Fell running

[3] King Malcolm Canmore organised a race in Braemar in 1040 or perhaps as late as 1064, reputedly to find a swift messenger.

From the 19th century records survive of fell races taking place as a part of community fairs and games.

These fairs or games events were often commercial as well as cultural, with livestock shows and sales taking place alongside music, dancing and sports.

In a community of shepherds and agricultural labourers comparisons of speed and strength were interesting to spectators as a source of professional pride for competitors.

The most famous of these events in England, the Grasmere Sports meeting in the Lake District, with its Guide's Race, still[update] takes place every year in August.

[8] Category O events and Mountain Marathons (see also below), test navigational ability, attracting both orienteers and fell runners.

[9] Fell running does not involve rock climbing and routes are subject to change if ground nearby becomes unstable.

Again, races are run on the premise that a contender possesses mountain navigational skills and carries adequate survival equipment.

Starting with the 1986 season, an English Fell Running Championships series has also taken place, based on results in various races of different lengths over the year.

Races run under the FRA Rules For Competition of the Fell Runners Association[11] are categorised by the amount of ascent and distance.

[2] Modern fell-running trainers use light, non-waterproof material to eject water and dislodge peat after traversing boggy ground.

While the trainer needs to be supple, to grip an uneven, slippery surface, a degree of side protection against rock and scree (loose stones) may be provided.