UK Athletics is delighted to announce the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland team heading to Copenhagen, Denmark, for the World Athletics Road Running Championships next month. Selections have been made based on performance aims designed to maximise medal success and top eight placings at these Championships.
2026 Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist and UK Athletics 5K champion David Mullarkey (Leeds City Athletic Club, Andrew Henderson) will represent Novuna GB&NI in the men’s 5K event.
Following a fifth-place finish at the 2026 European Championships and an eighth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships in the 5000m, Hannah Nuttall (Charnwood AC, Helen Clitheroe) will contest the 5K road race in Copenhagen. Megan Keith (Inverness Harriers AAC, Ross Cairns) will line up alongside her for Novuna GB&NI after winning Commonwealth Games bronze over 5000m in Glasgow earlier this summer.
In the men’s road mile, Tokyo Olympic finalist Jake Heyward (Cardiff Athletics) will compete after recording fourth-place finishes in the 1500m at both the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the European Athletics Championships. He will be joined by Archie Davis (Brighton Phoenix, Joel Kidger), who also recently competed at the Commonwealth Games, with both athletes claiming new 1500m personal bests at the Novuna London Athletics Meet.
Back-to-back UK Athletics 1500m champion Sarah Calvert (Livingston AC, Luke Gunn) will make her senior Novuna GB&NI debut at the upcoming Championships as she competes in the women’s road mile. Calvert finished seventh in the mile for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, just ahead of Tokyo Olympian Katie Snowden (Herne Hill Harriers, Stephen Haas), who finished eighth for England and will be the other GB&NI representative in the event in Copenhagen.
Joe Wigfield (Wirral AC, Craig Winrow) and Alex Bell (Pudsey & Bramley AC, Andrew Henderson) were previously announced as competitors in the men’s and women’s half marathon after winning the Bath Half Marathon trial race in March and becoming UK champions over the distance. Since then, Wigfield has competed in the 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, while Bell has set a course record at the Battersea 5K.
Joining Bell in the women’s half marathon is Sam Harrison (Mansfield Harriers, Rob Denmark), who finished ninth in Riga in 2023 at the previous edition of these Championships.
In the men’s half marathon, 2023 and 2024 national half marathon Champion Jack Rowe (Aldershot Farnham & District AC) will line up. Alfie Manthorpe (Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield AC, Jordan Donnelly) also joins the fold, having moved to third on the British all-time list over 10K in Valencia earlier this year. Manthorpe competed for GB&NI last year at the 2025 European Running Championships along side Charles Wheeler (MK Distance Project) who completes the line-up for the men’s half marathon, with all four selections also competing in the team championships within the race.
UKA Endurance Strategy Manager Chris Jones said:
“Congratulations to all of the athletes selected to compete at the prestigious World Athletics Road Running Championships next month. This is an incredibly strong squad, many of whom have been competing at major championships this summer, and I am looking forward to seeing more strong British performances on the streets of Copenhagen.”
The Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, 19-20 September:
Half Marathon
Women
- Alex Bell (Pudsey & Bramley AC, Andrew Henderson)
- Samantha Harrison (Mansfield Harriers, Rob Denmark)
Men
- Alfie Manthorpe (Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield AC, Jordan Donnelly)
- Jack Rowe (Aldershot Farnham & District AC)
- Joe Wigfield (Wirral AC, Craig Winrow)
- Charles Wheeler (MK Distance Project)
5K
Women
- Megan Keith (Inverness Harriers AAC, Ross Cairns)
- Hannah Nuttall (Charnwood AC, Helen Clitheroe)
Men
- David Mullarkey (Leeds City Athletic Club, Andrew Henderson)
One Mile
Women
- Sarah Calvert (Livingston AC, Luke Gunn)*
- Katie Snowden (Herne Hill Harriers, Stephen Haas)
Men
- Archie Davis (Brighton Phoenix, Joel Kidger)
- Jake Heyward (Cardiff Athletics)
*Senior Novuna GB&NI Debut
