12 August 2014

Georgia Malir (coach: Andrew Henderson) and Robbie Simpson (Martin Cox) headline a strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland team that will travel to Italy next month for the IAAF World Mountain Running Championships. 

Malir took gold in the junior women’s race at the European Mountain Running Championships in Gap, France last month, whilst Simpson won silver in the senior men’s race, the first medal by a British athlete in this category in over a decade.

In that senior men’s race, Simpson is joined by trials winner Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett) who secured a top ten finish on his GB & NI debut in Gap, as well as seasoned GB & NI internationals James Walsh (Mike Baxter), Nick Swinburn (Lindsay Dunn) and Orlando Edwards.

The senior women’s team includes 2013 IAAF World Championship silver medallist Emma Clayton (Henderson), although that performance did come over the up and down format, as opposed to the mainly uphill format that will be contested this year.

Mixing marathons with mountain running, Rebecca Robinson secured a dominant victory at the trial race in Sedburgh at the weekend, and she and Clayton will be joined in Casette Di Massa, Italy on Saturday 14 September by experienced duo Katie Walshaw (Katherine Farquhar) and Mary Wilkinson.

Trials winners Catriona Graves (John Bell) and Andrew Lawler (David Campbell) lead the junior teams, with six of the seven junior athletes selected already having GB & NI experience.

On the strength of the GB & NI squad heading for Italy, Team Leader Sarah Rowell commented:

“Only one of the seventeen athletes selected will be making their Great Britain & Northern Ireland debut, plus most of the others know what it takes to win medals at this level having done so already, so it’s a strong team. Whilst we are traditionally stronger over the up and down format, there has been a growing confidence within Britain that we can succeed in the predominantly uphill only races, and so I fully anticipate another good medal haul in Italy.”

Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the IAAF World Mountain Running Championships:

Junior Women

Catriona Graves (John Bell)
Heidi Davies (Phil Banning)
Georgia Malir (Andrew Henderson) 

Junior Men

Andrew Lawler (David Campbell)
Max Nicholls (Peter Brenchley)
Jacob Adkin (Gregor Nicholson)
Max Wharton (Mark Goldie) 

Senior Women

Rebecca Robinson
Emma Clayton (Henderson)
Katie Walshaw (Katherine Farquhar)
Mary Wilkinson 

Senior Men

Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett)
Nick Swinburn (Lindsay Dunn)
Orlando Edwards
Tom Addison (Billy Proctor)
James Walsh (Mike Baxter)
Robbie Simpson (Martin Cox)