Mountain Running Championships (Uphill) in Andorra, which take place on Sunday, September 16.

GB’s athletes will be among the world’s best who take to the course that leaves the parish of Canillo at the foot of the Andorran mountains in their quest for medals on the international stage.

Trials winners, Adkin and Gould headline the senior teams after their fine displays racing up Skiddaw in the Lake District last weekend.

For Adkin, this marks a return to this level of competition after a couple of years out of action with injuries, while Gould has been the revelation of the 2018 mountain running season, winning her first international medal at the European (up and down) Championships – the bronze – last month.

Gould will be joined in a very strong senior women’s quartet by the decorated Sarah Tunstall – she won European (uphill) silver last summer, as well as World (up and down) bronze – who has already enjoyed impressive results so far this season, including a second-place finish at the gruelling Zermatt Marathon in July.

RELATED: Sarah Tunstall – the ‘perfect’ running form

2015 world (up and down) silver medallist Emmie Collinge and debutant, Bethany Hanson, will join the duo in the women’s team seeking to break into the world’s top three next month. The quartet take on the course which is close to 12km with an elevation gain of 1028 metres.

Adkin is joined by the highly experienced Andrew Douglas, who has a string of top ten placing’s at World and European level to his name, as well as many individual and team honours. Chris Arthur (Mark Croasdale, Keswick) and Max Nicholls (Peter Brenchley, Tonbridge) complete the senior men’s line-up.

Anna MacFadyen overcame her compatriot Lauren Dickson to win the trial event last weekend, but both will be looking for similar strong performances in the junior women’s race at the Worlds. Helen Thornhill and Rosie Woodhams, third and fourth in the trial, will also contest the race over 7.5km with an elevation gain of 576m.

Gold medallists from the recent European Championships – Joe Dugdale, Euan Brennan and Matthew MacKay – are all involved again on British team duty in the junior men’s contest. However, they will be joined by newcomer Jack White, the City of Norwich athlete placing second in the trial event to confirm his slot at his maiden international championships.

Team Leader Anne Buckley said: “Once again, we have picked a very strong team after an excellent trial event. Several athletes really stepped up at the crucial time and will be raring to go in Andorra next month.

“Not only do we have many experienced world and European medallists within the team, but we have a few making their debuts, and they will learn a lot from those who have been part of numerous teams.

“They are taking on the best in the world and they are ready for the challenge so I’m excited to see what the whole team can produce on that stage.”

The Irish team was also recently named and features a senior men’s quartet of Zak Hanna, Andrew Annett, Eoin Flynn and Mark Ryan, while Sarah Mc Cormack, Sarah Mulligan, Sinead Murtagh and Becky Quinn earn selection in the senior women’s team.

Ireland will not send any junior women, but Alex Hunter, Iosac Coleman, Anthony Mc Cambridge and Ruairi Long are named in the junior men’s team.

The GB team for the World Mountain Running Championships (Uphill)

Senior Women: Emmie Collinge (Alta Valtellina), Emma Gould (Birchfield), Bethany Hanson (Ambleside), Sarah Tunstall (Kendal)

Senior Men: Jacob Adkin (Moorfoot), Chris Arthur (Keswick), Andrew Douglas (Inverclyde), Max Nicholls (Tonbridge)

Junior Women: Lauren Dickson (Lasswade), Anna MacFadyen (Forres), Helen Thornhill (Buxton), Rosie Woodhams (Kendal)

Junior Men: Euan Brennan (Ilkley), Joseph Dugdale (Copeland), Matthew MacKay (Rossendale), Jack White (City of Norwich)

The post GB name team for World Mountain Running Championships appeared first on Fast Running.

For anyone who has seen how I run, it may seem a little odd to for me to be talking about the ‘perfect’ running form.

With anteverted hips, an anterior tilted pelvis and knock-knees I’ve been told: “your legs were put on backwards,” but thankfully as a physiotherapist and international runner I know that doesn’t mean I have ‘bad’ running form.

Many articles that offer advice to improve running form say; hold the head up high, engage the glutes and swing the arms. These are all valid cues to improve form, however, in the process of thinking whilst running, style can become more rigid and people lose their fluidity of movement.

I understand that these generalisations around simple cues that target the mass audience can address some common biomechanical issues. However, runners can be a neurotic bunch and whilst you can improve our running form, to strive for perfection, in my opinion, is an impossible task.

If you watch any race, whether it be a road race, cross country or track you see that everybody runs differently. Some famous examples include Kenyan marathon runner Priscah Jeptoo and her knock-knees and Haile Gebrselassie with his over-pronating feet.

Also making the list is Paula Radcliffe and her nodding head and the countless Ethiopian female athletes, including Tirunesh Dibaba, with anterior tilted pelvis positions and increased curvature in the lower back. Maybe imperfections in running form are not the end of the world!

Every runner is different

I can’t stress that enough, every runner is different. You can have world champions with less than perfect styles and you can have four-hour marathon runners with seemingly beautiful looking biomechanics.

