'The emotional pain of failing just felt like it was going to be a bit worse than the physical pain of carrying on ... '

Attempting to break long-distance running records used to be an underground endeavour, until the virus-stricken summer of 2020 came along. Only a few, such as the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District, had ever broken into mainstream consciousness. But an absence of running races thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented rise in the popularity of attempts at breaking these records.

In Broken, Ally Beaven takes an entertaining look at just why 2020 was so unusual for long-distance running. With his interest in Fastest Known Times (FKTs) piqued, Beaven immerses himself in the scene. His summer becomes one of spending hours in the hills feeding, cajoling and generally trying to keep safe the runners he is supporting, as well as following the dots of live trackers in the middle of the night and endlessly refreshing his Twitter feed as records tumble around the country.

Through the stories of John Kelly's epic Grand Round, Beth Pascall's record-shattering Bob Graham Round, Donnie Campbell's mind-bending new mark for bagging all 282 Munros, Jo Meek's new overall record for the Nigel Jenkins Dartmoor Round and many others, Beaven brings us an inside look at the incredible FKT machine.

Broken is the story of the summer of 2020, a historic time for running in the UK.

About the Author

Ally Beaven is a part-time barman and hill runner who lives in the Scottish Highlands and enjoys the long stuff. He's run races in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Appalachians and even England. As well as a marathon PB of 2.12 (set at the Berlin Marathon on rollerblades), he holds the bad weather course record at the An Teallach Hill Race and has failed at both the Paddy Buckley and Bob Graham rounds. He lost his much-loved Cairngorm 4,000s record to Finlay Wild and is counting the days until his FKT for the Big 6, set in the summer of 2020, is similarly snatched from his grasp. Broken is his first book.

Reviews
'Ally brings to life the stories of records set in the Cairngorms, Dartmoor and Land's End to John o'Groats alongside other long-distance feats. He has a great way of telling a story and scratching beneath the surface to see what made 2020 such a record-breaking year.' - Dave Littler, The Fellrunner
'You might expect an anthology of ultrarunning struggles to be a bit dry, but Broken is an understated and (seemingly) effortless stroke of genius.' - Keri Wallace, UKHillwalking.com



Book Information
ISBN 9781839810404
Author Ally Beaven
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Vertebrate Publishing Ltd
Publisher Vertebrate Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 400g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 15mm