The Transalpine in review

The dust has now settled on our Transalpine Race which we completed 5 weeks ago today. During the recovery period, we've had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the achievement, but also to reflect on the race. My thoughts here are to document the things that went well, went badly and what we learnt with a view to how we would approach things differently next time - should there by a next time! [And I think there will.]

This should in no way distract from the immense achievement of finishing the race, placing beyond our expectations in 13th overall and enjoying every (non-pain inducing) step of the journey, but there's always ways to improve and look forward to the next adventure.

What went well

Peaking at the race
Despite starting the year with a few injuries and lack of form, both of us started the race fresh and injury free. The build up wasn't ideal, but combining the endurance base from the Bob Graham training and success, with a short specific tailoring phase and a well executed taper meant that we toed the start line in good shape for what lie ahead.

Recovery
We'd thought about this beforehand and so had a rough plan to follow each day. Still, the first few days were agony, but by day 4 or 5 the soreness was subsiding and the muscles felt a lot better. Our main aims in recovery were to limit the damage caused during the day and then kick off the healing and refuelling process as best we could, ready for the next onslaught. 

This involved hydrating and eating pretty much as soon as we finished to get all the right building blocks in the system and to help carry out all the crap. We then tried our best to find a suitable ice bath to really flush out the toxins and reduce any swelling. We succeeded most days with the, sometimes ornate, town square centre pieces often becoming a make shift ice bath. If not, there was access to a fast flowing and perishingly cold glacial stream. 

Back at the camp we followed the same principles; getting protein and hydration in the form of powdered milkshakes and protein bars; then some stretching/foam roller action before squeezing into our compression gear. Again, an attempt at keeping the swelling down and the good blood flowing. If we could, we'd get gravity on our side too by raising our increasingly chubby feet, ankles, legs up as high as possible. More food and more hydration would then follow at the pasta party. 

The last part of the recovery process was to get some decent shut eye. Towards the end of the week this wasn't too difficult as the hours racked up but early on, the ear plugs and face masks/buffs were just what was needed. [Not that they helped when sleeping in a school corridor with motion detection lights coming on every other minute!!]

Ice bath-ing with Ryan and Ben (AKA The Reservoir Dogs)

Camp recovery

Pacing (after day 1 at least!)

We tried to run at a sustainable pace each day and the effort matched the incline and terrain we were running on. This meant that most days we would run into the finish pretty much spent, but most importantly we hadn't massively blown up earlier in the day. Any small dips in energy were quickly dealt with, with Jelly Babies or gel together with a suitable adjustment in pace. 

Race plan

Right from day 1 we had in mind that this was an 8-day race. Pushing too hard at the start was a sure way to pick up injuries or general fatigue and plummet down the rankings. We therefore ran our own race each day and didn't get enthralled in too much day by day racing (unless the net result was being 'chicked' of course!). As vast numbers of teams started to drop out we settled into a pack of similar runners and our day by day positions remained fairly static until the last couple of days when injuries slowed us down. Not that this mattered as we had built up a decent time buffer over the teams behind us in the first two thirds of the race.

Even better if

Shoe choice

We both suffered with our feet, but for completely different reasons. In the weeks leading up to the race we concluded that our regular fell shoes (inov8 x-talons and Mudclaws) would not be the most appropriate for the mainly hard packed trails we expected. We needed shoes with a bit more cushioning for the punishing descents, robust soles with good grip but also for the shoes to be as light as possible. We would have to lift these up 15000m of climb when all said and done. 

We both settled on Adidas Kanadias and ordered these in the weeks leading up to the event. Whilst Andy fitted into his fairly comfortably, I struggled on the first few outings. This is something I should've pre-empted as I often have issues with new shoes for the first few runs. Ultimately I'd left it too late to break them in properly and as a result had to go with my inov8 roclites. 

These definitely fitted the grip and weight requirements but the '2-arrow' profile meant next to no cushioning. During the race, this lack of protection meant that my knees took more of a battering than they should've done. However the biggest problem turned out to be the low cut of the laces which bruised the top of my toes. Progressively this got more and more painful until I was popping the vitamin I every morning before the off.

Fortunately, I managed to avoid the most common complaints from footwear, blister and battered toenails. Andy wasn't so lucky. The Kanadias didn't stop some gargantuan blisters forming on the soles of his feet and  an undue amount of pressure on the toenails.

The lesson here is clearly to get your footwear sorted well in advance and ensure they are broken in and tested on the type of terrain they will be used on, obvious really! I think I'd also recommend having a variety of shoes (as many of the competitors at the front end of the race had). Then selections can be made on the anticipated terrain and weather. Indeed, in the dry, even regular road shoes would've been fine.

