My Top 10 Favourite Races

In no particular order, here are my Top 10, 5 currently still being staged, 5 fond in the memory.

1. Kinder Trog - a classic circuit of the fells around Hayfield. Suited me as a stayer as I always reckoned on picking runners off on the way up to Big Stone
2. Round The Ressers - a race with a good cause, love collecting the mugs, always great to race on my own training patch
3. Lantern Pike - my first ever fell race, a great afternoon out, always a tough competitive race against friendly rivals, that little climb near the end!
4. Ennerdale Fell Race - my first and favourite Lakeland Classic, being in the same race alongside many icons of our sport, the views, the good running towards the end, the sight of the finish from atop Crag Fell, going AWOL on my first attempt then returning to get it right
5. South East Lancs XC - historic league over 100 years old, the industries, eyeballs out, so competitive, cheapest races around
6. Werneth Low Half-Marathon - predated race measuring, more like a hilly 14 to 15 miles, Romiley, Marple Bridge, Charlesworth, Broady, Mottram, Hattersley and back over Apple St and the Low, held in the depths of Winter
7. Midco Half - forerunner of the Glossop Half Marathon, High St West closed to traffic, tough course up the Longdendale Valley
8. Tanky's Trog - classic crossing of the Dark Peak moors, ran it in all weathers, always pleased to locate 7 minute crossing, the joy of seeing Edale when emerging from the clag twixt Upper and Nether Tors, Nicky's Trigger looks tougher and already destined to be a classic also
9. Saddleworth 3 Day Event - 7 mile Harrap Dale Hill on Friday evening, 10 mile Ravenstones Brow Fell on Saturday afternoon, 9 mile Scouthead Road Race on Sunday morning, plenty of pints drunk, always a Glossopdale favourite, a warm up for ....
10. Tour of Tameside - Ron Hill's brainchild, 6 stage double marathon, lucky to have the running equivalent of the Tour de France on our own doorstep, so many memories.....

Subs bench and honourable mentions:-

• Glossop Fell Race - only did it once, the day after finishing the Tour!
• Glossop 5 - fast two lapper around Glossop town centre attracting local elite runners
• Bullock Smithy - local 56 mile classic, joined up a lot of dots for me, in my opinion a must do for all Glossopdalers at some point in their running career
• Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon -long days out on the fells with some great characters

       What races would be in your Top Ten?

I have a slight confession. By Tim Budd

I have a slight confession. 

I am not a runner. Never have been. I'm barely even a walker. I hated running at school, and the most I ever did was running around a football pitch, attempting to stop someone scoring. Once my friends worked out how to pass, that became pretty redundant in terms of fun. 

In high school I barely did any real exercise, and in university I didn't run, didn't really climb much - although I considered myself a climber, and I hadn't even heard of fell running. Oh yes, I walked a little bit, and I enjoyed that, but running? I laughed at those who went out for 5 miles, 10 miles and more. Why would you ever want to do that?

Then a friend in the Expedition society entered the London marathon, and twisted his ankle about 5 weeks out, and passed the entry on to, of all people, me. 

I started out running once a week- ignoring distance, mainly because I had nothing to conveniently measure it with, but rather for time. I ran for an hour. I ran for 2 hours. And a week before the marathon, I thought... I wonder if I can actually run for 26 miles? That’s a long way.

So, going against all marathon intelligence (of which I was blissfully unaware at that time), I mapped out 28 miles on an OS map, got a rucksack, some water and bananas and went out and ran it. - Well. I ran 25 miles and walked the last 3, but figured that I'd be ok for the next week. 

I went. I ran it. I got around in 4 and a half hours. To be honest, it was the best sightseeing trip around London that I've ever done. 

However. I still didn't really get it. 

I left to go to Japan, and ran a bit there, enjoying moving faster than walking pace in the outdoors, though I was really much more into climbing. Back in the UK, again, I was more into climbing- and ran a little to lose weight. 

The partial epiphany came when my climbing partner and I started doing adventure racing. We knew we were rubbish at running, so spent as much time on Bikes as possible, and just gave the running part of it cursory lip service. 

As time went by, we realised that running was a bit of a necessity, and so started practising a bit more. 

A couple of times we headed to the peak district and it rained, so (shock horror) we ran instead of climbing, so as not to waste the trip. 

I got a place in the London marathon again, and clocked 3:45, and for 3 years running I entered the only fell race I could get to- Box hill fell race, getting faster each time by about 5 minutes. 

Yet, I still wasn't a runner. 

We moved up north and joined Glossopdale Harriers. I can't remember why I wanted to go fell running. The freedom? The speed? The delight at thrashing downhill as fast as possible? The feeling of elation at getting to the top of a climb for a great view? All of them really.

