PAUL TIERNEY BREAKS 214-PEAK WAINWRIGHT RECORD

UPDATE – THURSDAY JUNE 20TH (2:05pm):

Incredible scenes! Six days after departing Keswick to begin the most phenomenal of ultra-running challenges, Paul Tierney today returned a hero and record breaker.

The INOV8 ambassador set a new fastest time for summiting all 214 of Alfred Wainwright’s Lake District peaks in one go. He did so in 6 days, 6 hours & 5mins, breaking Steve Birkinshaw’s five-year-old record by almost 7 hours.

Paul ran and fast-hiked approximately 318 miles and scaled the equivalent ascent of four times Mt Everest. Supported on and off the fells by friends and family throughout, he battled exhaustion, sleep deprivation and all manner of weather conditions to take his place in this history books.

Paul finished in the club vest of his good friend Chris Stirling, who passed away recently. He was greeted on the finish steps by family, friends and Joss Naylor, who was the first man to run the Wainwrights in one continuous circuit in 1987.

Paul has been wearing our X-TALON 260 ULTRA (V2 version now available) for all soft ground and switching into the TRAILFLY G 270 shoes for extended hard-packed trail sections. Both are wider-fitting shoes, perfect for longer distances when comfort is crucial.

Watch a video of Paul finishing his Wainwrights record run here, and another video of him topping out on summit number 185 (Dodd) here.

Paul said: “The hardest bit was definitely the lack of sleep.  The best bit was finishing! Seeing so many people in street cheering me on, then being up on the finish steps with family and friends, having beaten the record, was more than I could have hoped for.

“There were lows… times when I thought I’m not sure if I can do this anymore, but I just kept pushing on. That awful Sunday night in the storm upon the fells around Fairfield, is something I won’t forget. I’m looking forward to a rest now, but not before drinking some beer!”

Photo above (by Adrian Hope) shows Paul completing his challenge on the steps of Moot Hall, Keswick.

PRE-CHALLENGE BLOG POST 

On Friday 14th June 2019, ultra-runner and INOV8 ambassador Paul Tierney will begin his attempt to try to break the record time for summiting all 214 of Alfred Wainwright’s Lake District peaks in one go.

Paul will be wearing a tracker so that you can follow his progress live.

Stay updated with the latest news from the fells, photos and videos via our facebookinstagram and twitter pages.

Paul will be attempting to break the current record held by Steve Birkinshaw, who, in June 2014, did it in 6 days, 13 hours and 1 minute. Prior to that, the record was held by fell running legend Joss Naylor, who clocked a time of 7 days 1 hour and 25 minutes in 1987.

Paul will follow a similar route to Steve, who spent months mapping out what he believed to be the quickest, continuous on-foot route over the 214 peaks that featured in Alfred Wainwright’s iconic seven-volume pictorial guide to the Lakeland fells.

Through this challenge, Paul is hoping to raise money for the charity MIND, UK. Mind provides advice and support to those experiencing mental health struggles. He will be doing the challenge in honour of friend and fellow endurance athlete, Chris Stirling. You can donate via his Justgiving page.

Steve Birkinshaw’s Wainwright Record route, courtesy of Steve Birkinshaw | Map OPEN TRACKING, OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2018

214 PEAKS. 318 MILES. 36,000M ASCENT.

The route, which starts and finishes in Keswick, is around 318 miles (512km) in distance and includes 36,000m of ascent – that’s the equivalent of four times Mount Everest, from sea to summit.

Windermere-based Paul will eat on the move and sleep in a van at road crossings. He will be supported throughout by family and friends, with groups of runners taking it in turns to pace and navigate him over different sections of the route.

Paul running with his partner, Sarah McCormack, on the Lake District fells. Together they run Missing Link Coaching

The 36-year-old running coach and ex-policeman is one of the UK’s best ultra-distance runners, particularly over long races in the fells and mountains. He has twice completed the notoriously-tough Tor des Geants – a 205-mile race through the Italian Alps that includes 24,000m of ascent – and is a former winner of the Lakeland 100 event.

Ambleside Athletics Club member Paul, who will use INOV8 kit – including new graphene-grip shoes – for the attempt, said: “I’m under no illusions as to how tough this challenge will be. I fully expect it to test me to the absolute maximum and probably beyond what I can imagine. I will run what I can, but obviously there is going to be a lot of fast-hiking and, as time goes on, slower hiking involved.

Paul running in the Lake District

“Once I started recceing the route the scale of the challenge in front of me really sank in. But it is great to know I have Steve’s support and he has been very good to me so far with his advice and encouragement.”

“I’m also lucky to be part of a great club in Ambleside AC and plenty of my clubmates have already offered their support, as have others among the local fell running community. Being supported by INOV8 – a brand that produce the perfect kit for a challenge like this – means there’s one less factor I need to worry about.”

Paul (fourth from the right) with Ambleside AC clubmates | Photo: Paul Tierney

THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL BATTLE AHEAD

Current record-holder Steve is not only helping Paul in his preparations for the attempt, which is currently pencilled in to begin on June 14th, but also hopes to run sections with him.

