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Fell Running

Overview

Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.

Many fell races are organised on the premise that contenders possess mountain navigation skills and carry adequate survival equipment as prescribed by the organiser. Fell races are classified by the use of two letters, that indicate gradient of ascent and distance.

Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.

Many fell races are organised on the premise that contenders possess mountain navigation skills and carry adequate survival equipment as prescribed by the organiser. Fell races are classified by the use of two letters, that indicate gradient of ascent and distance.

Ascent Categories

• Category A - at least 250 ft (76 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km), should not have more than 20% of the race distance on road, should be at least one mile in length
• Category B - at least 125 ft (38 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km), should not have more than 30% of the race distance on road
• Category C - at least 100 ft (30.4 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km), should not have more than 40% of the race distance on road, should contain some genuine fell terrain

Distance Categories

• Category L - for Long - over 12 miles (19.3 km)
• Category M - for Medium - over 6 miles (9.6 km)
• Category S - for Short - less than 6 miles (9.6 km)

Despite the sometimes daunting nature of some of the races, fell races are very friendly affairs, where the social side of the event is as important as the race itself.

The club is affiliated to Fell Running Association (FRA) and has many athletes participating in these type events.