Ultra Trail UK

Self-navigated running, UK

UK Ultra Running Glossary

Written by Catriona Adams. Published 18 August 2026

The terms used across Ultra Trail UK's guides, defined in one or two sentences each.

Round
A self-navigated, self-timed circuit of named summits in a British mountain range, completed within a fixed time limit — usually 24 hours — with no marked course, no aid stations and no entry fee.
Fastest Known Time (FKT)
The record-keeping convention used for routes with no official race, no fixed date and no timing chip. fastestknowntime.com is the community database this site cites for current Round records.
Munro
A Scottish mountain over 3,000 ft (914.4m). There are 282 recognised Munros; the Ramsay Round crosses 23 of them, plus Ben Nevis.
UTMB World Series
The global circuit of branded ultra-trail races that includes UTMB itself in Chamonix. Announced in 2021 and launched in 2022, replacing the earlier Ultra-Trail World Tour. Eryri by UTMB and Arc of Attrition by UTMB are its two UK races.
Running Stones
The UTMB World Series' qualification currency: finishing a World Series race earns Running Stones, used to enter the lottery for a place at the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix.
Hydrostatic head (Schmerber)
A measure of how waterproof a fabric is, in millimetres of water column. UTMB World Series 100-mile races require a minimum of 20,000mm for the mandatory waterproof jacket.
Supported / unsupported
Categories used in Round records: 'supported' means a runner has pacers, navigation help or resupply from others along the way; 'unsupported' means they carry and navigate entirely alone.
Verifying club
An independent body that confirms a Round completion, typically requiring a witness at every summit with a recorded time. Only the Bob Graham Round has one — the Bob Graham 24 Hour Club, proposed in 1971.
Cut-off
The maximum time allowed to reach a given point on an organised race course. Miss it, and the usual result is withdrawal, regardless of physical condition — a feature Rounds don't have.
DNF (Did Not Finish)
Standard shorthand for withdrawing from a race or Round attempt before completion, for any reason — injury, cut-off, weather or a judgment call to stop.
Aid station / checkpoint
A staffed point on an organised race course offering food, water, or medical support. Rounds have none — any support a runner gets is arranged privately, not provided by an organiser.
Elevation gain
The cumulative climbing over a route, usually given in metres or feet. It's tracked separately from distance because two routes of the same length can demand very different effort.
Fell running
Off-road running over upland terrain, particularly associated with northern England and Scotland — the broader sport that Rounds, and races like the Spine Race and Arc of Attrition, belong to.
Time limit vs. time target
A time limit is enforced by an organiser — miss it and the result doesn't count, as on the Spine Race. A time target, like the Paddy Buckley and Ramsay Rounds' 24 hours, is a convention the community tracks, not a rule any club enforces.
Mandatory kit
The list of equipment an organiser requires runners to carry, checked at registration or on the course. Rounds have no official mandatory kit; organised races and winter races do, and the lists differ by event.

Related