Vegan Damian Hall wins 105 mile epic

The vegan founder of Green Runners wins the Lakeland 100

Damian Hall, co-founder of the Green Runners, is best known for his incredible 2023 men’s Spine Race record, and his fifth place finish at the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc in 2018. However, since racing the Lakeland 50, 11 years ago, he’s always had his eye on the Lakeland 100 (which is actually closer to 105 miles).

Not only did Damian want to conquer the Lakeland 100, he wanted to join the small and exclusive club of only four runners who had finished the ultra race in under 20 hours in its 17-year history.

Damian set off at a speedy pace and halfway through the race, Damian was holding first place and was on target to achieve his ambitious goal. But by mile 66, another runner, Ry Webb, who had previously beaten Damian at the Lakeland 50, had caught up to the green runner. Undeterred, Damian managed to create a two-and-a-half-mile gap and pull away from his competitor with his eyes, and feet, set firmly on his sub-20 hour time goal.

Despite some fatigue setting in, Damian reached the finish in 19 hours, 33 minutes and 33 seconds, setting the fifth fastest time for the course and successfully joining the elite club of sub-20 runners. After the race, Damian said:

“This one means a lot. At 49, the days when I can be competitive are numbered. So to record a historically fast time at one of our historical races feels special.”

Content sourced and adapted, with permission, from Great Vegan Athletes.