Specificity in training

Finding similar terrain in the UK is always going to be a challenge. We certainly don't have altitude or the long climbs. Even hilly hard packed trails of more than a few miles are hard to come by. The Lakes come close, but I'd say this is limited to the height of summer when all the puddles have dried up. I think the coastal paths of the South West, the trails up, down and around Snowdon and the forest trails of Keilder Forest would be a good mix. Of course, they are so far apart you'd have to pick your terrain and then pick your weekend.

With tackling events such as the Fellsman, LAMM and SLMM earlier in the year, we focused more on the general fitness and endurance rather than the terrain. Not to forget the Bob Graham round. Unfortunately all of these involve running on pretty much the roughest terrain available and the climbs are often not runnable. This is where specific terrain and distance would've come in very useful.

Whilst we had a good two months after the SLMM before the Transalpine; holidays, other events and the Olympics meant that we simply didn't have the time to get out to specific terrain. If we were to run the Transalpine again, I think I'd pencil in a couple of weekends and head for some specific terrain. Even an extended weekend in the Alps would be feasible and of course, offer the most specific training imaginable.

Kit weight 

This is a minor one, but we did stick diligently to the specified race kit list, at least for the first few stages. Our experience of '4-seasons in one day' in the Lakes and Scotland meant that we were prepared for anything. Indeed, had the weather really 'come in' on those first few days we would've been in our element. 

It appeared many of the Europeans were cutting kit pretty close to the bone. Extensive first aid kits were replaced by the odd sticking plaster, 'waterproof' jackets were replaced by featherlite pertex windproofs and as for the 1 litre water container, well, maybe they were carrying a plastic bag?

We gradually ditched parts of our kit as the event progressed and the kit check became more of a question of having some kit, full stop. Although, we always had what we felt we might need, making choices largely on the weather forecast.

This would've been a sensible approach right from the start and may have provided a marginal gain on the first few days results. Of course, by the end of the week, the time gaps were vast and a few grams here and there wouldn't have made the difference.

I'm not quite so sure this principle applies to Mountain Marathons....

Transalpine Run 2012

A month ago to this day (is it really that long!) Adam and I stood on the start line of the biggest challenge of our lives.

I guess we have put off writing this blog because for the last three weeks we haven’t wanted to accept that this incredible adventure is over. For over a year, for both Adam and I the Transalpine-Run had been our target, our ambition and our drive. It didn't let us down. Much like the sensation in the weeks after our successful BGRs, it feels a shame that the race is over.

Although the pain has now finally passed (along with my big toe nail) the incredible memories of eight epic days in the Alps remain clear as ever.

Here are a just a few of them...

Tops Brits, 13th Overall and 8th in the Men's Category

We did it!! 321KM and 15000m +/- climb over 8 days in the Alps. We also exceeded our expectations in terms of results, finishing as the top placed Brits and 13th overall out of over 300 international teams that started. At the end it was more about surviving the stage than racing but as teams dropped out, we gradually climbed the leader board and consolidated our position over the last few stages. Our average pace over the whole race was 7:07 per KM or 4:59 per marathon.

Reports, photos and videos (!) to follow...

Taper...counting down the miles and the days

I've never quite seen the benefit of tapering after my disastrous first marathon back in 2009 - a planned three week taper felt counter productive at the time and ultimately it didn't help in the slightest. Since then, I've only ever experimented with small tapers, the odd day here and there before half marathons, marathons, mountain marathons etc.

However, for my Transalpine training plan, I was conscious that heading into the race tired wouldn't be a good start. I therefore introduced a two week taper, of which I'm about two thirds through. After my last long-ish run this morning, things seem to have gone well. Rather than reduce the number of runs each week, I've just reduced the intensity and length of each run and have generally been feeling quite easy.

I'm suffering a bit with tightness in the calves and ankles and my new Kanadia's need a bit more breaking-in, but other than that, I'm pleased with the way the training has gone. I've stuck to my original aims and completed four hard and two recovery/medium weeks; clocking up mileage way in excess of what i've achieved before. I've also done some consistent, week-in, week-out hill sessions and definitely noticed the difference here.

The key indicators here have been my past couple of races. A second place at the Richmond Park trail challenge and then a win at the Guildford Parkrun on Saturday. At 17:25, it's some way off what I've run before, but with very little speedwork completed recently, I see this more as an indicator of fitness. A steady 9 mile warm down, together with feeling pretty fresh at the end, means I'm feeling pretty positive.

With only three days to go until we fly out, I've got a couple more easy runs and a final sports massage to go. Hopefully some light stretching in between and a serious amount of carbo-loading will set me up for what will be an awesome week in the Alps!

