Crunch time in Blackburn
The GB girls - 2009 World Mountain Running Champions
The UK’s elite mountain runners go on Trial this Saturday, as the selection races for World MR Champs in Albania on 11 Sept and Commonwealth Mountain Championships in Wales on the 24 Sept take place at Witton Park, Blackburn…
The trial races take on extra significance this year as they will determine the GB squads for the men, women, junior men and junior women, which will travel to Albania in 4 weeks, and also the English and Welsh teams who will head to Llanberis two weeks after the World Champs for those Commonwealth Champs. So there is a lot at stake!
Some may be asking why a trial race for such events is taking place in the relatively low-altitude of Witton Park, a venue more akin to hosting XC races. Well, looking at the WMRC course profile, which rises a mere 200m above its 122 metre start point on each lap it will be a course which is best suited to a fast road runner, who can climb, as opposed to an out-and-out mountain runner.
With entries on the day it’s a little tricky to see who the contenders are, however we can expect a heady mix of road, mountain and fell running talent to take to the Witton Park course, and here are a few probables courtesy of my International, UKA and Run Britain contacts, who include Jackie Newton and Sarah Rowell (reliable sources I might add!):
Women:
Dionne Allen
Kate Goodhead
Sarah Tunstall
Mary Wilkinson
Katie Ingham
Rebecca Robinson
Vic Wilkinson
Emma Clayton
Lizzie Adams
Pippa Maddams
Men:
Andi Jones
Tom Cornthwaite
Tom Addison
Matt Clowes
Robbie Simpson
Lloyd Taggart
Nick Swinburn
Adam Osborne
Orlando Edwards
Chris Smith
James McMullen
Adam Grice
Garry Rankin
Dewi Griffiths
Rob Samuel
Racing gets underway at 12.45pm, with further info at the FRA and UKA sites…
Tom Cornthwaite - winner of the 2010 trial on Snowdon
Reactions so far
Malcolm Patterson Aug 11, 10:21 AM
This race is not the trial race for the Scottish team for the Commonwealths! Rather this is on August 28th at Menstrie, details here:
http://www.shr.uk.com/NewsItems.aspx?NewsItemID=1039
Thanks!
flixstr Aug 11, 01:21 PM
I think the course is deceptive and a lot tougher then runners will expect, the conditions have changed in the last few days with a lot of rain which will make it a little slower. Tom has to be right up there with a cahnce being on his home turf !
Matt MST Aug 11, 05:27 PM
Thanks Malcolm! Some duff info I got there, amended now…
Cheers