17  September 2015

The World Mountain Running Championships descend on Betws-y-Coed, Wales on Saturday as the world’s best athletes take on the challenging up and down course to complete a week-long festival of mountain running in the region.

17 athletes will represent the British team at their home championships including 2013 (up and down) silver medallist Emma Clayton (coach: Andrew Henderson) and Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett), who won the British Athletics Mountain Running Challenge last month. Both will be part of competitive teams searching for medal success in the Welsh mountains.

Speaking ahead of the race, Clayton said: “It is amazing to have British Athletics and Welsh Athletics hosting the World Championships this year. The support we see other nations receiving when racing out in Europe is fantastic and something we’re always extremely envious of.  To know that the majority of people out on the course in Betws-y-Coed will be supporting you will make a massive difference.

“Whether it’s from the mountain running community, locals from the area or people wanting to come and watch a World Mountain Running Championships for the first time, I can’t encourage people enough to come down and experience the occasion.”

Clayton will be joined by Emily Collinge, Sarah Tunstall (self-coached) and Victoria Wilkinson in the senior women’s team, the latter replacing Hatti Archer who has withdrawn from the race with a slight injury. The women have won team silver at the last two editions of the Championships and will be targeting a similar outcome on home soil.

Tom Adams, Tom Addison (Billy Proctor), Ben Mounsey, Chris Smith and Robbie Simpson (Martin Cox), who won the trial for these Championships last month, will join Douglas in the senior men’s team that will be looking to improve upon fifth in the team standings in 2014.

Douglas, who finished 21st at the 2014 World Mountain Running Championships (uphill) is excited at the prospect of racing on familiar ground this weekend after taking on the course at the trials in August.

The Scottish athlete said: “It is a fast course but the climbs at the start of each loop can be quite intense. However, I’m sure there will be a good turnout of support which will make a big difference to the performances of all the British athletes.”

Max Nicholls (Peter Brenchley) and Jacob Adkin (Gregor Nicholson), fifth and sixth respectively at the European Championships in July, will be aiming high in the junior men’s race. They will be joined by John Spill and Jacob Boyle who will both make their maiden appearances in a British vest.

A trio of British athletes will be involved in the junior women’s event including trials winner Heidi Davies, 2014 European champion Georgia Malir (Henderson) and Scarlet Dale (Colin Gemson), who is added to the fold for the first time.

The British Athletics team for the World Mountain Running Championships on 19 September 2015:

Senior Men

Tom Adams

Tom Addison (Billy Proctor)

Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett)

Ben Mounsey

Robbie Simpson (Martin Cox)

Chris Smith

Senior Women

Emma Clayton (Andrew Henderson)

Emily Collinge

Sarah Tunstall (Self-coached)

Victoria Wilkinson

Junior Men

Jacob Adkin (Gregor Nicholson)

Jacob Boyle

Max Nicholls (Peter Brenchley)

John Spill

Junior Women

Scarlet Dale (Colin Gemson)

Heidi Davies

Georgia Malir (Andrew Henderson)

Follow @BritAthletics on Saturday 19 for live tweets from the event. A full report will follow the day’s racing in North Wales.