It's come round so quickly....

We'll try and get some reports up on the blog whilst we're out there, but if not, hopefully Twitter (@tyneandweary) will be a little bit more accessible and results should be up on the main Transalpine web site - http://www.transalpine-run.com/alps_cross_results.htm

3 weeks to go!

Finally, a chance to briefly update the blog having returned from a busy but very relaxing UK holiday with Rosie.

Despite being on 'holiday' last week, I still managed to get some all important training in:

Firstly, visiting an old favourite training ground of mine the Peak District- blasting around Kinder Scout before heading south (VERY south!) and exploring the beautiful countryside of Kent, finally meeting up with Adam for him to prove he is in great shape by pushing me hard over a three hour run in the undulating Downs.

The week was capped off with a lovely evening with Adam's friends Paul and Sam - AKA "Team Hampshire Hobblers". With four of the five people around the dinner table very much looking forward to being on the start line in 3 weeks time, it is fair to say Rosie had to endure a lot of TransAlpine related conversation!

I have been inspired by the London Olympics and having experienced the incredible atmosphere and insane pedigree of athletes first hand at the mens Marathon, I now cannot wait for our own adventure to start!

Final plans are coming together, the last hard training sessions are imminent and the excitement is most certainly building.

With less than three weeks to go the TransAlpine Run now seems very real... Bring it on!

6 weeks to go!!

Today (21st July) marks 6 weeks until the start of the Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run. The main preparation races and events (HighlanderMM, Fellsman, Bob Graham, LAMM and SLMM) are long behind us and the next 6 weeks will be spent tailoring our training to the event and preparing for the start.

Neither myself or Andy have had an ideal lead up to this point with various injuries getting in the way between January and July. However, it appears the winds have changed and both of us are entering this period of refinement in good form (touch wood). Perfect timing?

Having built up a strong base and recovered from the above events, I have three stated goals for the next phase, in priority order:

1. To reach the start line uninjured and fresh to race
2. To have an uninterrupted training period (ie. not get injured during the final lead up)
3. To be on the start line in top condition to race

I've developed a training plan that focuses on number 3. However, I feel it would be careless to not bear in mind numbers 1 and 2 as I progress through. The slightest inkling that fatigue, illness or injuries are creeping in and I'll amend the plan suitably.

The plan builds on the last few weeks and takes me through a cycle of hard and medium training weeks before a two week taper to the race itself. I've planned around a few notable events; including a couple of days that I have off work to see the Olympic athletics and gymnastics events; Marc and Kim's wedding and Andy's planned visit 'dawrn sarrfff' in August.

In preparing the plan I've focused around 5 key points:

1. To improve my climbing ability (weekly hill sessions)
2. To maintain leg strength and conditioning for the long down hill sections
3. To ensure sufficient rest and recovery (a few sports massages and eating/drinking the right stuff)
4. To teach my body to cope with the demands of running hard day after day after day (robustness)
5. To teach my body to recover quickly between sessions and learn what works in terms of recovery ready for the race itself

I'm looking forward to following the plan and building up confidence for the race. It's fair to say that I've never tried to follow such a structured plan so am heading somewhat into the unknown. Fingers crossed!

Racing Olympians

Over the past week or so, I've had the pleasure of meeting, running with, and racing against two 2012 Olympians. Ser-Od 'Ziggy' Bat-Ochir and  Otgonbayar Luvsanlkhündegiin will be representing Mongolia at the 2012 London Olympic Games and they've been based in Guildford, at the Surrey Sports Park, during their final preparations.


GGAC have been helping them train, both on the roads and the track and taking them to a few local races, where they've had celebrity status. It's not often a Surrey Road League or local mid-week trail race become international races!!

Gibbet Hill 10K - Haslemere - 11 July 2012
I've now done this race 4 times before and it's fair to say that it's a favourite of mine. It's a mid-week trail 10k based around a significant hill just outside Haslemere with a savage road descent over the last mile and a half. The start is gentle enough and all on a decent road but then the trail begins and it's not too long before the climb starts. The climb is long, rough and often soft underfoot.

This year, a heavy amount of rain preceded the race and it didn't hold up for the race itself. Huddled under a tree at the start, the downpour was torrential and the cold set in. The two Mongolians looked less than impressed. We were all itching to start and eventually, at bang on 1930, we were off. Ziggy took the lead and it wasn't long before he pulled out a solid gap on the rest of the field, disappearing into the distance.

