Fell Running - History

History

The first recorded hill race took place in Scotland. King Malcolm Canmore organised a race in Braemar in 1040 or perhaps as late as 1064, reputedly to find a swift messenger. This event appears to have been a precursor to the Braemar Gathering. There is no documented connection between this event and the fell races of the 19th century. By the 19th century records begin to appear of fell races taking place as a part of community fairs and games. The sport was a simple affair and was based upon the community's values for physical ability. Fell races took place alongside other sports such as wrestling, sprint races and, especially in Scotland, heavy events such as throwing the hammer. 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. A fast shepherd or a strong labourer were as respected, one imagines, as any top ranking colleague in a more modern employment. The most famous of these events in England is the Grasmere Sports meeting in the Lake District, with its Guide's Race. This event still takes place every year in August.

19th The Fell Runners Association was inaugurated in April 1970 to organise the duplication of event Calendars for the amateur sport. It now administers the amateur fell running in England, in affiliation with UK athletics. Separate governing bodies exist for each country of the United Kingdom and each country has its own tradition of fell running, though the sport is largely the same. Among the most important races of the year are the Ben Nevis race in Scotland, run regularly since 1937, and the Snowdon Race in Wales.