Ben Mounsey
Fell and Mountain Runner
A bit about me
I’m a 34 year old runner from Yorkshire who loves nothing more than spending time on the fells and in the mountains. I compete for Calder Valley Fell Runners and Stainland Lions and during my career I’ve been lucky enough to represent Yorkshire, England and Great Britain. I also love to blog and share my experiences with others www.benmounsey.wordpress.com
What I’ve learned?
I’ve learned to enjoy racing and not put too much pressure on myself. I’ve learned how to embrace defeat as it makes me appreciate winning so much more.
I’m an experienced athlete and I know what works for me in respect to my training and diet. Using Mountain Fuel helps me to recover more quickly between hard sessions and prepares me for big races. The breakfast fuel is my personal favourite – I can highly recommend it!
Why I love running
For me running is a way to escape the pressures and stresses of ‘normal’ life. After a hard day at work I can take to the hills and leave all my worries behind. As well as keeping me fit and healthy it gives me extra confidence in every aspect of my life. I’ve come to realise that I’m at my happiest when I’m out running and I feel extremely fortunate to have fallen in love with the sport.
Fell and mountain running has taken me to places that I would never have imagined I’d ever visit. I’ve seen glorious sunrises and breathtaking sunsets. I’ve witnessed stunning views and beautiful wildlife. I’ve run with the legends of the sport and shared precious moments with likeminded friends that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’ve climbed some of the tallest peaks and ran high above the clouds. I’ve looked down on a world full of people who’ll never appreciate the beauty of their local environment and every time I’ve felt grateful for the fact that I do.
The other beautiful thing about fell running is that it accepts athletes of all abilities and encourages them to take part. The fact that it’s not elitist means you’re just as likely to share a post-race pint with the winner as you are with the person who finishes last. For this reason alone I consider it to be the best sport in the world.
My favourite achievement(s) so far ..
There are almost too many too mention!
However, nothing beats the feeling of representing my county and country. I am always tremendously proud to wear the vests of Yorkshire, England and Great Britain.
Career highlights:
- Represented Yorkshire x 3 (2009, 2011 & 2015),
- Represented England x 3 (Snowdon International 2011 & 2015 (3rd) and the Home international (6th) 2015)
- Represented Great Britain in the World Mountain Running Championships 2015 (31st overall)
- Represented Great Britain in the Tre Refugi Relay (6th), Italy 2011 and Snowdon GB team at Trofeo Vanoni (2nd & 2nd team), Italy 2015
- Yorkshire Fell Running Champion 2014 & 2015
- Bronze Medallist in the World Mountain Running Championship (Great Britain team) 2015
- Gold Medallist in the English Fell Championship (CVFR team) 2015
- Gold Medallist in the British Fell Championship (CVFR team) 2015
- Gold Medallist in the British Fell Relays (CVFR team) 2015
- 8 x West Yorkshire Winter League Cross Country Champion 2007-2016
- Winner of Black Combe Fell Race (English Championship) 2016
