Fell running
Encyclopedia
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running
and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport on the fell
s of northern Britain, especially those in the Lake District
.
Fell races are organized on the premise that contenders possess mountain navigation
skills and carry adequate survival equipment as prescribed by the organizer.
. There is no documented connection between this event and the fell races of the nineteenth century. By the nineteenth century records begin to appear of fell races taking place as a part of community fairs and games. The sport was a simple affair and was based upon the community's values for physical ability. Fell races took place alongside other sports such as wrestling, sprint races and, especially in Scotland, heavy events such as throwing the hammer
. These fairs or games events were often commercial as well as cultural, with livestock shows and sales taking place alongside music, dancing and sports. In a community of shepherds and agricultural labourers comparisons of speed and strength were interesting to spectators as a source of professional pride for competitors. A fast shepherd or a strong labourer were as respected, one imagines, as any top ranking colleague in a more modern employment. The most famous of these events in England is the Grasmere
Sports meeting in the Lake District
, with its Guide's Race. This event still takes place every year in August.
Early fell races were mostly professional, in that cash prizes were awarded to the winners. They also attracted bookmakers and gambling. In the nineteenth century the majority of races were professional, although there were amateur races such as the Hallam Chase in Sheffield. The rise of amateur sport in the Victorian era, and the formation of the Amateur Athletic Association in 1880 brought changes to athletic sports, that would eventually create the modern sport of Fell Running. The amateur sport developed, in part from the professional, but it also came from a quite different tradition, associated with mountaineering and the Youth Hostel Association. A formative event in Fell Running history is the Lake District Mountain Trial, inaugurated in 1952. This long distance, endurance event was the first of a number of more complex and longer courses that make less of a spectacle for spectators but a more modern endurance running sport. Over the next few years more long fell races in lakeland followed, such as Ennerdale (1968) and Wasdale "Horseshoe" Mountain Fell Race. (1972). While these endurance races emerged, professional racing continued much as before. Though still under the banner of "professional", at best the prize money would only pay a week’s wages. During the major part of the 20th century the two categories ran as separate sports where a runner could only move to the amateur code after withdrawing from competition for a period of quarantine. Professional racing continued, in parallel with amateur events, right up until 1992, when all fell running was declared open . The professional sport has evolved into open fell running and is administered by the British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA) who run regular short-distance events with a strong emphasis on junior races.
The Fell Runners Association was inaugurated in April 1970 to organise the duplication of event Calendars for the amateur sport. It now administers the amateur fell running in England, in affiliation with UK athletics. Separate governing bodies exist for each country of the United Kingdom and each country has its own tradition of fell running, though the sport is largely the same. Among the most important races of the year are the Ben Nevis
race in Scotland, run regularly since 1937, and the Snowdon Race
in Wales.
. Courses are often longer, steeper, unmarked when out on the hills (with a few exceptions) and these longer races can demand mountain navigational techniques. Nevertheless, cross country seems fast and furious to many fell runners. Fell running also overlaps with orienteering
. Courses are again longer but demand different techniques from orienteering. However, fell running does require navigational skills in a wild, mountainous environment, particularly in determining and choosing between routes
. Category O events and Mountain Marathon
s (see also below), test navigational ability — attracting both orienteers and fell runners. Other multi-terrain events, such as the Cotswold Way Relay and the Longmynd hike for example, also qualify as fell races under Fell Runners Association rules
. Races avoid rock climbs and are subject to change when any ground nearby becomes unstable. A small number of fell runners who are also rock climbers nevertheless do attempt records traversing ridges that allow running and involve scrambling and rock climbing — particularly where the record is 24 h or less. Foremost of these in the UK is probably the traverse of the Cuillin
Main Ridge on Skye, and the Greater Traverse, including Blaven
. Nor does fell running involve expeditions. Race records vary from minutes to, generally, a few hours. Some of the mountain marathons do call for pairs of runners to carry equipment and food for camping
overnight. Even the most extreme fell runners will tend to ”bite” at a record that stands 24 h or less — often a "round" that ends at the start line. The exceptions to the extreme fell runner are attempts at a continuous round of Munros. Mountaineers
who traverse light and fast over high Alpine, Himalayan or through other such continental, high altitudes are considered alpine style mountaineers.
The WMRA - World Mountain Running Association - is the governing body for Mountain Running and as such is sanctioned by and affiliated to the IAAF, the International Association of Athletics Federations. It organizes the World Mountain Running Championships
.
There are also the continental championships such as the African Mountain Running Championships and the European Mountain Running Championships
, the South American Mountain Running Championships and the North American Central American and Caribbean Mountain Running Championships, the latter also known as NACAC Championships.
