Elspeth Curran goes from school of hard knocks to earn GB vest
There are parallels n Scotland, yet in the case of Elspeth Curran, the system - in her native Renfrewshire at least - was not entirely laid to waste. "There were after-school athletics and that was good in introducing me to it," she recalls. "Once a week, I'd go to races and do quite well. You'd see the Kilbarchan coaches coming along. They'd see who was doing well and come up and say: 'you should come down to the club'. When I finally did, I loved it."
She still does. Now 23, and a dentistry student at Glasgow University, Curran will make her Great Britain international debut in today's European Cross-Country Championships in the Portuguese city of Albufeira. That Derek Hawkins, her contemporary at both club and college, will do likewise is a source of pride to both. "I'm happy we've made it together," she states. "It's nice for the club."
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Hide AdDespite becoming the Scottish champion this year in both 4km cross-country and track 3000m, Curran sensed that it was time to raise the stakes. "I felt I'd made a step forward but I thought: 'how can I move it on from here?' I knew the Europeans were coming up so I aimed towards this. This GB vest has given me a lot of confidence. I was 12th in the trials at senior level so it's reassuring that I can compete with them as well as people of my own age."