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The Steep Stuff Podcast
#192 - Kirsty Skye Dickson
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A 3:05 at Sierre-Zinal and a Mont Blanc Marathon 23K podium is the kind of season that usually comes with “full-time pro” stamped on it. Kirsty Sky Dixon is doing it while working full-time as an orthodontist in Scotland, and the way she thinks about that balance might change how you approach your own training and goals.
We talk through what Sierre-Zinal felt like on her first attempt, why the course is so addictive, and how the race exposes both strengths and weaknesses, especially when you’re a pure climber who wants to level up on technical descents. Kirsty shares what she noticed about the heat, the atmosphere, and the little details that matter when the times are historic and you’re racing the mountain as much as the field.
From there, we get into the practical side: training for big vertical when you don’t have endless alpine climbs outside your door. Her setup is surprisingly simple, built around Arthur’s Seat, commuting runs to the train, weekend adventures in the hills, and the accountability of guidance from mountain running legend Angela Mudge. We also dig into the UK hill running and fell running culture, why Edinburgh is such a strong hub, and how Great Britain team trials work when selection is tight and timing is tricky with a clinical schedule.
One note: we hit technical difficulties and lost the final portion of the conversation, so the recording ends abruptly. If you enjoy this one, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s juggling big goals, and leave a quick rating and review so we can keep bringing these stories to the trail running community.
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Welcome And What We Lost
SPEAKER_01What is up, guys? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I am your humble host, James L'Orealow, and today I am so excited to welcome Kirsty Sky Dixon to the show. If you guys have been following along on the international scene, races like Ceres Anall and the Mont Blanc Marathon, you would be familiar with that name. Kirsty has truly become one of the best uphill runners on the planet in the last few years. And it was just so exciting to get to catch up with her. She just got back fresh off a 14th place finish at Ceres Annal, where she ran 305, which is just so smoking fast on that course. On top of that, she also took third at the 23k at the Mont Blanc Marathon this year, and has been crushing it on the WMRA scene, and has represented Great Britain in the uphill as well. We talked a lot about balance in this episode. Kirsty is also an orthodontist and uh very invested in her career and what she does. So balancing becoming one of the best on the planet as well as um operating at a high level in her day job. Not an easy thing to do. So we got a lot into that. Part of the reason why I'm also recording this intro is because we had a little bit of technical difficulties. I was really upset. We lost maybe the last 20 minutes of the interview, which is a super bummer. So we only have like 37 minutes of recording. So you'll notice when you get to the end after 37 minutes, it just kind of shuts off. Um so I did my best in post-production to kind of fix and clear some of it up. But yeah, unfortunately, we weren't able to revive some of that. So super bummer. We'll have to have her back on. Um, but for the sake of time right now with UTMB and all that going on, um, yeah, we'll have to wait until after all that goes down. So thanks for tuning in. I really appreciate it. Um, do want to give a shout-out to brand sponsor CDUSUS for this production and helping to make all this possible. Um, once again, if you haven't already, use code SteepStuff for 20% off your car at CDUS.us. I've been a big fan of the trail uh three feet um as well as the as far as socks goes, the run and atomic comfort have been my jam. I'll be racing in those next weekend. So super pumped on that. Um yeah, thanks for tuning in, guys.
SPEAKER_00This is the Steep Stuff Podcast.
Sierre-Zinal Debrief And Course Feel
SPEAKER_01All right, Kirsty Sky Dixon, welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm good. Thanks. Thanks so much for having me. It was very kind.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, can you hear me? You broke up a little bit already.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, sorry, I said thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01Oh, no, no worries, no worries. How's uh how's the day going so far? Super excited to have this conversation.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's been a very good day. Uh as I mentioned, it's a bit more of a flexible day on a Monday because I do some research on a Monday, so you're not in clinic kind of flustered all day, so it's a good day.