Steve said: “It’s nice to see someone giving it a go again. The nature of the fell running community means I have offered Paul any help I can with this attempt and will be out supporting him on his run to break my record.

Steve Birkinshaw breaking the Wainwrights Record in 2014 | Photo: Steve Birkinshaw

“The Wainwrights were the hardest thing I have done, both mentally and physically. After four days my body was gradually disintegrating. I had 6 big blisters on my feet, tendonitis in my leg, I was exhausted from 24-hour days and lack of sleep. All my muscles ached and I still had 130 miles to do in two-and-a-half-days! I felt like giving up but managed to summon the strength to carry on moving.

“My advice to Paul would be to focus on small, achievable goals, be that getting up the next climb or pushing on through the next rest stop. If you think too far ahead it becomes too daunting.”

Steve Birkinshaw on his 2014 record-breaking Wainwrights run | Photo: Steve Birkinshaw

Paul grew up in Cork, Ireland, and played hurling, before trying his hand at triathlon and then eventually off-road running. Now living in the Lake District with his partner Sarah, both are well-known faces amongst the UK fell, trail, mountain and ultra-running communities.

'AN OPPITUNITY TO OVERDOSE  IN HILL RUNNING'

Looking back on Steve’s record-breaking run of five years ago, Paul said: “I was inspired by Steve’s round but had temporarily moved back to Ireland, so I didn’t have any involvement in it. Instead, I kept up to date via social media posts and by following the live online tracker – one of which I hope to have set up too for my attempt.

Paul running with Nicky Spinks in the Lake District

I just thought it was such a phenomenal effort on his part and I admired him for being able to suffer as much as he did. I really value that characteristic in endurance athletes. At the time it wasn’t something I thought I’d be capable of myself, but over the past few years I’ve gained more experience and probably got a bit of a feel for what it will be like from the two Tor des Geants races I’ve participated in.

“This will definitely be the hardest thing I’ve attempted given the increased distance (compared to Tor des Geants) and rougher underfoot conditions. The climbs – although not at altitude and not as long – are steeper in many places and the descents tend to take the quickest line, rather than switch-backing on a path.

Paul Tierney finishing Tor des Geants (TDG), a 338km footrace around the Italian Alps

“I am attracted to a challenge that might well be beyond me, but I really do like running in the hills… and this will definitely be an opportunity to overdose on that!”

PREPARATIONS AND POSSIBLE TACTICS

In preparation for his attempt, Paul is continuing to spend long days running and hiking in the fells, familiarising himself with various routes and also assessing to see if there are any faster lines. He’s also set to take part in a handful of fell races over the next three months.

Paul and Nicky Spinks in the Lake District

Paul said: “With an attempt like this there is, of course, the risk that I might push myself a little too far, but that’s also part of the attraction.

“It is important to do everything I can to minimise that risk, both in the planning stages and while actually attempting the challenge. Afterwards too, I know I will need to recover fully before getting back to any type of racing. I think Steve felt recovered after 6 months and actually said in his book (There Is No Map In Hell) that he was getting close to some of his personal bests by the following summer when the chronic fatigue-like symptoms kicked in. So, I can possibly learn from that. But yes, I suppose it is a slight concern.

“I think Steve and I are actually similar runners in some ways and would probably finish quite near each other in a shorter fell or trail race. But Steve was a lot more experienced than me when he attempted it so I will be drawing on his experience and the ‘blueprint’ he has left behind after his attempt. That is certainly a big advantage for me and I’m lucky that Steve has been so generous with his advice and time.

Paul running with Nicky Spinks in the Lake District

“If I can train well from now until the attempt, I think I might be able to move at the same pace Steve did. So really it will be about shaving off some time spent at rest stops, and hopefully a few minutes here and there on the hill. There are lots of ifs, buts and maybes (and I haven’t even mentioned the unpredictable Lake District weather!) but what I can do is prepare well, give it my all and hope for a little luck along the way.”

PAUL'S KIT FOR WAINWRIGHT RECORD ATTEMPT

Paul will use INOV8 footwear, clothing and equipment throughout his challenge.

In his footwear arsenal for the Wainwright attempt will be the X-TALON 260 ULTRA with a super-aggressive outsole for soft ground, the TRAILFLY G 270 trail running shoe with an outsole designed for harder ground and the new, versatile ROCLITE 290 which sits between the other two, handling both soft and hard ground. He prefers to wear our medium-to-wider-fitting shoes when running, fast-hiking or racing over longer distances.

The TRAILFLY G 270 and ROCLITE options provide Paul with graphene-grip, a revolutionary outsole rubber that delivers insane sticky grip and increased durability all in one. The world’s toughest grip, for what has to be one of the world’s toughest endurance challenges. Good luck, Paul!

* Related links: Balancing Love & A Love For Running | Putting Graphene Grip To The Test 

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL AHEAD OF THE WAINWRIGHTS RECORD ATTEMPT