JOE STEWARD CLAIMS SUPERB WIN AT CHALLENGE STELLINA MOUNTAIN RACE

Joe Steward (Salford) claimed his first major victory in mountain running as he won the men’s race for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Challenge Stellina mountain race in Italy on Sunday (27).

Steward, who in June the highest performing senior British man at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, continued his excellent form in the mountains of Italy.

He earned a fantastic breakthrough win against the international field and led the senior men to team bronze. With the race shortened to 6.5km from the original 10km due to adverse weather conditions, Steward seized the moment to claim British success.

Jacob Adkin (Robbie Simpson, Keswick) was the next Briton home in 14^th, just under three minutes behind his compatriot. Andrew Douglas (Sophie Dunnett, Inverclyde) was 18^th with Dan Haworth (Hallamshire) 24^th overall.

Another athlete in strong form in 2023 is Scout Adkin (Angela Mudge, Ambleside) and she took individual silver in the senior women’s race. She was just under 30 seconds behind the race winner, world champion Andrea Mayr (AUT) and well clear of her nearest rivals behind.

Phillipa Williams (Dark Peak) and Sara Willhoit (Colin Livingstone, Shrewsbury) backed up Adkin with top 10 spots, placing sixth and seventh respectively, while Ruth Jones (Leeds City) was the fourth counter in 15^th. The excellent bunching of the British quartet meant the senior women grabbed team gold overall after their fine displays in the torrential rain in the mountains.

Results

Photo credit: Innsbruck Tourismus / Bause