SPEAKER_01Nice, nice. How's the recovery going uh from post-series and all?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's been lovely actually. It's nice to get home because I was out there for a couple of weeks. Um, so it's nice to be in the pouring rain in Scotland and yeah, in that bit more of a routine.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what a result. How do you feel uh just like post-race about the your performance and everything like that? I mean, absolutely spectacular uh performance overall.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was it was really cool. I'm definitely a climber, and I think CRS now was like, yeah, just showing the world how much like of a climber and non-descender I am. Um, but it was a really good race, and it's one of those things that kind of gets you itching back for more. And you kind of pick up the little pieces of like, oh, I wonder if I could get better at jumping boulders. And yeah, so but it was really good, an incredible atmosphere, and yeah, really nice to have like my buddy Morvin there. And yeah, so it was good. I think we were punching on the uphill.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Now, how brutal was uh I mean, that's your first go at it, right? Or something like somewhere in there? Yeah. First first go. What did you uh just think overall as far as just the beauty of the course? Obviously, you're not looking too much at uh around, you're you're you know destroying yourself. Um, but just what did you think overall from just the course and just the the level, I guess, of the competition in general and things like that?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I guess I had the privilege of being there a couple days before as well. So I kind of got up high, admired all the views. And yeah, for me, kind of the hills back home, getting a climb that's you're climbing for 2,000 meters, that's spectacular. That's honestly my dream. So I think having that and starting in the woods when it's a bit hot down below, and then when you kind of crescent and come out and you can see down the entire valley, it's like it is incredibly special. And yeah, even when you're running, you can't help but take in the view.
SPEAKER_01How was the heat this year for you guys? I've heard conflicting things. I've heard some people say it was relatively hot for them and they suffered. I heard some people say it was a little bit cooler of a year. Um, how did it go for you?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I guess um if you ask any Scottish person, it was hot. We're used to like 12 degrees is hot for us. So um, yeah, I would say it was it was warm. I wouldn't say it was cold. Um, but it was it was manageable because I think you start in the trees, and those sponges are incredible. They give you like cold water sponges, and that was like I thanked everyone who handed me a sponge. That was brilliant. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Wow. Yeah, it's interesting. It's funny because you always see, I mean, from afar, from like the golden trail recaps and stuff like that. It it looks like it's just like people are suffering in the heat, especially from the start. It looks like it's all the corral is just very, very packed in there. It looks warm. It's a little bit later in the day, you know, not first thing in the morning. So yeah, it's interesting. I uh I don't know. Well, you do you do you have plans to go back? Because I feel like it takes a few times to finally kind of get the most out of yourself there, from what I've heard.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think so. I can see why it's a bit addictive. Because I think, yeah, it's one of those things. There are so many different sections to it. So there are so many things that you can think back and be like, oh, I wonder if I tried to do that before the race, if that would I would be able to shave a little bit there. Or and I think the good thing about Sierra Zanal is it's not even it's not even so much you're racing everyone around you, like the times are so historic that you're almost racing yourself and seeing what you can get from you. And I think that's a really nice concept.
Training For Big Climbs In Scotland
SPEAKER_01How how was the training getting ready for a race like this in Scotland, like where you live? Like, is it obviously you don't have 2,000 meters, you know, nobody has a double VK, or not many people have double VKs unless you like live in the proper mountains. But in Scotland, I'm sure you have to get pretty uh crafty, especially not just with uh the climbing, but the weather, just everything. Uh how are you able to balance that?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I guess um, I think we Scottish UK people like they're good at climbing. And I think we often a lot of us that are like in hill running spend a lot of time just kind of faffing on hills. Um, like out my window. I wonder if I could see it. Don't know if you can see that little hill there. That's Arthur's seat. Yeah. Um yeah, and that hill's like my life, if I was honest. It's maybe 150 meters of climbing. Um, but you get everything on it. You've got scrambly rock, you've got nice descents, you've got tracks. Um and yeah, for me, I guess I work full-time and I actually work an hour away in the train. Um, so I kind of like usually run over that to the train station, then run back over that to the train station. And I guess I I'm not someone who overthinks training, I would say. Um it seems to do bits for climbing. Um, so yeah, I think we've got some good like thousand-meter climbs as well. So we do have some pretty good hills. They're not 2,000 meters, but they're they're punchy.
SPEAKER_01It's good enough, yeah.
Balancing Elite Running With Full-Time Work
SPEAKER_01How do you so uh we're gonna get into your backstory pretty soon, but I I'd say first question is is you know, you you do things full-time, like you work full-time, but you're also one of like you become like one of the best in the world, which is amazing. How the heck do you balance both? Training at a super high level, putting in a ton of work on the training side, but also putting in, you know, the proper work for your day job.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, um I guess it's an interesting question of a balance because um running for me, I don't see it as like a career. I guess I've got this career that I've I don't know, you work since I want to be an orthodonist since I was 12. And yeah, I always see that as the thing that you're like chipping away at, working at. And then running's always been that escape. And I actually think maybe the lack of pressure, maybe the fun side of it is the reason that I don't know, it's the best part of the day when you're leaving clinic, and I know there's a friend that's gonna be at the train station to meet me and run over the hill. And I think in a way, it I know like there would definitely be positives to being a full-time professional athlete and the recovery um that's probably lacking at a lot of the time. Um, but I do think in a way, like the passion for running, just being such a hobby, um can actually also make you, I don't know, balance it quite well. It's something that you'd love to do, um, regardless.
