Member Profiles - Mick Hill
Name: Mick Hill
Club: Tipton Harriers / Pudsey & Bramley
Where are you from?: Bolton, Lancs originally - I now live in Birstall, near Batley, West Yorkshire
Age: 35
Occupation: Project Manager with Coral Racing Ltd (the bookies)
How long have you been running?: 25 years or so
How long have you been fell running?: First ever fell race was Rivington Pike I think back in the early 90s. Inspired by the late (and great) Ian Hales of Bolton Harriers
Why fell running?: Always a great day out - and if you're having a shocker at least you get the benefit of some good views!
Favourite Race(s) why?: On the BOFRA circuit probably Hawkswick Dash & Kilnsey - because they have mental descents (despite me being a notoriously bad descender)
Greatest achievements (or disasters!): Greatest achievement on the fells was making the England Senior team for the European Mountain Running Champs in Poland, 2000.
Greatest disaster was my performance in those champs where I ended up jogging round to come about third from last
Do you follow a training programme?: Yes
What is your weekly mileage?: I aim for 90-110 miles per week with hard running (sessions) perhaps 2-3 times per week
Who is your sporting hero / villain!: Hero - Ron Hill (no relation) - was a bit of a legend, just read the bit in his book where he does the Three Peaks for the first time without any prior preparation. Completely uninhibited and without fear.
Villain - Any so called sporting celebrity who feels the need to get married in a castle and have a pair of ravens deliver the wedding rings. Complete waste of space!
Favourite food: Bacon sarnies
Favourite drink: Skimmed milk / Vimto / decent pint of bitter
Favourite shoes: Nike Pegasus - I do most of my running in these
Favourite piece of running kit: My lucky shorts - I always race in the same pair of black shorts - more so now that I can fit back in to them again
Favourite music / band:
Favourite movie / TV programme: Quadrophenia / Spooks
Do you have any other hobbies?: Not really - too much training & a busy job
Give us an interesting fact / something we wouldn't know about you!:
Complete the sentence: If I wasn't fell running I would be... ...munro bagging! When I stop racing competitively, I think I'll need another challenge and collecting summits seems like a good idea
Complete the sentence: I have never... ...
Anything else you want to add?: In April 2009 I was 15st 3lbs - from an old racing weight of 10st 0lbs in 2001. Two years later with the help of the BOFRA races I had lost nearly 5st and am starting to get back to my best - Alastair & Ted watch out! If I ever learn to run downhill, it's curtains!