Want to start trail running? Keen trail runner Annette McQueen shares her top tips

How did trail running come about for you?

I started hiking in the mountains in my early twenties, and as soon as I experienced the mountains, I was hooked. I went to the Lake District and was blown away. Just the scale of being out in nature and feeling so small did it for me. From that moment, it was my happy place.

I hiked for years, and then one day noticed a fell runner and thought that looked pretty cool. I had always run for fitness, but mainly locally, and to just stay active. I started playing around on some of my hikes, running a little, and found it fun.

Was trail running a natural progression from hiking?

When COVID hit, I found myself in a dark place. I was drinking more without really noticing and just felt low, like a lot of others did, too. Once the restrictions started to lift I needed to set myself a goal, so I signed up to do my first ever trail half marathon in Buttermere with a company called Trail Pursuit.

They advertised the race “to provide unique trail running experiences for all levels of runner”. It was a weekend camping in a bell tent, and they had different distances of race to choose from. It turned out to be a nightmare for some people; but for me it was the best experience ever, with me already being a mountain girl.

They had to change the route last minute and it ended up being a 1600m elevation 26km race, much to the fury of people who had never experienced mountains before. But for me, from that moment I was hooked on mountains again – but this time for trail races.

What’s next for you when it comes to trail running?  

Since then I have competed in trail marathons and ultra-marathons. I completed The Lap Windermere in September, which at the moment is my longest ultra (76km, 2700m elevation). I came ninth female and it’s my biggest achievement.

I’ve got bigger races this year: The Lakeland 50, and Rat Race The Wall at Hadrians Wall, which will really push my limits as this will be my longest distance (70miles / 113km). Plus a race in South Africa in the Drakensberg mountains, and a multi-day (110km) race in Madeira.

My life is now trail running, exploring the mountains both in the UK and beyond, and I am honestly loving every minute. I am 37, so approaching the big 40, and my ambition is to do a 100-miler before this milestone.

Any advice for people who are interested but don’t know where to start?

I would find a trail you are familiar with so you don’t have to keep on looking at the route and being distracted. Enjoy your surroundings, keep it short for your first few runs to get used to the terrain as it’s very different to road running.

Invest in the right footwear. It really does impact your feet if you don’t have correctly fitting trail shoes to help avoid common foot problems. I struggled to find the right shoes for myself as I have wide feet, so I’ve been through various brands which weren’t the right fit which has resulted in me now having to visit the foot clinic every eight weeks.

Have you had any injuries, and how did you overcome them?

I rolled my ankle doing a beautiful circular on the top of Dale Head up near Keswick. It wasn’t super painful at the time, and because it was really cold I didn’t want to hang around, so I ended up running back down which didn’t help.

I then didn’t recover properly, and headed out to do the Yorkshire 3 Peaks which ended in disaster; my ankle just wasn’t strong enough, and it gave way and rolled again at the top of Whernside. This time it was really bad; I had to hobble all the way back down, and it resulted in two or three months completely out of action with my injury, needing painful physio sessions. I gradually built my mileage back up.

My advice? Don’t let injury defeat you!