I settled into a comfortable rhythm, somewhere around 10th. I'd had top 10 finishes in previous years but having only three days recovery since the Saunders, didn't want to start to fast. Otgonbayar was a good 100yds ahead, but I had a feeling she'd find the later terrain pretty tough.

The roads were covered in run off water and it often felt like we were crossing shallow fords. The trails were no different and as we headed into the woods, it was clear that there was going to be a lot of mud to battle through.

I took the climb at a steady pace and let runners overtake me without response. There was still some weakness from the Saunders and the descent was probably the place where I would make up some time. After a couple of miles I caught Otgonbayar. She was struggling in the deep muddy sections, the racing flats certainly not helping. Ziggy was long gone.

After passing Otgonbayar I got more into the race. Most of the climb was behind us and the race was now on. I was probably still around 10th but found some pace on the undulating top section and started to reign in those ahead of me. A couple of short sharp downhills and tight turns allowed me to break free from those trying to hold my pace.

At the top of the hill, just before the road, I was now on my own, with a reasonable gap to those behind. I didn't know how many were in front but did have a least one runner to chase. The downhill was always going to be fast, but just how fast depended on how much my legs had recovered from the mountain descents from  the weekend.

Not enough recovery was the answer and I couldn't make up any time on the guy in front. It was quite painful but I pushed on and finished in 38.42, over a minute down on my previous best course time. Ziggy had finished over 5 minutes ahead and had stomped to a course record, despite the unfavourable conditions. Otgonbayar came in only 16 seconds behind me to take the women's title, having destroyed the blokes I'd been racing over the top.

Despite the slow time, I finished in 5th, one better than my 6th in 2009 and 2010. With the exception of Ziggy, possibly a weaker field, but the conditions did make it that little bit tougher this year.

Taking the Mongolians to Pizza Express topped off a brilliant evening!!

Elmore 7 - Elmore - 14 July 2012
This classic race, usually part of the Chipstead Flower Show, is organised by South London Harriers and is a regular fixture in the Surrey Road League. Although I've done several Road League events over the past few years, I've never managed to get over to Elmore.

The race, an undulating single loop road course, and the distance, at 7 miles, were both new to me. The Mongolians would again be joining us and with some other top runners, the race would be hard and fast. Fortunately the weather had significantly improved and although there were large puddles on the road, the race would be run in the dry.

On the start line the announcer introduced Ziggy and Otgonbayar. I knew that Ziggy was likely on for another win but more importantly, I knew that I was one up in the head-to-head battle with Otgonbayar. Although, with this being a comparatively flat and road race, I felt that Otgonbayar would probably level the score here. Just how close I could come behind was the main question on my mind.

With Ziggy leading the race, a rapid start ensued. The field strung out and I dropped into about 30th place, some distance behind Otgonbayar. With only a few days between Gibbet Hill and Elmore, I wasn't sure whether the Saunders would be out of my legs and so kept a steady pace again.

As we dropped off the main road onto the quieter and hillier country lanes I found myself in a race together with a lot of South London Harriers (SLH). Some corners and the undulations meant that I had lost sight of Otgonbayar.

The pace felt quick but sustainable and eventually we turned to head back towards the finish. I caught a glimpse of Otgonbayar but the distance seemed unassailable. I wasn't sure how far we'd gone, but avoided looking at my Garmin for fear that there was still a long way to go.

Indeed, there was a LONG way to go. I had to work hard to keep the pace and held off some SLH challengers as the distance to Otgonbayar started to reduce. The SLH gradually dropped off and my goal became catching the slight and nippy Mongolian.

Not knowing quite where the finish was, a well timed sprint was going to be tricky. The yards were still decreasing when all of a sudden the sharp left turn appeared and I knew the finish would be close. As I pushed hard round the corner, the finish line came far too quickly and I missed the opportunity to make it a second win. Otgonbayar had beaten me by 4 seconds. Still, I think that gives me a net Tour-de-France-style victory of 16 seconds!

The Elmore 7 winners

I was surprised to finish 12th and average 5:52 minute miles. Whilst that pace is more half marathon than 7 mile pace, I'm pleased that I've slipped back into shorter races with some pace. Now, all that remains is to focus on building on that pace, whilst keeping my hill strength through to the Transalpine.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed the races with Ziggy and Otgonbayar and wish them all the best for the Olympic marathons in a few weeks time. I'll be there to cheer them on with as much passion as for the Brits. My Mongolian flag is already on order.

Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon

The Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon has a reputation as being a beginner friendly MM, allowing novices to experience the same mountainous terrain and navigational challenges that feature in any MM, but in a more condensed area and with the luxury of refreshments at the Mid Camp. The SLMM, much like the RAB, has a solo category – the Klets course – along with some longer standard courses to challenge the more experienced runners.

