Exploring the frontiers of human performance – further & faster

Click here for full list of William’s Personal Bests & Records

Half Marathon: 1:14:59
Marathon: 2:38:17 (1995)
100km: 7:07:49 (1996)
100 miles: 14hrs 25mins (split) (2000)
12hr: Track 141.50km/87.92 miles (2001)
24hr(Road): 246.70km/153.30M (2000)
48hr (Indoor): 344.267km/213.92 miles (2007) Scottish Record
48hr (Track): 340.80km/211.76M (2008)
Six Days(Track): 857.07km/532.56 miles – All-Time Scottish Record (Modern) British M50 Record (2008)
Six Days(Road): 834.190kms/518.34 miles – World M55 Record (2011)
1000 Miles (Road): 13 days, 20 hours, 8 minutes, 1 second (2010)                                                                           Badwater: 31hrs 36mins 12secs British Event Record (2006)                                Spartathlon: 29hrs 01mins 29secs – Scottish Event Record (2007)

Did you know?

William considers himself ideally built for ultrarunning being 5′ 5″/1.63m tall and weighing approx 9st 2lbs or 128lbs/58kgs. 

He has an unique physiology being extraordinarily adapted for fat burning, requiring tiny amounts of energy (less than 100kcals/hr) and fluid to produce optimum performance in long ultras.

However, William is far from being a ‘perfect physical specimen’ having had knock knees as a child; having one leg 1″ (2.5cms) longer than the other and a ‘weak chest’, with repeated chest infections in winter, after moving to Orkney.  The chestiness lasted for 10 years, until he took up running again in 1993, since when, the symptoms have never returned.

William also had surgery and radiotherapy for testicular cancer in 1997 and is keen to promote men’s health and physical activity into later life.

William is a big fan of veteran/masters athletics and believes that athletic performances by masters athletes are hugely unsung. 

William believes people in their middle age also need role models and people to inspire them – William tries to do that.