UKC

Hi All

I'm looking to run my second marathon at the end of October having ran one a year ago. My time was about 3 hours and 45 minutes, which I'm looking to reduce to 3 and a half this year. So that's the kind of fitness I'm at.

I'd like to harness that fitness and try a bit of fell running, as I'm starting to get into adventure racing and well just love being fit and getting fitter.

With that in mind does anyone have any recommendations on what I should have a go at? Any particular fell running races that are good for beginners? I really don't want to turn up and either collapse halfway round because it's too much or have everyone rush off ahead and I'm not really up to it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

In reply to David Robinson:

The one thing my road running friends have found when we've taken them fell running is that they have difficulty with the terrain: weak ankles and a shuffling gate the lot of them!
Do you do any of your running off road? I'd just start short and local and work your way up from there, fell runs are usually friendly and open to everyone!

In reply to David Robinson:

where are you based?

You'll be fine fitness wise of a 3:45 marathon easily.. but for example can you navigate?

In reply to David Robinson:

The hills! Ouch! The legs!

I've tried some running in the hills but even a gentle slope is a serious killer for some reason. Get some proper hill running in first.

In reply to ceri:


I think also simply knowing where to place your feet on rough ground only comes with practice. Particularly relevant to running downhill, but also moving efficiently uphill when steep or loose.

At least, most people can beat me on the flat (including flattish trails), but I can gain lots back on a steep rough downhill.

In reply to David Robinson:

As Iain says, with a 3:45 marathon, you'll probably be fine.
For races to start with, literally anything (as long as its not a race catagorised as AL) would probably work - but are location dependent, unless you like a nice long drive to get to a 2 mile race.

Perhaps the most important point is, can you navigate? As that is pretty fundamental, even if it is a relatively straightforward race.

To give you an idea, when I started, I barely ran at all, and just thought that I needed to lose weight for climbing. What can I do?
Entered an 8 hour adventure race - they kind that goes from a hub (questars or similar), something I could can at any time, and then just went for it.

Others may disagree, but maybe a Rab mini mountain marathon type thing might be good. Ok, its not an out and out fell race, but its off road, its navigational, its timed, and if you don't think you're up to it at any point, you can traipse back to the start. Also, there isn't a pack mentality, so you won't need to be worried about not "keeping up"

Once you've done that and realised its not all that scary, enter a local race, and go for it.

A lot of people get scared of navigation but if you try a shorter local race you should be fine, and the bonus of being midpack is there's always someone to follow! I've never had to use a compass in the peak for example. Get the marathon out the way and get off-road as much as you can and enter something. You'll be fine

In reply to zephr:


I'd echo this - it's been a while, but when I dabbled in fellracing (~10 years ago), being competent at KIMM A-class equated to busting a gut to beat the half-way cut-off on AL races. There were no 'fun runners' in AL. Also, make sure you can navigate in low visibility - many fell runners can't and end up running very fast in the wrong direction.

Hmm, correction. Nearer 20 years. Jeez.

In reply to David Robinson:

I was in a similar position last year. My first fell race was the Kirkby Stephen Nine Standards on New Years Day (in horribly fun weather), I stayed mid-pack and loved every minute. I was fine with the climbing but got absolutely schooled on the decent. Completed a few races in the Peak since and really enjoyed them. My nav is OK but I've not needed to pull out a compass yet.

In reply to David Robinson:

Fell running is very inclusive, you can often find yourself on the starting line next to the world champion - though that's probably the only time you'll see him!

Races get classified in two ways: amount of ascent per Km (A, B, C) and distance (S, M, L), so AL, AS, BM, etc. Short races feel closer to a sprint to me. Also 'A' class races have mandatory kit requirements. Races also have a set of abbreviations for things like "Navigation required", "Local Knowledge". which give you an idea of how obvious the course is.

If you aren't used to it, running downhill will be the hardest part - there's a knack to running at a comfortable pace without hammering your quads.

I'd look at something like a BM race: not too long, not a sprint and not super hilly.

In reply to David Robinson:

I'd concentrate on what you can find closest to home, hoping that you don't live in East Anglia.

Don't be shy - enter the PTL!