Walshes are extensively used by many UK runners, especially in the Lake District
, where their sole pattern gives excellent grip on steep grass. Shoe manufacturers such as Montrail
are also leading the chasing pack to try to make better and better shoes to compete with the classic Norman Walsh's design. County Durham (UK) based manufacturer Inov-8
have gained a whole swath of awards in recent years and have an extensive array of shoes ranging from studded fell shoes to ones designed for parkour
running.
records in the UK. In 1932 the Lakeland runner Bob Graham set a record of 42 Lakeland peaks in 24 hours. His feat, now known as the Bob Graham Round
, was not repeated for many years (in 1960); by 2011, however, it had become a fell-runner's test-piece, and had been repeated by over 1610 people. Building on the basic 'Round' later runners such as Eric Beard (56 tops in 1963) and Joss Naylor
(72 tops in 1975) have raised the 24 hour Lakeland record considerably. The present record is 77 peaks, and was set by Mark Hartell in 1997. The ladies record is 62 peaks, set in 1994 by Anne Stentiford.
Most fell running regions have their own challenges or "rounds":
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport on the fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
s of northern Britain, especially those in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
.
Fell races are organized on the premise that contenders possess mountain navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
skills and carry adequate survival equipment as prescribed by the organizer.
History
The first recorded hill race took place in Scotland. King Malcolm Canmore organised a race in Braemar in 1040 or perhaps as late as 1064, reputedly to find a swift messenger. This event appears to have been a precursor to the Braemar GatheringBraemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
. There is no documented connection between this event and the fell races of the nineteenth century. By the nineteenth century records begin to appear of fell races taking place as a part of community fairs and games. The sport was a simple affair and was based upon the community's values for physical ability. Fell races took place alongside other sports such as wrestling, sprint races and, especially in Scotland, heavy events such as throwing the hammer
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
. These fairs or games events were often commercial as well as cultural, with livestock shows and sales taking place alongside music, dancing and sports. In a community of shepherds and agricultural labourers comparisons of speed and strength were interesting to spectators as a source of professional pride for competitors. A fast shepherd or a strong labourer were as respected, one imagines, as any top ranking colleague in a more modern employment. The most famous of these events in England is the Grasmere
Grasmere
Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets...
Sports meeting in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, with its Guide's Race. This event still takes place every year in August.
Early fell races were mostly professional, in that cash prizes were awarded to the winners. They also attracted bookmakers and gambling. In the nineteenth century the majority of races were professional, although there were amateur races such as the Hallam Chase in Sheffield. The rise of amateur sport in the Victorian era, and the formation of the Amateur Athletic Association in 1880 brought changes to athletic sports, that would eventually create the modern sport of Fell Running. The amateur sport developed, in part from the professional, but it also came from a quite different tradition, associated with mountaineering and the Youth Hostel Association. A formative event in Fell Running history is the Lake District Mountain Trial, inaugurated in 1952. This long distance, endurance event was the first of a number of more complex and longer courses that make less of a spectacle for spectators but a more modern endurance running sport. Over the next few years more long fell races in lakeland followed, such as Ennerdale (1968) and Wasdale "Horseshoe" Mountain Fell Race. (1972). While these endurance races emerged, professional racing continued much as before. Though still under the banner of "professional", at best the prize money would only pay a week’s wages. During the major part of the 20th century the two categories ran as separate sports where a runner could only move to the amateur code after withdrawing from competition for a period of quarantine. Professional racing continued, in parallel with amateur events, right up until 1992, when all fell running was declared open . The professional sport has evolved into open fell running and is administered by the British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA) who run regular short-distance events with a strong emphasis on junior races.
The Fell Runners Association was inaugurated in April 1970 to organise the duplication of event Calendars for the amateur sport. It now administers the amateur fell running in England, in affiliation with UK athletics. Separate governing bodies exist for each country of the United Kingdom and each country has its own tradition of fell running, though the sport is largely the same. Among the most important races of the year are the Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
race in Scotland, run regularly since 1937, and the Snowdon Race
Snowdon Race
The Snowdon Race is a ten-mile endurance running competition in Gwynedd, from Llanberis to the peak of Snowdon. Contestants must make the five miles up the Llanberis Path to the summit and return back down. Currently entrants must be over-18 to compete in either the men's or women's race...
in Wales.
Overlap with other sports
Modern fell running has common characteristics with cross country runningCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
. Courses are often longer, steeper, unmarked when out on the hills (with a few exceptions) and these longer races can demand mountain navigational techniques. Nevertheless, cross country seems fast and furious to many fell runners. Fell running also overlaps with orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
. Courses are again longer but demand different techniques from orienteering. However, fell running does require navigational skills in a wild, mountainous environment, particularly in determining and choosing between routes
Route choice (orienteering)
Route choice is a tactic in orienteering and related sports such as rogaining and adventure racing. These sports involve navigation from one control point to the next and, in most cases, the choice of route is left to the competitor. This is provided the rules permit route choice and the course...
