Billy Bland

Background

He was born in 1947 in Borrowdale in the Lake District. His father Joe Bland was a guides racer and several other members of Billy"s family also became fell runners, including his brothers Stuart and David.

Career

He was one of the most prominent fell runners from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s, and is arguably the best long-distance fell runner in the history of the sport. Bland took part in professional guides races early in his career and was reinstated as an amateur around the time of the inaugural Borrowdale Fell Race in 1974. By 1976 he had improved enough to finish eighth in the British Championships.

Bland is the current holder of the record for the fastest time in the fell running challenge the Bob Graham Round which involves a circuit of forty-two Lake District peaks, covering around sixty-two miles, in under twenty-four hours.

Among Bland"s other outstanding records are that for the Wasdale Fell Race, which he completed in 3:25:21 in 1982 (only three weeks after his Bob Graham Round record). This time has not been approached in recent years, despite the event being one of the counting races in the national championships on several occasions.

He also holds the record for the Borrowdale Fell Race, having run 2:34:38 in 1981.

Achievements

• This was followed by further progression until 1980 when he became the British Champion. Bland accomplished this on 19 June 1982 in a time of 13:53.