I’m not fast, certainly when I look at the times a lot of the best runners are posting, and indeed, looking back at the times being posted in the past by some of our club elders, I realise just how far I have yet to go. Those race times and places from a decade ago and more, crikey…. Whenever I think I’m getting OK at this running lark, I have a look back at those results realise just how fast they were. Even now, a podium place, though a possibility if the right race is chosen and enough people fail to turn up, is a bit of a pipe dream. It’s almost like I’m a bit of a rubbish trophy hunter. 

I’d love to win, but just don’t have the legs to carry it off. 

Slowly, but surely, I’ve started getting sucked into getting faster. Practising running. Practising hills. Getting stronger.

Perhaps I’ve begun to think like a runner, but to be honest. I don’t think I’m there yet. 

Tim

Back for Good!!

It’s taken me a while to write-up my first ever blog but the persistence of one of our illustrious elder statesmen on a social media website has finally made me take the leap. I apologise for the ramblings and it’s possible that there are 2 blogs disguised as one but hey ho! 

In September, after a disastrous 2013 VLM and a persistent injury, I took a long hard look at my running diary and came to 3 conclusions:

1)      I had to train smarter. For some time I had been going through the motions and had to agree with Paul Weller’s assessment that ‘my running life was in a rut’. I needed to re-assess instead of churning out the mile after mile at a repetitive speed. At this time, I discovered the Julian Goater book, ‘How to run faster’ which made perfect sense and immediately changed the way I trained and recovered. 

2)      I had to race more. I completed 8 races in 2013 and a similar number in 2012. I am competitive and running came into my life to fill a competitive void once I’d finally hung my football boots up. I was missing the cut and thrust of competition, pushing and testing myself against others.   

3)      I had to get out on the fells. Most of my miles and the limited number of races have been on the roads or trails with my last fell race being Herod Farm in 2012. I love being in the hills but it is a different kind of running. To make me a more complete runner, I had to commit and re-learn the art of hill running. 

I trained hard and smarter through the back end of 2013 and the New Year gave me the perfect opportunity to put my plan into action. Again I will offer an apology for the lack of detail in my race reports. People have often said to me that they shouted to me / blasted their horn at me when I was running around Glossop and that I completely ignored them. They are talking to the man who ran within ½ a yard of his wife and daughters on the High Street and didn’t recognise or acknowledge them. The truth is that I get into a zone or bubble and although aware of my vicinity (& traffic!) I don’t take in much detail.

 

Hit the Trail 05/01/14

Billed as a fast 5 mile trail race around Reddish Vale, I though it to be the perfect start to the year. After arriving at the pub / race HQ and collecting my number, there was chance to catch up with the GDH crew who had arrived in good numbers supporting the first club championship race of the year. There looked to be a good competitive turnout from other clubs (ECH in particular) but my mind was on bagging points for the GDH champs. I knew Chris Jackson was going well, Neil ‘Basil’ McGraw can be a threat on his day, Charlie is no slouch and that Caity had the potential to outgun all of us. It was going to be a good battle. After a quick warm-up, the usual banter started to kick in and the excuses for a possible poor run flowed thick and fast. 

The usual shambolic start ensued with Howard Oldham (ECH) setting off at a blistering pace along relatively flat trail. It suited me as I do tend to start off quickly and I was settling into my pace and couldn’t see any blue and orange in front of me, a good sign. The trail then twists uphill and all I remember is a blur as Chris blasted past me, putting a good 10 yards between us. Thankfully, it flattens quickly and I managed to make the effort to catch and pass Chris.  My racing bubble must have formed at this point and I don’t have much memory of anything other than Kirsty and her mum cheering us on and ringing bells (I think?), a twisty and slippery almost cross country –like course and convincing myself that  I could hear Chris breathing down my neck. I don’t look back in races, I find it counter-productive, but having him in my head drove me on.

The race finished on a slight uphill and I was relieved that no GDH had passed me. 30 points on the board, 8^th place overall and a good time recorded. Other Harriers came in and it was good to be part of the post mortem again particularly the McGraw – Hillier vet 65 battle which was relived and one that I draw inspiration from.  Judging from the comments, most enjoyed the race and the personal challenges it posed and it was a good choice for the championships. 

I waited around for the prize-giving as most of the Harriers shot off to Zoe’s for cakes and refreshments. Team GDH won various prizes but special mention most go to the all-conquering ladies who bagged a bootful of wine!

 

Results are on the website.

