Finlay Wild
Finlay Wild (born 8 September 1984) is a Scottish runner and mountaineer who was a British fell running champion. He has won the Ben Nevis Race seven times.
Early life and professional career
Wild was born on 8 September 1984 in Fort William.[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.[1][8] He works as a general practitioner in Lochaber.[9]
Sporting career
Wild came to prominence through the Ben Nevis Race which he first won in 2010. He has won the race every year since and his tally of seven victories is higher than that of any other man in the history of the event.[10][11][12]
In 2012, he set a new course record for the Glamaig Hill Race, breaking the previous best set by Mark Rigby in 1997.[13] Wild's other wins include the Carnethy 5,[7] Goatfell races 2013–2015,[14] the Isle of Jura in 2015 and 2016[15] and Stuc a' Chroin.[16] He won the British Fell Running Championships in 2015.[17][18]
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.[19]
In October 2016, he set a record time of 10:15:30 for Tranter's Round in the mountains around Glen Nevis.[20]
He has the fastest known time for the Cuillin Ridge traverse on the Isle of Skye, completing the crossing in 2:59:22 in 2013.[21][22] In February 2016, Wild paired up Tim Gomersall to make a winter crossing of the Cuillin Ridge, in a time that is yet to be contested.[23][24]
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.[25][26][27]
Artwork
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.[17][28]
References
- 1 2 "Four-in-a-row for Finlay" (Press release). NHS Highland. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ↑ Deutsche Ultramarathon-Vereinigung: Finlay Wild.
- ↑ Ben Nevis – Wild Times (motion picture). Nevis Landscape Partnership. March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Russell, Fiona, "King of the Wild Frontier (published in the Sunday Mail on 27 October 2013)", www.fionaoutdoors.co.uk, retrieved 15 October 2016
- ↑ Restan, Sue (8 September 2014). "Highland GP wins Ben Nevis Race for Fifth Time". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ↑ "Three Peaks Race: Winners 1954–2015" (PDF). threepeaksrace.org.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- 1 2 "Carnethy 5 Results Summary 1971–2015". carnethy.com. Carnethy Hill Running Club. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ "Former pupil opens Lundavra school". Lochaber News. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Restan, Sue (19 February 2016). "Hill Running GP Puts Wild Places in Frame". Lochaber News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016.
- ↑ "Ben Nevis Race is a family affair". Lochaber News. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
- ↑ "Ben Nevis 10 Mile". www.arrs.net. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ "Ben Nevis Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Scottish Hill Racing. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ Webster, Helen (16 July 2012). "Glamaig Hill Race Record Smashed". www.walkhighlands.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ "Three in a Row as Finlay Wins Goatfell Hill Race on Arran". The Oban Times. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ↑ "Isle of Jura Fell Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ "Stuc a`Chroin Hill Race". www.scottishhillracing.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- 1 2 Braidwood, Neil (6 January 2016). "Finlay Wild – Hill Runner". Scotland Outdoors. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Wild, Finlay (22 August 2015). "How it was for me – British Fell Running Championship 2015". gomountaingoats.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ "Skyrunner World Series: 2016 Extreme Series" (PDF). www.skyrunnerworldseries.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ Wild, Finlay. "Tranter's Round Record". gomountaingoats.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ Lelland, Kevin. "Finlay Wild, Hill Runner" (PDF). John Muir Trust Journal. 58 (Spring 2015): 34.
- ↑ "Finlay Wild on His New Cuillin Record". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ Bruce, Sarah (20 February 2016). "Highland doctor completes one of the biggest mountain challenges in Britain". Press and Journal. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ Stirling, Sarah (23 February 2016). "Fastest ever winter Cuillin Ridge traverse by Gomersall and Wild". Summit magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Bardsley, Ben (Autumn 2015). "Interview: Finlay Wild". The Fellrunner: 56–59.
- ↑ "Official results Lecht 2090 race – 27th December 2014" (PDF). www.skimoscotland.co.uk. Skimo Scotland: Results. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ "Official results Lecht 2090 race – 28th December 2015" (PDF). www.skimoscotland.co.uk. Skimo Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ Smith, Bob (11 February 2016). "Cuillin record runner Finlay Wild reveals artistic side with Kaleidoscape show". www.grough.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2016.