by Joss Naylor was very much in the world of tumbling who not only dominated his sport in the last third of the 20th century but, through sheer charisma, put it on the map.
His greatest acts of endurance, in the 1970s and 80s, were achieved far from public view in the cloud-covered hills of Cumbria. But because of the unprecedented extremes of his achievements, and the toughness that made them possible, they captured the imagination of mountain lovers everywhere.
A Lakeland sheep farmer who lived most of his life in the small town of Wasdale Head, Naylor, who has died aged 88, ran his first fall event in September 1960, on the Lake District Mountain Path – despite medical advice to avoid strenuous activity. after an injury in his teens.
In the next few years, he began to race regularly, upgrading his technique and focusing his ambitions. He was not the fastest, and, having taken over the tenancy of his father’s farm in 1962, he had little time for systematic training. But he felt comfortable moving at speed over even the roughest terrain – he said his experience with dry stone walls helped him “read” the rocks – and his resilience seemed all too human.
By the end of the 60s, he had started a purple patch that would last almost 20 years: he won the Mountain Trial 10 times and the Ennerdale Horseshoes nine times in a row (1968-76), as well as several victories in grueling events such as the Wasdale, Glen Duddon, the Welsh 1,000m peaks, the Manx Mountain Marathon and the Karrimour Mountain Marathon (now the Original Mountain Marathon).
What he excelled at, however, were individual ultradistance challenges. In 1971, he became only the sixth person to complete the Bob Graham Round, a legendary 66-mile circuit of 42 peaks in the Lake District, to be completed in 24 hours, once considered unattainable by the four-minute mile . Then he set out to expand that circuit.
In 1972 he completed 63 peaks within the 24 hour time limit, in the middle of a freak storm. Chris Brasher, who paced him for part of the way, described this as “a memory equal to any of the greatest Olympic races I have ever seen”. Three years later, Naylor increased his total to 72 peaks: the equivalent of going up and down Everest, Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Kinder Gasout in one day, all in a blistering heat wave.
No challenge was too great. He ran the 268 mile Pennine Way in just over three days (1974), the 190 mile Coast to Coast path from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay in 41 hours (1976), Hadrian’s Wall in just under 11 hours the Clock (1980). When he took off his shoes at the end of Coast to Coast, the skin from the bottom of his feet came off, along with all his nails.
Naylor was born in Wasdale Head, the youngest child of Joe, a shepherd who moved there in 1927, and his wife, Ella (nee Wilson). It wasn’t a comfortable upbringing: there wasn’t even electricity in the valley until 1977. But Joss, who helped out with farm work from the age of seven, grew used to long, hard days, outdoors, and d ‘developed a tolerance for physical discomfort that. – along with his love of nature – would inspire his later achievements.
At 15, he left school (in nearby Gosforth) to work on the farm full time. But the after-effects of two seemingly minor accidents left him with chronic back pain. By the early 20s, the medical profession was almost extinct. His right knee had lost all its cartilage; two discs were taken from his back; he wore a special corset to prevent further damage. He was declared unfit for national service and urged to avoid strenuous activity.
He listened, but not for long. Other young men of his age were engaged in long-distance running, and Naylor had a ringside seat, with Scafell Pike, Yewbarrow and Great Gable overlooking his home. When the Mountain Trail event started in Wasdale in 1960 Naylor couldn’t resist. He threw off his corset, cut off his work trousers at the knees, and ran with the official competitors in his heavy work boots. He suffered a cramp near the end, but did well enough to know he had found his calling.
In 1977, after many years of running and setting records, he was warned that if he did not stop farm work he would risk having to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. So he took an in-house job, mentoring apprentices, at the nearby Windscale (now Sellafield) nuclear plant. But he hung on to his flock of 1,000 Herdwick sheep, after which it was “as a hobby”. And his run became, if anything, more extreme.
In June 1986, at the age of 50, he attempted a continuous traverse of all 214 peaks in the seven-volume Alfred Wainwright Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, among other heat waves. It took him seven days, one hour and 25 minutes – a record that stood until 2014 – and required him to “dig deeper inside … than I had to reach”. Eventually, the flesh on both ankles rubbed through to the nerve, and his throat and tongue were so swollen that he could hardly speak, let alone eat or drink.
Followers, such ugly details make the essence of “Iron Joss”. Naylor’s achievements were due less to genetic good fortune than to his indomitable spirit. He suffered no less than other runners. His greatness came from his refusal to surrender.
In an age where elite sport is seen more as a science or a business, he ran with his heart, not his head. His favorite fuel was rock cakes and apple pie, washed down with Guinness or salted blackcurrant juice or, sometimes, cod liver oil (slurped straight from the bottle, “like whiskey”). And he wouldn’t hesitate to interfere in a recorded attempt to rescue a lamb in distress.
He was appointed an MBE in 1976, but remained remarkably modest about his achievements. The interest he took in their endeavors amazed and inspired the little runners, and he would give advice or encouragement to anyone who loved the fells. The Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge – a 48-mile route for runners over 50 that he founded in 1990 – reflects this generous attitude.
He also used his fame to raise money for charity, which he did enthusiastically for many years – notably by scaling 60 peaks at the age of 60 (in 36 hours) and a lesser 70 peaks at 70 (in 21 hours).
Naylor remained active on the fells into his 80s, until a stroke in 2021 precipitated his final decline.
He is survived by his wife, Mary (née Downie), whom he married in 1963, and three children, Paul, Susan and Gillian.
• Joss (Joseph) Naylor, fallen runner and farmer, born 10 February 1936; died 28 June 2024
