Joss – The Life and Times of
the Legendary Fell Runner
Words by David Siddall
W
hile tough and wiry Joss Naylor We dared to ask if Joss had ever got lost on the fells
is not the star of the movie
he knew since a shepherd lad. “Yes in mist once I was
Legend of the Falls, he can quite
in the final stages of an Ennerdale Horseshoe race. I
rightly boast he is the Legend of
knew I was close behind Billy Bland and started off on
the Fells. And while Brad Pitt has
a short cut but was whipping through with head down
been picked for the Falls movie, Joss
so fast I mistakenly followed a quad bike track and
had to veer back. I ended fourth… if I’d just stayed a
is actually among those featured
bit more alert I might have given Billy a surprise and
in a new film that is in produc-
pipped him to the finish.”
tion about Cumbrian fell running.
The statistics of achievements by Joss are mind
The new film is built around the best selling book Feet
blowing for we lesser mortals: 72 peaks in 23 hours
in the Clouds by Richard Askwith and both Peter Bland
and 11 minutes, climbing 38,000 feet of ascent; the
and Joss get appearances.
four Lakeland peaks over 3,000 feet in 8 hours and 20
minutes for the 45 miles and so the list goes on.
Joss, now aged 73, still gets out running and has been
bowled over by the quality of a book about his legen-
The new book also
dary exploits by Keswick writer, Keith Richardson.
reveals for the first
time the unfor-
Keith Richardson’s biography of the legendary Joss was
tunate domestic
successfully launched at a sell-out event in September
incident that left
at the Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.
the nine year
old Joss with a
The author gave an illustrated talk to an audience of
back injury that
almost 400, and then writer and broadcaster Eric
plagued him
Robson interviewed Joss on stage. Joss was accompa-
throughout
nied on stage by one of his sheepdogs, Spy, and was
his life. We
given a standing ovation. The event was held in aid of
leave this for
Eden House Children’s Hospice, Carlisle, and raised
readers to
almost £4,000 for that charity.
discover for
themselves.
Relaxing back at his Wasdale home, Joss spoke to The
Keswick Guide about his toughest races. He said the
Joss and his wife Mary are full of praise
challenge that most taxed him was climbing up every
for the way Keith Richardson captured the spirit and
single one of the fells featured in the guide books of
fascination of this fell running legend. However Mary
Alfred Wainwright. Joss had to climb all 214 summits
adds she did “have trouble keeping up with Keith’s
in the seven days he worked his way around the Lakes.
appetite for my homemade rock buns during work on
“The last two days saw my ankles in a real mess with
the book.”
infections brought on by five days of nonstop running.
I couldn’t eat anything and my face was all bloated
The new book is being sold direct and copies can be
because of the effects, but just had to run on empty
obtained by the website www.rivergretawriter.co.uk
and managed to see it through to the end.”
or phone 01768774284.
20
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