 

Lambs Longer Leg 19/01/14

Having done this a few years ago, I knew it was a short, fast but tough race, a perfect re-introduction into fell running. Entry was a convoluted affair via signing up to a yahoo website but managed it ok. Race HQ was the Lamb Inn and I arrived there to meet up with some of the GDH runners and supporters (Carl & Beryl). It was a pleasure to meet up with Nick Ham, a new addition to the team ranks. 

A quick change saw me donning a brand new pair of bright orange inov-8  x-talon 190’s, which attracted the odd comment! As a side issue, the company I work for are doing some development with inov-8 and I was ‘testing’ these shoes & the protective coating as part of the project. 

 

After a quick warm-up and jog to the start, the race brief was given including the very bizarre statement that in places it was very wet and slippy, so walk in these areas. Yeh right…..!!! 3-2-1 the race was off and I tucked in behind Chris on the uphill start. Feeling good, I pushed hard and overtook Chris before the first descent. Down the hill including  a bit of a tumble I was feeling ok. I think I glimpsed Nev and John but not too sure. Contour around a hill and Chris blitzed past me. Then a bloody big hill and the wheels came off! Chris opened up a big gap, Caity steamed past as did numerous other runners. Hands on knees, pump those legs,  stagger to the top to be greeted by Nev with something along the lines of ‘get a move on, you’re at the top, this is your sort of running now so pull back a few places’. It was what I needed and I got into a rhythm and took back about 4 places before finishing back at the pub. Chris and Caity were already back and is the custom were cheering runners coming through the funnel. Ali was cheering at some point and Rod was helping with the finish. Other GDH, some that I have not met, came in all at a great pace and all with smiles on their faces. 

I managed a quick chat with a few people including Anthony, who I’d not met before. Proves it’s a small world, it turns out his wife was formerly a Crossman!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the prizes but really pleased for the GDH who won something, particularly the rocket that is Caity. 

On reflection, I’m pleased with my return to the fells and managed to knock 1 minute or so off my previous time (31;18 / 2oth overall). There’s obviously more room for improvement, especially on the hill ascents, but that will come.

 

Results are on the website

 

1 month into 2014, training is going well, 2 races under the belt and I’m enjoying running again. It’s good to be back!!

Marmot Dark Mountain Adventure

Marmot Dark Mountain Saturday 25^th Jan 2014

A brief(ish)report on our night adventure.

When Steve Mellor (Green Box Co. Organic vegetable man) suggested a few weeks ago that we enter the Marmot Dark Mountain marathon because it was in the High Peak this year I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. After a few thoughts I decided  why not, it’s on our doorstep and a new challenge. 

Me and Steve

(Here’s the official description).

Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes the classic two-day mountain marathon format and gives it a new… darker twist. Rather than two days of running with an overnight camp in between, Marmot Dark Mountains™ packs everything into one winter’s night!

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is based on the usual mountain marathon format with Elite, A, B, C, Long and Short Score classes for competitors to choose from. Usually at a mountain marathon the nature of the terrain dictates the distance of each course with the planners designing a course with a certain winning time. We are sticking with this principle but allowing for the added difficulty of navigating and running at night. Therefore although the winning time for your chosen class will be similar to a normal mountain marathon, the overall distance will be significantly less. Note the date has been chosen carefully - no moon if the skies are clear!.

The event centre was in the Glossop Leisure Centre in the main hall. We registered much earlier than our start time so we could nip home for a final big meal and rest. Registration involved all the usual things in a mountain marathon, kit check etc, but also the organiser insisted on photo ID for each runner to be certain there were no ringers or late substitutes.

Leaving out all the preparations and muttering about the kit requirements (tent, 2 man bothy bag, sleeping mat  and survival bag) we arrived at the start line at the turning circle on the end of Shepley Street at 10 to 10 Saturday night. Poor weather earlier in the day had passed over to leave a clearing sky and relatively mild temperature, for January. I should add for information I took my GPS phone using Viewranger tracking software sealed in a bag by the organiser – this was so that we could analyse our real route after the event, and the phone could be used if an emergency arose.

