Kenny Stuart

{{Short description|British distance runner}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Kenny Stuart (born 25 February 1957 in PenrithSteve Chilton, Running Hard (Dingwall, 2017).) is a former fell and road runner from Threlkeld in the Lake District.

Early in his career, when there was still a split between professional and amateur fell racing, Stuart competed in professional races, converting to amateur status in 1982. His first full amateur season in 1983 was marked by close competition with John Wild who had won the previous year's championship. Stuart won the last 1983 championship race at Thieveley Pike, thereby becoming British champion.Richard Askwith, Feet in the Clouds (London, 2004), 114–20.

Stuart was also British champion in 1984 and 1985Steve Chilton, It's a Hill, Get Over It (Dingwall, 2013), 329. and among the course records he set in those years were 1:02:18 at Skiddaw,The Fell Runner, Jan 1985, 28. 1:25:34 at Ben Nevis,The Fell Runner, Jan 1985, 56. 1:02:29 at Snowdon,The Fell Runner, Jan 1986, 92. and 3:20:57 at the Ennerdale Horseshoe,[http://www.cfra.co.uk/ennerdaledetails.pdf CFRA: Ennerdale 'Horseshoe' Fell Race.] all of which still stand. In 1985 he won the short race at the inaugural World Mountain Running Cup in Italy.Richard Askwith, Feet in the Clouds (London, 2004), 124. Kenny married fellow fell runner Pauline Haworth in 1985.Richard Askwith, Feet in the Clouds (London, 2004), 122–24.

In 1986, Stuart turned his attention to road running and won his debut marathon that year at Glasgow in 2:14:03. He went on to set his best marathon time of 2:11:36 at Houston in 1989 but his career was curtailed by increasing allergy and virus problems.Richard Askwith, Feet in the Clouds (London, 2004), 125–30.

His life story is told in Steve Chilton's [http://sandstonepress.com/books/running-hard 'Running Hard: the story of a rivalry'] (Dingwall, 2017).