Stuart Walker
Discipline: Ultra/Adventure Runner Category: Senior
Blog: challengestu
Twitter: @mrstuartwalker
Training / Racing log: Strava
Coached by: Stuart Hale
Supported by: Scott-Running, Accelerate Performance Centre
Biography:
Lover of long and hilly stuff. Happiest in the middle of something epic: Ultra distance races, mountain races, multi-day (occasionally multi-week) challenges. In 2012 I crossed the Alps on foot, running 1100 solo miles from Vienna to Nice in 34 days.
I have been running for something like 15 years, and have raced in the UK, Europe and further afield in Costa Rica and Japan, where in 2014 I had one of my most memorable races on the slopes of Mount Fuji. More recently I spent a year living and running in the Alps, and developed my uphill speed and endurance both on foot and on skis. This time also taught me to move quickly on highly technical and exposed alpine terrain. This led to one of my favourite ever running days, when I ran from our home in Chatel to the summit of 3259m Haute Cime and back. The view across the Dents du Midi and Lac Leman from the summit were worth 11 hours of hard running!
One of my favourite races is The Fellsman, where after years of not getting it quite right, I finally won in 2019. I’m looking forward to returning in April to see if I can hold on to the unique trophy – the Fellsman Axe. In 2019 I also attempted a double Bob Graham round, aiming to complete the 84 summits in 48 hours. The round was a fantastic experience. I did complete the round, but it took longer than I’d hoped, so I might need to return for another go!
I’m really proud to be part of Team Accelerate-Scott; I have learnt a lot from my team mates and I love seeing them run well. I am very grateful to Accelerate and Scott, and to my coach Stu Hale. I’d like to think I’m not yet as good as I can be, but with my alpine strength and endurance as a base I am looking forward to getting faster in 2020 and achieving some more great results. I’ve also recently qualified as a run leader, and hope I can show some new runners what it’s all about.
Away from running, I’m a research engineer at the University of Sheffield, so renewable energy tends to share my Twitter output with running (@MrStuartWalker). I also write a running blog at www.challengestu.com, and occasionally contribute to the Accelerate Buzz.
