In June 2025, Alex Staniforth became the first – and fastest – person to complete a continuous, self-powered journey linking all 446 mountains in England and Wales.
The challenge involved:
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3,069km covered on foot and bike
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101,721m of ascent – the height of climbing Everest 11.5 times
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A route spanning Dartmoor, the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, the Pennines, Northumberland, and finishing in the Lake District
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45 days in total, smashing the previous record of 6 months
The 446 peaks, known as the Nuttalls, each rise above 610m with at least 15m of prominence. While supported logistically by a motorhome crew, Alex completed the journey entirely under his own power, with no motorised transport between summits.
Though the official list has since been revised to 442 due to re-surveys, Alex chose to follow the earlier list of 446, mirroring the route completed by his friend James Forrest in 2017, the former record holder.
We caught up with Alex, who took on this extraordinary challenge, combining physical endurance with a mission to raise awareness for mental health.
When did you first realise you wanted to take on something as monumental as climbing all 446 Nuttalls, in one continuous self-propelled effort? What sparked that vision?
I'd had the concept of climbing all the UK mountains for over a few years now, but life kept getting in the way. It took a while just to define and decide on the classification, and the Nuttalls seemed the most significant and recognised list.
I've completed other challenges by human power and it feels like my style. My friend James Forrest had the previous record of 6 months but as far as I'm aware nobody had done them in one continuous effort before.
I couldn't take 6 months off work either so wanted to see how fast I could go. Losing my driving license last year after a seizure meant buying a gravel bike, and this year felt like everything had fallen into place. If you wait for the perfect moment it'll never happen.
Your challenge wasn’t just about physical endurance, but also about shining a light on mental health. How have your own experiences with mental health informed the way you framed this challenge?
I've suffered openly with bouts of depression, anxiety and eating disorders since I was 16. I've mostly been able to manage this myself, using the outdoors and running as my medication. This year was my 30th birthday and I naturally wanted to do something ridiculous to mark this milestone.
But I became aware that so many young people don't reach this milestone, with suicide now being the biggest killer of people under 35 in the UK. That really shocked me, and I wanted to open a conversation around mental health in young people through the journey.
Because setting big endurance challenges is entirely optional - if it gets too hard you could just go home. But like in our mental health, with the right people around us we can always find a way forward. The 446 Challenge raised over £37,000 for Mind Over Mountains, a charity I founded to restore mental health through access to therapeutic outdoor experiences.
What were the biggest fears or doubts you had going into the challenge, and how did you work through them beforehand?
I was worried most about failure due to an injury or a health problem, especially after suffering a seizure running the Coast to Coast last year. Doing something like this obviously has a massive toll on the body.
I've failed lots of my challenges before and accepted that you have to risk failure in order to achieve something significant - there's always lots of factors outside of our control. I'd had various medical tests and spoken to experts for reassurance, and training was one factor I could control.
This mostly focused on getting as much height gain as possible and S&C to build resilience in my legs for the continuous up and down.
Tell us about a day on the road: what were your routines for rest, recovery, nutrition, mindset?
Every day varied dependent on the schedule and conditions. I had breakfast as quickly as possible to allow digestion, although with the pace being so slow I was able to stomach most things. I experienced a lot of nausea in the mornings but having a 500ml bottle of Fusion Fuel from the start usually helped to balance things.
It took a while to pack the bag and food stash for the first stage. Some days I might have one long run stage, up to 27 miles without any road support points, or one long bike ride up to 103 miles. Other days I might have as many as 4 runs and 4 bike rides - I felt like a triathlete with all the changeovers! This allowed access to whole hot food and coffee, and less weight in the bag.
On the hill I'd have a mix of whole foods like bagels, pastries, vegan scotch eggs, flapjacks, soreen and bars. I always had some VOOM Pocket Rockets and POW bars with me too. Evening meals were mostly plant based. After finishing for the day I'd immediately take high protein soya milk, sour cherry juice, and spend 30-60 mins in some Normatec compression boots whilst eating or doing social media later on then I'd elevate my legs against a wall for at least 10 minutes until they tingled.
There was never enough time to do everything and getting at least 7 hours sleep was always the priority.
What was the hardest peak / stretch (physically, emotionally, or logistically), and why?
Wales in general was unforgiving, relentless, brutal and largely pathless. I knew if I could survive the 190 Welsh mountains I'd stand a chance! A lot of the Northern Pennines tops were pointless tussock marches and even the sheep hadn't bothered climbing them...
Rhinog Fawr also broke me, mentally and spiritually - the conditions were so wild it nearly forced me to turn around. I was hunched over on my poles and got out of there as fast as I could.
Conversely, was there an unexpectedly joyful or surprising moment on the route, something that reaffirmed what you were doing?
So many! I had a chap called Ian who surprised me a couple of times and had followed my tracker all the way from the North East to wish me well, with some baked goods. On Blencathra I was joined by a local company, Alertacall, and one of the team had never even climbed a mountain before.
Some of my coaching clients joined me on the runs and my friend Rich came all the way from Scotland to surprise me on my birthday in Northumberland. On the penultimate day, Dan had come to run the glory leg with me.
We got a battering from the wind and rain on the Helvellyn ridge until Clough Head, when everything suddenly lifted to reveal the most incredible golden sunset across Bassenthwaite, Keswick and the Northern Fells. It felt like a proper homecoming party and a reminder that hard times always pass.
How did you balance the mental strain with the physical demands, were there days when staying motivated felt more difficult than climbing itself?
Physically the challenge almost became automatic and the body did what it needed to (most of the time). The mental strain was always far bigger with the constant time pressure and stress. I had to get out there regardless of the weather forecast and didn't really have a choice. But motivation comes from taking action.
So, it was about learning to embrace the conditions and the environment, to make it as fun as possible and remembering that things usually aren't as bad as we make them out to be. Having company on these days made all the difference. You have to take it one mountain at a time.
Who has been along for the ride, emotionally, logistically, spiritually, and how crucial was their support?
I had 10 different motorhome crew, consisting of friends, my parents and my girlfriend Harriet, who took turns at driving the motorhome (which we named 'Rick') across the country. They were amazing and practically did everything for me, which allowed me to focus on being the athlete and maximise every minute of recovery time.
My friend Dan became expedition manager and logistical wizard from conception to the finish, and it would have been practically impossible without him handling everything at all hours and rejigging the schedule whilst I was on the hill. Harriet inevitably became equally invested as she absorbed a lot of the stress, setbacks and the countless weekends and holidays that were sacrificed for training or planning.
There were lots more sponsors and individuals who donated their time, cash or belief in me, even without any guarantee of success. I'm super grateful to all of them.
Of all the 446 peaks, which one feels most symbolic of the whole journey, and why?
It's so hard to pick a favourite because after a while they all felt very similar and I was always rushing onto the next one. Few of them really stood out to me. Tal Y Fan was the final peak of Wales and a huge milestone. But Helvellyn in the Lakes was the final peak for a reason - the 360 panorama and approach is really hard to beat. Looking round at all the mountains I'd completed in the final week was hard to take in.
For someone who’s inspired by this but can’t take on something as huge, what small steps do you suggest for integrating nature, challenge, and mental health into their lives?
Everyone has their own version of this and it's always relative. Find something that scares you slightly, and set a realistic deadline. Setting yourself a 30-day habit challenge can also give that extra push and accountability, especially during the winter months. This might be cold dips or running every day, trying something new or hill-bagging with friends. Lists are always addictive and you set your own pace!
