Two minutes into “King of the Fells: Joss Naylor, the Shepherd with an Unbeatable Running Record,” we find an unfamiliar scene for a running film — the point-of-view of a passenger in a noisy 1970s rally car, zooming along country roads.
Naylor has enlisted the help of race car driver Frank Davies to help him set the Three Peaks record, which involves summiting Ben Nevis in Scotland (1,345 meters in height), Scafell Pike in England (978 meters), and Snowdon in Wales (1,085 meters) in the shortest time possible, with travel by car in between. This is not your ordinary crew vehicle, nor is Naylor your ordinary runner.
Joss Naylor (born in 1936, passed away in 2024), as this film by “The Guardian” — a mix of old documentary footage of Naylor in his prime, more recent interviews with him in his advancing years, and some modern footage reconstructing Naylor’s Three Peaks record effort — tells, was not only a record-breaking fell runner, at his time considered one of the world’s greatest endurance athletes, but also a full-time sheep farmer.
The narrator’s voice says, “… Despite the time and energy spent in the most exhausting kind of athletics, and a whole series of crippling injuries, he runs Bowderdale farm entirely on his own. Joss has 1,500 sheep, 40 cows, nine assorted dogs, five cats, hens, geese, one wife, and three children.”
A young Joss Naylor out for a run in the fells with his dog. All photos are screenshots from the film “King of the Hills.”
Although framed with his and Davies’s quest for the Three Peaks record, the film cuts between footage of Naylor’s ordinary daily life, conversations that display his modesty and quirky humor, as well as footage of some of his most notable achievements on the fells. Included is his 1986 Wainwrights Round effort, during which he covered the 214-peak route in seven days, one hour, and 25 minutes, setting a record that would stand for 28 years.
In one scene, in an effort to describe his “why,” Naylor says, “It’s a very difficult thing to say what you do get out of it, but I thought I was in heaven many times when I was away during these long runs. Solitude was there, and tranquility was very near.”
To see how the Three Peaks record attempt goes, you’ll have to watch to the end. If, like me, you are a nervous passenger in cars, you’ll be on the edge of your seat.
To read more about his life and running career, read our Joss Naylor memorial article.
The shepherd, Joss Naylor, tending to a lamb on his farm.
Call for Comments
- Did you follow the career of Joss Naylor?
- What are your favorite memories of him?
Joss Naylor (1936 to 2024).
