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Finlay Wild
Personal information
Full nameFinlay Wild
NationalityBritish
Born (1984-09-08) 8 September 1984 (age 40)

Finlay Wild (born 8 September 1984) is a Scottish runner and mountaineer who has been a British fell running champion. He has won the Ben Nevis Race twelve times.

Early life and professional career

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Wild was born on 8 September 1984 in Thurso.[1][2] He gained an affinity with the outdoors through his parents Roger Wild, a mountain guide, and Fiona (née Hinde), an accomplished hill runner who won the Three Peaks Race in 1981 and the Carnethy 5 in 1981 and 1982.[3][4][5][6][7] He was educated at Fort William primary school and Lochaber High School, then graduated with a medical degree from the University of Aberdeen.[8][9] He works as a general practitioner in Lochaber.[10]

Sporting career

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Wild first took part in a hill race at Ben Rinnes in 2005.[2] He came to prominence through the Ben Nevis Race which he first won in 2010. His tally of twelve Ben Nevis victories is higher than that of any other runner in the history of the event.[11][12][13][14]

In 2012, he set a new course record for the Glamaig Hill Race, breaking the previous best set by Mark Rigby in 1997.[15] He improved the record by a further five seconds in 2018.[16] Wild's other wins include the Carnethy 5,[7] Goatfell races 2013–2015,[17] the Isle of Jura 2015-2017,[18] Stuc a' Chroin,[19] the Ennerdale Horseshoe[20] and the Langdale Horseshoe.[21] He won the British Fell Running Championships in 2015[22][23] and again in 2022.[24]

Wild has the fastest known time for the Cuillin Ridge traverse on the Isle of Skye, completing the crossing in 2:59:22 in 2013.[25][26] In February 2016, Wild and Tim Gomersall made a winter crossing of the Cuillin Ridge in a time of 6:14.[27]

In 2016, Wild's results in the Tromsø SkyRace and the Glen Coe Skyline gave him third place in the Extreme section of the Skyrunner World Series.[28]

In October 2016, he set a record time of 10:15:30 for Tranter's Round in the mountains around Glen Nevis.[29] He further reduced the time to 9:00:05 in July 2020[30] and then to 8:52 in July 2022, but the latter record only lasted one day until it was beaten by Jack Kuenzle with a time of 8:38.[31] Wild retook the record in June 2024 with a time of 8:27:53.[32]

In May 2019, Wild ran the Welsh 3000s in a time of 4:10:48 which broke the long-standing record of 4:19 held by Colin Donnelly since 1988.[33]

Wild set a record for the Ramsay Round in August 2020, completing the route solo and unsupported in a time of 14:42:40.[34] He also completed the Rigby Round of Munros in the Cairngorms in July 2021 in a record time of 16:40.[35]

In August 2021, Wild ran the Bob Graham Round in 12:59, just outside the record at the time of 12:52 held by Kilian Jornet.[36] Wild ran the Bob Graham Round again in January 2024, completing it between dusk and dawn in a time of 15:35, the fastest time achieved for a winter round.[37]

In April 2022, Wild completed the Paddy Buckley Round, solo and unsupported, in a time of 15:14, beating the previous record of 16:20 set by Kim Collison.[38]

Wild broke his own record in the Isle of Jura Fell Race in May 2022 with a time of 2:58:09, the first time any runner had completed the event in under three hours.[39] The following month, he set a new record of 30:39 at Buckden Pike, beating Colin Donnelly's previous best from 1988.[40]

In August 2022, Wild was victorious at both Matterhorn Ultraks[41] and Trofeo Kima.[42] He returned to Trofeo Kima in 2024, winning and setting a new course record of 6:05:04.[43]

Wild has also competed in ski mountaineering and was the British champion in that sport in 2016 as well as the Scottish Skimo series winner in the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons.[44][45][46]

Artwork

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Some of Wild's paintings were displayed as a solo exhibition at the John Muir Trust's Wild Space Gallery in Pitlochry for eight weeks in early 2016.[22][47]

