Team announced for Senior Home International
England Athletics are pleased to announce the mountain running team for the 13th Mountain Running Home International which will take place on 11 May in Scotland.
This year's host event - the Glas Tulaichean Hill Race - is relatively short uphill-only race and will provide a fast but very tough challenge for all the athletes. As usual we are expecting some fantastic racing in both men’s and women’s events.
The British Athletics Mountain Running Championships was the selection race, this was also the European Championships Trial so included the very best athletes from the UK. England have selected strong teams including Joe Steward and Sara Willhoit who are both very experienced England and GB athletes and both took gold at the England senior mountain running championships which was also incorporated into the British champs. There is also a good mix of new athletes to mountain running and some of our past junior athletes stepping up to senior level.
Men's team
- Joe Steward (Salford Harriers & AC)
- Bertie Houghton (Dark Peak Fell Runners)
- Oscar Subuh-Symons (Ambleside AC, Sarah McCormack)
- Tim Lamont (Helm Hill Runners, Sarah McCormack)
- Tom Spencer (U23) (Buxton AC)
- Alex Mason (U23) (Dark Peak Fell Runners)
Women's team
- Sara Willhoit (Mercia Fell Runners)
- Phillipa Williams (Dark Peak Fell Runners, Mark Croasdale)
- Elle Twentyman (Rugby & Northampton AC)
- Eve Pannone (Ambleside AC Derek Hurton)
- Emily Shaw (U23) (Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds)
- Ellen Weir (U23) (Thames Hare and Hounds, Dean Miller)
Joe Steward won the British Athletics Mountain Running Championships (Uphill Only) race on a cool and very windy Friday evening to the top of Skiddaw Mountain near Keswick. He booked his place on the GB&NI team for the European Championships to be held in France at the end of May, as well as being selected to represent England at the Senior Home International. Last year Joe was 8th at the World Championships in the uphill event and has carried that form into the new season.
Bertie Houghton will be making his England debut and has had an impressive start to the season, he ran a 30mins 31sec PB over 10km at Trafford, he was 5th at the recent English Fell Running Championships race at Lad’s leap and had a fantastic race to finish 6th at the European Trial to gain England selection for the Senior Home International.
Oscar Subuh-Symons is another making his England debut, he is currently studying in Bangor so has the Snowdonia mountains close at hand for training, which is obviously paying off as he finished 7th in the European Trial to gain England selection. In his preparation he had a successful Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running where you race three times in three days.
Tim Lamont is the third of the senior men to be making his England debut and has been in great early season form, winning the first English Fell Championships race at Flower Scar as well as finishing 3rd at the second race, Lads leap. Tim has also been to race in Europe to gain experience at uphill racing.
Tom Spencer is our leading U23 athlete and is another showing fantastic early season form, he finished 7th in the recent English Championships race at Lads leap and was 5th in the European Trial, Tom has been selected as the reserve for the European Team. Alex Mason has made great strides in his performance this season and was one of the leading U23s to gain England selection, the Senior Home International will be another opportunity for Alex to race against the best mountain runners.
Sara Willhoit is our most experienced female athlete and has represented GB&NI at two World Championships and has competed over the long distance race as well as the relatively shorter uphill only race. Sara was part of the GB team that won the team bronze at last year's World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck. Sara was 2nd in the European Trial to gain England selection and will also be part of the GB team that goes to France for the European Championships at the end of May.
Phillipa Williams has been struggling with injury most of the winter so for her to finish 7th in the European Trial was a fantastic result. Phillipa was also part of the GB team that won bronze in the World Championships in the uphill race and also a team silver in the up and down race. Phillipa was 2nd in last year's Senior Home International.
Elle Twentyman is a very accomplished road runner, with a superb PB for 10km of 32mins 56sec. Elle was competing in her first major mountain race at the European Trial and finished in a brilliant 4th position, to gain selection to represent England at the Home International, as well as selection for the European Championships in France.
Eve Pannone is another who’s come through the junior ranks and has represented GB&NI at the the World Championships in Argentina and the European Championships in Zermatt, Switzerland. Eve was 5th in the European Trial to gain England selection, but will also be going to the European Championships after finishing 2nd two days later in the up and down European Trial.
Emily Shaw finished 10th in the uphill trial and was the 1st U23 athlete, Emily is from a track background and has done very little mountain running, which makes her performance all the more outstanding. Emily is currently studying in Edinburgh which gives her great access to the Scottish hills for training.
Ellen Weir was part of the GB&NI gold medal winning junior team, from the 2022 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in Thailand, as well as finishing a fantastic 4th place just missing out on the individual medals. Ellen ran for England at the Snowdon International last year making her senior debut and finished as the 2nd U23 athlete in the recent trial to gain selection to represent England at this years Home International
England have been very successful having had 11 Individual winners, on top of that the women have won the team title 10 times and the men have won the team title 9 times.