Edinburgh-based Carnethy Hill Running Club will have plenty to celebrate at their annual end-of-season ceilidh on Saturday.
Fresh from their men winning the British Hill and Fell Running Relay Championship for the first time since 2021 at Mawddwy, Powis, the club followed up by competing in the prestigious Trofed Vanoni Relays in Italy where Matthew Knowles, Finn Lydon and Finlay Todd became only the second British team in 68 years to top the podium.
The race is centred around the town of Morbegno in Lombardy.
According to Carnethy vice president Sasha Chepelin the British success which paved the way was a “real team effort” involving the entire club.
Sasha explains that by saying competition for places has raised standards to the extent that trial races had to be held before Fin Lyons, Finlay Todd, Eddie Narbett, Ali Mason and himself were selected to fly the flag in the steep valleys of Wales.
“When we last won the British title in 2021 it was nor really expected but since then we have grown a really strong base in terms of depth of runners over various distances and courses.
“The Open men’s race featured 60 teams and altogether there were 190 competing in the respective categories including our women who did well to come in fourth.
“Main opposition for the men over the South Snowdonia course came from the Lake District (Ambleside and Keswick) as well as Yorkshire.”
Sasha, an energy sector analyst who came to Fell Running from Orienteering adds:
“Our club now has around 700 members and we are almost struggling to keep up with who is who looking ahead to the national championships in February before which we’ll all have a bit of a break.
“That membership has, however, allowed us to cultivate a strength where newcomers can find themselves alongside some of the best runners in the world at our club.”
Although Edinburgh-based Carnethy do much of their training in Midlothian’s Pentland Hills.
