Running

Damian Hall is a record-breaking ultramarathon runner who represented Great Britain at the age of 40, four years after his first marathon, which he ran dressed as a toilet.

He achieves competitive results in some of the world's toughest races, including podiums at the Spine Race, the Dragon’s Back Race, the UK Ultra Trail Championships, Mozart 100 and Ultra Tour Monte Rosa.

Damian finished 5th place at the world’s most prestigious ultramarathon, 105-mile UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2018, the subject of award-winning film, Underdog, by Summit Fever Media.

In 2023 he became one of only 19 people to ever start a fifth loop of the notorious Barkley Marathons. In the same year, aged 47, he recorded the fastest time (72hrs 04mins, for 4th place) for a UK athlete at Italy’s 330K Tor des Géants.

He has also broken eight running records/Fastest Known Times (FKTs), including Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, South West Coast Path, Cape Wrath Trail and the Pennine Way (though they don’t all still stand). The latter is the subject of another film, Totally FKT.

The ferret-haired athlete has completed the UKs three main fellrunning rounds (sometimes solo, in winter and record time) and has been nominated for the Fell Runners Association Long Distance Award four times. His marathon PB is 2:38 (Manchester, 2018).

He uses his running to draw attention to our climate and ecological emergency.

He’s an ambassador for and has additional support from Renee McGregor, Trees Not Tees, Protect Our Winters UK, Into Ultra, Our Carbon, 33Fuel, Supernatural Fuel, Veloforte, Petzl, Leki, Suunto and The Altitude Centre.

Image credit: Steve Ashworth media

Select results

2024
1st, Brecon Beacons Fell Race, 19 miles
2nd, The Spine Race, 268 miles
5th, Tor des Geants, 330K
DNF, Barkley Marathons (4 loops)

2023
1st (men’s CR), The Spine Race, 268 miles
4th, Tor des Geants, 330K
1st, Beast of Llangattock 50K
6th, Cervino Matterhorn Ultra Race, 100 miles
DNF, Barkley Marathons (4 loops)

2022
1st (joint), The Fellsman, 100K
1st, Beast of the Blacks, 40 miles
1st, Beast of Llangattock, 20 miles
12th, Tor des Geants, 330K

2021
1st, Jurassic Coast Ultra 40 Miler
2nd, Lakes In A Day, 50 miles
Record, Wainwright's Coast to Coast, 185 miles

2020
Record, Pennine Way, 261 miles
Record, Paddy Buckley Round Winter, 61 miles
Record, South Wales Traverse, 73 miles

2019
1st, Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, 87 miles (shortened version)
1st, Ultimate Trails 55K
1st, The Rat 50K
2nd, Lakes In A Day, 50 miles
7th, Eiger Ultra Trail, 100K
Record, Paddy Buckley Round, 61 miles

2018
1st, Ice Ultra, 145 miles
1st, Ultimate Trails 55K
2nd, Mozart 100K
5th, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, 105 miles
6th, Madeira Island Ultra-Trail, 71 miles
Record, Cape Wrath Trail, 230 miles – watch WRATH

2017
7th, Lavaredo Ultra Trail, 75 miles
12th, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, 105 miles
13th, Marathon des Sables, 145 miles

2016
2nd, The Highland Fling/UK Ultra Trail Championships, 53 miles
4th, The Coastal Challenge, 143 miles
19th, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, 105 miles
Record, South West Coast Path, 630 miles

2015
3rd, The Spine Race, 268 miles
3rd, Dragon's Back Race, 200 miles
29th, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, 105 miles

2014
2nd (joint), Cotswold Way Century, 102 miles
4th, The Spine Race, 268 miles

2013
3rd, Cotswold Way Century, 102 miles