The success of Scout Adkin this season has surprised even herself.
On the face of it, the fact she’s in contention for the overall title going into this weekend’s World Mountain Running Cup Final in Chiavenna in Italy is nothing less than most have come to expect from an athlete who, over the past few seasons, has established herself as one of the very best hill runners on the planet.
But having won overall silver in last year's World Cup, Adkin went into this year with a considerable amount of pressure upon her shoulders, which was something of a new experience for the Scot who had become accustomed to being the underdog against a raft of Kenyans who are far more used to the conditions in which many of the World Cup races take place.
“My season has gone surprisingly well. Some of the races I’ve done well in, I expected to but there’s been others where I really wasn’t sure how I’d do and I managed to get some good results in those too,” she says.
“The longer races, and the ones in 30-plus degree heat and at altitude aren’t exactly the environment I’m used to so to have done well in those surprised me.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself anyway so then knowing there was a lot of outside expectation on me as well this season definitely added another layer.
“But starting this season off well was a huge confidence boost - it made me realise that last year definitely wasn’t a fluke.”
Several race victories in the World Cup series throughout this season helped propel Adkin to the top of the world standings at the end of August and although she’s been usurped in top spot in recent weeks, she goes into the final weekend of the season in second spot.
That Adkin is able to even compete with, never mind beat, the best mountain runners in the world is remarkable given her lifestyle is as far from a full-time athlete as one could imagine.
The 31-year-old from Peebles is based in the Lake District and works as a physiotherapist and so her career, plus her training and racing, make for a hectic schedule which leaves little time for anything else.
“It’s non-stop – I’ll fly out to a race, get back home late Sunday night and go straight to work on the Monday morning. I have to fit in training too so try to find time for much else can be tricky.
“Being so busy means I’ve never got time to process my performances because as soon as I’m home from a race I’m straight back to work. But despite that, I do enjoy it being like this.”
Such has been Adkin’s recent success, she is now, in athletics circles at least, regarded in the same league as track stars like Laura Muir and Josh Kerr, with Adkin joining the pair on the short-list for scottishathletics’ Athlete of the Year both last year and again this year.
While Adkin derives considerable personal satisfaction from her rise to the top of her sport, perhaps an even more valuable by-product of her success has been the coverage she’s attracted to her sport in this country, which is not easy given hill running is consistently behind track and road running when it comes to attention.
“It’s great to be able to help shine a spotlight on the sport because in the UK, hill running really isn’t as well known or as well covered as track running whereas in Europe, it’s a lot bigger a discipline. And there’s the issue of funding – we’re usually at the bottom of the pile so the more attention hill running can get, the better,” she says.
“And it shows kids that if track running doesn't suit them, there’s other options – that was the case with me. I realised track running wasn’t for me whereas hill running really is.”
Adkin is gearing up for her one last push of the season this weekend as she aims to finish her year on a high and while she’s mindful that at some point she’ll start slowing down, she’s optimistic that she’s got at least another good few seasons in her.
“I’d like to get at least silver again this season but, if everything goes perfectly to plan, there is a chance I could win the whole series, which would be amazing. That’s the ultimate aim but it’s a tough ask,” she says.
“I don’t know how many years I’ll be able to remain at this level so I’m making the most of every one of them. But with hill running, you get better as you get older, to a point, so who knows how long I can continue this form.
“I feel like I’m never quite satisfied – I’m always pushing on and I always want that wee bit more.”
