fell

fɛl

 

noun: fell; plural noun: fells

1. a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England.

    

 

Fell running is essentially off-road running generally in the harsh but beautiful uplands of Northern England Scotland and Wales. A primordial sport that can place its origins to the early days of mankind and the wild nature that surrounded them. Being a feral activity of such, surviving meant hunting, and hunting meant chasing, whether that be through forest, wild plains or up and down mountains, it is the action of running in the challenging harsh wilderness that became a natural instinct in humankind and defines the basic nature fell running.

 

Historically, the first accounted Fell running race can be traced back to Scotland, as King Malcolm Canmore organised a race in Braemar in 1040, to find a swift messenger.

Being based on the edge of the Pennines and close to the Peak District it is no surprise that Norman Walsh developed shoes specifically for running in this demanding terrain.  An athlete running over uneven, loose and wet ground both uphill and down needs to have confidence in his footwear.  The famous V-Ripple sole was originally devised for this sport and used in the Pennine Adder shoes from the 1960s.  This was then replaced by PB studded sole in the 70s which has remained at the forefront of fell-running to this day.