The Hill Running Season is Scotland – and beyond – is almost with us. Here’s a preview of the season ahead with a number of key events and dates highlighted. At the foot of this story, see link to YouTube for our recent online session about Hill, Mountain and Trail Running.
By Angela Mudge
This year’s British Athletics Long Course Hill and Fell Running Championships kicks off the hill running season in Scotland on 3 May at Stuc a’ Chroin.
The short race is in Northern Ireland on 24 May.
For 2025 most of the scottishathletics hill running season is condensed into a few weeks with the senior championship at Yetholm Hill Race, Hatterburn on Sunday 1 June.
The following week the West District championships are at Durisdeer on 7 June and two weeks later, on 21 June, Eildon Hill Race plays host to the Junior Championship and the East District championships. The North Championships are on 3 August at the long classic Glenshee 9 hill race.
There are two new hosts for the scottishathletics trail running championships.
The mid-trail championship is on 13 July at the Crieff 10km (only 1 km is on the road the rest is on trails) and the ultra-championship is the Ochil Ultra where competitors run from Stirling to Perth through the Ochils and along core paths.
Inter-Counties Mountain Running Championships are on 14 June at Pen-y-Ghent, in Yorkshire. If you are interested in representing your district, please contact your district rep by 5 May.
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For the juniors, the U18 Mountain Running Cup takes place on 14 June in Donovaly, Slovakia.
This year the race is an uphill only race (usually it’s up and down). This suits good endurance athletes and has no requirement for descending skills.
Scotland will take up to four junior girls and boys (born in 2008 and 2009) to the event. The trial will be held on 10 May at Broughton Heights. If you are interested in this event please contact angela.mudge@scottishathletics.org.uk
Senior international opportunities in 2025 include Trofeo and Vertical Nasego, an Italian race where there will be a six nations competition (different countries to the rugby version) on 24 May.
The Snowdon International on 19 July and the SHI on 17 August, which will be held in conjunction with the WMTRC trial.
And at the end of October Scotland will send a team to Trofeo Vanoni a relay event in Italy.
The Junior Home International is in Wales on 13 September where four male and female athletes will be selected to represent U20 and U17. Our trial event will be at the Cademuir Rollercoaster on 10 August.
The junior league (U17, U15, U13 categories and races for younger athletes at some) starts on 5 April with the Dumyat Junior Hill Race.
These races are designed as a gentle introduction to hill running. Details are at www.scottishhillrunners.uk/Juniors2.aspx
Details of the U20 league can also be found here.
The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships are at the end of September in Canfranc, Spain.
These courses promise to be classic alpine style races. The event includes an uphill only race, a classic up and down race (junior and senior), a 45 km mountain trail race and an 85km ultra-trial race.
Traditionally Scotland has strong representation at this event. All trial dates and details can be found at https://www.uka.org.uk/competition/running/mountain-running/world-trial/
For 2025 the championships are self-funded for GB and NI teams and a crowd funding page has been set up to support the team https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-fund-gb-world-mountain-trail-champs-team
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