Day 1

Entering the Klets course meant that Adam and I would spend the weekend independently testing our hill fitness, route choice and navigation skills. An added twist for this year’s event, held at Wasdale Head, was that all of the Klets competitors would have a mass start, involving an exam room style race to mark up the maps before deciding on how best to divide the 22 controls into two days.

Having run together in a number of MMs over the last 3 years, inevitably Adam and I chose completely opposite routes!

Day 1 routes

Adam chose to pick off two outlying checkpoints around Great Gable before taking a clockwise route to the midcamp, leaving a shorter more direct run back over familiar terrain to the finish on Day 2. I chose the more popular option to take an anticlockwise route, picking off 14 checkpoints and leaving the flatter run around the south of Wast Water for Day 2.

Once again on a MM the MWIS forecast was far worse than the weather we experienced, with cloud above the summits and a light breeze to keep us cool all weekend.

Within the first hour of running Adam and I both had reason to doubt our route choice. With Adam questioning his decision to pick off the outliers as he ran back in the opposite direction to the majority of the Klets field, I didn’t have time to explain that I was now working my way back through the field. I had dropped from 1^st to almost last having over shot the very first control!

After playing catchup up over the next few controls I began to struggle on the climbs around Seatallan. Here the route choice was more interesting with a variety of options and order to pick up eight central controls, depending on which you planned on leaving for Day 2.

Generally I seemed to pick efficient lines and the rest of the day passed quickly, I ran pretty hard over the grassy tussocky terrain catching back up with Mark Ford after seeing the presumed leader, Ant Emmitt, heading back towards us up Seatallan. I pulled away from Mark over the last few controls only to lose my advantage on the penultimate checkpoint by looking for the control at the wrong point (note to self – check control description, and mark the control number on map).

Mid Camp

Mid camp was great – the sun was out, friends were arriving from different directions and each joining in with their mid camp routines in the luxury of the afternoon sunshine. Adam arrived an hour or so after me and we began discussing the day’s events whilst enjoying our beer and milk and a luxury nights sleep, with twice the usual space having each carried our own tent.

Andy Burton, Adam and Jonny Muir enjoying beers in the sun at midcamp

One advantage of this year’s Klets course was that it gave us the chance to accurately plan our route for Day 2, with everyone knowing which controls each had left. Adam and I took advantage of our new knowledge of the terrain to help each other plan efficient lines for Day 2 routes.

Day 2

The fact that no-one really knew who had done what or where people sat in the field proved a hot topic of conversation and meant that Day 2 really was a case of pushing as hard as you could, then wait and see how things unfolded as people downloaded at the finish.

Day 2 routes

Taking identical lines, Mark and I used other as a means of stretching the pace over the rugged but runable terrain. We had soon pulled away from those following who had taken the same route on Day 1. A number of people had shorter days than us, having already picked up our second control of Day 2 on Day 1. Mark and I began to catch them up despite making two small mistakes, one on the way to and one locating a control on a bend in a gorge.

From here on in it was a 12km push to the finish.  In one particularly boggy section my legs struggled to maintain Marks pace, but some strong contouring and a fast run in to the finish into Wasdale allowed me to pull away and take 4^th place in 9hrs18m, 16minutes behind the winner who had chosen a more balanced day 1 and day 2.

It had been a fast paced and short weekend of racing, starting at 7am on day two and taking only 3hrs25mins to finish, unusually I was one of the first back to the finish. Adam did, unfortunately, suffer from his decision to pick off the outliers on Day 1 but finishing in 14^th position, despite the additional distance and climb, reflects how well he was running.

Another good weekend racing in preparation for the TransAlpine – only 8weeks to go!!

Saltwell Harriers Fell Race

Being just 20 minutes drive from my house, the Saltwell Harriers fell race provided a welcome opportunity to catch up with fellow Northumberland Fell Runners members and take part in a short, fast paced race for a change.

Starting from the road just north of Stanhope, the 5.5mile loop around the undulating moorland involves a gradual and runable climb through the heather up to Collier Law mast, before turning around to follow a combination of fast trods, the C2C route and an open grassy descent to a river checkpoint. From there the river is followed downstream until the final sting in the tail – a 200m climb up a track to the finish.

As a counter in both the NE and NFR championships there was a good turnout of 120+ runners. With a view to saving my legs for the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon at the weekend, I had convinced myself that I’d be able to restrain any competitive urges and just stay relaxed and jog round.

Settling into a pace roughly in 20^th on the first climb I was finding the pace very steady and began to work through the field. I thoroughly enjoyed the fast running through relativly easy terrain, the squelch underfoot from the recent heavy rainfall made some sections heavy going but that didn’t stop Nick Swinburn setting a new course record.

