Damian Hall
 Hall in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
| Website | www |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Sport | Trail running |
Damian Hall (born 1975) is a British ultrarunner, author and activist.[1]
Career
[edit]Hall grew up in the Cotswolds. Though he was competitive at cross-country at school, he didn't start running as an adult until 2011, aged 36. The following year, he completed his first marathon (dressed as a toilet).[2] In 2016, Hall represented Great Britain in the IAU Trail World Championships in Gerês, Portugal.[3]
Hall has held the Fastest Known Times (FKTs) for a number of British long-distance trails, including the South West Coast Path, Cape Wrath Trail (with Beth Pascall), Paddy Buckley Round, Pennine Way, South Wales Traverse and Wainwright's Coast to Coast.[4][5][6]
Hall won the 2019 Ultra Tour Monte Rosa and the 2023 Spine Race. He was 4th at the 2023 Tor des Géants and 5th at the 2018 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.[1][7] He has attempted the Barkley Marathons twice, reaching the final loop on both occasions.[8]
Various documentaries have been made about Hall. Wrath followed his 2018 run with Beth Pascall on the 230-mile (370 km) Cape Wrath Trail, self-supported and during winter.[9] In 2019, Underdog was released, following Hall's attempts to break into the top ten of the prestigious 105-mile (169 km) Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.[10] In 2020, Totally FKT followed his battle with John Kelly to break the 268-mile (431 km) Pennine Way FKT.[11]
Hall is vegan, a climate activist,[12] and a founding member of The Green Runners.[13][14] He is outspoken about sportswashing, unveiling protest banners at race finishes and pledging not to run races with high-carbon sponsors.[15] He has plogged (picked up rubbish while running) during record attempts.[16]
Hall has written for a large number of newspapers and magazines.[17] As well as writing the walking guides Walking in the Cotswolds[18] and Pennine Way,[19] Hall has written books about running and FKTs with In It For The Long Run,[2] and about running and climate with We Can't Run Away From This.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Hall, Damian". Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung.
- ^ a b Hall, Damian (2021). In It For The Long Run: Breaking records and getting FKT. Vertebrate.
- ^ "6th IAU Trail WC Trans Peneda-Geres, Braga (POR)". Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung.
- ^ "Athlete: Damian Hall". FKT. 26 May 2021.
- ^ Carter, Kate (7 June 2016). "Ultra-distance runner Damian Hall on setting a new record: 'I recommend a daily sob'". The Guardian.
- ^ "Gloucestershire runner breaks Coast to Coast record". BBC News. 28 May 2021.
- ^ Pearson, Rick (23 January 2023). "Damian Hall and Hannah Rickman on the Spine Race 2023". Runner's World.
- ^ Bozon, Jenny (15 April 2024). "'I was wandering around in the dark, at the bottom of a mountain, thinking, "You've messed it up again!"'". Runner's World.
- ^ WRATH: a 230-mile record run attempt in Scottish winter. Summit Fever Media. 10 December 2019 – via Vimeo.
- ^ Underdog: chasing a UTMB® dream. Summit Fever Media. 27 June 2019 – via Vimeo.
- ^ Totally FKT: breaking the Pennine Way fastest known time. Summit Fever Media. 22 November 2020 – via Vimeo.
- ^ "Activism". Damian Hall.
- ^ "Our Story So Far". The Green Runners.
- ^ "The Green Runners call for climate action in the sport". BBC News. 24 September 2024.
- ^ Turner, Jonathan (12 September 2024). "Top British ultrarunner says 'F*** OFF Ford' as he makes 'STOP OILY MONEY IN SPORT' protest after brutal 330km race". RUN247.
- ^ Bolt, Richard (27 July 2020). "Damian Hall "Plogs" His Way to a 268-mile Pennine Way Record". American Trail Running Association.
- ^ "Writing". Damian Hall.
- ^ Hall, Damian (13 April 2016). Walking in the Cotswolds: 30 circular walks in the Cotswolds AONB. Cicerone. ISBN 9781852848330.
- ^ Hall, Damian (3 March 2016). Pennine Way: National Trail Guide. Aurum. ISBN 978-1781315651.
- ^ Hall, Damian (2022). We Can't Run Away From This: Racing to improve running's footprint in our climate emergency. Vertebrate.
External links
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