Miscellaneous Feet in the Clouds | Richard Askwith

The classic tale of fell-running and obsession, first published in 2004, recently reissued with a new introduction by Robert Macfarlane and an epilogue from Richard Askwith. 

Feet in the Clouds won the Best New Writer prize at the British Sports Publishing Awards in 2005.

When it was first published, in 2004, Feet in the Clouds was scarcely noticed outside the world of fell-running - an esoteric sport largely confined to the north of Britain - and was even sold out of the back of a van at fell races. But, as more and more people have discovered the joys of distance running, it has been recognised as a classic exploration of an extreme sport acclaimed by runners, mountaineers, hikers and adventure sports enthusiasts.

Richard Askwith's journey takes him into the world of forbidding rockscapes, horizontal rain, fear, exhaustion and stunning natural beauty, as well as his own attempt at one of the purest and toughest challenges imaginable: the Bob Graham Round, the sport's traditional test of 42 Lake District peaks in 24 hours.

In the process he encounters some of the most prodigious - and unsung - athletes Britain has ever produced, such as Joss Naylor, who covered the equivalent of four Everests in a single run. Gripping, funny and moving, this is a story that any aspiring runner, endurance athlete or mountain-lover will understand well: of extremity, heorism and the experience of a lifetime.