Highgate Harrier Lauren Russell

HIGHGATE Harrier Lauren Russell celebrated her 17th birthday in style this week after winning a team gold on her British debut at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria.

In only her third ever mountain race, Russell was the third scorer for the Great Britain team that struck gold in the junior mountain classic race on Saturday.

Lining up alongside athletes from France, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Ecuador, among others, the Muswell Hill native showed that north London can more than hold its own as a mountain-running training ground as she finished fifth to earn precious points for her team.

“It was a fantastic experience for my first GB race. To come away with a gold medal is amazing,” said Russell. “I loved the uphill section of the course the most. I felt a real boost in my legs just when the route opened up into a wider section, so was able to pass quite a few girls at that point.”

Starting on the tarmac in the centre of Innsbruck, the 7.5km course crossed the Inn river and wound its way up the mountainside, taking in 374 metres of vertical elevation.

Russell flew down the descent and back into town, where she then negotiated the man-made “City Trail”. The specially constructed 400m section through the centre of town featured rocks, gravel, wooden beams and water, and was the final challenge before the slingshot into the finishing chute.

Russell, who celebrated her birthday on Monday, then closed hard and finished right behind her teammate Amelie Lane, and just over a minute behind another GB teammate, race winner Rebecca Flaherty.