Advertisement

New world record for Wainwright's peaks race

A man from Cumbria has beaten a world record only ever completed by one other man - previous record holder Joss Naylor. Steve Birkinshaw ran Wainwright's 214 peaks last week, setting a new world record in the process.

View all 7 updates ›

Gruelling Lake District record tumbles

A fell runner from Keswick has broken one of the Lake District's most gruelling extreme sports records.

Steve Birkinshaw has run up all 214 Wainwright peaks in less than a week. In doing so, he's broken a record that's stood for almost thirty years.

Steve's final time was six days and 13 hours, knocking almost 12 hours off the record set by Joss Naylor in 1987.Throughout his run, Steve Birkinshaw was carrying a GPS tracker, which allowed people to follow his progress and to hike or run up to meet him at almost every Wainwright summit.

On the final day, scores of runners joined Steve for the final leg of his challenge and accompanied him as he arrived in Keswick, where hundreds more people were waiting to welcome him, including his wife Emma and their three children.

“It’s all a bit overwhelming to be honest. Joss Naylor is an incredible athlete, so to have beaten his record is an amazing feeling. There were some really tough times out there, but I was spurred on every time I reached a Wainwright top and met someone else who had made the effort to come out and support me. I’m also over the moon with the amount of money that people have donated to the multiple sclerosis charities.

– Steve Birkinshaw

“The final day was incredible – to be joined by so many other runners and then welcomed home by my family and such a big crowd put the seal on everything. It’s fair to say that my legs are a bit stiff now and I may take a few days off before my next run.”

– Steve Birkinshaw

More top news