[1][2][3] His achievements in breaking records for the number of peaks scaled within 24 hours, contributions to fell-running events, plus documenting its history, earned him the accolade of "legend" within the sport upon his accidental death in 2011.
[10] In 1973, Smith became the twelfth person to complete the Bob Graham Round, considered "one of the most demanding challenges in the country",[11] and breaking its record (with Boyd Millen) by scaling 42 Lake District peaks in under 24 hours.
[1][4][24] His body was discovered by a walker in a remote location outside the range of mobile phone signals and from which "it took several hours of hiking ... [to] raise the alarm.
[11][16][H] As The Independent article commented: "The rescuers paused for a few moments to pay their respects to the man they found submerged in a peat bog on the remote Trough of Bowland last weekend.
However, the recovery party was largely clueless that the "elderly man, discovered the previous day but thought to have lain undiscovered for up to three weeks, belonged to one of the legends" of British sport.
As with being stuck in quick sand, panic and errant movements can exacerbate a bad situation and make "it impossible to escape without help.
"[M]ountain rescuers said the tragedy showed that even seasoned runners needed to let someone know their plans",[23] know where they are and have a cell phone,[26] and to make sure they carry a full complement of equipment.
"[23] Blurred eyesight was suspected to be a factor in his final fall; he skipped several scheduled procedures to deal with the ongoing problem.
[27] In any event, "Friends ... said Mr Smith's failing eyesight could have been the cause of his tragic accident",[17] but whether blindness "was the problem, or ... his heart gave out, nobody knew.
[25] For over a quarter century Smith published a "stream of immaculately researched historical articles" in Fellrunner magazine (which he helped popularise) and other publications.
[1][20] Commonwealth Games gold medal winner and long distance runner Ron Hill[L] described the book as a "bible for future generations.
[M] The president of the Fell Runners Association, Graham Breeze, published a posthumous encomium and long-belated book review: "Considering the masterpiece that bears his name Bill Smith was a staggeringly modest and unassuming man ...
I am privileged to have known him slightly and corresponded with him occasionally ... A few years ago I wrote a short piece about Stud marks on the summits and sent it to Bill for his approval.
We later talked about the piece at a race and I promised that, since all writers hate to waste material, it would only appear when he could no longer be embarrassed ... Fellrunners come and go, Champions come and go, but no-one will ever be as important to the development and history of fellrunning as the man who died in September on the Bowland fells.