Sprint SHI

[graeme]

Senior Sprint Home International

Edinburgh and Stirling host the Sprint Home International Competition. This exciting new competition pits teams of three runners from each Home Nation against each other over two days of sprint racing. All four Nations have entered strong teams and a thrilling race is in prospect.

The total-time format allows the UK teams to compare themselves against strong International teams from Norway, Denmark, Lithuania and Austria, and a raft of individual World Champions including 2011, 2013 and 2014 Men's Sprint Champions, the entire Danish Mixed Sprint relay team (team silver medallists in 2014).


IRELAND
M21 Darren Burke Kevin O'Boyle Josh O'Sullivan Hourihan
W21 Olivia Baxter Susan Lambe Niamh O'Boyle

WALES
M21 Kris Jones, Rhodri Buffett, Ed Nicholas
W21 Helen Palmer, Helen Hanstock, Katie Reynolds

SCOTLAND
M21 Murray Strain Scott Fraser Hector Haines
W21 Hollie Orr Kirstin Maxwell Claire Ward (Sat) Jessica Tullie (Sun)

ENGLAND
M21 Dave Schorah, Rich Robinson, Peter Bray
W21 Ruth Holmes, Zoe Harding, Charlotte Ward



AUSTRIA
M21 Erik Nilsson Simkovics Gernot Kerschbaumer
W21 Laura Ramstein Ursula Kadan


DENMARK
M21 Soren Bobach Tue Lassen Rasmus Thrane Hansen Andreas Boesen
W21 Stine Bagger Hagner Emma Klingenberg Maja Alm

LITHUANIA
M21 Vitalijus Petrulis Andrej Gerasimov Romualdas Stupelis
W21 Tekle Emilija Gvildyte Gabija Razaityte

NORWAY
M21 Oyvind Stoksith Oystein Kvaal Osterbo
W21 Heidi Bagstevold Silje Ekroll Jahren Heidi Stokseth


WORLD CHAMPIONS
Daniel Hubmann (SUI) Sprint 2011, Long 2008,2009, Relay 2009
Martin Hubmann (SUI) Sprint Relay 2014
Marten Bostrom (FIN) Sprint, 2013
Soren Bobach (DEN) Sprint 2014

Heidi Bagstevold (NOR) Relay 2013

[graeme]

Who is going to win?
Scotland has had a stranglehold on the SHIs and must start as favourites. That Welsh team looks mighty strong to me, headed up by two WOC regulars it could well give the English a run for their money.

Internationally, the Danes have established themselves as top sprint nation, and will be hard to beat, but they'll have to be on their game to hold off Norway and Scotland.

[andypat]

Eddie's Welsh!? Who knew?

[Tatty]

Eddie?

[Homer]

Eddie, the Welsh Team Manager.

[eddie]

Parents and grandparents is a good starting point

[awk]

Eddie's Welsh!? Who knew?

I did (well, you did ask).

Presumably most of the Welsh team too, as he's not new at the job of TM!

[graeme]

According to my unofficial calculations, the SSHI was a big win for Scotland both days, England a comfortable second, and Ireland, remarkably, beating Wales by exactly 17 seconds on each day to take third.

SSHI Saturday

Scotland 19:03+19:39+18:09+18:49 = 75:40
England 20:39+21:36+19:09+19:38 = 81:02
Ireland 21:09+24:26+20:21+21:37 = 87:33
Wales 20:59+24:21+19:21+23:09 = 87:50

SSHI Sunday
Scotland 20:33+22:05 + 18:01 +18:06 = 78:45
England 22:19 + 22:44 + 18:18 +19:02 = 82:23
Ireland 22:31+ 27:41+19:20 + 20:34 = 90:06
Wales 24:18 + 26:22 + 18:11+ 21:32= 90:23

Next year, more Racing the Castles as Ireland host the event at Lisburn Castle Gardens. You may have seen fliers for this event at RTC.

[Paul Frost]

Full SSHI results on the Race the Castles website