Ultra runner sets record summiting 30 of Britain’s highest peaks in three days

The British man completed the challenge in under 72 hours with the aim of sharing a light on the stunning locations across the country

James Norbury set a record on September 18 for conquering 30 of Britain’s tallest peaks in an 161km endurance challenge.

The 31-year-old finished the challenge in 70 hours and 49 minutes as he summited the 10 tallest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales.

The challenge involved running more than 14,000m of elevation – equivalent to one and a half times the height of Mount Everest.

It is a more demanding version of the well-known National Three Peaks Challenge, which sees explorers summit the three highest peaks across England, Scotland and Wales in 24 hours – Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon.

However, in recent years the famous peaks have created national headlines for becoming overcrowded and queues regularly forming at the summit.

Norbury, from Oxfordshire, undertook the challenge to encourage people to explore Britain’s lesser-known mountains and he hopes his record will inspire others to beat his time.

Despite averaging just three hours of sleep per night, the Columbia ambassador didn’t stop at 30 peaks. On a spontaneous decision, he extended his challenge by adding six more summits in Wales, conquering 36 peaks in total under 72 hours.

Now living in the French Alps, he is preparing for his next challenge in New Zealand, continuing his mission to inspire others to explore the outdoors.

Here is our Q&A with Norbury below:

How did you first get into ultra running?

I started running during lockdown because there was nothing else to do. I was running on the road but I didn’t love it because I grew up either skiing or playing team sports and it wasn’t really my thing.

When I got back to the French Alps, which is where I live, one of my friends invited me out on a trail run and I thought it seems very difficult, steep and complicated. But it was great. You don’t have to worry about your kilometre splits and half the time you are taking in the amazing views. I grew up doing a lot of hiking so it was more similar to that than running on the road.

It’s this long, slow adventure rather than running a 10km as fast as I can which is horrible. I stumbled across it accidentally but then realised I absolutely loved it. I wouldn’t profess to be a particularly good road runner. If you put me in a parkrun I would get beat by a lot of people.

How did you train for the…