I took the audio recorder along on the OMM Elite course in Glen Artney over the weekend of 26&27th October 2024. I was paired with Phil Rutter of Kendal who has won the Elite race in 2022 and 2023. The OMM is a 2 day mountain marathon in which teams of two navigate between checkpoints to a midway camp, carrying all the food and kit they require to …

In this episode I sit down with Alice Tirbooman to talk about her journey from aerial circus and climbing in Bristol, to solo Scottish long distance running. We share tales of the remote and unsung Mullardoch Round, a 50km circuit of 12 Munros north of Glen Affric, which Alice ran solo and unsupported in 2022 and 2023. She then contrasts this with …

Trofeo Kima is a unique technical race in the beautiful Val Masino region of Italy, in the rough granite mountains not far from Lake Como. While I don't usually devote episodes to organised races, I think Kima justifies an exception, especially this year's race - in which I had a fantastic racing experience with none other than Jack Kuenzle. Jack i…

In this episode I read my article 'Competition as Catalyst: Beyond Racing on Tranter's Round' which was recently published in Like The Wind magazine #42. Tranter's round is a 60km round in the Lochaber hills, and my favourite round. I held the record for several years until Jack Kuenzle arrived from the USA and shaved around 15 minutes off in summe…

It's December 2019. Ben Bardsley packs up his wet tent in the rain at Lindesnes lighthouse, the most southerly point in Norway. He sets off heading north, a direction he will rarely waver from over the next 3 months as he attempts to traverse the entire length of Norway - Norge På Langs - in a single winter. Dealing with a particularly stormy wint…

Es Tresidder chats to me (Finlay Wild) about my record for the Cuillin Round. Set on May 1st 2024, I travelled solo and unsupported from a tent at the base of the South Ridge of Bla Bheinn, returning to finish the loop in 13hrs 04mins 13secs. The round takes in 60 summits in the Black and Red Cuillin in a route created by Rob Woodall in 1999 and re…

In one of my favourite episodes so far, I chat to Kevin Woods about his Winter Munro Round in which he completed all 282 Munros over the brutal winter of 2019/20. Delving into logistics and preparation for the Winter Munro Round gives a glimpse of Kev's incredible depth of mountain experience, having previously completed 4 (non continuous) rounds o…

Recently I bumped into Harry Bolton of Keswick AC and we arranged to sit down for a chat when he was up in Fort William. Harry has a real love for fell running and has notched up some impressive results including being the Lakelands Classics winner in 2022 and both the English and British Under 23 Fell Running Champion, also in 2022. Even back in s…

Rob Greenwood, UKC Guru (probably not his actual job title!), interviews Finlay Wild about his recent “Dark Bob” - a Bob Graham Round run between sunset and sunrise, solo and unsupported in Jan 2024. Rob is no stranger to long rounds, having racked up an impressive CV including the UK “Big Three”, Rigby Round and Spine Challenger. Developing the id…

Cumbria-based James Gibson has had an incredible past few years picking off a host of big ticket endurance running records. In a 10 week period from December 2022 he became the first person to complete all three UK Big Rounds in one winter season, solo and unsupported (Bob Graham Round, Paddy Buckley Round and Charlie Ramsay Round). Completing this…

Shane Ohly tells me about his incredible record on the Lake District Classic Rock Round, a 50 kilometre route linking 15 classic climbs from the 1978 book 'Classic Rock' by Ken Wilson.In 2020, Will Birkett and Tom Randall battled as they each brought the record down. Shane watched from the sidelines nursing an injury but knowing that he possessed t…

I talk to Natalie Hawkrigg about a number of Swim - Run challenges she has completed. Based in the North Lakes, Natalie is the female record holder for the Frog Graham Round, a 40 mile run with four lake swims around the Lake District. She was also the first female to complete the Frog Graham in winter, and went on to do the Welsh Puddle Buckley ch…

I recorded this episode with Joe Symonds while racing on the boat Opportune in the 2023 Scottish Islands Peaks Race. Joe is a veteran of this race, having competed 12 times, and previously setting the records for the running legs on Mull and Arran. Joe is a Paediatric Neurologist living near Glasgow and has ranked highly in diverse running styles -…

In October 2022 Victoria Thompson and Janie Oates came First in the Female category of the Elite OMM, and were the only female team to finish in this category since 2016. The OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) is a 2 day test of navigation and mountain craft held in late October each year, typically in harsh weather conditions. It was first held in 1…

