Isla Paterson (photo by Bobby Gavin)
By Katy Barden
Cross country is a valid conversation starter, but Isla Paterson’s true running love is given away by the silver mountain pendant she wears around her neck.
The 18-year-old, who started running for Gala Harriers when she was eight, has made a name for herself across multiple disciplines in recent years.
In 2023 she finished runner-up (U20) at the Lndsays Short Course XC, represented Scotland at the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Liverpool and won the East District Cross XC title.
Making the podium at the Short Course – an achievement she repeated with bronze in 2024 – was, by her own admission, unexpected.
‘I don’t actually like the Short Course very much,’ she laughs.
‘I always think it’s too fast and too flat. When I go into it, I have to tell myself it’s a training run so I don’t put any pressure on myself and I’m not mentally over-thinking it. So far that has come off quite well.’
Hill runner Isla leads Scotland medal rush at Inter-Counties
Isla Paterson in action at Falkirk back in February (photo by Neil Renton)
Such an understatement is typical of Paterson’s modest character.
In 2024 she made her GB and NI debut in mountain running and finished 14th (contributing to team silver) at the European Off-Road Mountain Running Championships in Annecy, France.
Additional highlights throughout the year include silver at the Lindsays National XC in Falkirk; silver at the Scottish Schools (SSAA) Cross Country Championships; silver at the Scottish 5k Championships (road); a dominant victory at the UK Inter Counties (hill running); and her first Senior Scotland vest at the Trofeo Vanoni mountain relay race in Italy.
Her ‘formal’ introduction to hill running came by chance when club coach Neil Renton suggested it might be worth considering the 2019 Ben Lomond hill race.
It was an inspired move.
Renton’s influence and ability to carefully nurture talent has been crucial to Paterson’s development, but so too has his encouragement and willingness to let her move on.
Having spent a decade under his guidance she is now coached by Olympian Laura Weightman at Leeds Beckett University (with the support of head coach Andy Henderson) where she studies Sport and Exercise Science.
‘Neil did a really good job of getting me to the point where I was ready to move on,’ she says.
‘The good thing is that Laura and Neil are communicating and they’re working together; for example she’s reducing the track sessions for me just now because she knows I’ve not done the mileage before. They will also talk about my training when I’m back home over the holidays.’
Paterson has grown up with the hill running scene in Scotland. A regular in the Junior Hill Running League – she won the U20 women’s title in 2023 and 2024 – and on national training camps, she has also seen fellow Borderers Scout and Jacob Adkin, role models of the highest quality, succeed on the European and global stage.
Having such close contact to sporting stars is a fact she still finds hard to process, quite ironic given her uncle is former rugby international Chris Paterson, Scotland’s record points scorer.
‘I was always too scared to speak to them (when I was younger),’ she admits of the Peebles siblings.
‘If I saw them at a race I’d be like, ‘No way!’, and I’m still a bit like that now. It was weird at the Euros when we were all eating breakfast in the same room.
‘I know they’re just normal people and we’ve literally lived half an hour apart for so many years. But they are just so fast now.’
Lindsays National XC U20 Women’s podium at Falkirk (photo by Neil Renton)
Prior to moving south, Paterson would often do her Saturday hill sessions on her own. A favourite location would be Cademuir Hill near Peebles, a hill previously frequented by the Adkins who learned their trade on its toughest slopes during their Moorfoot days.
While Leeds itself is not known for its mountainous terrain, its proximity to the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District makes it an attractive base for hill runners, including those she’s met on hill running weekends and at races.
Importantly, being surrounded by high quality athletes on a regular basis – one of her first runs was with World U20 mountain running champion Rebecca Flaherty – will benefit Paterson in the long-term.
Moving into the new year, the Gala athlete, who benefits from the Scottish Borders Council Athlete Support Programme, says she will continue to race regularly in Scotland but will have the fun and camaraderie of British universities competitions to look forward to throughout her degree.
Her necklace, however, is a reminder of her big goals; competing at the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships in Spain is a target, but with small teams and a substantial financial commitment she knows it won’t be easy.
Moving to Leeds was a brave move, but courage starts with showing up and being seen. The school to university transition is a challenging one at the best of times, but her ability and ambition are a good fit for the Yorkshire talent hub.
‘You know when something just feels right and you can imagine yourself there?’, she asks.
‘I felt that stronger in Leeds than anywhere else I visited and I know it’s the right place for me. I’m enjoying it – and I know that I can excel there.’
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Features, hill running, Isla Paterson
