My First
Lake District Mountain Trial. Sep 2014
For several
years I’ve wanted to try my hand at the LDMT event because it’s one of the
premier navigating tests in the fell calendar. I actually entered in 2013 only
for it to be cancelled for the first time in its history. Not a good omen.
For those
who don’t know about the Mountain Trial here is the introduction from the
organiser’s website.
The Mountain Trial is a
severe test of fellrunners’ mountaineering ability and stamina. Competitors are
required to traverse difficult and often dangerous terrain, rapidly but safely.
Navigational skills and route choice have a direct bearing on each competitor’s
safety. Evolving from a race organised by the YHA in 1952, it is run on
orienteering principles and is the longest established event of its kind in
Great Britain.
(Note, entry
information:
Classic Trial: around 16 miles and 7000ft climb. Estimated winning time =
4.5hrs).
So to 2014
and I get my entry in, and find that Tim Culshaw has also entered so we head
off up to the Lake District on Saturday evening. We stopped the night in the
nearest YHA that had room at short notice – Arnside – look it up!. Next morning we head off too early for the
hostel cooked breakfast so munch on some Sheelagh lembas wafer and tea before
driving to Patterdale for 8am. We meet Jasmin and Conrad at the start, see Joss
Naylor pottering about but otherwise recognize very few competitors. Probably
too elite a field for us? My start time
was 9am, Tim’s was 10am. This came back to bite Tim later on.
Time
arrives, I’m all kitted up with loads of water and food in a rucksack. Noticed
a lot of entrants only had small bumbags. Mental review, have I packed too much
kit?. The minimum plus an extra layer in case – I think I would be unwise to
dump anything.
At the start
in the field we are realeased in 1 minute pairs and must follow a flagged route
out of the village so that we have to go out towards St Sunday Crag. Map
collection is 500m in, I got passed by two other runners before I reach my map.
(Based on Harveys 1:40,000, quite small for the route area).
Up a good
path, pretty steep going. CP1 is at the
head of Deepdale south of St Sunday Crag, While walking I plan my route to contour round the highest
point and then traverse down to the sheepfold. Jasmin passed me running like a gazelle and
was a small dot within 10 minutes.
Shoes start
biting ankle bones during traverse to CP1, a bit worrying after only 45
minutes.
As I reached
CP1 I noticed for the first time that every CP has a cut-off time printed on
the map. This was absolute time, not related to your start time. I reached CP1
with 1hr8m in hand.
(Remember
Tim’s starting time was an hour later!)
Steep climb
out of Deepdale west and due to concern over shoes rubbing decide to use path
to Grisedale Tarn then down Grisedale past Ruthwaite lodge then long climb 450m
up to Hole in the Wall. Brutal climb, passed by maybe 10 faster runners
including Dark Peak’s Rhys Findlay Robinson who asked if I’d seen a Hunters Bog
Trotter. I gasped I wouldn’t know one if he’d jumped on my back. Turns out Rhys
finished 2nd to Hector Haines.
Time in hand
now 45m. (Tim got timed out here – partly cos he was still not fully recovered
from his 75 mile epic)
CP3 was
about 4 miles away in a stream on Birkett Fell, I chose to go down and across
Red Tarn to a path and down Glenridding Common, north between Stang and
Sheffield Pike up another steep climb by the disused mine then contoured round
head of Glen Coyne before climbing up and contouring to CP3. Met Danny from
Scarborough and shared thoughts on tough terrain, we were gasping up a steep
tussocky hill at about 1mph. I took a slightly better line and found CP3 before
him and was very happy to see a lady last seen pulling away from me in Deepdale!
Time in hand
still 45m.
West to CP4,
legs beginning to hurt with another long climb through wild tussocks. Bad
choice of trod round south of Green Side (later found this hill is called White
Stones on OS map!) when should have gone across country to north, heading for Stybarrow
Dodd. Lost 15 minutes :((. Joined another bloke on paths across Watsons Dodd
and caught Danny again on long descent to CP4. Marshall offered a gel even
though against rules!
Time in hand
now only ~20m
CP5 only 1.5m
traverse but again through rough tussocks and groughs and ascending ~100m, expected
time in cutoff list for this leg is 15 minutes! Now with Danny and other bloke. Really very
tired now. Reached CP5 2m outside time but marshals let us dib.
Another
bloke from Threlkeld passed us here with great determination to make up time so
we all redoubled efforts to climb (again) up tussocks heading east to near Wolf Crags. On descending the next
valley I get cramp in left quad, first for years. Salt sachet helps. Push on
make CP6 bang on time.
Next section
longest leg over Great Dodd and South to a crag just short of Red Tarn Beck.
Legs trembling and cramping on 320m ascent long tussocky drag to Great Dodd.
Only Danny and I now last runners on course, both suffering and we knew we
couldn’t make the next CP in time. (allowance was 1h15m, 2nd man
took 1h7m! Looking at splits results only about 15 men and Jasmin managed this
leg in the allowed time).
Anyway, I
tried to eat some more but throw up on Great Dodd. Can't manage more than one
gel after this. Jog paths across the Dodds to Raise, Danny pulls away by a few
minutes. More cramp descending to CP7 so walking sometimes now. Taken 30
minutes too long and finally timed out.
Jog slowly heading
for Patterdale past china dragonfly exhibition, Finally make worst nav decision
by taking wrong turn into Glenridding and miss CP8 which wasn't there any more
anyway. Had to stagger back to Patterdale by road.
9 hours,
26.7 miles 8900 ft ascent. Unbelievably tired, couldn’t stomach any food until
later at home.
Reflection: I bit off more than I could handle, but one
excuse was the published entry information very misleading. On the map it
stated 30.1km and 2025m ascent. (18.8 miles and 6600ft). It seems most people
took similar lines and ran about 25 miles and probably similar ascent as me.
Later it was stated that the stats are based on the direct line between
checkpoints, so be aware if you enter this event it underestimates the true
challenge. It seems many acknowledged the route this year was tougher than
usual.
Footnote:
Hector Haines finished shortly after I had left checkpoint 3.
John Stephenson
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ReplyDeleteGreat effort John, was timed out in the same area in the Saunders one year, toughest class, late start, not moving quickly enough. Nice write-up, like the bit where you went across Red Tarn:-)!
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