Fell Running for Novices

Fell running is a reasonably accessible sport, requiring little in the way of expensive equipment and facilities. As with all running sports, a reasonable level of fitness is required to participate. However, unlike other endurance running sports, there is an additional small, but very real, risk of death on longer races where exhaustion and poor weather in remote areas can lead to exposure.

Unlike most distance running where really severe exhaustion means sitting on a pavement waiting for help; help might be hours away and temperatures may plummet in the mountains whilst the fell runner wears only light clothing.

Most fell runners begin by initially trying a short race. Even the most fit and fast road, track or cross country runners can benefit from a couple of weeks of including sharp climbs and descents in their training to prepare untrained muscle groups.