Pawel Cymbalista tells the story of his recent epic run, which he also used to raise money for Lochaber Hope (a mental health support charity) in memory of his father. Setting out solo and unsupported from Fort William on 5th April he completed the fastest known Cape Wrath Trail in a little over 3.5 days - taking 8 hours off the previous (supported…

On Day 5 of the sixth year of our week-a-year ski traverse of the Grand Alpine Arc (Mediterranean to Vienna) we found ourselves stopping a bit earlier than planned, at the almost full Warnsdorfer hütte winter room. I took the opportunity to sit down with Ben Bardsley and Jon Morgan to discuss our ‘Speedy Tours’ project. Started in 2016 at Menton on…

In this episode I sit down with Robin Downie to talk about his inaugural completion of the Martin Moran Round in Torridon. Devised by Robin - himself a local of Lochcarron - he completed the 86km round in August 2022 and named it in memory of mountaineering legend Martin Moran, the local guide who sadly perished in the Indian Himalayas in 2019. Rob…

With winter upon us myself and Ben Gibson, Mountain Safety Advisor for Mountaineering Scotland, sit down and have a good chin wag about the issues facing runners in Scotland's winter mountains. We get our teeth into some winter specifics including winter navigation, snow and ice, avalanche hazards, weather, equipment choice and group dynamics. In m…

I caught up with Dingwall-based climber Murdoch Jamieson to hear about everything North West climbing. A true allrounder, Murdoch has made first ascents and repeats of hard routes on some of the most inspiring cliffs in the region. From Carnmore to Beinn Eighe, Beinn Bhan and An Teallach we hear about why these big, remote and imposing mountains ha…

I talk to Olly Stephenson in Edinburgh about hiking the 2650 mile Pacific Crest Trail which he did in an incredible 88 days this summer. In Olly's words "the trail traces a line up the mountains of west coast USA, traversing five major regions: Desert, High Sierra, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington", linking Mexico to Canada. Olly is no s…

I talk to visiting American Jack Kuenzle who has been over in Scotland gearing up for some big mountain rounds. On 28th July he set out hard on Lochaber's uber-classic Tranter's Round and came in with a new record of 8h38m23s, shaving almost 15 minutes off my best time of 8h52m53s set the day before (more on that in the conversation!). The previous…

I finally caught up with Jasmin Paris on the Isle of Jura the day before the eponymous race to chat about some of her more recent achievements. We start off with the iconic Isle of Jura Fell Race and what it means to her, before moving on to talk about The Green Runners. This is a new group set up with the aim of connecting runners concerned about …

I talk to Keri Wallace of Girls on Hills about my recent new record on the Paddy Buckley Round in Snowdonia. I ran solo and unsupported, starting in Llanberis at 5am on 26/4/22 and completed the rugged 105km round in 15h14m45s - improving on Kim Collison's 2021 record of 16h20m.Keri's website: www.girlsonhills.com…

In this episode I talk to Hillary Gerardi in Servoz, Chamonix, about the record she established with Valentine Fabre in April 2021 on the iconic Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route. The duo completed the tough 110km (with 8100m elevation gain) route in 26h21m using race skis and tactics and with a small support team. The journey is documented in the fi…

I caught up with Inverness-based Alec Keith who has been a prominent figure in Scottish hill running over the past 30 years. One-time holder of records for the Cairngorm 4000s, Cairngorm Big Six and Mullardoch Round, Alec revels in good long days out in the mountains, often alone, and he was quietly doing what he loves in the hills long before most…

On 28th August I completed the second fastest Bob Graham Round ever, touching the steps of the Moot Hall in Keswick in just under 13 hours - less than 7 minutes slower than record holder and all round megastar Kilian Jornet's time. I had an incredible support team who helped me to push myself further than ever before, forging memories that will las…

The Lake District's Kim Collison chats about his 24hr Munro Record set in July this year. Kim is no stranger to long distance running records - he holds records for the Paddy Buckley Round, Winter Bob Graham Round and Lakeland 24-hr Peaks. The 24hr Munro Round is simple on paper: how many different Munros can you tag in 24hrs, starting and finishin…

