Joss Naylor never let any mountain defeat him

Joss Naylor’s legs were remarkable. The knees were scarred and swollen-looking, especially the right, where at 18 he’d had all the cartilage removed. The doctors had botched the operation, and consequently his right leg was so wasted that he could circle the thigh with his two hands. All his propelling power came from his left leg, and that one had truly excelled itself over his career. In nearly six decades he had run in more than 50 Lake District Mountain Trials, and won ten of them. In 1986 he took on the Wainwrights (the 214 peaks described by Alfred Wainwright in his classic guide) and did them all in seven days, one hour and 25 minutes. In 1975 he ran the Lakeland Circuit, 72 peaks over 100 miles with 38,000 feet of ascent, in 23 hours 20 minutes.