Ever wondered how quick you could run up a mountain? Well, this fell running athlete do it on a weekly basis…
Fell running is essentially off-track, uphill running combined with orienteering and racing against others in the ultimate fitness test.
It doesn’t sound like a walk in the park, does it? But, what does it take to complete this feat while battling sun, snow, or rain?
Well, fell runners must have endurance, speed, navigational skills, and the ability to handle rough and steep terrains. The sport is distinct from trail running due to its emphasis on elevation gain and the technical nature of the terrain.
Nine to Alive spoke to a talented UK fell runner who has has won multiple fell-running races.
Being a Fell Runner
Caroline Lambert, 30, from Cumbria is an experimental scientist by trade and an hardened fell runner by passion.
She said: “I originally started as a cross country and track athlete but my mum moved around a lot and at 16 I started fell running in the summer when I couldn’t access the track”.
Her experience started off as a painful one. Having swapped flat track running with the steep and bumpy trail runs up the side of mountains, she initially had pain in her calves and quads.
Yet, she enjoyed the laid back nature of fell running compared to the seriousness of track. Especially with it being less time focused.
“On my first day I started way too fast and all the lactic acid built up during the incline and then the quads really hurt on the way downhill.”
“The achilleas is a big one too for young fell runners because of the amount of uphill running” explains Caroline.
In the past few years she has joined the well-known Keswick Athletics Club.
Between her lab research developments, she takes time to train multiple times a week. From practice running the routes before races, training her core for balance, and doing strength and conditioning for her legs.
She said: “Coming from tracks, I often do the marked races to help with orienteering, but some of the un-marked races are harder so I have to re-run it before.”
Fell Running Wins
On Tuesday 21 May, Caroline won one of the local fell running races and broke the female record time!
She won the ‘Hay O’ Trail Race’ which is a 6-kilometer multi-terrain race hosted in Cockermouth, Cumbria. It is an evening race which starts at 7:00 pm and she had finished the trail before 7:30pm!
She explained: “The best feeling was actually getting to the summit to be honest, the views are pretty impressive, you see views that others don’t. The finish is always nice because you know you’re finally done.
“I was running against some friends and so they helped me to run faster. I was worried with the final decent but glad I kept the lads behind”.
She was third overall but beat the record time for a woman to complete the race.
Event photographer, Stephan Wilson, said: “Well done to Caroline Lambert of Keswick Athletics Club on not only being first woman at the Derwent AC Cockermouth organised ‘Hay O Trail Race’ but broke Hannah Horsburgh’s 2014 record, finishing in a time of 24 mins 56 secs”.
Caroline often runs the 14 mile length race rather than the marathon or ultra-marathon distances for fell runners.
Get Outdoors
Caroline hopes to continue her fell running into 2024 as she competes in the English Fell Running Championships.
She actively encourages others to get outdoors and often gets FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – with fell running races.
Caroline said: “People don’t stop and take pictures when fell running so its more satisfying when you do it – the experience is different every time.
“I experience so much more on my sofa and it motivates me getting out, I feel great”.