. Category O events and Mountain Marathon
Mountain Marathon
Mountain Marathon is an extended form of fell running, usually over two days and often with a strong orienteering element. Competitors usually participate in teams of two, and have to carry their own food and tent...
s (see also below), test navigational ability — attracting both orienteers and fell runners. Other multi-terrain events, such as the Cotswold Way Relay and the Longmynd hike for example, also qualify as fell races under Fell Runners Association rules
Rocks
Fell running does not involve rock climbingRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
. Races avoid rock climbs and are subject to change when any ground nearby becomes unstable. A small number of fell runners who are also rock climbers nevertheless do attempt records traversing ridges that allow running and involve scrambling and rock climbing — particularly where the record is 24 h or less. Foremost of these in the UK is probably the traverse of the Cuillin
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
Main Ridge on Skye, and the Greater Traverse, including Blaven
Blaven
Blà Bheinn , is a mountain on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is usually regarded as an outlier to the Black Cuillin. It is mainly composed of gabbro, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineers and scramblers...
. Nor does fell running involve expeditions. Race records vary from minutes to, generally, a few hours. Some of the mountain marathons do call for pairs of runners to carry equipment and food for camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
overnight. Even the most extreme fell runners will tend to ”bite” at a record that stands 24 h or less — often a "round" that ends at the start line. The exceptions to the extreme fell runner are attempts at a continuous round of Munros. Mountaineers
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
who traverse light and fast over high Alpine, Himalayan or through other such continental, high altitudes are considered alpine style mountaineers.
Organizations
The Fell Runners Association publishes a calendar of 400 to 500 races per year. Additional races, less publicised, are organised in UK regions. The British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA) publishes a smaller calendar of races - mostly derived from the professional guide races - in England and Scotland and organises a championship series. In Scotland, all known hill races (both professional and amateur) are listed in the annual calendar of Scottish Hill Runners. In Wales, the Welsh Fell Runners Association provides a similar service. Northern Ireland events are organised by Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association. Again, races are run on the premise that a contender possesses mountain navigational skills and carries carry adequate survival equipment. In Ireland events are organised by the Irish Mountain Running Association.The WMRA - World Mountain Running Association - is the governing body for Mountain Running and as such is sanctioned by and affiliated to the IAAF, the International Association of Athletics Federations. It organizes the World Mountain Running Championships
World Mountain Running Championships
The World Mountain Running Championships is an international mountain running competition contested by athletes of the members of WMRA, World Mountain Running Association, the sport's global governing body....
.
There are also the continental championships such as the African Mountain Running Championships and the European Mountain Running Championships
European Mountain Running Championships
The European Mountain Running Championships is an annual international mountain running race. Inaugurated in 2002, it is organised by the European Athletic Association in July each year. The venue for the championships is changed each year....
, the South American Mountain Running Championships and the North American Central American and Caribbean Mountain Running Championships, the latter also known as NACAC Championships.
Race categories
Races run under the FRA Rules For Competition of the Fell Runners Association are categorised by the amount of ascent and distance.Category A
- at least 250 ft (76 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km)
- should not have more than 20% of the race distance on road
- should be at least one mile in length
Category B
- at least 125 ft (38 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km)
- should not have more than 30% of the race distance on road
Category C
- at least 100 ft (30.4 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km)
- should not have more than 40% of the race distance on road
- should contain some genuine fell terrain
Category O
- also known as a Long O event
- checkpoints are revealed to each competitor when they come up to a “staggered” start
- entry by choosing an orienteering type class, such as a Score-O event and often as a team of two (pairs)
Category MM
- events also known as Mountain MarathonMountain MarathonMountain Marathon is an extended form of fell running, usually over two days and often with a strong orienteering element. Competitors usually participate in teams of two, and have to carry their own food and tent...
s and Mountain Trials - similar to Category O, but multi-day events, in wild, mountainous country. Competitors must carry all the equipment and food required for the overnight camp and subsequent days. Entry is usually as a pair.
Three example "classic A" races
- Wasdale Fell Race AL 21 miles (34 km) 9,000 ft (2750 m) - male record 3:25:21 (Billy BlandBilly Bland (runner)Billy Bland was one of the most prominent fell runners from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s, and is arguably the best long-distance fell runner in the history of the sport.He was born in 1947 in Borrowdale in the Lake District....
, 1982), female record 4:12:17 (Janet McIver and Jackie Lee, 2008) - Ben Nevis Race AM 10 miles (16 km) 4,400 ft (1340 m) - male record 1:25:34 (Kenny StuartKenny StuartKenny Stuart is a former fell and road runner. He was born in 1957 to a family living at Threlkeld in the Lake District.Early in his career, when there was still a split between professional and amateur fell racing, Stuart competed in professional races, converting to amateur status in 1982...
