GB & NI triumph at the European Off-Road Championships
The GB & Northern Ireland team had a thoroughly successful campaign at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia, with English athletes contributing to a strong medal haul across the weekend.
The championships opened on Friday with three titles for GB&NI in the uphill only races. Morven Goodrum (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow, Sophie Mullins), in her senior GB&NI debut, dominated the field to secure a fantastic individual victory in the women’s event with Scout Adkin (Ambleside AC, Angela Mudge) in fifth leading home the team to gold supported by Kirsty Dickson (Carnethy Hill RC), and Hannah Russell (Helm Hill Runners).
In the men’s uphill event, Jacob Adkin (Keswick AC, Robbie Simpson) took an impressive individual gold, with a competitive team performance, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place. Finlay Grant (Dark Peak Fell Runners) placed 11th, Matthew Knowles (Carnethy Hill RC, Sophie Dunnett) finished 23rd, and Tom Spencer (Dark Peak Fell Runners) was 41st.
In the U20 races earlier in the morning Nancy Corrie (Harmeny AC, Craig Stewart) took a top-five finish in 22:42. Hania Czebreszuk (Aberdeen AAC, Lewis Walker and Nicola Crawford) was the second Novuna GB&NI finisher in 19th (25:14), followed by Isla Pastor (Warriors Pentathlon & Athletics Club, Ronan Kearney) in 22nd (25:23) and Sophie Wood (City of Salisbury) in 38th (28:57). The team placed fifth overall.
In the U20 men’s race, Joel Gillan (Central AC) finished inside the top ten with ninth place in 20:07, with Kieran Hardie (Harmeny AC, Andy Ross) close behind in 14th. Lachlan Thomas (Ross County AC, Sophie Dunnett) placed 21st and Rowan Taylor (Lasswade AC, Kirk and Linda Smith) was 39th. The men’s team narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing fourth.
Across the trail races, England athletes were also prominent. In the women’s race, Scarlet Dale (Ambleside AC, Mark Croasdale) ran prominently within the lead group for much of the opening stages before fading slightly in the latter half, ultimately finishing 14th. She was followed by Eve Pannone (Ambleside AC, David Roche) in 19th, while Emily Cowper-Coles (Rotherham Harriers/Dark Peak Fell Runners) placed 29th and Kirsty Oldham (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) finished 48th, combining to secure fourth place for the team overall.
In the men’s race, Luke Grenfell‑Shaw (Lonely Goat RC, Lewis Moses) led the team with an excellent run to finish eighth. Ben Rothery (Ilkley, Sarah McCormack) was next home in 21st, followed by Alexander Chepelin (Carnethy Hill RC, Sophie Dunnett) in 27th and Andy Symonds in 33rd, as the team finished fifth overall.
The final day of racing saw England athletes make a significant impact in the up-and-down events. In the U20 men’s race, Ewan Busfield (Derby AC, Jethro McGraw) produced an excellent sprint finish to secure a brilliant individual bronze medal. He was supported by strong performances from teammates with Ben Hodson (Stewartry AC, Angela Mudge and Nicky Cruikshank), Lachlan Thomas (Ross County AC, Sophie Dunnett) and Adam Bentham (Mercia Fell Runners, Dan Connelly) working well together as a pack throughout the race. Hodson and Thomas finished strongly to take 12th and 13th respectively, with Bentham close behind in 18th. Their combined efforts secured team bronze, with GB & NI the only nation to have all scoring athletes finish inside the top 20.
In the U20 women’s race, Isla Pastor (Warriors Pentathlon & Athletics Club, Ronan Kearney) led the GB & NI team home with a ninth-place finish. She was followed by Constance Jenneson (Buxton AC, Alison Hartopp and Bev Hartigan) in 15th. Nancy Corrie (Harmeny AC, Craig Stewart) made a strong start and was in medal contention early on, but after following a runner off course, she dropped back to finish 22nd. Graihagh Turner (Penistone Footpath Runners & AC) completed the team’s results in 36th.
Nancy Scott (Edinburgh AC) produced an outstanding performance in the senior women’s up-and-down race to take the silver medal, moving up from third after the opening lap with a strong climb on the second ascent to secure her position.
The GB & NI women’s team went on to secure bronze in a tightly contested competition. Scout Adkin (Ambleside AC, Angela Mudge) also delivered an impressive performance to finish fourth after competing in the lead group throughout. Naomi Lang (Carnethy Hill RC/Glasgow Uni, Lewis Walker) placed 23rd, with Elle Twentyman (Rugby & Northampton) close behind in 27th, completing the scoring team.
In the senior men’s up-and-down race, Matthew Knowles (Carnethy Hill RC, Sophie Dunnett) led the team home in 15th despite suffering a fall on the descent. Oscar Subuh-Symons (Ambleside AC, Sarah McCormack) finished 22nd, with Tom Wood (Eryri Harriers, Matt Seddon) in 37th and Finn Lydon completing the team, as GB & NI secured ninth place overall.