I saw from Strava that Lakes-based runner Josh Jardine was up in Scotland on a climbing trip. He came round for a cuppa and four hours later still wouldn't accept a second! We chatted about his running and climbing projects, in particular hearing about the Lakes Classic Rock Round which he completed in September 2019 with fellow Helm Hill runner Pe…

In this conversation I'm delighted to chat to previous British Fell Running Champion Kelli Roberts of Ambleside about her experiences on the Cuillin Ridge of Skye. In August 2020 she improved the female record for the 12km ridge traverse to 5h56m46s from Anna Wells' 6h34m set in 2016. The record is timed from end to end summits, starting at Gars-bh…

On 2nd September 2020 Donnie Campbell completed his human-powered Munro Round in a record time of 31 days, 23 hours and 2 minutes. He completed all 282 Munros by running, biking and kayaking between them, starting on Ben More on Mull and finishing atop Ben Hope in the Far North. This improved on Stephen Pyke's 2010 record of 39 days, 9 hours and 6 …

In this episode I speak to Roger Wild - my father - about (some of) the history of ski touring in Scotland before moving on to describe our 2010 'Scottish Haute Route'. This 7 day journey from Ben Nevis to Gairnshiel near Ballater was around 155km in length with 10,000m of ascent. We pre-placed food caches, stayed in bothies, and skied on Nordic fr…

In January 1987 pioneering long distance fell runner Martin Stone completed his goal of a solo, unsupported midwinter Bob Graham Round in classic full winter conditions (in 23h41). This had taken 4 attempts over 6 years and was not repeated in similar style until just recently in December 2020 by Shane Ohly. The journey was such an indelible person…

I talk to Robbie Simpson about his progression from junior hill runner through some European highlights such as Sierre-Zinal and Jungfrau Marathon, to road marathon and his 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal. We talk about having season goals and specific training, as well as his entry onto the ultra racing scene in recent years. Bringing it back…

Georgia Tindley kindly made time while passing Fort William to stop for a chat about the brilliant Glencoe Skyline race which she won in 2019. We also talk about the World Skyrunning circuit which she blasted onto in 2019 with some top performances. Georgia is an English teacher who has moved progressively further north in Scotland to access the mo…

Last winter Will Rowland pulled off an incredible traverse of the Black and Red Cuillin in a two day journey starting and finishing at Sligachan. Based on a summer linkup his father Clive Rowland pioneered almost 40yrs ago, we believe this is the first winter completion. It was a pleasure to chat to Will about his experience, as well as talking gen…

On 31st August I ran Charlie Ramsay's Round in 14hrs 42mins to break Es Tresidder's 2019 record. This run was the culmination of my 2020 season and has been a goal for many years. I ran solo and unsupported and enjoyed a tough but incredibly memorable mountain experience. Es interviews me about the process of breaking the record - from my buildup t…

In this 'On the Road' episode we are on Arran and I talk to Kirstie Smith about island life and her fantastic local hills. We chat about running and scrambling routes, mountain rescue, bivvies and even astrophotography. Kirstie Smith is @kirstiesarran on Instagram and Twitter and her photography is @afocusforadventure on Instagram. Her photography …

I talk to Sarah MacDonald of Lochaber Athletic Club and Glencoe about her recent FKT on the Mamores Round. She ran the 35km (+/-) loop in just under 8hrs - a strong run, especially considering the overall record stood at over 7hrs until 2017. We talk about the freedom of long solo hill runs, overcoming the barriers to 'just doing it', and generally…

Ali Rose and Mark Chambers chat to me about their epic day out linking up all 6 classic rock climbs in the Cairngorms from the book 'Classic Rock'. This stacks up as a 62km day out with (normally) 28 pitches of climbing taking them from Lochnagar through some spectacular terrain to their finish at Cairngorm ski car park 17hrs and 28mins later.Ali's…

I talk to Keri Wallace of Girls on Hills Trail Running about the Glencoe scene in general and her new climbing linkup with husband Ben of the 'Six Ridges of the Buachaille'. We also chat about her journey from PHD to climbing instructor to running guide and some of her most memorable mountain days. Find more details at: www.girlsonhills.com, www.fa…

In March 2020 - just before the COVID-19 UK lockdown - Es Tresidder and I took advantage of good weather and snow conditions to attempt a ski mountaineering challenge which we've long dreamt of, namely the Ramsay Round. This 92km running route has never been done on skis, and the current winter record (running) sits at 22hrs 23mins (Jim Mann, 2017)…