Damian Hall

Last updated

Damian Hall
Damian Hall runner.jpg
Hall in 2023
Personal information
Born1975 (age 49–50)
Website www.ultradamo.com
Sport
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Sport Trail running

Damian Hall (born 1975) is a British ultrarunner, author and activist. [1]

Contents

Career

Hall grew up in the Cotswolds. Though he was competitive at cross-country at school, he didn't start running as an adult until 2011, aged 36. The following year, he completed his first marathon (dressed as a toilet). [2] In 2016, Hall represented Great Britain in the IAU Trail World Championships in Gerês, Portugal. [3]

Hall has held the Fastest Known Times (FKTs) for a number of British long-distance trails, including the South West Coast Path, Cape Wrath Trail (with Beth Pascall), Paddy Buckley Round, Pennine Way, South Wales Traverse and Wainwright's Coast to Coast. [4] [5] [6]

Hall won the 2019 Ultra Tour Monte Rosa and the 2023 Spine Race. He was 4th at the 2023 Tor des Géants and 5th at the 2018 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. [1] [7] He has attempted the Barkley Marathons twice, reaching the final loop on both occasions. [8]

Various documentaries have been made about Hall. Wrath followed his 2018 run with Beth Pascall on the 230-mile (370 km) Cape Wrath Trail, self-supported and during winter. [9] In 2019, Underdog was released, following Hall's attempts to break into the top ten of the prestigious 105-mile (169 km) Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. [10] In 2020, Totally FKT followed his battle with John Kelly to break the 268-mile (431 km) Pennine Way FKT. [11]

Hall is vegan, a climate activist, [12] and a founding member of The Green Runners . [13] [14] He is outspoken about sportswashing, unveiling protest banners at race finishes and pledging not to run races with high-carbon sponsors. [15] He has plogged (picked up rubbish while running) during record attempts. [16]

Hall has written for a large number of newspapers and magazines. [17] As well as writing the walking guides Walking in the Cotswolds [18] and Pennine Way, [19] Hall has written books about running and FKTs with In It For The Long Run, [2] and about running and climate with We Can't Run Away From This. [20]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hall, Damian". Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung.
  2. 1 2 Hall, Damian (2021). In It For The Long Run: Breaking records and getting FKT. Vertebrate.
  3. ↑ "6th IAU Trail WC Trans Peneda-Geres, Braga (POR)". Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung.
  4. ↑ "Athlete: Damian Hall". FKT. 26 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Carter, Kate (7 June 2016). "Ultra-distance runner Damian Hall on setting a new record: 'I recommend a daily sob'". The Guardian .
  6. ↑ "Gloucestershire runner breaks Coast to Coast record". BBC News . 28 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Pearson, Rick (23 January 2023). "Damian Hall and Hannah Rickman on the Spine Race 2023". Runner's World .
  8. ↑ Bozon, Jenny (15 April 2024). "'I was wandering around in the dark, at the bottom of a mountain, thinking, "You've messed it up again!"'". Runner's World .
  9. ↑ WRATH: a 230-mile record run attempt in Scottish winter. Summit Fever Media. 10 December 2019 – via Vimeo.
  10. ↑ Underdog: chasing a UTMB® dream. Summit Fever Media. 27 June 2019 – via Vimeo.
  11. ↑ Totally FKT: breaking the Pennine Way fastest known time. Summit Fever Media. 22 November 2020 – via Vimeo.
  12. ↑ "Activism". Damian Hall.
  13. ↑ "Our Story So Far". The Green Runners.
  14. ↑ "The Green Runners call for climate action in the sport". BBC News . 24 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Turner, Jonathan (12 September 2024). "Top British ultrarunner says 'F*** OFF Ford' as he makes 'STOP OILY MONEY IN SPORT' protest after brutal 330km race". RUN247.
  16. ↑ Bolt, Richard (27 July 2020). "Damian Hall "Plogs" His Way to a 268-mile Pennine Way Record". American Trail Running Association.
  17. ↑ "Writing". Damian Hall.
  18. ↑ Hall, Damian (13 April 2016). Walking in the Cotswolds: 30 circular walks in the Cotswolds AONB. Cicerone. ISBN   9781852848330.
  19. ↑ Hall, Damian (3 March 2016). Pennine Way: National Trail Guide. Aurum. ISBN   978-1781315651.
  20. ↑ Hall, Damian (2022). We Can't Run Away From This: Racing to improve running's footprint in our climate emergency. Vertebrate.


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