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Date of Birth: 23/3/83
Place of Birth: Edinburgh
Current Residence: Edinburgh
Where do you train? Edinburgh mostly but forests and hills all over Scotland, the rest of the UK and Europe when I get the chance!
Nickname: Rocky – from when I spent a winter living and training on a remote snowy farm in the Norwegian Mountains a la Sly Stallone in Rocky IV.
Education: Ross High School, Tranent . Maths degree from University of Edinburgh. Currently studying to be an Actuary with Scottish Widows.
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First sporting success? Scottish Under-11 champion aged 9. I can’t say I really knew what I was doing at the time.
Finest sporting moment? World Championships 2011 – a year of building on my debut World Championship performance rewarded with an improved result.
Your tip for the top: There’s no substitute for hard work. Find out what works for you and commit to it. It’s worth it when you get there.
First international / ‘big time’ call-up: Junior World Champs in 2001. At the end of the previous season I was only ranked about 10th in Britain but strong performances at the trial races earned me a place in the team in Hungary. I’ll never forget the nerves, excitement and experiences from those championships.
How do you feel when you know you are representing your team / country? On the start line I try to ignore it and focus on what I can control – I am in charge of everything that happens to me when I’m racing. It is always fun to travel with a team and represent your country – results mean more when you can share them with a team.
How and why did you get involved in your sport? Initially I was dragged along by my parents and forced to take part. Later on I made friends and realised that qualifying for training camps meant weekends away with your mates and no parents which was definitely a good thing!
I was encouraged to give cross country and hill running a go to help my fitness for orienteering but I found I was quite good at running and enjoyed it in its own right. Now I try to find the balance between running and orienteering but it isn’t easy – there aren’t enough weekends in the year for all the races I want to do!
What is your favourite moment in the history of sport? Carsten Jorgensen (a Danish orienteer) winning the European Cross Country Championships – definitive proof that Orienteers can be good runners too!
Who has been the biggest influence on your sporting career? Too many coaches and mentors to name but my parents have always been very supportive.
Any family connections to sport? My mum is a very good orienteer in her own right – numerous British age-group titles to her name. Her sister was a Paralympic tandem cyclist at the ’92 and ’96 Games.
Who has been your toughest opponent and why? -
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Three words that describe you: Tired, hungry and happy.
Who would you most like to meet? -
What is your most prized possession? My feet – they may be large and hard to find shoes for but they have taken me to some wonderful places!
What is your biggest passion away from sport? My work with Scottish Widows. Complex sums with millions of pounds to look and lots of maths exams to study for but rewarding and a good contrast to my athletic career.
Favourite sport(s) other than your own? Skiing, rugby and anything that is exciting to watch!
Top tips to relax? Read a book.
What is your ultimate ambition? World Orienteering Champion on home terrain in Scotland 2015!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? Retired from top level sport but still very active: hill running, exploring the world and helping others to achieve their goals.