SPEAKER_01I think it gives you an edge. Because like like like I said, like you you really are like truly like you I mean, you just showed a couple like last weekend at series and all with your performance, like truly one of the best to do it right now, um, which is really cool. But also, like, yeah, you're not a full-time pro, which is uh, I think even cooler because yeah, it it does take off that profess it takes off that pressure. Uh and you know, when you're just doing it for yourself and for the love of it, um, you know, you don't have to answer anybody. It's just about it's for you. It's your running is for you, which is is different. Um maybe tell people what you do specifically for your day
The Road To Becoming An Orthodontist
SPEAKER_01job. And and because it seems like you've had you have years and years invested into this profession.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I guess I went to dental school. Um, and then when you leave dental school, you work in just general dental practice. Um and after that, if you would like to specialize, you go into kind of core training and hospital, um, which was amazing. I really loved those years. I did a couple years in like pediatrics, um, orthodontics, uh, restorative dentistry, and I did a full year in machiofacial surgery. Um it's a bit of a funny conversation because if you'd asked me at that time point in my life, I would have said I was a hundred percent going back and doing surgery. Um and I almost did. Um, but I think in that year, what I also found was there was no such thing as balance. And that was that was fine for the year because you're doing incredible things. You're transforming faces, you're cutting cancers and putting people's legs on their face. Like it was a year that I have no regrets going all in in surgery. But I kind of realized at that point maybe I do want to still be able to just escape to the hills a bit more than I was able to and not be on call at two in the morning. And no one really needs an orthodontist at two in the morning. And it's something, as I said, since I was 12 years old and I had my braces. Um yeah, I think it was giving it a job that gave people the confidence to smile um and allowed me to kind of be a registrar, be academic, do teaching, um, but also still be able to clock off and sleep at night. Um, so yeah, I'm now two years into that. So my clinics at the moment, um, I'm just doing my like specialist training in the first three and a half years, and that's kind of your bread and butter braces treatment. Um, nothing crazy. Um, and then in the final years, you go on to your consultancy training, and that's when you get the really good stuff. You get the clef lip and palate patients, you get the surgical patients, the hypodontor missing teeth patients. So yeah, during the day, I'm just on clinics. I've got my patients, and it's great in orthodontics because you have them for about two years. So I'm kind of watching my children grow up while straightening their teeth. Um so yeah, that's kind of my clinical day job at the moment. Um and then there's just a few hurdles of exams and things.
SPEAKER_01What is it like in Scotland? Will you go on afterwards to just have your own practice and and do that? Will you teach? Like what do you want to do after?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you can quite easily go into private practice. Um, but I don't think that was ever really for me or my direction. Um I was lucky enough to get kind of a run through to consultancy posts. So yeah, I I think the cases that really, really do, it's kind of your cleft, lip, and palate hypodontia, the ones where someone smile is really considerably reconstructed. Um and I think that's more of a hospital-based job. Um, and in that hospital-based job, again, I'd have hopefully if I get there, mini me's uh that you'd be teaching. And at the moment, I'm kind of teaching like dental students. And I think, yeah, I'd always love to be involved in the teaching and research side of things as well. I think variety is the spice of life. So yeah, I think a hospital job would really be the most kind of satisfying. You'd feel like you're contributing to society probably the most.
SPEAKER_01Wow. What uh I'm just kind of out of curiosity, like, how did you just pick this? Um, you know, what made you pick dentistry? Or at least like in the beginning, just pick pick that generally and then kind of go into orthodontics. Like, is this something you always wanted to do? Or did you have a family member that did it? Like what what kind of like led you toward it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm I'm really from a family of engineers. I'm like, we're all very mathematically minded, but when I was young and I had my braces, I just remember I thought my orthodontist was amazing. And I just remember leaving and just being so happy and smiling all the time and thinking like my orthodontist does an amazing job. She gives people this confidence to smile, and that's something I would love to be able to do for others. Um, and that's really where it started. I I think at that point, if I knew kind of how thin of a chance it was to end up being an orthodontist, I'd maybe be like, How do you feel about being a general dentist? But to be honest, I was just kind of set on it, and luckily I've managed to land my hand in getting to be an orthodontist. So yeah, that was that was really where it all stemmed from. Um I don't think I ever wanted to be anything else.
