Challenge Stu

Right, here we go then. Apologies if this all gets a bit deep and meaningful. What do you write about winning a race you've dreamed of winning since you started running? The first time I finished the Fellsman was in 2008. It took over 18 hours. I'd retired the year before - my only memory of that is four of us sitting around a Camping Gaz lantern in a stinking wet tent and whining pathetically as we tried to get warm, then eventually being taken to the finish in a Land Rover. My first completion was with Wil Spain in completely different weather and was more successful, but still felt pretty tough. It broke me for weeks and was the hardest thing I'd done. Wil chasing a sheep. Screenshot from a video (that I'm not giving you a link to). After finishing in the middle of the night we slept in a little tent in the car park till about lunchtime, then nearly pulled it down when we tried to stand up and get out. 2008 was actually a notable year in Fellsman history, b...

There was a suggestion box at the Fellsman this year. I spotted it as I staggered towards the showers about an hour after finishing, took a little piece of paper from the pile and wrote "I BLOODY LOVE THE FELLSMAN!". When the organisers open the box they may well think this was written by a drunken child with a pencil loosely taped to its broken fingers, but it was actually written by a very happy person who just rediscovered what he loves about racing. Run happy. It's been a while since I properly enjoyed a race, but there were numerous occasions during this race when I stuck my arms out and for a moment just ran for the love of it. There were also moments when my legs hurt, I felt sick, I didn't know where I was going, I didn't want there to be 5 hours of running left, but the overall level of enjoyment was high on Saturday. --- Anyway, the race: The Fellsman is more accurately described as a very long fell race (an AVL?) than an ultra, beca...

The last weekend in April normally means one thing for me - the Fellsman. It's a classic, and a race I really love. 61ish miles across the stunning Yorkshire Dales in a big horseshoe from Ingleton to Threshfield. The race has everything a race in the UK should have - big climbs, proper off road bogginess, and amazing views. It's a race I've never quite done as well at as I would like (I can't remember how many times I've been 4th but it's certainly a few), meaning that it has a continued lure to return each year. The Fellsman - why would you do any other race?? However, this year would be different, because in Yorkshire on the same day each year there's another prestigious race going on. The two even cross paths at Hill Inn, in the valley between Whernside and Inglebrough... Which probably gives away which race it is - the 3 Peaks Fell Race. There are similarities to the Fellsman, but this one is shorter (23 miles), less boggy and "off-path" (...

I first ran the Fellsman in 2008 in a time of about 18 hours. It was by far the hardest race I'd ever run and I was in awe of the winner, Mark Hartell. After winning the race most years since 1995, this was the final year of Mark's domination, and 2009 saw Jez Bragg claim his first victory. That year my time was 16:21 and I still could not comprehend the speed of the guys at the front - I remember running after grouping in the later stages of the race, talking about how the leaders would get back in time to have dinner in the pub while we were still miles from the finish. So with all that in my not-too-distant memory it felt a bit strange to be chatting to Jez as we climbed Gragareth this year. Soon after the start six of us had pulled away from the main group on the way up Inglebrough: Adam Perry, Kim Collison, Jez Bragg, Stuart Mills, a guy who's name I'm afraid I don't know (Mr. Salomon will do for now), and I. We jogged up the track and walked the steep...