We were called into the starter tent where they had tea and coffee on the go which was good to warm your hands around, and then given the 1 minute warning to get ready. Time ticks by, 30s warning and then we’re clear to go, dib our dibber and collect the maps. Relief, we recognize the checkpoints immediately from all our homework and set off for Cock Hill trig. It’s always a good feeling to knock off the first CP, and feeling smug we set off from the trig for Bleaklow Head. Up to the ruined cabin and head east across the moor, planning on using the path to the Pennine Way (PW). Then we make our first nav error, after ¼ mile on this path it looks different, some heavy vehicle tracks and a 12 foot wide wooden bridge where the path should have been so we concluded we’d gone too far south and corrected to the north. Turns out we were on the path and had now wandered into the wilderness, lots of “the path is off to our left Steve – ah no wait a minute I think it over there where those people are, oh shit we’re in a hole etc” so we zigzagged on a general easterly bearing until Torside Castle loomed up ahead of us and slightly to our right – it looks quite large closeup in the dark. It was during this stage we saw several pairs of head torches bobbing about in the dark, mainly ahead and to our right.  Anyway, back on track towards John Track Well  (a good omen?) we pass two other teams (they could be on another route so can’t assume we’re beating our rivals) cross the stream and head up the PW to swing round to Bleaklow Head. Passed another team on this section so feel we’re doing OK.                     

Here I’ll add a detail – part of the feature of the course is that the checkpoints have a reflector on them so that sometimes you can see them from a long way away, like 500m if there's line of sight and you have a good torch. Sometimes this made life easier than daylight navigation.

At Bleaklow Head Steve breaks out the jelly babies because we’ve been running for about 1½ hours. The top is in the cloud, so our torches are reflecting back on us and I can’t see more than 20 metres so I take it off and move with it in my hand which improves visibility greatly. We carefully check the bearings here and get the right path to head off towards Shelf Moor Trig, our third CP. After 200m I’m so happy we reccied this section three times for the Trigger as we get the right turning for Hern Stones and carry on mostly at walking pace. We carried on steadily, re-checking our bearing every few minutes, soon had no visual references thanks to low viz but came straight up to the trig point first time, very chuffed about that. Funny thing, never saw Hern Stones, on the Viewranger track we passed about 100m to the west of them.  

Again at the trig we used the compasses to double check the next bearing to CP4 in Upper North Grain  and both of us were amazed to find that we felt the way to go was one way but it turned out we would have ran off northwest if we had ignored the compass.  Off we headed and of course soon found the path that led down to the top of Crooked Clough. Here we were a bit casual and used the same bearing of 140 when proper navigating would have been to take a new bearing to the CP. it led us too far south so we arrived at the target valley too far down where the sides are deep and steep.  We made a basic error on this leg, didn’t read the control description until we had spent 10 minutes or more hunting upstream. When I checked and found it was a building; I knew there wasn’t one this far down so we plodded back up until it materialized out of the clag – bugger, lost at least 15m on this one.

The next checkpoints were down at Birchin Clough, CP5 was at the top of the path through the woods and CP 6 was at the bottom. Since the A57 wasn’t out of bounds we simply ran down the road and picked off the two within minutes of each other. CP 6 was the main support centre for the event where a tent had been pitched in the car park.

 Steve and I just after leaving the Birchin Clough support centre.

The next CP was easy, at the footbridge where Lady Clough meets the River Ashop. As it was sheltered and we’d made it to this point in three hours we stopped to have a proper feed and drink for at least five minutes. It's worth taking the time to do this on a long event.

The next CP was the longest leg of the course, a stream junction at the top of Grindsbrook Clough. We had thought of going up to Seal Stones and cutting straight across to the CP but the area was out of bounds (the RO made almost all of the plateau OB which was probably sensible since newcomers to the area could get into real trouble in the bogs). So we climbed to Seal Stones and then used the 7 minute crossing to reach the southern edge path – I had worried about this route in the clag but it went perfectly, I've done worse in the daylight!.  Once on the edge it was simple to run on the path to the CP, passed another team or two on the way.  Pushed on to CP9 on the spur to the south of Crowden Tower, stopped for another snack at the top of Crowden Brook. I also had to stop to change my headtorch batteries,  strange cos they lasted 12 hours on pre-race tests but the low temperature and occasional use of high beam took their toll. By now we were swapping places with a mixed team who were also in the C class, Steve wanted to chase them every time they caught us but I used my cunning and slowness to keep him in check. We had to keep some energy in reserve for a tough section coming up.

CP9 to CP10 looked easy on the map. From the spur to Kinder Low trig point, but the climb back up to the path was marred by our rotten choice of trying to cut the corner. We should have kept our height back along the spur; instead we took a straighter line and ended up traversing for ages until eventually reaching the path just before Noe Stool. It looks OK on the Viewranger  track but it was at least half an hour of trudging and traversing through tussocks when we should have regained the path and had an easier trot. Still, from Noe Stool we cut dead straight to the trig point no problem, and met up with the mixed team again.

