Fell running, also sometimes known as 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 fells of northern Britain, especially those in the Lake District. It has elements of trail running, cross country and mountain running, but is also distinct from those disciplines.
The Bob Graham Round is a fell running challenge in the English Lake District. It is named after Bob Graham (1889–1966), a Keswick guest-house owner, who in June 1932 broke the Lakeland Fell record by traversing 42 fells within a 24-hour period. Traversing the 42 fells, starting and finishing at Keswick Moot Hall, involves 66 miles with 26,900 feet of ascent.
Yiannis Tridimas is a long-distance fell runner, noted as being the only 60-year-old to have completed an extended version of the Bob Graham Round, covering 60 peaks in under 24 hours. He completed the course on his third attempt, during the weekend of 6/7 August 2005, after his first attempt was curtailed by injury and the second by extreme hot weather. Yiannis is among a group of a few who have completed all three major 24-hour rounds in England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, he completed his own 24-hour round, the Meirionnydd round in Wales and has also completed the Cuillin round in the Isle of Skye. He has completed a solo run between Snowdon and Pumlumon in Wales, taking in all the major hills in between. Other ultra distance completions include the Joss Naylor challenge in Cumbria, the Leventon line in North Wales and the South Wales Traverse.
Helene Diamantides is a fell runner.
World's Biggest Liar is an annual competition for telling lies, held in Cumbria, England. Competitors from around the world have five minutes to tell the biggest and most convincing lie they can. Competition rules bar the use of props or scripts. Politicians and lawyers are not allowed to enter the competition, because "they are judged to be too skilled at telling porkies".
Billy Bland is a British former long-distance runner. He 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.
Bill Smith was a fell runner and author on the sport. His achievements in breaking records for the number of peaks scaled within 24 hours, contributions to fell-running events, plus documenting its history, earned him the accolade of "legend" within the sport upon his accidental death in 2011. His body was discovered on 7 October in a peat bog in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, England, after a three-week disappearance.
Nicola "Nicky" Spinks is a British long-distance runner, specialising in fell running, who set women's records for the major fell-running challenges the Ramsay Round, the Paddy Buckley Round and the Bob Graham Round.
Gavin Bland is a British fell runner who was a British and English champion and represented his country at the World Mountain Running Trophy.
Simon Booth is an English runner who was twice the British fell running champion and who has represented his country at the World Mountain Running Trophy.
The Wasdale Fell Race is an annual Lake District fell race held in July, starting and finishing at Brackenclose in Wasdale. The course is approximately twenty-one miles long with around 9,000 feet of ascent and takes in checkpoints at Whin Rigg, Seatallan, Pillar, Great Gable, Esk Hause shelter, Scafell Pike and Lingmell nose wall. The route between Pillar and Lingmell is very rough, with steep technical ground and boulder fields. Among long fell races, Wasdale has one of the highest ratios of feet of ascent per mile, and it is often considered to be the toughest of the British races.
Jasmin Karina Paris is a British runner who has been a national fell running champion and who has set records for the Bob Graham Round and the Ramsay Round.
Ricky William Lightfoot is a British runner who has been a world champion in trail running and a medallist in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge.
The Ennerdale Horseshoe Fell Race is an annual Lake District fell race held in June, starting and finishing at the Scout Camp near Ennerdale Water. The route is approximately 36.8 kilometres (22.9 mi) in length with 2,290 metres (7,510 ft) of ascent and takes in checkpoints at Great Borne, Red Pike, Blackbeck Tarn, Green Gable, Kirk Fell, Pillar, Haycock, Iron Crag and Crag Fell.
Mark Alan Rigby is a British runner who was a national hill running champion and who represented Scotland in the World Mountain Running Trophy.
Stephen Birkinshaw is an English fell runner and hydrologist. From 21 June 2014 until 20 June 2019 he held the record for the fastest run round the 214 Wainwright summits, at 6 days 13 hours.
Michael Hartley is a British former ultramarathon runner.
John Wade Kelly is an American endurance athlete who specializes in ultrarunning.
Pauline Stuart is a former pioneer female fell runner, being the first woman to win many of the classic fell races in the late 1970s and early 1980s, some as soon as they allowed women to enter.
