This week’s video comes from our doorstep here in the Lake District, where internationally renowned ultra-runner, John Kelly, attempts to claim the Wainwrights record. This feat of endurance takes in all 214 peaks described in Alfred Wainwright’s seven volumes of ‘A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells’. In short, that’s around 325 miles of running and 36,000 metres of ascent which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 4 times in a matter of days. The round has seen quite a lot of activity in the last few years with Paul Tierney taking the record in June 2019 before local vet, Sabrina Verjee, stole the current record in June of this year (2021), managing to complete to route in an unbelievable 5 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes.

Barkley finisher, Kelly, moved to the UK from his native America in 2019. Since then he’s taken first place at the punishing Spine Race, run the FKT for the Pennine Way and, most impressively, completed his ‘Grand Round’. This involved consecutively running the Paddy Buckley round in Wales, the Bob Graham round in the Lake District and the Ramsey round in Scotland all whilst travelling between the three on his bike. So, he’s got serious pedigree, but can he finish his most gruelling challenge to date? You best watch and find out...