On the heels of a fell runner

I often wonder about climbing hills as part of human nature. Why might this be? To discover what lies beyond? To dominate our surroundings? To be closer to the sky? 

When I was living in the Pennine hills in West Yorkshire, I often crossed paths with runners in the middle of the wilderness, dressed only in small shorts and t-shirts. They all had a look in their eyes that showed they were driven to be there by something special. Something was giving them the energy to climb up the hill, only to descend and climb another... The same name was often repeated in my village. Someone I had to meet. Lawrence Sullivan. 

Lawrence is not a normal runner. Not only the English fell-running champion once for the over 60s and once for the over 70s, he is also a member of the prestigious Bob Graham Club, an Everest runner, a canoeist, an adept at wild camping, and a bronze medallist at the World Masters for the over 70s. He is a force of nature, a determined competitor, and passionate about space, nature and freedom. He started at the age of 44 after a back injury, and has never looked back.

I had the opportunity to chat with Lawrence about his fell-running...

Lawrence, why do you run up hills? What are you looking for?

I would like to add the fact that you also go down hills - mainly because when you go up, you have to go down afterwards- so it’s not just going up hills. The whole enjoyment of running over the fells obviously includes both, as well as a bit of flat land as well. I think several things really. One is when you’re fit enough, it’s a wonderful sense of freedom, of being able to traverse such rough country and enjoy it! There are the more obvious aspects of it; the lovely views, although with the mist and rain, they’re not always lovely. But even if there is mist and rain, there is still this wonderful atmosphere. And if you are doing it on your own, which a great number of fell runners do, there is a sense of isolation and freedom that come from all that. On a purely physical level, you have to be fit to do it. A friend of mine once described it as gliding. After going for an hour or two over the fells, suddenly you come across this wonderful view and a valley below and you’re moving over this rough ground and you feel like you are gliding. It is so wonderful. The question shouldn’t be why do I do it, but why doesn’t everyone else?!

You go to different places but where is your favourite place to run?
 

 That’s an impossible question! I suppose in many ways it’s here, where I live. I am really lucky to live here, up in the Pennines, within literally minutes of the moor land. Once you beyond the intake walls just up the lane, there are miles after miles of wilderness and wild country. Because I have lived here for so many years and because I am interested in local history (we had a history book here in Midgley a few years ago and I had to do the geology bit so I have a great interest in the scenery, the history, the geology and everything to do with it), it is rather nice to be here. I think there are obviously more spectacular places in the Lake Districts or the highlands of Scotland. At least, here, I have a nice hot shower when I get back!

What’s your best memory from all of your fell running career?

Oh there are so many, so many. There is a race over on Pendle hill which is organized by members of my club- Clayton-le-Moors Harriers - coming over the breast of the hills on the way back is one of my favourite places in a race. I don’t know, there is something about it; it just falls away and the all of the Lancashire plain is before you and if it is a nice clear day (which it is so often in September), you can see the Bowland fells here, you can see the Darwen moors there, you’ve got the Irish Sea and all that vast area in front of you... That’s one of my favourite places. 

But as far as special events or special instances... Let me select one, a really spectacular one, the sort of thing you are lucky if it happens once in your lifetime. I was up on Lochnagar in Scotland where there was what is known as an ‘inversion’. There were thick mists down below and a beautiful sunny sky. I was running over a ridge there and I came up out of the mist into this, where the shadow of the mountain was cast forward on to the mist below. There is a phenomenon known as a ‘Brocken Spectre’, named after the Broken village in the Harz mountains in Germany, so-called because they thought this event was a supernatural being. Your own shadow is cast onto this mist as though onto a screen and you can even - very flatteringly - have a halo, which is a rainbow effect, of course. With this great sea of mist below you, you can almost see the curve of the earth. Surprisingly something I’ve confirmed with the Scottish mountaineering club guide, it was so clear ahead of me, I could see Ben Nevis in the distance. I think that was one of my very special moments in life.

You sound like you've been to some wonderful places. Where and what was your biggest challenge?

There are the obvious challenges of the big long races such as the Ennerdale or Wasdale in the Lake District and I did the Bob Graham round - 42 peaks inside 24 hours - many years ago. But probably the most interesting and satisfying, is one I devised myself up in the Torridon mountains in Scotland- a complete circuit- and by long-distance fell-running standards, it doesn’t sound much: 40 miles and 20 thousand feet of climbing. But if you know the mountains there, you would know it’s a different matter. It verges into mountaineering here and there. To give you one or two instances, I was going along some of the so-called Fasarinen Pinnacles. You’ve got a very narrow track with an enormous drop to the glen below- when you go along these things you’ve got to get your footwork right- and clambering over quartzite boulders, and a little bit of rock climbing here and there (coming down off one of the ridges). Probably the most difficult and dangerous part of it all in fact, is the two or three river crossings. If the river’s in spate- if there’s been a load of rain- then the whole round would be impossible. There’s no way you could do it. Fortunately, when I did it, it was fine. I planned it and reccied it for about three years before I actually managed to do it. I was very pleased. I wanted to do it inside 20 hours as well, and took 19 hours and 20 minutes. So, I think that’s my big one.

