Sarah Rowell is a towering figure in British mountain running history. A former international competitor who set records on the fells of northern England, Rowell has transitioned into one of the sport's most respected team managers and administrators. At the WMTRC 2023 in Innsbruck-Stubai, she served with the British delegation and shared her perspective on a question that has long animated the mountain running community: whether mountain running and trail running should be treated as separate sports or as branches of the same discipline.
"For me, they have always been one discipline," Rowell said with characteristic directness. "The terrain changes, the distance changes, the technicality changes — but the fundamental act of running through mountains is the same whether you call it fell running, mountain running or trail running. The labels are a product of governance structures, not of what actually happens on the ground."
Rowell traced the roots of this debate back to the distinct traditions that evolved in different countries. In Britain, fell running has been a formalised sport since the 19th century, with races up and down the peaks of the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and the Welsh mountains. Continental Europe developed its own mountain running culture, often focused on uphill-only races in the Alps. Meanwhile, trail running emerged as a broader global movement in the 2000s, encompassing everything from technical mountain courses to rolling woodland paths. "Each tradition has its own character, and that's wonderful," Rowell noted. "But when you line up at a world championship, you're all mountain runners."
She praised the WMTRC 2023 format for acknowledging this unity by staging five disciplines under a single championship. "Look at the courses here in Innsbruck-Stubai — the Vertical tests pure climbing power, the Mountain Classic is a traditional up-and-down race, the Trail Short and Trail Long demand endurance and navigation skills, and the Stubai Ultratrail pushes athletes to their absolute limits over extreme distances. These are all expressions of the same core sport."
Rowell reflected on the British tradition of mountain running and how it has influenced the global sport. British fell runners have historically excelled at the short, steep, technically demanding races that characterise the Mountain Classic discipline. "We've been running up and down mountains competitively for over a century in Britain," she said. "That heritage gives our athletes a particular strength in technical terrain and fast descending. But the sport has evolved, and our runners now need to be competitive across all distances."
As a team manager, Rowell described the challenge of preparing a British squad for the diverse demands of the WMTRC 2023. "We had specialists in every discipline, but we also had athletes who crossed over between events. That versatility is what the combined championship rewards," she explained. She highlighted several British athletes who demonstrated this adaptability on the Innsbruck and Stubai courses.
Rowell also addressed the evolving role of women in mountain running, drawing on her own experience as a pioneering female competitor in an era when opportunities for women in the sport were limited. "When I was racing, there were sometimes only a handful of women in a field. Now you have deep, competitive women's fields at every championship, and the performances are extraordinary," she said. "The WMTRC 2023 has been a showcase for women's mountain running at its very best."
Looking forward, Rowell expressed confidence that the combined championship model would continue to strengthen the sport. "The athletes are united even if the governing bodies sometimes aren't," she said with a smile. "Events like the WMTRC 2023 prove that mountain running and trail running belong together, and I believe this format is here to stay."
Sarah Rowell is a British mountain running legend who competed at the highest level as a fell runner before transitioning into team management and sports administration. She has been involved in British mountain running for decades and is respected as one of the sport's most knowledgeable voices on both competitive and governance matters.
Rowell argues that the fundamental activity — running through mountainous terrain — is the same regardless of whether it is labelled fell running, mountain running or trail running. She views the different terms as products of separate governance traditions rather than genuinely distinct sports, and supports the combined championship format used at the WMTRC 2023.
Fell running is the British tradition of racing up and down mountain peaks, dating back to the 19th century. Races typically take place in the Lake District, Scottish Highlands and Welsh mountains. It is essentially the British form of mountain running, characterised by steep terrain, technical descents and minimal course marking. Many of the skills developed in fell running transfer directly to international mountain running competition.
Rowell was part of the British team delegation at the WMTRC 2023 in Innsbruck-Stubai, serving in a team management capacity. She helped prepare British athletes for the diverse championship disciplines and provided strategic guidance during the competition week.
Britain has one of the strongest and oldest mountain running traditions in the world. British athletes have consistently been among the top performers at World Mountain Running Championships, particularly in the uphill-downhill format that mirrors traditional fell racing. At the WMTRC 2023, British runners competed across multiple disciplines on the Innsbruck-Stubai courses.
Complete results for all five disciplines are available on the results page. Individual athlete profiles, including runners from the British team and competitors from around the world, can be found on the athletes overview. Additional interviews include those with IAU President Nadeem Khan and Hong Kong runner Janet Ng.