Punching into the checkpoint in the river was an interesting twist, by this point I had passed Will Horsley and had 10^th place in my sights. Still feeling relaxed I continued to pick off the places, digging in on the last climb to finish 5^th, helping NFR to pip DFR to the team prize.

My ankle felt great – the nearest it has been to 100% on rough ground although I might regret the fast pace this weekend if my legs are still heavy at the Saunders!

The good company, food and prize giving ceremony in the Moorcock pub afterwards was very enjoyable, the whole field got a mention and a bottle of beer for their efforts. Thanks to Keith Wood and all at Saltwell Harriers for putting on a great evening of racing.

LAMM 2012 - Ben Cruachan

Martin Stone had once again chosen a fantastic location for the LAMM; with the mountains to the north of Dalmally hosting some rugged and remote Munros Adam and I were looking forward to another challenging weekend in the hills.

The southerly location meant that for a change we arrived at the Friday night camp in good time and were able to enjoy the calm evening weather and catch up with friends before retreating to the midge safe tent for the final repack and distribution of kit. Our packs weighed in at 4.18kg and 4.48kg - the first record for the weekend! Our combined accumulation and proven success with minimal and super lightweight kit from past MMs was taken to another level with Adam’s most recent indulgence: a Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1.

With such light packs and recent BG success still in our minds we were hoping that this year we could improve on last years strong performance in the Elite – 7^th overall having maintained our position in the chasing start on Day 2.

Day 1:

The first of the LAMM traditions set the weekend in motion - bag pipes stirred us from a comfortable nights sleep, we shovelled in some rice pudding and cake before a quick visit to the trenches then a promised 10minute walk to the as yet unknown start location. The midges began to feast on the crowd of eager runners waiting for their turn for the suprise busses. The maps gave no indication of where we would be starting, but the sheer size of it and the separate busses for various courses indicated separate start locations. When our time came we joined another 11 teams comprising A and Elite runners - all looking strong, fresh and fit and immediately making me question which teams we would be able to beat.

The journey to the start was fun and uneventful – after the bus, a small passenger ferry floated us across Loch Etive’s tranquil waters, then a minibus took us to our start. The glorious morning sun and clear skies were a stark contrast to the predicted low loud and heavy showers - I was overheating even before the start.

Shortly after Duncan Archer and Jim Mann had set off in defence of their LAMM Elite title Adam and I headed up the short grassy climb to CP1. I was dripping in the heat, which when combined with DEET managed to ‘melt’ the glue on the band fastening the the Si Card round my wrist. Fortunately I saw it fall to the ground or our race may have ended before the first CP of the day!

The first CPs consisted of some easy nav over rough grassy tussocks and heather. Despite the relative lack of climb in the first half of the day it was tough running and by CP4 over two hours had passed. Estimating to only be ¼ of the way through the day we realised we were in for a very long day.

The streams were dry, adding to the difficulties of staying energised and hydrated. Adam seemed happy to let me take over the nav and with great visibility I tried to find efficient lines that would enable easier running, easier said than done over the rough terrain and the track down to the head of Loch Etive was a rare but welcome opportunity to stretch the legs.

The direct ascent up the NW slopes of Stob Coir an Albannaich to a broad spur at 750m was brutal and never ending. In the intense sun we slowed to a frustrating plod. Having caught Chris Dale and Steve Smith on the climb we darted off from CP9 to try to run the contour round the remaining climb of the Munro. As one of the only Elite teams to take this line I was relieved to see we didn’t lose much time over the direct up and over approach – our consequential 150m of steep scrambly descending into the gulley off Sron nan Cabar required care and cost us time but I was feeling stronger in the coolth of a passing shower and pushed Adam hard from here over the more runable ground through the last two CPs to the finish.

Midcamp

Having taken 9hrs29mins to complete Day 1, a new record for our longest ever MM day, we were disappointed and tired. Despite feeling we had put in a respectable effort the 2hrs 20 minute margin behind the Elite leaders Duncan and Jim, who we’d kept within an hour last year, showed we were off par. The effects of our recent BGs probably to blame.

Arriving at the remote and well situated midcamp just before the midges descended meant we could at least enjoy the novelty of pitching Adams shiny Laser Ultra 1 and stretch out and briefly chat to friends. Robin and Frank were 4^th on the Score and Paul and John from NFR were 18^th on the A, with similar sentiments and feelings on what we agreed was the toughest Day 1 of a MM we had ever experienced. It seemed that in particular the Elite and A courses had been tougher than usual with both leading teams taking an hour longer than typically planned.