What motivates you to carry on in a race?

I’m totally focused in the race, I’m very competitive. There’s an interesting view, that I first heard for the olympic javelin thrower Steve Backley. He said there are two kinds of athlete: one who wants to win, and one who doesn’t want to lose. One of them isn’t superior to the other, it’s about the attitude you have. As you know, fell races are divided into age categories. If one or two of my rivals are right behind me, especially at the end of the race, I do not want to lose; I’ll pull out all the stops, use all tactics to demoralise them. It’s not just a question of running fast. You could let them overtake you for instance, towards the end. They think they’ve overtaken you, and then, when you overtake them again, you know very well that their legs are going to feel like lead. That kind of psychological trick. All that thinking, weighing up the tactics. I might follow someone I could have overtaken, just to see how well they handle themselves over a descent or rough ground, then I know when to overtake them when I can; not all fell runners think like this but I imagine some go even further than I do. That's what motivates and fascinates me during a race. 

When you’re in so much pain, have you ever asked yourself why you were doing the race?

I would separate the word ‘effort’ from the word ‘pain’. I would associate pain with an injury- if suddenly your calf or achilles go - that is pain. However determined you may be, whether you like it or not, you’re unlikely to be able to continue. You’re fully aware that the more you push it, the more likely you are to be injured for a very long time. That’s pain. The sense of effort, where you’re pushing yourself to your limit, that’s a different matter. One of the distressing aspects of life these days is that so many people consider physical or mental effort as something unplesant to be avoided. I think that as human beings, we actually do ourselves a favour in many ways. Although this may sound terribly arrogant, you feel better in yourself, your self-esteem goes up. After all, as creatures, we are built to withstand this kind of thing. To come back at the end of the day knowing that you have overcome these difficulties, is a source of immense satisfaction. One of the wonderful things about it is that you’re surrounded by people who have a similar view. The bond that you form with people is quite unlike any other bond I’ve encountered. Overcoming adversarial conditions, overcoming all kinds of difficulties and dangers, and supporting each other in doing it. Going back to this idea of pain, if ever you’re doing a fell race (this actually happened to me once) and you can’t continue, people will stop, help you and make sure you’re safe. Even people you don’t know. 

How do you prepare yourself or long fell race (mentally/physically)?

This is very much a personal view - not everybody would go about it as I do. First of all, take it slowly. Gradually increase the distance you go. You also have to think about speed if you’re racing, not just about keeping going. If it’s a really big race, like the Wasdale, I would put in as much time as I can in the Lake District and get used to not just the terrain but the very long climbs and very long descents. Gradually bring the time and distance to a certain level. Some people can withstand far more miles per week but I’ve never had a high mileage,in training. When I was younger, some of my rivals considered that 60-70 miles a week was the requirement to be racing at the top. I‘ve never managed more than about 40 miles. If I did more than that, I would risk injury. It’s the quality. That’s where the speed comes in. Having developed distance - what’s known as stamina- you then have to go through what’s known as the “pain gate”. It only lasts for about a week or two. I’ve always done it through ‘interval training’ where you stride very fast for a minute and then jog recover, and then do it again and again. It’s hard work but the more you do it, the more you speed up, your whole body gets used to it. That’s where the mental part comes in; your brain gets used to it and no longer registers how distressing it is. When you get to the race, after considering the weather - the wind particularly - and the route choices, the terrain etc, you will approach your optimum chances in the race. 

Do you have any tips for someone who would like to start fell running? 

You’ve got to fit it around your life. You, for instance, have a small baby to look after, and can’t just go off for a ten mile run when you want. I always put work first before running. It depends on your job, but fell-running was my leisure time. Join a club. Everyone I know belongs to one. Everyone’s friendly and there’s a wonderful social life. 

What’s your next challenge?

Keeping up with you on the Midgley Moor Race! Fell races have two categories- one is the length (long - above 12 miles, medium - above 6 miles, and short - below 6 miles), the other is ABC difficulty. ‘A’ category has a mimimum of 250 ft climbing per mile, and 75% rough terrain. ‘B’ category is half all that, and ‘C’ is more like a cross-country race. Midgley is a short one, but it’s a category ‘A’.

OK... 

Some people think that the shorter a race is, the easier it is. But the shorter it is, the faster it is... The speed of the leading runners in that race is mind-blowing. An enormous climb right to the top of the moor, you fight your way through all kinds of heather, then a very fast descent down into the Luddenden Valley, followed by a very steep climb back up the moor, then rough terrain right across and any number of route choices. You’ve got quite an advantage if you live up here as I do! 

When is it?

Saturday... You’ve got plenty of time to train...!