There are many factors that come into the equation and it would be too extensive to write about in one article. However, it is vital for any runner to be aware of their own weaknesses and imbalances with the main aim to minimise injury risk.

If you can work alongside a physiotherapist, sports therapist or massage therapist you can identify root problems for your individual style. This can be invaluable to help prevent injury, instead of relying on Dr Google.

For example, sometimes a muscle is tight because it is actually in a lengthened position, so if you get it massaged, stretched or you spend hours rolling it on a foam roller you may end up exacerbating the problem.

The gluteal muscles can present like this, and although they seem tight they can actually already be in a lengthened state and not require further stretching. So, if you read an article on foam rolling the glutes, you can in some cases be reducing your own hip control and be swinging an already existing imbalance back towards the more dominant hip flexors.

While self-treatment is a vital tool in maintaining an injury free training schedule, I want to emphasise that there is no “one size fits all” approach to running form and injury prevention.

Injury free or injured

If you are not injured one of the best techniques for improving running form is actually adding strides. For example, adding 4 x 80 metres or 6 x 8 second hill sprints to the end of some of your runs.

These short, high-intensity additions can also work the whole body in a very functional way that can directly benefit your running performance. If you tag them on to the end of your run when you are tired it can also help translate to better form when you are fatigued at the end of a race.

Drills are also a great way to gradually integrate better movement patterns and adding a few into your routine will, over time, help improve running form without having to think about individual components. In a previous article, I outlined a few basic drills all runners should do.

RELATED: What are the benefits of strides?

If you are struggling with an injury and have been told you need to work on your style – this does not mean you need to make a complete overhaul. Working on one weakness can influence the whole chain.

So you don’t need to run thinking about everything – how you are striking your foot, how wide your running stance is, is your pelvis level or if your head is held high.

To determine any specific weakness(es) you should seek professional advice first. Then as pain diminishes and you have been given the okay you can add drills, strides or hill sprints into your rehab to help the transition back to pain-free running and make running form improvements.

However, if you are set on self-diagnosis, you can try standing on one leg in front of a mirror and look at how each leg looks and feels simply balancing.

Add a knee bend and see how that affects you? Is it easier or harder on one leg? Does your knee spin inwards on the injured side? If so this is a good place to start but it does not replace seeking professional advice.

Your knee may have collapsed inwards all of your life so I believe the primary goal should be pain-free running and getting strong enough to control this collapse that could be causing pain. Trying to implement completely new movement patterns can be alien to how your body is used to moving and if “corrected” it can cause disruption elsewhere in the chain because your body has always moved like this.

The big picture

In the end, everyone can improve elements of their own specific running style. However, if many top athletes had worried about how their running form ‘looked’ they would never have stepped out of the door – never mind winning world or Olympic medals.

And while some would say that an athlete’s biomechanical imperfections should be corrected, it could also be argued that correcting Paula Radcliffe’s nod may have had a knock-on effect elsewhere. Who knows whether she may have lost some efficiency as this idiosyncrasy was part of how she moved.

Running form is undoubtedly important but you need to consider your individual style and be strong in the areas applicable to you.

If you can identify these, ideally with the help of a professional, I don’t believe it matters what it looks like when you run. As long as you are strong and injury free that is the most important thing rather than trying to match the photos in a textbook – that most of us are unlikely to ever replicate.

About the Author
Sarah Tunstall is a Chartered Physiotherapist and British international runner.

The post The ‘perfect’ running form appeared first on Fast Running.

Not to be all doom and gloom, but clocking up the miles and session after session all adds up and the repetitive action on the body leads to an increased risk of injury. For any runner who has been injured, you know the dread associated with not being able to run.

While there is no need to go and wrap yourself in cotton wool, it is important to understand that most injuries occur due to imbalances within the body. To counter this you need to make the body stronger and more efficient by targeting certain muscles and movement patterns with exercises.

Drills
Exercises that offer functional benefits directly related to running are called drills. Compared to ‘normal’ exercises, drills are used to strengthen entire anatomical chains rather than isolate one muscle at a time. They ingrain patterns of movement that make your running more efficient and help address the imbalances that can lead to injury.

Drills don’t have to take over your training regime. Often elite athletes will dedicate sessions only to drills, however, even adding a few easy moves to the beginning or end of your run a couple of times a week can help strengthen your running gait and reduce the risk of injuries.

Some arguments point in favour of drills being carried out before a run as a warm-up routine. This is the ideal, especially if you have had an injury and you are just re-starting training as it warms up and activates the correct muscles and movements used while running.

However, drills can also be implemented after a run. The benefit post run is that when fatigued, you are more likely to lose form and efficiency. Therefore implementing drills in this state can be more representative of a real-life situation when we could potentially get injured.

Have you ever been nearing the end of a race and you notice your knee lift or stride length has dropped or your knees start knocking together? Twisted an ankle in the later stages of a hard run or race? This is exactly the point at which we need our new found strength come to the forefront.