We cooked our first rounds of food and tried to rehydrate but the extent of the midges meant that cooking or leaving the tent seemed far too much effort and we skipped the second course, choosing instead to just lie down and try to stretch out our cramping legs in the otherwise perfectly adequate space within the Ultra 1.

Once again on the LAMM the balloon beds were needlessly carried – a further saving in weight to be achieved there. It turns out we were both warm enough overnight directly on the ground out of our sleeping bags but on a wetter colder weekend it would be a different story. Even my strategic 2am trip to the loo didnt avoid me being eaten alive by midges.

Day 2

After a disturbed night of sleep my first waking thoughts were that the MWIS forecast for the day must have been accurate, but I had mistaken the persistent sound of the cloud of midges hitting the tent for rain. The weather was cooler than D1, thankfully the cloud remained above all but the highest of the tops for most of day and it stayed dry.

Knowing we had another long day ahead of us we set of shortly before E2 began their chasing start, following the straight forward route up the first climb of the day to Cp1. From here route choice varied significantly, we chose the down round and up approach to CP2, which seemed popular as we were passed by a flying Ondrej and Iain battling it out for 3^rd place with Dan and Al.

Stopping only for some quick blister repair work and Vitamin I for Adam we made steady progress over the open grassy slopes and climbs and steep descent to Cp3, where frustratingly I must have dropped my water bottle. The next long steep climb up onto the western end of the Cruachan ridge sorted the men from the boys. We caught up with Nicky Spinks but were passed by a comfortable looking Spyke and Tim and the lads from Sweden.

The ground was more runnable today but whilst contouring round Ben Cruachan just below the cloud line we could only maintain our steady progress. I felt dehydrated and sick and let Adam take over the map duties. After a fast decent to Cruachan reservoir we were joined by Digby Harris and Judith Jepson who were climbing strongly on the way up the last long steep climb of the weekend on to Beinn a Bhuiridh summit.

I recovered on this climb and resumed map duties on the last scrambly section to the top. I nearly had to dig out my compass for the first time all weekend, but after a needless few minutes of self doubt we located the small indistinct cairn around the cloud covered top. With all the climb done we jogged off down the eastern shoulder to cover the last 6km of grassy downhill to the track leading to the finish.

The finish

The final run in held mixed feelings for us both – the sense of satisfaction at completing what has to be one of the hardest LAMM elite courses was reduced by the time it had taken us to do so – 17hr21m.

We had finished in 9th place, just in time wolf down our wilf's and clap the leaders at the prize giving who had finished some four hours quicker than us over the two days, an hour clear of their nearest rivals. The last few months have involved a number of serious big mountain weekends and alot of personal success in the hills for Adam and I. Maybe one day it will be our turn at the LAMM - but there is a long way to go to acheive that..!

Despite being dissappointed with our performance here at the LAMM, it has to be said that we had enjoyed another great event, expertly organised in a wonderful location, which certainly proved a challenge - we'd expect nothing less. The sense of scale and remoteness of the hills west of Loch Etive was compiled by the fact that on both days we met very few teams on other classes. Whether  becasue of the routes, or simply because most of the shorter courses had finish so soon before us, it had seemed quite a lonely weekend - in some ways it lacked the urgency and sense of competition that company on the hills usually brings at a MM.

Thanks to Martin Stone, all the organisers, planners and support for another memorable weekend in the hills. We will be back next year for certain to improve our performance, as, no doubt, will the midges!


Full results, more reports and photo's available at the LAMM website.

LAMM Kit Check

Our preparation for the Transalpine continues this weekend as we head to Scotland for the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon (LAMM). We've once again entered the Elite course and I think it would be fair to say that we're hopefully of a similar result to last year when we made the Day 2 chasing start and finished 7th.

Whilst neither of us are completely over niggles and injuries picked up in the last few months, my whinjuries are similar in scale to last year and shouldn't cause too much pain (touch wood!). Success at the Bob Graham is still in our minds, and probably in our legs too. Who knows whether this is a good thing or a bad thing?

Whatever the result, it'll be great to get a solid weekend of ups and downs into the training schedule and hopefully the distances will seem manageable after recent epics.

One thing that will be interesting to try is our most recent kit upgrade. I've bought a Terra Nova Ultra 1 - the official Guinness World Record holder for the 'lightest double wall shelter' - http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/Brand/Terra_Nova/Tents/Laser_Ultra_1_Tent.html

On first inspection, it's noticeably lighter than my ageing Laser Comp. The Ultra fabric is also silver in colour, rather than the gold seen in 2011 editions and on the web site. Although, I'm not sure how it will appear out in the glorious sunshine that's been planned. The poles and the pegs are the same as the Photon 1 and a quick analysis suggests the dimensions are the same. We've not experienced a Photon 1 so we might have an interesting, and cosy, Saturday night.

