Go Mountain Goats

If you delve into the history of almost any endurance mountain running challenge in the UK you will likely see the name John Fleetwood. Usually flying under the radar solo and unsupported, his website www.longdistancechallenges.blogspot.com reveals a plethora of epic mountain adventures in the wild trackless bounds of Scotland, England and Wales.

John first became 'hooked' on endurance runs in the late 90s following his 'first proper run' - the 100km Bob Graham Round. Long before the current boom in ultra running and 'FKTs' he was having intense experiences as he sought to bring dream lines on a map into reality by following them on the ground. More interested in 'first known completions' than speed itself, he has made huge aesthetic loops in wild places. A winter Broxap Round in Glen Shiel over 120km and 61hrs; the Glen Lyon Watershed, a 121km 47hr loop of rough grass, bog and heather; or the Strathfarrar Watershed, 99km over 50hrs in deep snow.

We talk in more detail about John's Scottish Haute Route walk, his Lakes 40 Peaks at 40yrs challenge, and his mind bending Winter Rigby Round - a 54hr odyssey around the dark December Cairngorms in 2010.

John is also an author of two Cicerone guides to Scrambles in the Lake District. His book Beyond the View is his 'pilgrimage through nature', a hardback photography book interlaced with his personal story and deep connections to these wild places. Seeing 'beyond the view' is about connecting with our surroundings in a deeper way. He has also worked with Big Issue vendors in a project which gave them new access to outdoor experiences. He hopes to set up a charity further expanding this work which aims to heal the disconnect many people (and arguably society as a whole) feels for nature.

John is speaking at Kendal Mountain Festival next week (Sunday 24th November 2024)

I took the audio recorder along on the OMM Elite course in Glen Artney over the weekend of 26&27th October 2024.

I was paired with Phil Rutter of Kendal who has won the Elite race in 2022 and 2023.

The OMM is a 2 day mountain marathon in which teams of two navigate between checkpoints to a midway camp, carrying all the food and kit they require to survive in the October weather. A very popular event, it has different courses to fit different abilities, and is held in a different area each year.

Phil talks us through the OMM and we have some chat as we progress through day 1. Arriving at the midway camp in second place, we talk to Martin Stone of SPORTident timing. Martin features in my Bob Graham Round episode (Episode 16), and has his own episode about his Midwinter Solo Unsupported Bob Graham Round in 1987 (Episode 10).

We then debrief with the race leaders, Felix Wilson and Dan Ashwood before settling down for an early night in our tiny tent.

Setting out on day 2 we had a seeded start 3 mins behind the leaders, but with only 70 seconds of time to make up on them. Catching them, we then had a long fight on our hands as each team would try and outpace and outsmart the other. This included taking very different lines between checkpoints 4&5, only to come together again at checkpoint 5 with seconds between us.

Racing hard, we all navigated to the wrong stream bend for checkpoint 7. Felix and Dan relocated quicker and were off. It looked like we had lost the fight for first place. But we managed to claw back level with the guys - who then put on a sprint finish in the final field.

Over two days and 11.5hrs of racing we won by only 90 seconds - apparently the closest winning margin in the OMM for years.

For me, the OMM stands for traditional UK hill running values: held on rough terrain, in often difficult weather, with proper navigation, route choice and a requirement for mountain self sufficiency. With around 1300 competitors this year, it’s a much loved event.

The OMM is also the subject of Episode 28 with Victoria Thompson and Janie Oates, who were the female Elite course winners (and only elite course female finishers) in 2022. 2024 saw three female teams complete the Elite course (and many, many more over the other courses).

In this episode I sit down with Alice Tirbooman to talk about her journey from aerial circus and climbing in Bristol, to solo Scottish long distance running.

We share tales of the remote and unsung Mullardoch Round, a 50km circuit of 12 Munros north of Glen Affric, which Alice ran solo and unsupported in 2022 and 2023. She then contrasts this with her racing experiences which range from the London Marathon, to the Glencoe Skyline and Jura Fell Race.

We talk about Alice’s solo traverse of the Cuillin Ridge, which combined her running and climbing skills in a rewarding challenge which was made all the more valuable by an unexpected twist, when her climbing partner had to pull out during the approach walk. Initially nervous about continuing alone, Alice found her flow and with this a deeper confidence in her own abilities and strengths.

Alice’s father is from Mauritius and her mother from the West Country. She talks about the lack of racial diversity in hill running, and the potential lack of role models in the sport for minority ethnic runners. Alice is a member of Westerlands Running Club and has found the running community to be a welcoming and inclusive place. She talks about possible ways to enhance representation within the sport, and the benefits of promoting running to a wider and more diverse audience.

* I state that ‘no-one owns the mountains’. More accurately I mean no one ‘should’ own the mountains; that the right to roam them (responsibly) should be for all.

Trofeo Kima is a unique technical race in the beautiful Val Masino region of Italy, in the rough granite mountains not far from Lake Como.

While I don't usually devote episodes to organised races, I think Kima justifies an exception, especially this year's race - in which I had a fantastic racing experience with none other than Jack Kuenzle. Jack is now a recurring character on the podcast, having shown up in Episode 21 to beat my Tranter's Round record, and again in Episode 38 when I got it back!

Join Jack and I as we delve into a race analysis of our head to head 'duel' at the front of the race. We both managed to come in under the previous Kilian Jornet record time of 6hr9mins, with myself winning in 6hr5mins. Beating Kilian's record was a first for me, although not for Jack who has already achieved this with his Bob Graham Round record in 2022.

The race is dedicated to the memory of Pierangelo Marchetti, nickname "Kima", who was a local mountain guide who died in 1994 during a rescue mission. His sister started the race in 1995 in tribute to him.