SPEAKER_01So it's no, I think it's a great profession. Honestly, like I I so yeah, it's something that I always found very interesting because I have a bunch of friends that wound up going into more so general dentistry, the Northodontist. Um, but like they they've got great work schedules and like they really enjoy their lives. They have a great time, and it's super fun, and they just like are very passionate about what they do. So I've always been very respectful of like it's a very cool profession. Um it was funny, like I I always don't take this the wrong way, I've always hated the dentist. I when I was in high school, I got my I got my wisdom teeth taken out. And I don't know what kind of crap insurance my mom had, but I was I was awake and uh they didn't like it was just numbed, and they took all four of them out, and ever since then I've been like terrified of the dentist. Like I it was it was it was a rough experience. But the word of the dentist, well, I had braces myself when I was young and I super enjoyed it. It was it was not so bad, but the dentist was rough.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, as four and one is while you're awake. That's pretty, that's pretty tough.
SPEAKER_01Dude, I can still hear, I mean, this was 15 years ago. Well, yeah, it must have been 15, 16 years ago. I can still remember, like I can hear it vividly, him cutting like like cutting open my gum, like it's splitting open with the scalpel. I still can like I'll never forget that. But yeah, it was pretty scarred. So it was it was uh it was definitely rough.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, if you've got tough ones, it's it can be really tough.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
How Running Took Over From Soccer
SPEAKER_01Uh moving on, I gotta ask you, what was uh what is your relationship with running like? Like when did you how old were you when you first started running? Um and kind of like when did it come into your life and why did you stick with it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, when I actually grew up over in Calgary in Canada. Um so I moved over there when I was a child. My family, they're extremely outdoorsy, um, to the point that like I don't I haven't owned a TV my whole life. When I was a child, I don't remember really watching TV. We were outside as much as we could. I had two brothers um and we played every sport under the sun. Um we me and especially my older brother were very competitive in football. Um I I was a right winger and I just absolutely loved football. I think the team element of it, being there every Saturday, the orange at halftime, like it was just a great sport. Um and for me, that's kind of where I met competitive sport. Um and I played that until I was at university. Um we moved back to Scotland at the end of school time. I kind of continued to play it, but it was just a bit of a different game in Scotland. It wasn't, it's not the turnout that you get in North American women's football. Um so I started to digress a little bit. Again, did every sport under the sun at school, and then when I was at university, did lots of sports, but I guess running was the one thing that was a lot easier when you're starting to be really time crunched. Um just going out and meeting friends for a run. I kind of started in the Hares and Hounds running club. I did a little bit of trek and then thought this isn't for me. Um, I was in quite a competitive group at the time um with some big names. And I think, yeah, as someone who's also quite like driven, I think having split sometimes, it just it kind of took the fun out of it. Um and I remember one of my friends took me to one of the hills just outside of Glasgow, and that that was me. Like the fact that you could just run from A to B. It was about being more of an adventure. I think that's kind of what hooked me. But it wasn't probably until 2020 I remember I distinctly have an email from Angela Mudge um inviting me to come to this hill running camp. Um, and that's kind of where it all started.
Fell Running Culture And UK Terrain
SPEAKER_01Wow. Did you get into fel running at all? Did you kind of start, do you do you guys um did you do a bunch of like felunning races kind of in that area or anything like that?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think if the felrunners heard me call myself a felrunner, they would be offended because their fell running, like true fell running downhill is like it's phenomenally like it's such a skill, it's such a talent. Um, one that I don't currently possess, but I need to work on it. Um but I did do some like of the tame, like I do lots of like the local hill races. One of the best events in the calendar that I'm unfortunately missing this year is like the fell running relays. If you speak to anyone from the UK, they'd probably say it's one of the best races of the year. Um there's four legs, the first and last leg are single legs, and then the middle two are like paired legs. And it's the biggest turnout because every club, like, yeah, you back your club, and yeah, so I've done definitely done bits, um, but I wouldn't say that I would distinctly call myself a felrunner due to my lack of downhill feling capabilities, but I put my foot in there.