The next CP was stream junction lower down Red Brook, just above the woods. I suggested running along the edge then following Red Brook to the CP. Great plan, until we got to the descent when I remembered that it was bloody steep and hard going, in fact it was twice as bad as I remembered. Far below us we saw two lights reach the CP and then move off and thought sod it, the mixed team found a much better way and have a 10m lead at least. We stumbled on and battled the worst ground on the whole course that night and eventually got to the CP. Must reccy Red Brook one day and see if there is any path worth trying ever again.  Hey ho, must push on. The next CP is Mill Hill cairn, big decision whether to contour round or climb back up to kinder edge path. We were partially affected by the sight of two other teams choosing the up and over route so braced our man girdles and started the climb. Up and past Mermaids Pool, on and on and up and up. We were slowly catching another team and much to our surprise it was the mixed team, turns out the other lights we saw were not they.  We chugged on together chatting in gasps and finally made the path, ran round Sandy Heys and west towards the end of Kinder for the night. Steve and I paused to gulp down another gel and then on the descent left the mixed ones well behind. Mill Hill cairn no problem except the flagstones seemed a bit slimy. Steve also had to change headtorch batteries at this point.

Next CP13 was at Old Woman just the other side of the Snake road crossing, so yet another passage along the pesky flags, and the slight slippiness turned out to be the onset of ice, joy. I swear I will NOT run along this section of the PW again until the end of Winter. We danced and cursed our way along, even managed to pass another ladies team who were walking by this time. During this section Steve was obsessed with our chances of finishing in under 8 hours, and by now we’d been out for 7½  hours. I said not to worry just over 8 hours was OK and he revealed he thought we were on a time limit for the course and would be DQ’d if we were late!. Cheered him up a great deal to learn we were not in danger and in fact still doing well. His sore knee and huge blister issues faded into the background too. He was so pleased he even remembered to smile for the camera at the Snake road crossing – lord knows how the cameraman had stayed warm all night there. I will look as usual, a surprised donkey at death’s door. We found CP13 easily and bashed off down Doctor’s Gate to pick up the last CP.

The sting in the tail, we had thought the last CP14 was on Doctor’s Gate but when we reached the area in question it wasn't there at all. We studied the map with tired eyes (it was about 6am by now) struggled to see the details on 1:40000 map and eventually saw that it was described as a stream junction about 200m north of the path. (Again, should have read the control description when plotting the route).  So, the CP was below us, across horrible tussocky bog somewhere, still couldn't actually see the thing but it had to be on the stream so we went hunting. Eventually when we got closer we found it, hidden by a lump on the edge of the stream so that it was undetectable from the line we took into it from the path. Sneaky. For anyone interested I think the grid ref would be 080 942.  What a wheeze we made getting back to the path but finally the last bit straight down to the finish at the turning circle and final relax. We ran from 10pm till 6:33am to record a time of 8 hours 33 minutes.

 We nipped back to the leisure centre to complete the dibber download and grab a very welcome hot cuppa. Unfortunately at the time we found that we were the fourth placed out of four teams that had finished thus far so slightly downhearted we decided not to hang around the 90 minutes till prize giving. Went home to start trying to sort out the sleeping pattern. Later on Sunday we checked the Marmot website and found we had placed 4^th in C class and 1^st male vets. (Our prizes are in the post). The C Class winning time was 6:37, I bet our top fell runners would have swept the board in this event. We did very well to finish in a reasonable time as the promised rain started at 7am. Many teams were out for much longer, one team spent 17 hours somewhere. Only two teams out of seven that started the B class completed the course.

The strange thing about the whole event – I’m one of the club runners who has shied away from night fell running in the winter evenings. J I think I might do another one if the weather could be as good, and it was in the Peak District again. Then again it would be another step up to try one in an unknown area.

35 Years Running

At the back end of 2013, I worked out that I had been a runner for 35 years. This realisation encouraged me to unashamedly reminisce on times past. What follows is a reflection on my introduction into the sport and the reasons why I have been a disciple ever since.

In September 1978 I was lucky enough to take a year out from my job as a teacher and enrol as a paid student on a postgraduate diploma course at Manchester University. In the previous years as a young dad and wage slave, my fitness had dwindled and the weight had started to pile on. Now I had a bit more time to do something about it. Inspired to lose weight and captivated by the burgeoning jogging boom, I began to run at night (so as not to be seen) in old clothes and shoes. Eventually I built up to 3 miles without stopping as I discovered that running was an exercise that you could manage to fit in even on a busy day. The weight began to drop off, unwisely I had started to diet also and became anaemic for a while, but gradually I became more comfortable with the healthy way to maintain my new-found fitness.

