Fell running legend Joss Naylor has died aged 88.
He died yesterday evening, Friday June 28, in the company of friends and family.
Tributes have appeared on social media to the record-breaking runner, who was awarded an MBE in 2007 for services to sport and charity.
Joss, of Wasdale, took up running in 1960 and bagged so many titles and won so many races, he became known as King of the Fells and the Iron Man.
He continued to run for most of his life, inspiring runners of all ages across the world.
Aged 80, he ran from Caldbeck to Wasdale – a distance of almost 50km – in 2016. He ran in memory of his father, Joe, who was born in Caldbeck and raised money for the Brathay Trust, a charity Joss supported for several years.
He had been forced to retire due to severe weather and cramp. In the 1962 event, only one person finished.
Originally from Gosforth, in 1971, the sheep farmer completed the Bob Graham Round, only the sixth person to do so, and continued to win races and set records through the 1970s and 1980s.
His other fell running achievements include:
- 1971: The National Three Peaks Challenge (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon): 11 hours 54 minutes including driving time
- 1973: The Welsh 3000s – the 14 peaks of Snowdonia in 4 hours 46 minutes (record stood until 1988)
- 1974: The Pennine Way: 3 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes (record stood until 1989)
- 1976: Robin Hood Bay to St Bees: 41 hours
- 1979: The Lyke Wake Walk: 4 hours 53 minutes (set during the annual race) (record stood until 1981)
- 1983: The Lakes, Meres and Waters circuit of 105 miles: 19 hours 14 minutes
- 1986: (age 50) completed the Wainwrights in 7 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes (record stood until 2014)
- 1997: (age 60) ran 60 Lakeland fell tops in 36 hours
- 2006: (age 70) ran 70 Lakeland fell tops, covering more than 50 miles and ascending more than 25,000 feet, in under 21 hours
In 2021, his book Joss Naylor’s Lakes, Meres and Waters of the Lake District, was shortlisted for the Lakeland Book of the Year award.
Described as part memoir, part guidebook, and part photographic odyssey, central to it are his reflections on the Lakes, Meres and Waters event he completed in a 19 hours 14 minutes in 1983.
The route, a gruelling 105-mile tour of all 26 bodies of water in the Lake District, excluding Kentmere Reservoir, takes in over 20,000 feet of ascent.
He repeated the round again in 2020 and said it was one of the achievements he was most proud of.
“I consider myself quite lucky with all the records and wins over the years. The conditions and your body have got to be alright on the day, so I was fortunate I was able to perform at the right times. It was particularly difficult to keep going during the heatwaves, but I received a lot of support from friends, family and the fell-running community.
“There are a lot of good people involved in the sport. In my opinion, they’re the greatest people on this earth and I’m very proud to be associated with them. We all like to club together and a number of the challenges I’ve mentioned are often run to raise money for various charities. I was lucky enough to be recognised for my charity work and running achievements with an MBE.”
He created his own fell-running challenge, the Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge, open to over-50s only and launched a clothing line, in partnership with Ascendancy Apparel.
Joss has also raised thousands of pounds for charity throughout his life.