SPEAKER_01I've had a few felunners on the podcast, they take it quite seriously. I was I was very impressed. I was like, man, I gotta get over there for a fel race. That would be insane. It's so different and unique. Unique. Whereas like here, it's very um they don't mess around here. They like you have to stick to the trail, you have to stay on the trail because of alpine tundra and things like that. Whereas like there, it's like whatever means necessary, just getting from A to B. It's a completely different, different type of thing, which I think is cool.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they definitely take a bit too far sometimes. Like some tail races, you'll see a gorgeous, gorgeous trail path. And then they'll be like, actually, you're gonna run in the gorse over there, and you just think, like, what was the point in that? Um, but you know what, it's all part of the sport over here.
SPEAKER_01I've heard the bogs are crazy. I was I was talking to this guy, George Foster, and he was telling me, I can't remember if it was him or a friend, that like fell in a bog. And like, if it wasn't for a dead sheep that was in the bog already, for him to like bounce his feet off of, he probably would have drowned in the bog, which is kind of terrifying. Yeah. It's pretty wild.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think sometimes, like like splits of races in the UK, they don't count because there's like a wind, likely rain, and B, the ground is like, it's like running on sand sometimes. So someone might be like, oh, they're not that good, and then they'll hit the European trails and they'll be doing like four sub four minute miles because you just feel so good because you can suddenly move. Um, so yeah, I think like, but that's again part of part of the race. It's like picking your line, figuring out where to go. It's all like, it's all fair game.
Breaking Onto The International Scene
SPEAKER_01Super cool. So talk talk to me about so you found the sport, you started, you know, getting into it slowly but surely. What made you want to compete on the international scene and like start like what started this? I guess take me to how you got to where you are now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I guess it was like I guess it's kind of an accident at first. Me, one of my good friends wanted to do the uphill trial. Um, so I went with her, and then that year, like COVID called off the race, and then the next year I was like, wow, an uphill-only race, that's amazing. I don't need to run back down. So the next year I did the uphill trial, and that was the first time I represented Great Britain. It was in La Palma, Europeans. And I guess it's one of those things once you start meeting people, you start being in the scene, you start the opportunities I think that competitive running afforded me. I've seen places and met people I would have never had the luxury of without it. And I think that that just pulls you in. You start learning, oh, you could go here and try this. And yeah, it's just it was kind of one opportunity leading to the other. Um, and that's kind of been the outfall of it. I guess I started just by there were some races that you could run for Scotland, and that was really cool, and then Great Britain, and yeah, and then people start saying, Oh, there are these other races that are out with these series. And yeah, it's just kind of learning and trying different things and seeing what opportunities presented themselves.
SPEAKER_01With uh the success that you've had with this, um, I'm sure like more opportunities are gonna continue to come your way. I mean, I don't know if people uh people all probably look at your UTMB index and all that stuff after this. Um, you know, you did great at you know, Mont Blanc 23K, you've and obviously great at series and all, you continue to do very well at the WMRA races.
Going Pro Without Giving Up Medicine
SPEAKER_01Um if the opportunity comes your way to be professional and become a pro at this, how will you kind of will we will you go that direction? Or do you like what you're doing now where you're um you know you're still having fun with it? It's just a kind of a different, different vibe.
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, I think that I would be shocked, flattered, and I would be very kind. Um I think it would be really great. I wouldn't be opposed to putting a little bit more of an ability to travel and do races, um, which might mean a little bit of a step back from clinical practice, but yeah, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that I yeah, I'd love being an orthodontist and I'd love to be one of the consultants. One of my consultants is very sadly retiring at the end of the year. And he's tried to retire for years, um, but he's finding it so, so difficult. He's actually had to give up his GDC registration so that he won't change his mind. And yeah, he's he's someone that definitely should have retired years and years ago, but he's an absolute crown jewel of the nation. And I think it's when you see someone who's so in love with their job that retirement is so difficult. And yeah, there's not many registrars and kind of consultants through the system. So you almost feel like they're putting so much into you and you want to give back, and the next registrars you want to be teaching them, building them up. And um, yeah, I think I get so much from clinical practice and working with patients that it's not something I ever want to give up. Um, but I do think, yeah, I'd love to take on any opportunities and yeah, just balance that as best that I can.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Dude, it's so cool. How what is it like being really good at two things? Like some people try their whole time to be good at like one thing and still can't barely get there. And and you like are like super person at uh at two of these things, which is kind of crazy. Does it does it come natural to you or do you have to do you work extremely hard?