My first ever race came the following year in the Hyde 7. It was one of the few races in those days that allowed unattached runners to compete in the so-called Sportsmans class, all the other athletes being runners who were attached to clubs. I remember being afraid that I would be last to finish but this fear proved to be groundless! I do remember being outsprinted on the line however by a V60! I then plucked up courage to do the Lantern Pike race and the Kinder Downfall races the following year and learned that my trainers would be forever muddied. In 1982 I joined the newly formed Glossopdale Harriers and found my spiritual home.

For most of the next 10 years I was regularly putting in a weekly mileage of around 50 miles in winter and around 70 miles in summer. Running the 7 miles into work and back at least twice sometimes three times a week, 10 milers with the club on two nights, race on Saturday and a long run on Sunday, on the fells in summer, helped me to maintain this average. I was always a middle of the pack runner competing against many good standard club athletes: in those days 38.30 for 10K, 1.20 for a half-marathon, 3.28 for the Edale Skyline, 3.51 for Tankys for examples, would never be good enough to be in the top 100 of a race. The only prize I ever won was a bronze medal in the V45 category of the Tour of Tameside in 1991 when I was recording my fastest times. This was the 11th year out of an eventual 20 that I was lucky enough to complete this legendary double-marathon.

 The early 90s also proved to be a zenith in some respects for the Harriers also. Some of the runners who had been my team mates moved on to pastures new, some to other clubs throughout the decade. After a few lean years, the milennium seemed to signal a renaissance in the club and the start of the very special times that we are all experiencing just now.

As with the majority of my fellow harriers back in the day, I was always a runner who competed on a range of surfaces over a variety of distances from 5 mile road races to long-distance events like the Otter 40, Haworth Hobble and the 56 mile Bullock Smithy. Cross-country, a range of distances on the road, fell-races from short 3 mile dashes up to the longer Peak and Lakeland Classics, the Ennerdale being a particular favourite. I also thoroughly enjoyed the 2 day mountain marathons in particular the Saunders. I have had several injuries in my 35 years but, so far, have always been able to recover and return with renewed enthusiasm.

When I retired in 2004 I always assumed that I would be out running nearly every day. The reality is that my weekly mileage has dropped because I wanted to spend time doing other stuff such as swimming, hiking, cycling, spinning, working out in the gym, travelling etc. As a result of this I feel my all-round fitness has improved and that my enthusiasm for running has increased. The only downside is that I don't do enough weekly mileage now to do well in longer races; the wheels tend to come off after about 10 miles these days! But there are many positives too in staying fit and able to compete for age-group prizes in the last few years. I will always be grateful to Neil who was instrumental in getting me to carry on doing the cross-country races and am especially proud to have won 3 winners trophies in what can be very competitive leagues.

I have always been proud to run in Glossopdale colours and am especially pleased to be a member now in recent times as our little club has gone from strength to strength. It is nice to see so much new blood in the club, runners of all ages enjoying their sport and doing so well. I am delighted and enthused beyond measure and it makes me want to carry on running and racing to be a part of it!

My Bob Graham Experience by Alasdair Cowell

Finally the big day arrived and I hoped all my training was going to pay off come 21:18 on Saturday night.

We all assembled outside ‘Moot Hall’ just after 9pm and counted the minutes down to our start time 10pm, which seemed to take forever.

22:00 ticked past and we were off with shouts of ‘Good Luck’ from all. Picturing in my mind as we ran through ‘Fitz Park’ what lay ahead for the next 24 hours, I so hoped id be back in Keswick within the time and bag my place in the ‘Bob Graham 24 hour club’.

‘Skiddaw’ came and went fairly quickly as did ‘Great Carva’ and before we knew it we were starting our descent of ‘Halls Fell’.

The Descent of ‘Halls Fell’ went well and progress at this stage was good, by the time we got to the eagerly awaiting Phil and Tim in Threlkeld we were up on our time.

    Big thanks to Andy F, Andy A and Steve for your support on Leg 1

Leg 1 behind us now, let’s av it Leg 2. Tip toeing our way through Threlkeld at 2 in the morning trying not to wake the neighbours we slowly drew nearer to the ever rising ‘Clough Head’. Good banter and waffling away to each other soon got us to the top, and in good time. That was summit number 4 bagged.

As we continued running south knocking off ‘Dodd’ after ‘Dodd’ we couldn’t stop looking over our left shoulder, hoping to get that first glimpse of the morning sun.

At this stage I think my body clock was getting a bit messed up and odd things were going on inside me, the same thing happening to the others too. What I found soon helped my dicky head and tummy was been able to finally run without the torches and run under the gorgeous morning sun.

After the ‘Dodd’s’, ‘Raise’ and ‘White Side’ it was onto the ‘Helvellyn’s’ where I found a large piece of sheep’s wool. I decided to wrap it around my head and raise a laugh or two and to keep spirits on a high. I think it worked.

