British fell runner climbs 78 peaks in 24 hours

British fell runner Kim Collison climbed 78 peaks in Britain’s Lake District in 23 hours and 45 minutes over the weekend, breaking the Lake District 24-hour record by one peak. The previous record was set in 1997 when Mark Hartell ran 77 peaks in just under 24 hours. Collison started and finished his run in Brathwaite, a small town in the Lake District about an hour south of the England-Scotland border, running 153K en route to the record. 

Dream. Believe. ???? #78peaks #24hours #foryourmountain #longhaul #mountainfuel
? Steve Ashworth pic.twitter.com/di42EocYEp

— Kim Collison (@CollisonKim) July 12, 2020

How the record works 

Since a runner has to add more peaks to break the Lake District 24-hour record, you might be wondering how the route works, but there’s actually no set layout. Instead, runners can map out individualized routes for their record attempts. There are still rules, the most important of which states that each peak climbed must be more than 2,000 feet (609m) tall. Another rule states that each peak a runner climbs must be at least 400m away from the previous one.

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As for the start and finish of an attempt, just like the route itself, there’s no set start line. Runners can start wherever they please, just as long as they return to that spot for the finish.  Finally, as the record’s name suggests, the challenge must be completed within a 24-hour window. The attempt can start at any time, just as long as runners make it back before a full day has passed. Full rules for the record can be found here.

What a day. https://t.co/A50hpJeXep

— Kim Collison (@CollisonKim) July 12, 2020

Collison’s running resume 

Collison has had a lot of success in trail and fell running. As he explains on his personal website, he has represented both Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Trail Championships. He won the British trail championships in 2014, and in 2015, he finished 26th overall at the Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc. He has also registered a top-10 finish at the Skyrunning World Championships, and he owns several ultrarunning records in British races. The Lake District 24-hour record adds to a long list of accomplishments on his running resume. 

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A new record 

To break the 23-year-old Lake District record, Collison had to run 153K and cover more than 12,000m of elevation gain. According to his Strava recording of the run, he spent 22 hours and 25 minutes of the challenge on his feet and actively attacking the many peaks, meaning he only rested for about an hour and change in total. Over the course of the 78-peak record, he ran an average pace of 9:15 per kilometre.