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, I don't think anything comes natural uh to anyone. I think anything that's worth having, you've got to you've got to put some effort into. And I I don't know, maybe it's personality types as well. My family, we've always been a love a challenge. I think that's the thing. I I would never want a job that was dull. I think something that challenges you, definitely academically, is always been, I don't know, it's just even more addictive to get into. And if something doesn't make sense, it's making sense of it. Um in terms of running again, I think that's maybe it's just my love for being outside and doing things in the way I was raised. Um I don't say that I maybe train in a normal fashion. I'm not someone that has like a session X, Y, Z. Um, most of my running 90% is just easy to the train, back from the train. Um but yeah, in a way, I guess it's that sustainability and yeah, keeping that going over time. Not particularly sure, but it's uh seems to work out.
Coaching With Angela Mudge And Structure
SPEAKER_01What does your uh training look like? I mean, you kind of you kind of just mentioned it, but do you work with a coach? What does the structure look like? Things like that.
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, so you might have heard of Angela Mudge if you haven't used an incredible runner.
SPEAKER_02Um There we go.
SPEAKER_03Hello. I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_01You're back now. Yeah, sorry. No, you're good, you're frozen there for like twenty seconds. Um I think it was right after I asked you about coaching. Yep, yep.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so Angela Mudge, um incredible, she actually won CRs and L. Um and back in the day. Um she's been someone who's always given me like pointers, advice. Um, I would say that she's my coach. She would say that she's not my coach. She um gives me a session over the summer, not so much because I'm racing, but throughout the winter, every week she would text me with a session. Honestly, I don't think she realizes how much I've ever appreciated it because it's the one person that's kept me accountable. Um, I remember her telling me it was back in I don't know, 2022, um, when I didn't do any sessions. Um, it was after Europeans uh just kind of ran around and she was like, I think if you want to maximize your potential, you should maybe do some more structured training. Um, and here we are, four years on. Um, I wouldn't say my training's that structured. Um, I travel to clinics on the train four days a week. So on those four days, I run over Arthur's seat to the train and I run home over Arthur's seat from the train with a friend usually. Um, so that's four days of the week. And then apart from that, uh run in the hills at the weekend, occasionally a session, but only if I can find a friend to do it with. Um, and hopefully also some kind of like biking out to the Pentlands, running in the hills and biking home um kind of vibe. Yeah. So it's a bit loose.
SPEAKER_01I like that. That's
Edinburgh Running Community And Cross-Training
SPEAKER_01crazy. Do you do uh like what is the scene like in Scotland? Is there obviously it's not like shamani where it's crazy or even like Boulder in the United States, but is there a lot of mountain runners kind of in in Glasgow or in in Scotland, like where you are?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Edinburgh's incredible. I think it's like Edinburgh, I'm sorry. Yeah, no, it's fine. Honestly, it feels like the epicentre of hill running. Um we have a really lovely hill club called Carnegie Hill Runners. Um, it's extremely inclusive. Um, you do like sometimes they have training on Thursday. I don't often make it with work, unfortunately. Um, but I used to go all the time and it would just be kind of like five by four minutes up a hill. So everyone would run up and then come down to the same spot. And yeah, it's a really lovely club because you have all abilities. So you've got like Sandy, my friend, he's a retired GP at the back, and he's still there um walking up, and then you've got, I don't know, people who've represented Great Britain, some of the guys like right up at the front. So it's it's such a mix, and I say I'm extremely privileged because I very rarely run alone in Edinburgh, um, or would have to. Um, and the standards unbelievable. Um, I think it's like, yeah, Scotland's got some pretty great runners. Um and yeah, people are always up for an adventure. I think that's the biggest thing over here. Um, I wouldn't say everyone's like, well, people do are more structured than me, probably, but still very much will just whip up a random hill at the weekend with you. Um, and I think that's really great. Yeah, it's a good culture.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. What is it? Uh what is it with you guys? You guys are all really good at dealing with the weather, and you like there's just a lot of really strong like UK runners, at least like on the scene that we've we've discovered in the last few years. Um, like even Josh Wade last year just kind of popped onto the scene. Quite a few uh runners from the UK are just like very talented and very good with dealing with like terrible weather.