After ‘Dollywaggon Pike’ we chose the OCT route down to ‘Griesdale Tarn’ and as we were starting our climb up onto ‘Fairfield’, looking back we could see that Paul was dropping back a fair bit. This concerned me as I knew a lot tougher terrain lay ahead. As we were nearing the top of ‘Fairfield’, Phil, who had stayed with Paul caught us up and said Paul couldn’t carry on and had thrown the towel in.

    ‘Keep training Paul and I look forward to supporting you on your next attempt’

With ‘Fairfield’ ticked off the list and ‘Seat Sandal’ causing very little problems, ‘Dunmail Raise’ was soon springing into view. Tim had peeled off early to get food and drink orders in and to let roadside support know we’ll soon be coming in. On arriving at ‘Dunmail Raise’, tables and chairs were all laid out with our personal bags of food awaiting our digestion. Support was continually offering aid to now the three of us. Dunmail support, you were fantastic. Thank you.

    Big Thanks to Phil, Tim and Steve for your support on Leg 2

Time to get going and begin the tough section of Leg 3, thou we could’ve had another cup of tea, because we were still up on our time.

Our climb out of ‘Dunmail Raise’ took us up to ‘Steel Fell’ and we now had Julian, John, Phil, Caitlin and Sue on board for support. By the time we ticked off ‘Steel Fell’ and ‘Calf Crag’ the morning sun was really starting to say hello. A good covering of sunscreen at Dunmail would protect us for a few hours at least.

With the glorious morning sunshine and magnificent views it made for very pleasant running. At this stage of the BG I was feeling very happy, my dicky head and tummy had sorted itself out, I was running well and feeling very strong. I was feeling hopeful. The only thing that was pissing me off was the thousands of bloody daddy longlegs crash landing into my face.

By the time we had ticked off ‘Harrison Stickle’, ‘Pike of Stickle’ and ‘Rossett Pike’ we were starting to see the last of the flying nuisances.

As we started our climb up onto ‘BowFell’ the terrain began to change, the rather pleasing grassy boggy running now started to become more stoney and rocky, and it was at this stage that I started to feel soreness in both feet. ‘Just ignore them I thought, and keep running’. We had a good scramble over ‘BowFell’, ‘Esk Pike’ and ‘Great End’, still at this stage well up on our time. Looking Good.

The heat of the morning sun was very strong by the time we were at the ‘ScaFells’ and we were having to ration our water.

The highest Mountain in England was briefly visited with only ‘ScaFell’ to do before the descent down to Wasdale. ‘Lords Rake’ was our choice of ascent up onto ‘ScaFell’. The Rake itself was a mass of very loose scree which took some time navigating but it did have a slight advantage, it was a little cooler in there, if only for a brief moment.

With the ‘ScaFells’ done, Wasdale here I come. Julian guided us onto some red screes which made for a very fast descent, with us all safely off the hill and trotting into Wasdale, we were 15/20 minutes ahead of schedule. Whopee…

    Big Thanks to Julian, John, Phil, Caitlin and Sue for your support on Leg 3

Also Thanks to Nev for controlling the gate and Sikobe for supplying water at the bridge, nice touch.

    Stuart guided us to the refreshment stop, where I couldn’t wait to sit down and take my shoes off and air my feet. They were on fire, and I was starting to get an uncomfortable pain in my lower right shin. I rehydrated quickly and ate my pasta, looking in my bag I realised id not eaten half the stuff I brought.

Time to put clean socks on and more sunscreen, the sun was very hot at this point. I wet my flannel and tucked it under the back of my cap to stop my neck from getting burnt.

It’s now time to tackle Leg 4

    A Big Thanks to all Support at Wasdale.

‘Yewbarrow’ ‘YEWBASTARD’, I didn’t need you right now, but I wasn’t going to be beat. ‘Keep Going’ I kept telling myself, ‘Keep Going’ as we gradually climbed.

Our support for this leg was Julian again, Tim, Andy F and Andy A who was already at the top waiting for us. The climbing didn’t really bother me that much, it was more the inferno on the balls of my feet, it felt like constantly running on drawing pins bare footed.

‘Yewbarrow’ finally got ticked off and in good time too. Next ‘Red Pike’.

We were just about to start our ascent up ‘Red Pike’ when Andy O suddenly dropped to the ground saying he wanted to be sick, I shouted to the others to hold on and that Andy wasn’t feeling too good. We waited while Andy did a bit of muck spreading but he was still unable to get to his feet. With plenty of support at his aid I decided to push on to ‘Red Pike’ with Andy A and Andy F, hoping soon that Andy would get to his feet and battle on.

