Ayrshire youngster celebrates paw-some results at prestigious Canicross event

Daily Record

15-05-2025

Nine-year-old Evan Johnson was in fine form with canine companion Stormi.
An Ayrshire youngster is celebrating a paw-some result after scooping two medals for Scotland in a prestigious cani-cross event.
Evan Johnson, from Kilmaurs, and his six-year-old European sled dog Stormi teamed up in Wales to pick up a silver and bronze in the 'Fur Nations'.
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Held in Pembrey on the south coast of Wales, nine-year-old Evan competed in the three-day event and tackled the challenging two-mile course while battling it out with 160 other dogs and runners.
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And, to make the achievement all the more impressive, the trip to Wales was nine-year-old Evan's first major event in the sport.
Canicross is cross-country running with your dog. The runner wears a belt that attaches to a harness worn by their canine running companion. The pair are joined by a bungee cord to reduce the shock when the dog pulls.
Evan's success runs in the family with proud mum Lindsay Johnson running a canicross club in Ayrshire, called Cani-Fit.
Lindsay said: 'This was his first big competitive race. He's done smaller ones before but this was a pretty big event and he did really well to get a silver and bronze.
'He put in a lot of training so the hard work paid off.
'The Scottish leg is at Glamis Castle soon and he's really keen on taking it further - so much so that I think he'll be getting a puppy in the summer.'
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She added: 'He's really proud of himself and it's given him a big boost. He wants to keep improving and reaching new goals.
'I think next season, in the winter, we'll be looking at a British Championship race all going well.'
As for the actual sport itself, Lindsay says it's a great way to keep fit, but admitted training and competitions can be challenging - but a whole load of fun.
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She said: 'The sport is all over the world now and really growing. It's very accessible. As long as the dogs and people are fit and healthy, anyone can do take part. It's a fun way to keep fit.
'It's not just going for a wee run. The dog runs faster so you have to keep up with it and you're running on trails and it can sometimes be quite tricky terrain.
'It can be really challenging and it's not easy at all to do all the training to make sure you're fit and keeping the dog healthy and in shape, too.
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It takes a lot of dedication to train for that type of terrain and speed as well as training the dog.
'There's a lot of commitment and training that goes into it that people maybe don't see.'
Given Evan's age, mum has to run alongside, which she says is becoming a greater challenge with each passing week, saying: 'I run classes throughout Ayrshire and teach people how to get fit and do the sport.
'I competed throughout Europe for years but I now no longer race or do it competitively.
'I'm just trying to keep up with Evan! Because of his age, I have to run beside him for safety and it's a challenge. As the weeks go on, he's leaving me for dust but I'm trying my best!'