5 drills you can start doing today
The below five key drills are beneficial to running economy and a good starting point for implementing drills into your routine. Ideally, they should be done on a smooth, flat surface. A track is ideal, but a driveway, garden path or a pavement (if you don’t mind some confused stares from passers-by) are all fine. When you start to get comfortable with these drills, you can progress to practising on a gentle slope or a hill.

To begin with, start with only 2-3 minutes on each drill as you may feel some new aches or pains the day after and the emphasis on drills is on quality, not quantity. As you adapt to the new movements increase the time you spend on drills gradually.

1. High knees (Hip flexors)
Running fast, up hills, downhills, through mud and when you start to fatigue all lead to reduced knee lift, which is essential to driving us forward. Strengthening this movement will help maintain your running form under fatigue.

Looking straight ahead, imagine a string through the top of your skull to keep you tall and upright. Slowly walk through an exaggerated high knee movement. Keep your ankle and knee at 90 degrees as you lift the thigh perpendicular to the body. On the opposite, standing leg you should push strongly up onto your toes as the other leg lifts.

Move the arms alternatively in a running action to make the move more functional and include the whole running action, keep the elbow at a 90-degree angle to also promote the best form.

As you get stronger with this movement and it feels more natural, you can progress by adding more speed to the drill. Further down the line, you can introduce more of a skip action so that your stride becomes a bit longer and the movement more dynamic.

2. Hamstrings
The fatigue in hip flexors, coupled with a job (or commute) that entail a lot of sitting leads to your hamstrings, glutes and posterior chain becoming a bit dormant. This drill aims to strengthen that posterior chain by giving a “spring” like movement to help with power and propulsion off the ground.

Again, standing up tall, this time take the leg out in front of you with a straight knee and as the foot lands the aim is to spring off the ground using the mid-foot.

Start with small strides so that the spring action is enough to push the leg right back behind you. As you master this and feel the glutes and hamstrings working you can increase the stride length and/or pace of the drill. Always ensure your whole leg is moving behind you into extension as this will target the glutes more specifically.

3. Toe walks
Foot function is imperative to reducing the stress of running on the body. The foot absorbs a lot of shock as the first point of contact, and the movement of pushing off the ground – all within a very short space of time.

With the next drills, you are going to target more specifically the lower leg and foot strength.

This drill is done at a slower pace and if your neighbours are really starting to think you are losing the plot, thankfully they can be done inside the confinements of your own home. Bare feet are an advantage with this drill because this engages the small, intrinsic muscles of the feet.

Firstly ensure you have a tall, upright posture and keeping your knees straight rise up onto the balls of your feet. The big toe is a vital lever for pushing off the ground and actually directly influences the powerful gluteus maximus behind the hip. Ensure the ball of the big toe remains in contact with the floor on each move and the pressure is spread equally from left to right on each foot.

Move forwards only pushing from the foot and ankle.

4. Heel walks
As muscles work in pairs, the next move is counteracting the above and strengthening the muscles on the front of the shin. For anybody who has ever suffered from shin splints, you know how it feels for the poor muscles on the front to be bullied by the overactive and tight calf muscles behind.

Stand up tall with your heels only in contact with the ground. At this point, it is very important to just check what your toes are doing. In order to cheat, people can often recruit all the tendons running along the top of the foot instead of the muscle in the shin. If all these tendons have started popping up and your toes are all lifted towards the leg try and relax them slightly whilst staying on your heels. With this drill, you should feel the front of the leg doing the work and not the top of the foot.

5. Hopping
At no point during the running gait cycle are both feet on the ground at the same time and the whole action can be broken down into a series of alternating hops.

Hopping is essential and it helps improve the body’s balance and proprioception. Also the stronger you are on one leg at any one time the longer you can maintain good running form without overloading other structures and because of this physiotherapists will often use hopping as a gauge for returning to running after an injury.

The hopping drill is simple and with all the exercises discussed maintain good posture and keep the hips high. Choose a line or mark on the floor as a cue and hop forwards and backwards over this line. Maintain the good posture and next hop side to side over the line.

Hopping can be progressed in a number of ways; introducing a hold after each hop sounds easy but if you hop forward and hold the landed position for five seconds, then hop backwards and do the same it really challenges your control, from the ankle all the way up to your core stability muscles of the trunk.

When you have mastered this drill, hopping up a small slope, on and off an uneven surface or even on and off a small step are all great progressions to really challenge all the simple movements that make up the running gait.

Additional advice
Like stretching, core stability exercises and glute strengthening these drills can provide a useful adjunct to your training and help reduce the risk of injury in the long term. If you are already training specific muscles such as your glute strength, you don’t need to replace your isolated exercise routines but importantly drills help tie together the strength gains from exercises and activate the stronger muscles in a way that is functional to running.

The expectation is not that you will start running like a model in a textbook, with a perfect running style. Who does!? However, if you can make your individual style even 1% more efficient that helps in reducing the likelihood of injury and a happier runner all around.

About the Author

Sarah Tunstall is a Chartered Physiotherapist and British international mountain runner.

The post 5 running drills you should be doing appeared first on Fast Running.