This is a good question and one that I thought about alot when I started fell running. Having significantly improved, with a small amount of time on the fells, I am starting to believe that those runners at the front are human and beatable after all. Desire and belief has alot to do with it but I honestly think that I can get within 5 mins of Bailey et al in next years Long Mynd (18 this year but lost for about 10 mins of that).

Al told me once that in watching the front boys, the biggest difference was there ability to recover and go straight after a heavy climb. If you can develop your fitness to improve significantly here the margins will be smaller.