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I we're made of tough stuff over here, actually, um, particularly in the winter. But I think to be fair, like I don't want um my running style. My running style is probably a bit unique because most the majority of people in the UK are exceptional downhillers, like my friend Naomi Lang. Um, it's such a delight watching her. Like it's it's honestly like a thing of beauty when she's running down a hill. Um, everything I aspire to be. Um, but yeah, I think it's the conditions, and I do honestly believe for like the population of Edinburgh, it's unbelievable. I think as well, you kind of I see this in training with other registrars. I think you pull each other up in ways, you're yeah, let's go for a swim, let's go for a run. And I think everyone then just like yeah, you session together and suddenly, yeah, all rising tides rise raise all boats or something.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Do you do a lot of cross-training at all? Do you do you ever get on the bike? You just mentioned swim. Do you swim? Do you do anything like that as well?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I would say maybe probably not in the sense that you're thinking of. I like I bike, I love like biking anywhere that's outside. Um, we've got like we call them slaps. You go round Arthur's seat and it's a closed road and it's brilliant in Edinburgh. Or like up north, if like my partner he's had a bit of a gubby knee, but there's like lots of amazing routes um in kind of the outskirts of Scotland. Um, and when we were in the Alps, I absolutely loved biking outside in terms of swimming. Love, love swimming outdoors. Um, not much of like a pool swimmer. So a lot of our swims though end up being like cycling somewhere, dipping in a lock, um, freezing and running back out. Um so yeah, it's kind of, I guess I do cross-train. Um, but yeah, it's definitely more of an outdoorsy kind of focus than a training focus, but I guess it's all the same.
SPEAKER_01Gotcha. Well, hey, as long as you're having fun, that's like what it's all about.
Great Britain Trials And Team Selection
SPEAKER_01Um I gotta ask you about qualification for like the world's team and for Team Great Britain. What is what is that like? Because I know some some every country is a little bit different with their qualification for their teams. I know in the United States, usually year up, well, always year of. A few months prior, we'll have our mountain running championships, and that'll generally select the team, if you will, um, for like the short trail, for the um for the vertical, and for the mountain classic. What is it like for the in the United Kingdom for you guys?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we always have our trials. It's massively inconveniently like five weeks before. So it's like just before, and then you get selected the week after, um, which for anyone in a clinical job is a bit of a bugbear because you have to cancel clinic six weeks before. So you either have to really back yourself or get down on your knees and beg afterwards. Um it depends which way you want to go. Um, but yeah, it's five weeks before, and yeah, I think there's mixed opinions on it. It's everyone just thinks, oh, it's not long before you don't have long to train. But at the same time, everyone's gonna train, anyways, for other races, and it's extremely competitive. The margins in Great Britain for getting into the team are minute. Um, there's such broad depth and talent here. Um, so it really is kind of a bit of luck on the day as well. And I think I think that's kind of nice about the trial, about so much of it being on the on the day, because it means anyone's got a chance. Um anyone can turn up, and that's that's I guess that's what I did originally. I just turned up and I was a no-one and then yeah, got on the team. So I think I think that's always um it means that it's a level playing field five weeks before means that that person's very likely going to be as fit as they are that day, um, if not fitter, um at the race. And I think everyone's in quite good spirits about the trial, to be honest. It's everyone's in a good kind of turn up, compete, and what happens on the day is it happens on the day, and that person can go.
SPEAKER_01What are the locations like? Is it is do they generally do just a mountain classic like race or and a vertical and just things like that, or do they select in a different way? Like what does kind of the races tend to be like?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they just copy what the championship's gonna be. So they look at the championship race and they try to find a hill that's as similar. It's been one in the lake district many a times. Um and then they have an up and down kind of the two days after, so it almost replicates it. So if people wanted to try for both, then it's showing that they could they could do a double weekend back-to-back of both and perform as well in in the second day.
SPEAKER_01Gotcha. And will you just try for the vertical in 2027? Or are you thinking about trying to do both, the mountain classic and the vertical? Or what are you what are you thinking?
SPEAKER_03I think just the vertical between us uh only ever done the vertical. Sometimes the up and down is a um, it's called like home countries international. So sometimes you then uh run for like Scotland or Scotland East or something. Um and when it becomes a team thing, then I'll I'll jump in again. Um but yeah, you never know. I think this winter the aim is to get better downhill. So watch this space.
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