An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
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.
Joss Naylor, MBE is an English fell runner who set many long-distance records, and a sheep farmer, living in the English Lake District. As his achievements increased he became better known as the King of the Fells or simply the Iron Man.
The Paddy Buckley Round, also known as the Welsh Classical 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 Round has the reputation of being somewhat tougher to complete than its English Lake District equivalent, the Bob Graham Round.
Robert Jebb is an English fell runner, skyrunner, and cyclo-cross rider. He has won the annual Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross in the Yorkshire Dales a record thirteen times since 2000, is a four-time-winner of the Three Peaks Race in the same region and broke Catalan dominance in the Buff Skyrunner World Series when he became champion in 2005.
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.
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.
The Ramsay Round, also known as the Charlie Ramsay Round, is a long distance hill running challenge near Fort William, Scotland. The route is a circuit of roughly 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. Originally, all 24 summits on the Ramsay Round were Munros, but Sgurr an Iubhair was declassified as a Munro in 1997. The route was devised by Charlie Ramsay as an extension to Tranter’s Round, an existing 24-hour walking route, and first completed by Ramsay on 8-9 July 1978.
Colin Kerr Donnelly is a Scottish runner who was the British fell running champion three times and finished second in the World Mountain Running Trophy.
Victoria Wilkinson is an English runner and cyclo-cross rider who was a world mountain running champion at junior level and who has several times been a national fell running champion as a senior athlete.
The Borrowdale Fell Race is an annual fell race held in August, starting and finishing in Rosthwaite. It is considered to be one of the "classic" Lakeland races and the route initially heads over Bessyboot before climbing England's highest summit, Scafell Pike. Great Gable is then scaled before a descent to Honister Pass and the final climb up Dale Head. The distance is approximately 17 miles and the route has around 6,500 feet of ascent.
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.
Finlay Wild is a Scottish runner and mountaineer who has been a British fell running champion. He has won the Ben Nevis Race twelve times.
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. In 2024, she was the first woman to successfully complete the Barkley Marathons.
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.
Carol Morgan is an Irish ultrarunner, who specialises in non-stop mountain ultramarathons 100 km and longer, often in challenging conditions with significant ascents / descents. Born in Dublin in 1973, where she trained as a nurse, she is an advanced practitioner in emergency medicine. Morgan holds the course record for endurance ultra event, the Kerry Way Ultra.
Michael Hartley is a British former ultramarathon runner.
John Wade Kelly is an American endurance athlete who specializes in ultrarunning.
