Team selected for Snowdon Mountain Running Home International
This year for the first time the Senior Home International is being run at the Snowdon Mountain race and will provide a very tough test for all the athletes. As usual we are expecting some fantastic racing in both men’s and women’s events. which will take place on Saturday 15 July.
Team Manager Mark Croasdale told us,
"We’ve selected strong teams including Chris Richards, Phillipa Williams and Sharon Taylor who have recently represented Great Britain at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck, Austria."
This is the 12th Mountain Running Home International and defending champions England have been very successful having had 11 Individual winners, on top of that the women have won the team title 9 times and the men have won the team title 8 times. Chris Richards won the Senior Home International last year and is in the team again hoping to retain his title.
England Team selections
Grant Cunliffe (Club: Rossendale Harriers, Coach: Steve Duxbury)
Ben Rothery (Ilkley Harriers, Sarah McCormack)
Chris Richards (Helm Hill Runners/Salford Harriers, Duncan Richards)
Dan Haworth (Matlock AC)
Finlay Grant (U23) (Dark Peak Fell Runners)
Will Tighe (U23) (Buxton AC/Chesterfield AC, Andy Henderson)
Phillipa Williams (Dark Peak Fell Runners)
Nichola Jackson (Keswick AC, Billy Cartwright)
Victoria Wilkinson (Bingley Harriers)
Sharon Taylor (Helm Hill Runners)
Chloe Leather (U23) (Liverpool Pembroke, Mark Bleasdale)
Ellen Weir (U23) (Thames Hare and Hounds, Dean Miller)
About the team
Grant Cunliffe has had a fantastic year, running well in the cross country season as well as the roads. He has also translated that form to the mountains, Grant was selected for the England team by winning the trial race at Fairfield Horseshoe; he will be making his England debut at Snowdon. Ben Rothery will be making his 2nd appearance for England at the Snowdon Mountain race and is determined to improve on his impressive 5th place last year. Ben was 3rd in the trial race at Fairfield to gain selection. Chris Richards has represented GB&NI and England on the mountains numerous times as a junior and now as a successful senior athlete. Chris has recently come back from the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships where he competed in both the uphill race and the up and down race. Chris will be making his debut at the Snowdon Mountain Race. Dan Haworth represented GB&NI at both the European and World Mountain Running and Trail Championships in 2022. Dan is currently in 5th position in the English Fell Running Championships and is having another strong season, he also ran at Snowdon for England in 2019.
Fin Grant represented GB&NI at both the European and World championships last season as a junior and was the bronze medallist from the European Championships. He also ran at Snowdon last year finishing in 8th position. Fin was 5th at the trial at Fairfield and is our leading U23 athlete. Will Tighe has represented England as a junior and this will be his debut as a senior athlete. Will was 10th at the trial and the 2nd U23 athlete.
Phillipa Williams is another who has recently represented GB&NI at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships held at Innsbruck, Austria. Phillipa also doubled up helping the women’s team to win the bronze in the Uphill race and silver in the Up and Down. Phillipa convincingly won the trial at Fairfield and will be making her debut at the Snowdon Mountain race. Nichola Jackson is currently 2nd in the English Fell Running Championships and was also 2nd at the trial race at Fairfield. Nichola represented GB&NI at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand last November - helping the team to win the bronze medal. Vic Wilkinson is currently leading the English Fell Running Championships and was 3rd at the trial at Fairfield. Vic has won the English Championships 5 times and is a 2 time winner of the British Championships. Last season Vic won the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in the V40 category. Vic has represented England and GB&NI at numerous International Championships, including 24 times at the European and World Championships from 1997 to 2018. Sharon Taylor has represented GB&NI at the last 3 major Championships, the Europeans in La Palma and the Worlds in Thailand last year and more recently the World Championships in Innsbruck, in June this year. Sharon was 5th at Snowdon last year and was part of the winning International team.
Chloe Leather will be making her international debut for England and has been working and training hard on the fells and mountains over the last two seasons. Chloe was 10th at the trial race and was the leading U23 athlete. Ellen Weir was part of the GB&NI gold medal winning junior team, from the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand last November, as well as finishing a fantastic 4th place just missing out on the individual medals. As a first year senior Ellen had a great run at the World uphill trials in May finishing 8th. This will also be Ellen’s Senior debut for England.