It was founded by David Meek, and sponsored by a long-time UK manufacturer of light-weight tents.
The SLMM has been held annually since 1978, apart from 2001, when the Lakeland fells were closed because of the Foot and Mouth crisis.
However, there have been notable exceptions to this - in 2004 (the 26th event, out of Coniston) consistently poor weather over two days forced many teams to retire.
In 1997 (the 20th annual event, starting from Grasmere) courses were set which meant many teams were still out on the Sunday evening, long after the prize-giving was due to take place.
The organisers encourage young competitors, with lower entry fees for Under 25s and there is a specific, handicapped class for parent and child (age 14+), Bedafell.