A North Yorkshire grammar school student helped power the region to victory when he struck gold at a national fell running championship.
Angus Millar, 16, a Ripon Grammar School pupil, claimed the 2026 British Under-18 Inter-Counties Fell Running title at the British Inter-Counties Fell Running Championships, held in Edale, Derbyshire.
Angus was one of four runners selected to represent Yorkshire at the event, which draws athletes from across the UK.
He said: "It was brilliant. I was very pleased and pleasantly surprised."
Yorkshire clinched the team title thanks to Angus' win and a second-place finish by teammate Harry Bebb.
The team finished ahead of Lancashire and Cumbria to secure the championship.
Organised by Dark Peak Fell Runners, the event forms part of England’s national fell running championship series, which includes competitors from as far as Scotland, Northern Ireland, Devon, and Cornwall.
The 7.6km course included 402 metres of ascent and challenging terrain across the Peak District.
Runners began below The Nab, climbed steeply for two kilometres, traversed the edge of the Kinder Plateau, ascended to Grindslow Knoll at 601 metres, and finished with a fast, rocky descent into Edale.
Angus completed the course in 37 minutes and 55 seconds, an improvement on last year’s third-place finish of 39 minutes and 29 seconds on a slightly shorter route.
He said: "The climb up The Nab suited me because the steep parts of races are my strengths.
"The flatter section was difficult, but I managed to stay with Harry Bebb just ahead of me.
"Then I made up a few places on the descent, some of which were by jumping gates that others were going around.
"Descents have always been my best sections of races."
His latest victory adds to a growing list of achievements in the sport.
He finished fifth overall in the 2025 Fell Runners Association Junior English Championships and has already secured wins this season in several British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA) races, including Kettlewell and Coniston Gullies.
BOFRA races are typically shorter and steeper than FRA events.
Angus placed third in the BOFRA series in 2024 and second in 2025.
He also won the Junior Crag Race at the Kilnsey Show in Wharfedale and came third in the English Schools Fell Running Championships at Giggleswick in 2024.
Despite his impressive achievements, Angus keeps his training routine relatively modest.
He said: "I probably spend roughly two or three hours running each week, but this varies a lot because the races often leave me unable to run for a few days because they are so brutal.
"I often cycle instead because it’s kinder on the legs."
He has balanced a demanding racing schedule with his GCSE studies and boarding school life.
Angus said: "I train with Ripon Runners on Tuesdays and Thursdays and by myself on other days, and I race almost every weekend.
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"I think I’ve managed to juggle my running and revising pretty well."
Looking to the future, the young athlete hopes to win this year’s BOFRA Under-17 Championship, move up to senior races as an Under-23 next season, and ultimately earn a place on the England fell running team.
He has also entered the renowned Three Peaks Cyclocross race in September.
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