Today’s Sprint Race took place in Scuol, with the Arena located around the main event centre for the whole JWOC competition writes Harrison McCartney.

The atmosphere was certainly fitting for a World Championships race, with extensive TV coverage on the big screen in the arena (utilising GPS and drones) for a crowd of spectators, most of whom were taking shelter from the heat. The conditions added to the physically tough race (both courses having approximately 100m of climb), with all the competitors taking on the steep alpine town under a glaring sun. The mental toll of high intensity racing became noticeable after the spectator control, as competitors entered a small parkland section which had been transformed by a myriad of artificial fences intended to draw poor route choices from tired runners. Dane Blomquist, who was flying into a top 20 place at the spectator, said he suffered from a “lack of concentration, crumbling under the heat of the race and the conditions” in the final section, losing considerable time near the end to come in 41st.

The course consisted of several distinct sections, with, initially, a technically straightforward section on a steep slope, then a descent through some short and sharp legs, before a long leg that divided competitors. Noticeably, this included the route of Joey Hadorn (winner of the men’s), who opted for a longer route to maximise pace along the Northern road, compared to the vast majority of similarly paced runners, who cut past the event arena in view of the spectators. This was a crunch leg for many - Will Rigg mentioned that a mistake midway through the long leg cost him a “potential Top 30”. Despite this setback, he “kept pushing until the end”, spurred on by the support of others (with a particular “shout-out to Tony Carlyle”).

One GB runner who didn’t seem to falter under the pressure of racing was Megan Carter Davies (pictured), who came in an incredible 7th. This was especially so, when placed in the context of only having run a few races beforehand, due to a serious leg injury which put her out of running training completely up until May, therefore leaving her with only 2 months to prepare physically. Clearly, the transition from “power walking” the British Long to nailing a World Championship sprint was made to look relatively easy, despite being “nervous giving the lack of recent racing”. Her resolve was clear, saying that she just needed to “not get distracted” and “get all the controls”, overcoming “tiring in the second half”, which clearly affected a lot of competitors, who were previously looking strong at the spectator.

*Megan's 7th is the best position ever accomplished in the women's JWOC sprint competition.

After a solid set of performances for the GB athletes, focus has quickly turned to the very different challenges that will be faced in the Long Distance race taking place tomorrow. Those who were not running in the sprint today were watching at the arena, itching to run and waiting in anticipation for what should be a classically tough, Long Race. The sprinters would all like to thank the coaching team for their support at the Start and Finish, Fuel-It for the provision of pre and post-race nutrition and everyone from Great Britain who came out and gave their support as spectators.

Results:

Girls

7th Megan Carter Davies

51st Julie Emmerson

84th Sarah Jones

Boys

41st Dane Blomquist

61st Will Rigg

*report updated 0608hrs 11th July.