Matthew Breakell

International Mountain Leader

Wilderness First Aid

I have more than 20 years of outdoor experience and a deep passion for practical, intuitive learning. I was born prematurely with club feet and I was told I might never walk properly — so movement, resilience, and adaptability are built into my story. I’m also dyslexic, which has shaped the way I learn and teach: I’m very hands-on, visual, and experience-led, and I avoid overloading people with theory or complicated explanations.

I got into the outdoors at age 13, via rock climbing, mountaineering, and the wider mountain world through the Army Cadets, a youth organization sponsored by the British Army. Training for climbing led me to discover fell running – I fell in love with this UK mountain running sport immediately. That love for movement grew into a lifelong journey across mountains, along trails, and over ultra distances.

Growing up, people didn’t expect me to be sporty, but I found my way into the outdoors. While studying Outdoor Leadership in England’s Lake District, my teacher saw me moving in the mountains and encouraged me to get into the trail running and ultra running scene, telling me I had a natural gift for it. That belief gave me confidence to take running seriously.

From there, I moved from fell races into alpine climbing and trail running here in Chamonix, France. A friend suggested I try the UTMB Mont-Blanc 100 mile trail race, and after a year of training, I fell fully in love with ultra running. Since then, I’ve raced and explored the Alps in events such as UTMB, TDS, Tor des Géants, and Ultra Tour Monte Rosa.

I love my time on my feet, racing, chatting on the trails, exploring new places, and sharing that experience with people from all levels of running.

Guiding for me is about confidence, connection, and play. I help runners move safely and confidently across challenging terrain, build skills without stress, and learn to trust both body and mountain. Everyone’s journey is personal — and I try to make it richer, more fun, and more empowering.

I like to approach guiding and coaching in a grounded, body-centric way — not focusing on sports watches, or overloading my guests with science. I teach on the move, focusing on how your body feels, how terrain flows, and how confidence grows naturally when you’re out trail running, not memorising someone else’s formulas.