In reply to Bob:

>Also 'A' class races have mandatory kit requirements.

Is that a new rule, or true only for the longer races?

I did an FRA registered AS race last year, and there were no special requirements.

In reply to mbh:

There has been some tightening up of the regs since a fatality last year. I don't have the handbook with me but I think AS races can forego the kit at the discretion of the race organiser whereas AM & AL races can't.

In reply to mbh:

Bob's right, lots of chat on this but here's the relevant bit from http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/pdf/committee/14_Competitors_Safety_Rules_and_... :

“Best practice” on equipment for fell races is set out in paragraph 12 of the Safety Requirements
and is mandatory in full at all:
• category Long A races
• category Medium A races and
• category Long B races.

In reply to Bob:
That makes sense.

To the OP; you sound a bit like me. I did one short fell race last year, and enjoyed it. I looked on the FRA site http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php for something local to me, gave the organiser a ring, and just turned up. It was very low key and friendly. I didn't know how I would do and was anxious at the sight of all the club vests and lean legs limbering up at the start, but in the end I came mid-pack, having slipped back several places on the way down.

In reply to SteveRi:

I used to have a bumbag with lightweight top and overtrousers, hat, gloves, compass, whistle and plastic freezer bag that I would just chuck in my kit bag. Print off a map if I didn't have one. I then knew I always had the mandatory kit.

In reply to Bob:



Up to a point. Both Skiddaw and Borrowdale and ER, LK, PM, NS, but they are radically different. You could do the Skiddaw race in low vis with no knowledge of the course and no map, and still likely be ok, whereas the same if you tried the same in Borrowdale, you could end up just about anywhere.

Pick something with good weather for your first race, not too long and be prepared to wonder if you're going the right way, fall over once of twice, and thoroughly enjoy yourself.

My first race was Longshaw Sheepdog Trials - got to the foot of the plummet and went "Oh no, I can't run up that, why did I enter". Then I looked up and realised everyone else was walking too!

In reply to Nutkey:

The Ilkley Fell and Jack Bloor races are both run on Ilkley Moor. The Ilkley Fell Race used to have NS against it in the calendar but was fully marked and hardly went out of sight of Ilkley, the Jack Bloor had no abbreviations and no on-course markings! So no, you can't rely on those abbreviations.

Never did the Skiddaw race but did the Borrowdale a few times.

In reply to Bob:

Never liked the Skiddaw race. Nasty angle up and down.

In reply to David Robinson:

Wow, thanks ever so much for the advice.

I do a lot of mountain walking, so generally quite confident in navigation, and with that aware of the kind of terrain I'd be running on.

I do train off road, simply because road running is boring, but I tend to then run on well laden paths so should probably look to slightly more rugged and steeper terrain.

I'm Leicestershire based, so will look into Derbyshire area I think, plenty of hills round there, and not as big as somewhere like the lakes.

Thanks again for all the help, can't wait to get going.

In reply to David Robinson:

http://www.t42.org.uk/hayfield/

This is a great website for peak district races


Or check FRA website

Roaches in November is a brilliant race - reasonably tough but hard to get lost as it is out and back.

Give it a go

In reply to David Robinson:

Never been in a competitive race (apart from the Sierre-Zinal event) but have often done a 25/30 mile circuit in running gear with pack on the hills (can suggest some routes if needed). The point made by someone that placing your feet is critical is important. You are likely to have a much more flatfooted style on rough trails. Why not just set out with a map and pack to test yourself?

In reply to altirando:


Quite agree. I've never competed on the fells, partly because I love solitude and the challenge and commitment that go with it. And I love just getting a map out and planning a route through unknown terrain, especially if I'm with my wife and she can pick me up in the car!

In reply to David Robinson: I can recommend the Wirksworth RC Undulator as a good beginners race:
http://wirksworthrunningclub.org.uk/racing/undulator-stuart-learmouth-memor...
You shouldn't need a map, but you can print one from the website! I was a marshal on Harborough rocks last year (the summit of the race): the fog was terrible, I could only see the runners coming from about 20 meters away, so I spent the whole time calling "hello, runners, this way!", to act as a kind of human fog horn. I think they all found me though