Jack Beaumont and Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell represent NZ at World Mountain Running Championships

New Zealand’s Jack Beaumont (Central Southland College) and Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell competed against the world’s beat overnight at the World Junior Mountain Running Champions in Wales.

Jack Beaumont, the 2015 New Zealand Secondary Schools Mountain Running champion  and current national U20 3000m steeplechase champion, finished a very credible 12th in a highly competitive field of 63 of the world’s best junior hill runners. 

The 8.9km course was a two-lap up-and-downhill race that gains 800 feet (over 250 metres) of elevation per lap. Jack’s time of 37.04 was just a few seconds outside the top 10. The pre-race favourite, Ferhat Bozkurt of Turkey, won by over two minutes in 33.56 to second placed American Levi Thomet and with runners from Turkey, Italy and the UK filling the minor places.

The Junior Women’s race was one lap of the demanding course, or 4.7km. Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell, who grew up in the Manawatu before moving to Brisbane several years ago and qualified at the Australian mountain running championships, finished 25th of 43 competitors. Her time of 22.33 was two minutes behind the top three runners who were from the USA, the Czech Republic and France. 

Caitlin is usually a track runner, having had success in Australia in the 800m, 1500m, mile, 3000m, 2000m and 3000m steeplechase races. The 18-year old has recently started at the University of Florida on a four-year athletics scholarship. 

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