Inverness athlete Megan Keith may be gunning for straight As in her university exams this week, but in Italy on Sunday, the GB international excelled in quite a different test.
Representing Great Britain at the European Under-23 Cross Country Championships in Italy, the 20-year-old claimed her second international medal in two years, adding to her triumph at the European Under-20 Cross Country Championships in Ireland last year.
Indeed, almost exactly a year after that success, Keith defied even her own expectations to gain a silver in Turin behind home favourite, Nadia Battocletti – and may have a chance of going one better when these championships come around again in Brussels next year.
The achievement marks a continued progression in what is becoming a hugely promising career for the Edinburgh University student.
Keith has long been a cross country competitor, having donned the Inverness Harriers vest on various courses since she was a ten-year-old, and her perseverance is now paying hefty dividends.
A blossoming reputation
At district level, Keith did enjoy her fair share of victories as a teenager, gradually whittling down her parkrun times, but was not until 2019 that she made her major breakthrough on the national scene when she won the Scottish National Cross Country Championships.
Since then, her burgeoning reputation has seen her cast her ambitions beyond winning national titles, with international accolades now firmly realistic targets for the sports science student.
Having competed in cross country since she was a child, however, Keith does not quite see her success in recent years as a particularly major leap – rather, each success has simply been a stepping stone to the next.
She said: “To me it’s all happened as a progression. There’s not been a moment where I suddenly thought ‘woah, I really levelled up’.
“I’ve always been taking it step by step, but to onlookers outwith my circle, it looks like a crazy progression. To me, it’s felt pretty natural.”
An unusual course hit the right note
Keith had not come into the weekend’s championships with any particular expectations of a medal, but that soon changed in the early stages of the race as she gradually sussed out her opponents.
“On the first lap, we were running at a decent pace, but I felt comfortable and I realised the girls who were around me – apart from Nadiya – were breathing pretty heavily.
“From that point, I felt pretty confident that I was comfy and that if the pace then picked up, there would be girls dropping off and I’d be in with a chance. So I felt pretty confident as I was running in the early stages, but these things are never a given until the end.”
The course itself was nothing if not unorthodox, with part of the course passing through a museum containing carriages and grand pianos. These innovations were not for everyone though, and it took Keith some time before she was won over.
FUN RUN
1/3
WOW!
Love this📷@nankiwackers
Megan Keith aged 9 in North League XC action in 2012 – 11 years and 2 Euro Cross medals later, smile remains same👏@SALChiefExec @SALDevelopment @BritAthletics @InvHarriersAAC @EUHareHounds @RossKCairns1 @paulajradcliffe @hannengland pic.twitter.com/AfuV0EshOd— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) December 12, 2022
She said: “My reflection is different to what I thought initially. When I walked round, I’m not going to lie, I was not a big fan of the course.
“I thought the steep sections were so steep and we were all struggling to get up them. It turns out when you have more momentum on your side, they were actually easier to contend with.
“I thought with the combination of the steepness of the inclines and running indoors, they were trying a bit hard for it to be gimmicky – but it was actually incredible.
“It’s probably the most fun I’ve had yet on a cross-country course. It was always changing. There was never a part where you were getting bored because you were about to either throw yourself up a steep hill, or down it, or through a museum. You always had something to keep you entertained, so I really, really enjoyed it.”
“To get silver today was my gold medal!”
An ecstatic Megan Keith on claiming a silver medal for Great Britain in the U23 race at the European XC Champs 🥈🇬🇧
She’s now back to Edinburgh to continue her studies 📖
🎙️ @Jason_AW pic.twitter.com/eXmaXTzck0
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) December 11, 2022
There was not too much time for Keith to enjoy her success on the 7.6km route, however.
As soon as she was off the podium, it was straight to the anti-doping centre and onwards to the airport where, incidentally, members of the security staff were rather impressed by her chunky silver medal and pot plant.
“(The airport staff) took a bit of a look at it and I think they were quite impressed. I also had my pot plant I won, so there were more people enjoying looking at that than the medals. But there were a few nice comments in the airport.”
With one gruelling test down, Keith will have to tackle a few more before she settles down for Christmas in Inverness. With two more exams to sit this week – this, after strictly prohibiting herself from taking any revision to Italy – Keith will ensure her academic commitments are fulfilled before perhaps allowing herself a chance to look back on another outstanding year.
Banchory fun run
Meanwhile, the Banchory Boxing Day Fun Run takes place on December 26 at 11am.
Registration at the Guide Lodge from 10.30am. Entry fee is £2.
This is a non-competitive family-friendly event and the run is open to all.
