Scout and Jacob Adkin will be a key part of the British team at the European Off-Road Championships. Adrian Stott talks them through both growing up and supporting each other in the heat of competition.
The tourist website for Kamnik in Slovenia describes it as “a charming medieval town located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps”. However, the usual tranquility will be disrupted in the coming days as the surrounding hills and trails host the third edition of the European Off-Road Racing Championships (EORRC).
The competition will be fierce, with a total of 593 athletes from 33 countries taking part in the hill climb and classic races for adults and juniors, as well as a 52km long run, as part of the program from 5 to 7 June.
The EORRC is held in succession to the World Mountain and Trail Championships (WMTRC). Both championships were created to capitalize on the global growth of mountain and trail running.
Teams from Great Britain and Northern Ireland performed very well at the last championships in Annecy 2024, securing team medals in all but one of the mountain races and three individual medals. Joe Steward won gold in the uphill race and Jacob Adkin won silver. Adkin’s sister, Scout, also won individual silver in the uphill race.
While Steward won’t be defending his title, both Adkins brothers will be in Slovenia and on recent form could both be in contention for the podium. Scout is the reigning World Cup mountain running champion, a title he also won in 2024, while Jacob is no stranger to success either. He won the top European title in 2019 and followed up his European silver medal from 2024 with a superb fifth place at last summer’s World Climb in Canfranc in the Pyrenees.
From early adventures with Moorfoot Runners in Peebles in the Scottish Borders, they are now firmly established as world class mountain runners. Did they have a strong sibling rivalry growing up?
“Scout is a few years older than me, so she would try different activities and sports,” says Jacob. “I would follow him and try those sports as well. After all, I’d be a little better than him, so he’d be pissed. But yes, I think we had a healthy but friendly rivalry, as most siblings do.”
Scout adds: “I think we’ve always had that competitive nature between us. Maybe some competition when we were younger, but now we both want each other to do well.”
As they have matured into world-class athletes, both have enjoyed success, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Their support for each other has been an important part of the equation.
“I think it’s just a genuine understanding,” Jacob says. “We’ve both been in the same game at one point and gone through various injuries and other types of setbacks. Being brother and sister, we just know what each other needs or doesn’t need at any given time.
“We don’t really get to spend a lot of time together because we live in different places now and we both travel a lot in the summer, just text or make a quick call when we need to. Since Scout is a physio it has really helped when I have had serious injuries or even minor ongoing injuries.
“It’s great for her to give me advice when I ask, and I really benefit from her professional side as well as being my sister. I’m not sure I’m as capable of winning him back as he is of me.”
Scout’s feelings are similar. “As we’ve gotten older, we definitely support each other a lot more and want each other to do as well as we can,” she says. “We’ve both had our ups and downs over the years, but it’s nice when we’re both fit and doing well every year. I think the times when one of us hasn’t had a good race or a good season, we understand what the other one is going through and how they’re dealing with it.”
For both of them, the year since breaking out on the international scene has meant focusing on the majors. It involves peaking at the test and then maintaining that form for a few weeks and building up to the championship. How do they plan for it?
Jacob’s embraces challenges. “It’s difficult,” he says. “When I was starting out, both as a junior and as a senior, you weren’t really sure of your place in the team and you had to give in properly to the challenge. Then, if you’re selected, you’ll fight as hard as you can for the next four weeks.
I do tone down the volume and intensity a bit on trials, but in recent years I’ve been able to work through it a bit more to properly peak champs a month later. It’s a tough balance, but honestly, there’s really not much more you can do, really, after testing. You only have two or three weeks of good training to get into. So you’re not going to set the world on fire with new tutorials or anything like that.”
Scout has similar thoughts.
“At this time of year, it’s very difficult to get to the top of trials and big competitions,” he says. “It’s very early in the season. I’m probably done with winter training and tumbling season by the end of February and I’m straight to work on the mountain sessions, moving on to the trials.
“Then, just a few weeks before going to the championship level. Perhaps this time of year, when you come out of winter training, you tend to start doing more hills while maintaining some speed. Stretching, steady work and some swimming I like that variety as well as running and I also tend to ride my bike to and from work.”
Looking forward to the championships in Slovenia, are they diligently studying the entry lists to assess the competition? Or are they more concerned with doing their best on the day, knowing that should make them challenge for the podium anyway?
“I don’t really look at start lists,” Jacob says. “You can hear on the grapevine who’s running fast from other people you’re talking to. Once you’re at the championships, a few days before the race, you see people from different teams around the hotels or checking out the course.
“As long as you’re on the starting line and you’re in the right priority for you and you’re getting the best out of yourself in the race, then I think that’s the most beneficial way to go about things.”
Scout is more honest. “I definitely don’t study access lists,” he says. “It just stresses me out a lot. So I’d rather not know until we get to the starting line and see who’s there.”
The full schedule of the championship
Friday June 5
Men’s and women’s only uphill race. seniors – 8.9 km/1280 m ascent; Juniors – 4.0km/425m
Saturday, June 6
Trail Race Senior Men and Women: 52km/2450m ascent and descent.
Sunday June 7
Men’s and women’s classic up and down race. seniors – 13.1 km/825 m; Juniors – 5.7km/325m
Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the EORRC
Trace
Men: Ben Rotheri, Alexander Chaplin, Luke Grenfell-Shaw, Andrew Symonds
Women: Scarlett Dale, Eve Pannone, Emily Cowper-Coles, Kirsty Oldham
U20 Promotion
Men: Rowan Taylor, Kieran Hardy, Lachlan Thomas, Joel Gillan
Women: Nancy Corey, Isla Pastor, Hania Chebreschuk, Sophie Wood
U20 up and down
Men: Lachlan Thomas, Ewan Busfield, Ben Hodson, Adam Bentham
Women: Constance Geneson, Isla Pastor, Nancy Corey, Grayhag Turner
Fall Running Association (FRA) Scottish Hill Runners (SHR), The Martin Hyman Fund and England Athletics contributed
funding of youth teams to championships.
Senior Ascension
Men: Matthew Knowles, Finlay Grant, Tom Spencer, Jacob Adkin
Women: Morwen Goodrum, Scout Adkin, Kirsty Dixon, Hannah Russell
Senior Top-End
Men: Matthew Knowles, Thomas Hilton, Tom Wood, Oscar Subuh-Simons
Women: Naomi Lang, Elle Twentyman, Scout Adkin, Nancy Scott