For a visual on the terrain we are covering, see the great video by Julen Elorza featuring Hillary Gerardi (also featured in my Episode 18), La Gara: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CivvJNiHNnw

Also the 2022 race highlights where you see a bit more of me, and my first win at Kima: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyzvgiOGHJg&t=584s

In this episode I read my article 'Competition as Catalyst: Beyond Racing on Tranter's Round' which was recently published in Like The Wind magazine #42. Tranter's round is a 60km round in the Lochaber hills, and my favourite round. I held the record for several years until Jack Kuenzle arrived from the USA and shaved around 15 minutes off in summer 2022.

It may come as no surprise that I was keen to try and get the record back, which I did on 1st June this year.

Myself and Jack have had an interesting friendship-rivalry since meeting in 2022, with him going on to gain the Bob Graham round record, and us meeting and skiing together in winter 2024. We also raced at Trofeo Kima in August, but that's for another discussion - next episode! For a detailed discussion about Jack's Tranter's record in 2022, listen to episode 21.

My Tranter's run was one of my all time best days out, particularly in the latter stages, where I experienced a rare and near euphoric mind state. I highly value the way that running hard in the mountains can at times produce these special experiences.

It's December 2019. Ben Bardsley packs up his wet tent in the rain at Lindesnes lighthouse, the most southerly point in Norway. He sets off heading north, a direction he will rarely waver from over the next 3 months as he attempts to traverse the entire length of Norway - Norge På Langs - in a single winter.

Dealing with a particularly stormy winter, he first met difficulties when the usual winter routes across frozen lakes were not safe in the south due to mild conditions. Next he experienced exhausting trail breaking in one of Norway's snowiest Februarys on record, which increased the difficulty of this 2700 km journey significantly. Finally, suffering from illness and the strain of near constant bad weather and incessant wind, he entered an Arctic Circle even more deserted than usual due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

A veteran of multi-day adventure racing competitions, an accomplished fell runner and a champion mountain bike racer, Ben recounts his 106 day solo adventure with passion and honesty. This was a journey that challenged him in ways that few have experienced.

Returning from the trip, Ben suffered from extreme fatigue and was unable to return to work for several months. He talks us through the process of discovery and positive thinking which led to his recovery.

Ben was supported on the trip by Lyon Equipment and Rab Equipment.

He raised money during his trip to support his friend Dave Hollinger who suffered a spinal cord injury in a skiing accident in 2018. For more details and to donate go to www.gofundme.com/f/quotnorge-pa-langsquot-inspired-by-dave

Es Tresidder chats to me (Finlay Wild) about my record for the Cuillin Round. Set on May 1st 2024, I travelled solo and unsupported from a tent at the base of the South Ridge of Bla Bheinn, returning to finish the loop in 13hrs 04mins 13secs. The round takes in 60 summits in the Black and Red Cuillin in a route created by Rob Woodall in 1999 and rekindled by James Gibson last year with his record of 19hr 39min.

We spend some time discussing different rounds in the Cuillin, starting with the famous Cuillin (Main) Ridge traverse: the classic mountaineering journey of the 'British Alps', which has a point to point record for which both Es (2007) and then myself (2013) have held the record (currently my 2hr59mins). Longer outings are generally based around the main traverse with the addition of hills in the Red Cuillin (Glamaig, Marsco, etc) plus the brilliant Clach Glas - Bla Bheinn traverse. The Cuillin Round itself takes a slightly different route along the Main Ridge to take in outliers such as Sgurr Sgumainn and Knight's Peak, then drops to Glen Sligachan's runnable terrain before the tough climb up Glamaig and a traverse of the Red Cuillin, including outlier Belig, and a finish over Clach Glas and Bla Bheinn. It also traverses lesser known peak Sgurr Hain and the fab viewpoint of Sgurr na Stri. Much of the terrain is scrambly and exposed, with around 7300m of ascent over 53km.

I was incredibly satisfied with such an unforgettable day out in some of the best terrain the UK has to offer a runner-climber. I'm pleased to become the sixth completer of the round, and would highly recommend it to others with the skillset.

Corrections/ extra info:

Greater Cuillin Traverse record (main ridge + Clach Glas - Bla Bheinn): Tim Gomersall and Johannes Felter, 2015, 9h 24m peak to peak (also included Garbh Bheinn)

Rob Woodall's Cuillin Round concept can be seen at https://gofar997.wixsite.com/gofar/cuillin-round

Note his 59 tops were defined as having at least 50 ft drop on all sides.

More detail on various Cuillin rounds can be found at SHR Long Distance Records page at https://scottishhillrunners.uk/LongDistance.aspx

I mention a 'Sea King' helicopter, when I of course mean Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter, the Sea Kings having been retired some years ago.

James Gibson did climb King's Chimney on Sgurr Mhic Choinnich on his Cuillin Round

Recently I bumped into Harry Bolton of Keswick AC and we arranged to sit down for a chat when he was up in Fort William. Harry has a real love for fell running and has notched up some impressive results including being the Lakelands Classics winner in 2022 and both the English and British Under 23 Fell Running Champion, also in 2022.

Correction: I mean Speedy Tours 7, not 6

Rob Greenwood, UKC Guru (probably not his actual job title!), interviews Finlay Wild about his recent “Dark Bob” - a Bob Graham Round run between sunset and sunrise, solo and unsupported in Jan 2024. Rob is no stranger to long rounds, having racked up an impressive CV including the UK “Big Three”, Rigby Round and Spine Challenger.

Re ski rounds in Cairngorms with GPS - I mean a dedicated GPS unit, not a watch