Naomi Lang has flown out to Thailand as she prepares to represent Great Britain for the first time in her career at this weekend’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.
The Aberdeen AAC athlete, who moved to Edinburgh in the summer, had already been selected as the first reserve – but after one of her teammates pulled out injured last month, Lang was given the nod to make her international debut.
The 22-year-old will join her teammates Scout Adkin, Kate Avery and Holly Page on the start line of the 10.7km up and downhill course on Sunday morning.
Although it is the first time Lang will represent Great Britain, it is not the first time she has been selected.
The Aberdonian, who had been working at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary earlier this year, had obtained selection for these same championships a year ago before they were postponed due to strict Covid-19 laws in Thailand.
It meant Lang had to gain selection for a second time, and after a frustrating display at the trial races for the championships, Lang feared she had run out of luck. The competition, held last month in Moffat, Dumfries, saw her finish in fourth place.
She said: “I didn’t have my best race, to be honest. I didn’t run very well that weekend, because it was an ‘up-only’ trial.
“I am better running on the uphill and downhill courses. It just wasn’t quite enough to get me into one of the automatic selection spots.”
Receiving the call-up only days before the team was due to fly out to Thailand, Lang is now feeling more optimistic, particularly as she had been enjoying a strong mountain running season in the lead-up to the trial races in Moffat.
“(After teammate Phillipa Williams withdrew) I had a phone call saying British Athletics would try and get the flight name changed or pay for another flight. I haven’t had time to think about it properly because I only found out last Monday that I was going for sure.”
The World Championship course will be run in the province of Chiang Mai – known locally as the Rose of the North – and will involve an ascent of 246ft. Though the international course is a first for Lang, the competition is also enjoying something of an unveiling. The World Mountain Running Championships were first held back in 1985, but the 2022 instalment will be the first time the Mountain and Trail Running Championships will be held together.
Though the average temperature in Thailand for October is about 23C, one of the challenges will be humidity of the tropical climate, as well as the fact there is only one water point. Despite this, the sense of adventure Lang enjoys from mountain running will surely see her relish the challenge.
Land said: “It will probably be a bit hot, but we have a week before to acclimatise. I quite like the up-and-down format. I like the up but I also quite like the down. It’s a bit more varied. If you do up only then you have to come back down again anyway.
“Being there a week before helps. There will be ice vests as well which we can use. You end up in very cool places especially compared to running around the track. I like the variety and how every course is different.”
The uphill section of the course seems likely to have something of a staccato feel to it, with the steepest inclines coming in short, sharp bursts. The downhill section, Lang’s preferred part of the course, sees a more gradual descent back into the city of Chiang Mai.
Another athlete competing at the championships is Sasha Chepelin, who grew up in Cults and attended Banchory Academy before going on to study at Edinburgh University. The 25-year-old, a regular in the GB orienteering set-up, is also making his debut for Great Britain, and will compete alongside well-known Highland runner Andrew Douglas.
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