    We were looking back down towards Andy O to see if he had it in him to carry on, but there still didn’t seem to be any urgency, I feared at this point that it was all starting to go wrong for him and I could now just make out Dan and Tim making their way up to ‘Red Pike’ leaving Julian to get Andy safely of the Fells I guessed.

    ‘Keep up the training Andy and I look forward to supporting you on your next attempt’

I now decided to push on with Andy F in the hope that Dan would catch me up and re-group. The out and back to ‘Steeple’ was swiftly done but it was now becoming very hard blocking out the pain in my feet and shin, the ascent onto ‘Pillar’ was slow, as was the crossing over to ‘Kirk Fell’, It was at this stage that I really started to feel the worst. In my mind I kept saying, ‘Keep Going’ ‘Keep Going’ and stay on the heels of Andy F.

    Andy chose an interesting scramble up onto ‘Kirk Fell’ where we were soon joined by Dan and Tim again. Well done Dan pulling that back.

I asked for a painkiller which Dan kindly gave, and it wasn’t long before the pain eased in my feet and shin and we were all rocketing up ‘Great Gable’.

Our descent of ‘Great Gable’ went well and ‘Green Gable’ was a doddle. Two more summits then feet up time again. The speed was picked up slightly over ‘Brandreth’ and ‘Grey Knotts’ and the descent to Honister went well.  I waved down at the Honister support and it was nice to hear the cheers and claps returned. I couldn’t wait to sit down and when I arrived I was promptly directed to the middle chair. ‘What can I get you’, ‘Can I get you anything’ was all I kept hearing and it was just so nice having you all there caring so much, My body at this point was so physically and emotionally drained and I found it hard to keep back the tears. Water, Water, Water was all I wanted and I found it hard to stomach any of the food I had prepared, so one of you gave me some polenta I think, which was a lot easier on the palate.

    A Big Thanks to Julian, Andy A, Andy F and Tim for your support on leg 4

And a Big Thanks also to all the Honister support, it was so nice the way you looked after me and Dan.

    Here we go then, this is it, the final leg. Leaving Honister 15/20 minutes up on our time, surely it’s in the bag.  

With Caitlin, Sue, Lins, Hannah, John, Nev, Sikobe, Tim and Andy F as support for the final leg, Oh, and not forgetting zena, we headed out for the last of the real big climbs up onto ‘Dale Head’. A nice slow pace was set and this got us comfortably to the top.

40 down, 2 to go.

‘Hindscarth’ was easily bagged and all that was left to summit was ‘Robinson’. One last little climb would see us to the top then it was downhill all the way to the road.

We hit the tarmac and ran a short distance to Newlands church where Stuart was waiting for us with our road running shoes. A quick change of socks, trainers on, and off we all jogged. I thought my road trainers would be more comfortable but they made no difference to the pain I was still feeling in my feet.

Dan was slightly ahead of me running at a good pace, so I decided to catch him up, when out of the blue this surge of energy thrust through me and I soon found myself running along side him. ‘We’re easily going to do it within our scheduled time’ I said, ‘why not try for a sub 23 hours’.

This would be our last and final target, no more Mountains to climb just Moot Hall, Keswick and a sub 23H BG.

Suddenly I had to stop, nature calls. When I got going again Dan and his support were a good distance ahead, too much for me to catch them this time. So I battled through the last few miles with Tim, John and Lins in support. John was kindly giving me small pieces of banana malt loaf which was a nice touch and much needed, and Tim was constantly supplying me with water.

    I kept dropping of the pace slightly and Tim would say ’No, let’s bring it back to that faster pace’ so I dug deep and kept Tim happy. After a long path through a field and a few twists and turns I was on the home straight, Keswick town centre was coming into view and I could now finally see Moot Hall. 30m, 20m, 10m, lots of clapping and cheering, DONE IT.

WHOOOPEEEE

In true traditional style I climbed the few steps on Moot Hall and gave my Big Thumbs Up.

My Bob Graham experience has to go down as one of the best Mountain days I’ve ever had.

Glorious weather, amazing views and absolutely fantastic company. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my account of the BG as much as I have writing it and reliving the whole experience again, an experience I never want to forget. Thank you all ever so much for making it a very special day for me.

Kind Regards

Alasdair

Rhinogs weekend

Just a week ago a group of 15 GDH'ers were in the Welsh Rhinog's for a weekend of running, socialising and relaxing. I think it's fair to say we all had a wonderful trip. I've written a blog on my own page but thought I'd share the link here: http://runningdelights.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/rhinogs-running.html

If anyone else has photos please do share them.