References

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  1. ^ Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung: Finlay Wild.
  2. ^ a b Jonny Muir, "The Monarch of the Glen", The Mountains are Calling (Dingwall, 2018).
  3. ^ Ben Nevis – Wild Times (motion picture). Nevis Landscape Partnership. March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  4. ^ Russell, Fiona (28 October 2013), "King of the Wild Frontier (published in the Sunday Mail on 27 October 2013)", www.fionaoutdoors.co.uk, retrieved 15 October 2016
  5. ^ Restan, Sue (8 September 2014). "Highland GP wins Ben Nevis Race for Fifth Time". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Three Peaks Race: Winners 1954–2015" (PDF). threepeaksrace.org.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Carnethy 5 Results Summary 1971–2015". carnethy.com. Carnethy Hill Running Club. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Four-in-a-row for Finlay" (Press release). NHS Highland. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Former pupil opens Lundavra school". Lochaber News. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016.
  10. ^ Restan, Sue (19 February 2016). "Hill Running GP Puts Wild Places in Frame". Lochaber News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Ben Nevis Race is a family affair". Lochaber News. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Ben Nevis 10 Mile". www.arrs.run. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Ben Nevis Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Scottish Hill Racing. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  14. ^ Athletics Weekly: Falling for the fells all over again.
  15. ^ Webster, Helen (16 July 2012). "Glamaig Hill Race Record Smashed". www.walkhighlands.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  16. ^ ""New Records Set at Glamaig Hill Race", The Skye Times, 8 Jul 2018". Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Three in a Row as Finlay Wins Goatfell Hill Race on Arran". The Oban Times. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Isle of Jura Fell Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  19. ^ "Stuc a'Chroin Hill Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  20. ^ CFRA: Ennerdale 2019 Results.
  21. ^ Ambleside AC: Langdale Horseshoe 2019 Race Report.
  22. ^ a b Braidwood, Neil (6 January 2016). "Finlay Wild – Hill Runner". Scotland Outdoors. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  23. ^ Wild, Finlay (22 August 2015). "How it was for me – British Fell Running Championship 2015". gomountaingoats.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  24. ^ UK Athletics: British Champions 1972-2022.
  25. ^ Lelland, Kevin. "Finlay Wild, Hill Runner" (PDF). John Muir Trust Journal. 58 (Spring 2015): 34.
  26. ^ "Finlay Wild on His New Cuillin Record". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  27. ^ British Mountaineering Council: Uisdean Hawthorn: New Winter Record on the Cuillin Ridge.
  28. ^ "Skyrunner World Series: 2016 Extreme Series" (PDF). www.skyrunnerworldseries.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  29. ^ Wild, Finlay. "Tranter's Round Record". gomountaingoats.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  30. ^ Scottish Hill Runners: Finlay Breaks The Tranter Round Record!
  31. ^ UKClimbing: Tranter's Round Broken Twice in 24hrs.
  32. ^ UKHillwalking: Finlay Wild Sets New Tranter's Round Record.
  33. ^ British Mountaineering Council: Finlay Wild Breaks Records for Welsh 3000ers and Snowdon Horseshoe.
  34. ^ FionaOutdoors: Finlay Wild sets new Ramsay Round record.
  35. ^ Scottish Hill Runners: Cairngorm Munros.
  36. ^ iRunFar: This Week In Running: August 30, 2021.
  37. ^ iRunFar: This Week In Running: January 8, 2024.
  38. ^ Finlay Wild breaks Paddy Buckley Record: April 26, 2022.
  39. ^ Fast Running: GB&NI success at Euro 10000m Cup & Diamond League – weekend roundup.
  40. ^ Run247: Wild and Russell show the way at 2022 British Championship Fell Race.
  41. ^ Trail Running Spain: Matterhorn Ultraks 2022 goes to Finlay Wild and Naiara Irigoyen.
  42. ^ Trofeo Kima: Scotsman Wild & American Gerardi win the 21st edition.
  43. ^ Trofeo Kima: Tripletta di Hillary Gerardi, Finlay Wild da record.
  44. ^ Bardsley, Ben (Autumn 2015). "Interview: Finlay Wild". The Fellrunner: 56–59.
  45. ^ "Official results Lecht 2090 race – 27th December 2014" (PDF). www.skimoscotland.co.uk. Skimo Scotland: Results. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  46. ^ "Official results Lecht 2090 race – 28th December 2015" (PDF). www.skimoscotland.co.uk. Skimo Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  47. ^ Smith, Bob (11 February 2016). "Cuillin record runner Finlay Wild reveals artistic side with Kaleidoscape show". www.grough.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
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