, 1984), female record 1:43:25 (Pauline Haworth 1984) - Blisco Dash AS 5 miles (8.1 km) 2,000 ft (610 m) - male record 36:01 (Jack Maitland, 1987), female record 47:25 (Louise Sharp, 2004)
Footwear
Modern fell running trainers use light, non waterproof material to eject water and dislodge peat after traversing boggy ground. While the trainer needs to be supple, to grip an uneven, slippery surface, a degree of side protection against rock and scree (loose stones) may be provided. Rubber studs have been the mode for two decades, preceded by ripple soles, spikes and the flat soled ‘pumps’ of the fifties.Walshes are extensively used by many UK runners, especially in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, where their sole pattern gives excellent grip on steep grass. Shoe manufacturers such as Montrail
Montrail
Montrail Corporation is headquartered in Richmond, California. The company manufactures and distributes footwear for trail running, hiking, and general long distance running....
are also leading the chasing pack to try to make better and better shoes to compete with the classic Norman Walsh's design. County Durham (UK) based manufacturer Inov-8
Inov-8
inov-8 is a footwear company that was founded in the UK in 2003 and has grown into the leading technical off-trail running brand in the United States, Europe and across the rest of the World...
have gained a whole swath of awards in recent years and have an extensive array of shoes ranging from studded fell shoes to ones designed for parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...
running.
24 hour challenges
Fell runners have set many of the peak baggingPeak bagging
Peak bagging is an activity in which hillwalkers and mountaineers attempt to reach the summit of some collection of peaks, usually those above some height in a particular region, or having a particular feature.Peak bagging can be distinguished from highpointing...
records in the UK. In 1932 the Lakeland runner Bob Graham set a record of 42 Lakeland peaks in 24 hours. His feat, now known as the Bob Graham Round
Bob Graham Round
The Bob Graham Round is a circuit of 42 fells in the English Lake District, including the peaks of Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Scafell and Scafell Pike...
, was not repeated for many years (in 1960); by 2011, however, it had become a fell-runner's test-piece, and had been repeated by over 1610 people. Building on the basic 'Round' later runners such as Eric Beard (56 tops in 1963) and Joss Naylor
Joss Naylor
Joss Naylor MBE is an English fell runner. Naylor is a sheep farmer, living in the English Lake District...
(72 tops in 1975) have raised the 24 hour Lakeland record considerably. The present record is 77 peaks, and was set by Mark Hartell in 1997. The ladies record is 62 peaks, set in 1994 by Anne Stentiford.
Most fell running regions have their own challenges or "rounds":
- Lake District – The Bob Graham Round
- Scotland – The Ramsay RoundRamsay RoundThe Ramsay Round is a long distance fell running challenge near Fort William, Scotland. The route is a circuit of 58 miles, taking in 24 summits with a total climb of around 28,500 feet. Ben Nevis, Great Britain's highest peak, is included in the route along with 22 other Munros...
- North Wales – The Paddy Buckley RoundPaddy Buckley RoundThe Paddy Buckley Round is a long distance fell running challenge in Snowdonia, Wales. The route is a circuit of just over 100 km long taking in some 47 summits. The aim is for participants to complete the route, on foot. Although no time limit is set, an arbitrary 24 hours is applied, similar...
- South Wales - South Wales TraverseSouth Wales TraverseThe South Wales Traverse is a long distance fell running challenge across the mountains of South Wales. It is a linear route of taking in some 31 summits over high, giving about of ascent. The aim is for participants to complete the route, on foot, within 24 hours...
- Ireland – The Wicklow Round
See also
- Adventure racingAdventure racingAdventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering and/or navigation , cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills...
- Bill Smith (Fell runner)Bill Smith (fell runner)Bill Smith was a notable fell runner and well-known author on the sport. He was considered a "legend" in the fell-running community."The word legend is all too often rolled out in sporting circles...
- Lakeland ShowsLakeland ShowsLakeland Shows are agricultural and sporting shows in the English Lake District.They have an emphasis on showing sheep, cattle and poultry, and are known for the Herdwick Sheep.Sports events include Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and fell running....
- Marilyn (hill)Marilyn (hill)A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
- Trail runningTrail runningTrail running is a variant on running that differs markedly from road running and track running. Trail running generally takes place on hiking trails, most commonly single track trails, although fire roads are not uncommon. A distinguishing characteristic of the trails is that they are often...
- Ski mountaineeringSki mountaineeringSki mountaineering is form of ski touring that variously combines the sports of Telemark, Alpine, and backcountry skiing with that of mountaineering...
- SkyrunningSkyrunningSkyrunning is defined as the discipline of mountain running up to or exceeding 2,000m where the incline exceeds 30% and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II° grade. The governing body is the ....
External links
- WMRA World Mountain Running Association
- Fell Runners Association
- British Open Fell Runners Association
- Map of hill race locations in Scotland