Vertebrate goes the distance for record-breaker Hall

Indie press Vertebrate has signed FKTed, a book charting ultramarathon runner Damian Hall’s journey towards breaking the Pennine Way record in July this year.

Commissioning editor Kirsty Reade acquired world rights from the author, for publication in May 2021.

In FKTed, Hall recounts his experiences of preparing for the Pennine Way record attempt, and the run itself, examining the history of the fastest known times and telling stories of notable ones, including other records which he holds.

Hall is the author of a variety of outdoor publications, including A Year on the Run (Aurum), Long Distance Walking in Britain (Crowood) and Walking in the Cotswolds (Cicerone). He is also a regular contributor to magazines such as Men’s Running, Runner’s World and Trail Running.

He said: “I’ve set five running records and had numerous running adventures in Britain’s lumpy places and further afield too. They have sometimes been films or magazine stories, but have often only shown half the story, so I thought I would waffle on a bit more about my hallucinations, hedgehog attacks and the alarming amounts of custard.’”

Reade said: “Damian hit the headlines in July when he set a new record for running the 268-mile Pennine Way. We wanted to explore what it takes to break these sorts of long-distance records, hearing about some of Damian’s adventures (and misadventures) along the way.”