Team selected for World Mountain Running Association Nations Cup in Italy
To give elite mountain runners a chance to compete Internationally this year the WMRA have created a Nations Cup to which international teams are invited to compete on the 19k/660m Val Bregaglia Trail in Chiavenna, Italy on 31 October. This is because Covid concerns postponed this year's World Mountain Running Championships in Thailand to February 2022, and after the European Mountain Running Championships earlier this year was cancelled.
England have selected strong teams - many of whom are selected for Great Britain at the World Championships in Thailand in February - to race against the 15 Nations taking part.
Men
- Max Nicholls (Tonbridge AC, Peter Brenchley)
- Joe Dugdale (Cumberland Fell Runners, self coached)
- Chris Richards (Helm Hill/Salford AC, self coached)
- Billy Cartwright (Matlock AC, self coached)
Women
- Caroline Lambert (Middlesborough (Mandale))
- Kate Maltby (Bristol & West, Christopher Frapwell)
- Kirsteen Welch(Sidmouth, Tom Craggs)
- Sara Willhoit (Shrewsbury )
Max Nicholls is the current British Mountain Running Champion winning the British Championships in Sedbergh in September. Max has represented Great Britain at Mountain Running on eight occasions since his U20 debut in 2013. His best positions being 12th at the European Championships in 2018 as a senior and 6th as an U20 in the 2015 World Championships. Max is a strong cross country and road runner, a former South of England Cross Country Champion and will represent Great Britain in Thailand in February. Joe Dugdale is the current WMRA World and European U20 mountain running Champion, having won his titles in Argentina and Zermatt in 2019. Joe has represented England at junior level every year since 2015, winning his first Great Britain vest in 2017 coming 8th in the European Championships Joe was 2nd at the Europeans and 4th at the Worlds the following year before winning his titles. Joe will be representing Great Britain at senior level for the first time in Thailand at the World Championships, February. Chris Richards is current British Fell Running Champion and was 4th in the English Fell Running Championship series. Chris won his first England vest in 2013, competing for England every year since. He won his first Great Britain vest in 2017 coming 15th in the European Championships in Slovenia and 15th in the World Championships in Premana, Italy. Chris is a keen road runner with bests of 30.58 for 10k and 65.32 for half marathon. Chris will represent Great Britain for his first senior vest in Thailand at the World Championships. Billy Cartwright is the English Fell Running Champion after winning the six-race series in a great year. Billy was selected for England for the Senior Home International in September coming 8th. Billy will be representing Great Britain for the first time at the World Championships next February at 40k.
Caroline Lambert represented England and GB in MR as a junior. She is a consistent performer over all running terrains. Kate Maltby has represented England and Great Britain and raced widely on international circuit for mountain running and cross country. Kirsteen Welch was transitioning to mountain running before COVID hit and in 2019 saw a breakthrough in mountain when finishing 32nd in the 2019 World long distance champs in Argentina. She won the Snowdonia Trail Marathon in 2019, then finished 2nd overall in the 2021 Golden trails series. She was selected to run for GB in the postponed from 2021 to 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Champs in Thailand. Sara Willhoit came 11th in the 2019 World long distance champs in Argentina. She has run the Jungfrau marathon twice placing 3rd in 2019, and has a road marathon best of 2.49 from 2020.
England are also taking four U23 development athletes to gain senior international experience.
- Harry Bolton – Keswick AC – self coached
- Will Tighe – Buxton AC – Mike Ediker
- Eve Pannone – Eden Runners – Derek Hurton
- Finty Royle – Lancaster University AC – self coached
Harry Bolton’s first England vest after an impressive fell running season coming 2nd in the English U23 Championships. This is Will Tighe’s second England mountain running vest, earned after coming 13th at the Skiddaw World Championships trial. Eve Pannone won the FRA English U23 Championship series this year and represented Great Britain U20 at the World Championships in Argentina (16th) and the European Championships in Zermatt (6th). Finty Royle was 2nd this year in the FRA English U23 Championships and represented England (with Eve) at the WMRA Youth Cup in Lanzada in 2018.