Borderer Scout Adkin wins mountain-running world cup for second year on trot despite missing last four rounds
Borderer Scout Adkin has won the World Mountain-Running Association’s women’s world cup for the second year on the trot despite missing out on this season’s finale in Slovenia at the weekend due to injury.
The Peebles 32-year-old took part in nine of the 15 events counting for this year’s cup, winning three and finishing as runner-up in five and fifth in one of them.
With competitors’ nine best results being taken into account, the Moorfoot Runners senior ended up 30 points clear at the top of the women’s leaderboard on 388 points.
Second, third and fourth places went to Kenyan runners Valentine Rutto, Gloria Chebet and Joyce Muthoni Njeru on 358, 245 and 239 points respectively.
Two other Britons secured top-ten places, Warwickshire’s Elle Twentyman, seventh on 152 points, and Edinburgh’s Kirsty Dickson, tenth on 118.
Chebet won Sunday’s 10km race at Smarna Gora in 49:55, with Rutto second in 51:02, American Courtney Coppinger third in 51:09 and Twentyman fifth in 52:00.
Rutto’s failure to finish Saturday’s 8.5km uphill race at Velika Planina ruled her out of contention to bid to deny Adkin the title.
First place that day went to Finland’s Susanna Saapunki in 1:01.43, with Italy’s Benedetta Broggi second in 1:04.32, Dickson third in 1:04.33 and Chebet fifth in 1:05.13.
“The courses this year have been some of the most challenging I’ve faced but also the most rewarding,” said Adkin.
Her finishes as first-placed female runner were over 7km in round 11 in Italy in July, 25km in round four in Poland in June and 20km in round one in Romania in May.
They were accompanied by two second places in Italy later in May, over 4km and 22km, another two seconds in rounds seven and eight in China in July, over 5km and 20km, and a second and fifth in rounds nine and ten in France later in July, over 6km and 14km.
Adkin’s winning margin this time round represents a 30-fold increase on the single point she won 2024’s title by, ending up with 339 points to Njeru’s 338, a year on from losing out to Njeru, 28, and finishing second.
The four rounds that Adkin sat out this season prior to Saturday and Sunday’s finals were two in the USA in June, over 7km and 23km, one in Italy in July, over 32km, and one in Switzerland earlier this month, over 31km.
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