Updated (22/4/25): Sadly, James made the difficult decision to end his attempt after 117 miles due to on-going issues with his quads that resulted in him being unable to run. He said: "There was a lot of road running on day one which, I think, led to my quads tightening up into day two. Friends worked some magic to loosen them for bit, but eventually I was only able to walk. It was a tough call to step off but, even now, feels like the right move." We wish James a speedy recovery and look forward to hopefully seeing him make another attempt in the future.
James Gibson is no stranger to super-long ultra running challenges. The INOV8 ambassador has completed many epic UK mountain adventures in recent years, setting records and Fastest Known Times along the way.
His next challenge is to attempt a 250-mile continuous round of the 116 Lake District hills in Alfred Wainwright’s 8th Book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland. James plans to do this with hill and road support from friends.
Learn more in our new Q&A with James. From Friday April 18th, you can follow his progress throughout the challenge on this live tracking link.
Q&A with James Gibson
1. What is the challenge you’re undertaking?
After completing two continuous Wainwright rounds (December 2021 and April 2022), I had always thought about maybe completing Alfred Wainwright’s 8th Book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland as a continuous round one day.
The route measures out at 250 miles, 116 tops and 15,000 meters of ascent with a mix of trails, road and fells. I have decided to start the round from my local pub in Torver, meaning that I can step out of the door and be straight onto the route.
The 116 Outlying Fells of the Lake District – as published in the 1974 book – are smaller hills situated in all areas around the National Park, from the prominent Black Coombe in the south to the blissfully quiet tops of the Shap Fells in the East. The Outlying Fells are a mix of rugged and sometimes off the beaten track, combined with a collection of easily accessible and popular foothills such as Scout Scar and Cunswick Scar outside the main town of Kendal to Orrest Head and Brant Fell in Windermere.
2. Has it been done before and, if so, is there a record time to chase?
As far as I know, only one person, Darren Parker, has ever completed a continuous round of the Outlying Fells—a feat that, ironically, happened the same week I had planned to attempt my own round in October 2024. He did it solo and self-supported in 10 days, starting and finishing in Cockermouth.
Unfortunately, a foot injury forced me to put my own plans on hold, leading to three months off running.
3. What’s your motivation behind wanting to do this challenge?
I’ve worked in the Climbers Shop (Ambleside) for many years in between my outdoor and running coaching work and remember looking at the map of the Outliers and wondering if anyone has ever linked them together in one. The seed was planted and here I am. Another motivation for the challenge is the continuous varied terrain, including road, trail and fell.
4. Will you be more off-the-beaten-track with this challenge?
There will be some long sections like the Shap Fells, that are renown for being quite rough, remote and boggy with no clear paths. Sections like these I have recced to figure out the best lines to link all the tops together.
5. Have you recced the whole route or are you going to do lots of it ‘on-sight?’
I have recced the sections that I feel need the most focus, but I will enjoy the additional challenge and adventure of on sighting the remainder of the route.
6. What do you envisage to be the most difficult part of the challenge?
Over the years of ultra running that I have done I have mainly focused on running in the hills on mostly rough terrain, which naturally allows breaks as you hike up the hills. This route will certainly challenge me on the long sections of road and trail, as I will have to try and move much quicker for longer periods of time. Having a few years away from multi day challenges will make this a mental challenge too.
7. You’ll cross multiple terrains – trail, fell road. How will you negotiate these differences underfoot?
With the support of INOV8, I’ll have a different shoes to pick from to tackle the varying terrains. The ROADFLY will, of course, be used on the roads, the TRAILFLY for hard-packed trails, the TRAILTALON for softer trails and the MUDTALON for deeply muddy ground. I’ve tested all on different sections of the route and have always felt super comfortable and confident thanks to the grip underfoot.
8. What level of support will you get on this challenge?
I will be planning on having the route mostly fully supported, however I am expecting to do some sections alone. I’ll have road support throughout the challenge, which will include a place to sleep and rest during the attempt.
