Tom Evans bagged the bronze medal at 2018 Trail World Championships in the Penyagolosa mountain region of Spain on Saturday (May 12), as team-mate Jonathan Albon finished fourth and Ryan Smith 16th overall to clinch the team silver for Britain.

Run over 50 miles of rocky terrain the British men’s team went in with high hopes and did not disappoint. Evans challenged the lead from the start, chasing USA’s Zach Miller.

Miller is known for front running and paid the price for his early efforts by dropping from the front about 70km into the 85km mountain race.

Local knowledge paid dividends as the Penyagolosa course is one that rewards patience with few runnable sections until the end.

After two Spaniards Luis Alberto Hernando and Cristopher Clemente came through the field Evans held on to take bronze in 8:49:35.

Ex Spanish biathlete Hernando made it a third World Championship title in four years winning in 8:38:35.

GB’s Albon, a multiple OCR World Champ, raced a smart race to finish fourth in 8:53:41. This fantastic race on the trails for the Norway based Brit comes only a few weeks after winning the Bergen city marathon.

Spain took the team gold and GB’s Smith’s strong run to finish 16th secured a great team silver.

Holly Page was the leading athlete in the British women’s team finishing in a strong ninth in 10:37:52, while team-mate Beth Pascall secured 11th in 10:40:58. The team finished fourth overall with Katie Kaars Sijpersteijn coming home in 21st in a time of 11:10:09.

Sarah Morwood finished 33rd in 11:39:26.

The Netherlands’ Ragna Debats won the women’s title in 9:55:00, while Spain took the team title with Laia Canes their top finishing athlete in second place clocking 10:11:11.

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Owens and Pascall, who have both been part of medal-winning teams at these championships in the past, will lead the team over the 50 miles/80km course in the Spanish region of Penyagolosa later this year.

Scottish ultra runner Owens was fourth individually back in 2015 as he led the team to a bronze medal. He has been one of the British teams most consistent performers over the last few years.

Jon Albon who won the World Skyrunning Championships back in 2017 is also named in the team, while Rob Sinclair earns his first international cap after a string of outstanding results last year when he recorded course records across a number of established trail races in the UK.

Pascall was a top-ten finisher at the last edition of these Championships and she too was part of a bronze medal-winning women’s team. The six-strong team includes Katie Kaars Sijpersteijn who won the prestigious Lakeland 50 last July, setting a course record along the way.

“Selection for this event was very difficult, reflecting the real strength in depth we have in ultra-trail running in this country at the moment,” said Team Leader Adrian Stott. “We have a talented mix of established names and some new faces earning their debuts on the back of some very impressive performances in 2017.

“So we feel we have individuals capable of high placings, and solid teams that are able to mix it with the Spanish, French and Americans who traditionally do well in the team competition, which is a key element of the championship.”

The full British team:

Women
Rachel Campbell, Sally Fawcett, Katie Kaars Sijpersteijn, Holly Page, Beth Pascall and Sarah Moorwood.

Men
Jon Albon, Tom Evans, Tom Owens, Rob Sinclair, Ryan Smith and Andy Symonds *(subject to fitness).

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The team will include Jo Zakrzewski, and trial winners Tom Payn and Julie Briscoe.

The quintet of senior men will be led by Tom Payn, who will attempt to better his 47th place finish from last year’s championships. The ultra trail athlete, was first to cross the line at official trial event, finishing the 32 mile, Haworth Hobble course, in 3:54.18.

Company to the Run Fast athlete comes from Gareth Hughes and Matt Roberts, with both athletes securing automatic selection following respective second and third place finishes at the trials. Scot Kyle Grieg (Lewis Walker) earns his first British vest for the championships on the back of claiming fourth at the trial.

The top three female finishers from Haworth’s trial event are all present on the team following resolute runs in Yorkshire, with British Athletics team debutant Julie Briscoe (Bashir Hussain) heading up the women’s team following her victory last weekend.

Competing at her third consecutive IAU World Trail Championships, Sally Fawcett joins Briscoe on the team, with Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn also selected following an impressive run for third at the Hobble.

Carnethy athlete Helen Bonsor is selected on the back of her fourth place finish at the trial and, while last year’s World Trail team bronze medallists Jo Meek and Jo Zakrzewski will hope to emulate their runs from Portugal’s championships last October, as the pair complete the sextet of senior women on the team.

The British Athletics team for the  in Badia Prataglia, Italy on Saturday 10 June 2017:

Men:
Kyle Grieg
Gareth Hughes
Tom Payn
Matt Roberts

Women:
Helen Bonsor
Julie Briscoe (Bashir Hussain)
Sally Fawcett
Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn
Jo Meek
Jo Zakrzewski

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