Steve Chilton's Blog: Goodreads Author's Blog

There was not enough space in the article on the Borrowdale race record in Cumbria magazine (which can be read here) to include any data. Two tables are reproduced here, which list the top 10 best times ever run at the tough Borrowdale race, and the six races that Billy Bland won in a three week period that led up to him setting the Borrowdale record.

Notes: these were all set over 18 years, and (as the article explains) the course was lengthened in 2003. The fastest time on the longer co...

I have no book on the go at the moment, but have written a couple of articles for magazines recently. This is the first one to come out. It appeared in Cumbria and Lakeland Walker magazine (in the May 2026 issue). In the article I discuss the long-standing Borrowdale fell race record and re-live it with the record holder, Billy Bland.

Th full article is available to read (in PDF format), but unfortunately had to be in 4 separate files, one for each page. They can be downloaded here:
page ...

A link to an interview I did on Portsmouth’s expressfm radio has been added to my CV page: https://www.expressfm.com/podcasts/local-interviews/episode/steve-chilton-talks-about-his-book-the-three-peaks-race/

It is described thus: “Steve Chilton joined Paul Marsh in the studio to talk about his new book about the marathon with mountains – the Three Peaks Race. Steve spoke about how he went from marathon running to mountain running and where in his process that he started writing about...

It was a real pleasure to be one of the guests on the Studmarks podcast, along with fell legends Scoffer Schofield and Mark Roberts. Our topic was the Bob Graham Round. Host Chris Goldie allowed the conversation to flow over the past, present and future of the BGR. Some wonderful memories were shared by all, including highlights of prepping and completing (in both Scoff and Mark’s case, and supporting for me), and also some amusing tales or mishaps and attitudes of various events witnessed, incl...

All my books are available from good bookshops and from Amazon. Anyone wanting a signed copy of any can contact me directly and I can send you one.

A brief description of all the books can be found at https://itsahill.wordpress.com/2025/04/18/books-at-three-peaks-race/.

It is time to review the blog after another year. I did fewer blog posts over the year, as the blog seems to be becoming less used by me (and less viewed by others – with 20% less views than 2024). Two stats: referrals came mostly from Search Engines and Facebook, with Twitter/X being virtually moribund now. For Twitter I have one account, whereas I can post notifications in a number of FB Groups. Visitors came from 70 different countries, with USA and Ireland being second and third places behin...

It is time to review the blog after another year. I did fewer blog posts over the year, as the blog seems to be becoming less used by me (and less viewed by others – with 20% less views than 2024). Two stats: referrals came mostly from Search Engines and Facebook, with Twitter/X being virtually moribund now. For Twitter I have one account, whereas I can post notifications in a number of FB Groups. Visitors came from 70 different countries, with USA and Ireland being second and third places behin...

Two lists of my three best reads in 2025, with short reviews. They are in the categories of: non-fiction and novels (and were not necessarily published in 2025). I read 67 books in the year, and reviewed them all on GoodReads, but only gave 5-stars to two of them. This year’s reading target is a modest 65.

NON-FICTION

1: The place of tides by James Rebanks – James Rebanks really has a knack of conveying emotion and the depth of nature. Here he tells the story of a tough way of life in ...

In the January 2026 BBC Countryfile magazine there is an article on fell running, by Sam Pyrah, to which I contributed a couple of very short pieces, along with Kerri Wallace, Richard Askwith and Fran Blackett.

It has some good advice in getting started, getting hill fit and on ensuring your navigation is up to scratch.The full article can be read at: BBC Countryfile fell running [PDF]

[Gavin Bland – Ian Hodgson Relay, 1991. Photo: Pete Hartley]

Good evening Gavin, how are you doing? Is it a good time to talk now?
Yes, I’ve just sat with a glass of wine. Lovely.
Happy birthday from a couple of days ago, yeah?
Yeah, another year older.
How’s life, alright?
Yeah, busy, enjoying farming.
Good, good. Keeping the country running, yeah?
Yeah, we’re trying.
Okay, I’m writing something for the Fellrunner magazine about Andy Styan’s 1977 Langdale record, yeah? So, I’ve compiled a top 20...