Sadly, the pole cover was missing but I'm reliably informed that Terra Nova are sending one out to me. If it doesn't arrive tomorrow it'll be too late for the LAMM, so fingers crossed!!

Good luck to everyone racing!!!!! 

BG 2012

The BG. The Bob Graham. The first and best known of the classic rounds - a circular route through varying mountain terrain, taking the challenger on a roller coaster of emotion, to the edges of pain, suffering and stretching their capacity for endurance to breaking point. It only takes one day to make or break even the greatest mountain athletes. In that time, the challenger must battle the elements, the terrain and self-doubt to haul themselves round no less than forty two Lakeland peaks, covering sixty eight miles and climbing and descending roughly the height of Everest. One second over that twenty four hour marker and the challenger is deemed to have a failed. On 12th May 2012, team TyneandWeary took on the challenge for a second time...

Adam: The lead up to this, my second attempt at the BG, was certainly not the preparation I had anticipated at the start of the year. I'd had a few months out with injuries, only been out for a handful of real hill days and confidence was low following a string of mediocre results.

After a solid week's training pre-Highlander and the Highlander itself, I could see a glimmer of hope that my mountain fitness was returning and the injuries were becoming 'manageable'. A fortnight later and things improved again with a successful run at the Fellsman. It was my best performance of the year to date and knowing that I could manage 13hrs out on tough terrain was a welcome boost.

However, the Fellsman was also a major contributor to a nervous lead up. With only two weeks recovery before the planned assault on the BG, would there be enough time to recover? Were the rolling dales of Yorkshire enough of a test to have confidence in climbing 28000ft? I asked numerous other questions of myself  - had I done enough recce's? Was my approach too relaxed? What if I fail again?

Back in January, going for an early May attempt was seen as a safe option. The weather is usually better in May than later on in the summer; there's enough daylight to limit the darkness to a single section and there's always the backup of a free weekend later in the summer to have another crack! Having had the wettest spring in living memory, eyes were firmly fixed on the MWIS forecast in the days running up to d-day. It seemed that it had been raining for weeks, even snowing, and this was due to continue. In some remarkable turn, a short window of dry and relatively still weather appeared right when we needed it. From early evening Friday the skies were due to clear, followed by high cloud cover and sunny patches through Saturday.

Having suffered from an evening start last year, the decision was made to start at one in the morning. The first leg would be done in the dark but then we'd hope to have daylight from then on in a race against the sunset late Saturday evening. There's no way you can really condition yourself to such an early start so getting as many minutes of shut eye as possible is all you can hope for. Easier said than done!

I think my night went a little like this:

21:17 - finish kit faff, bit later than planned

21:19 - running kit on and head down

21:34 - check watch, still not asleep, "This is not good!"

22:52 - "Have I missed it?", "No, phew", at least another hour to get some sleep

23:05 - awake again or did I just not fall asleep?

23:47 - only a few minutes to midnight now, not much point in trying to sleep again

23:58 - waiting for the alarm

00:00 - it's time!

It wasn't long before we stood on the steps at the Moot Hall, waiting for the clock to strike one.

Andy: To see a group of runners charging excitedly out from the market place at Keswick at 1 am on a Saturday morning might be a strange sight, but ask any fell runner what this group were up to and they would know. Compared to last year my excitement at the start was curbed somewhat. Maybe it was the recognition that a significant injury in March had really set back my training  - I felt unprepared and knew my ankle could flare up at any point and ruin my attempt. Maybe it was the drained feeling in my body from a week of battling off a cold? Maybe it was simply from having a better appreciation of the gravity of the task ahead... Either way, I had set off now, the clock was ticking, 23hrs59mins to go!

Leg 1 – Keswick to Threlkeld

The first leg was uneventful  – Adam, Duncan  and I, along with  our support runner Viv  were  chatting away as we steadily climbed Skiddaw by headtorch, trying to convince our legs that 1 am in the morning was a sensible time to start a 24 hour run. 1 hr 18 m in and we were jogging off the top of a frozen Skiddaw heading ‘off road’ to Blencathra via the outlying hill of Great Calva. We met our splits comfortably and had navigated the rough terrain in the dark and waded across the icy River Caldew without any major glitches. We chose to avoid the frozen rocky ridge of Halls Fell and descended into Threlkeld off Blencathra in

26 minutes via the path down Doddick instead.

So far so good, 3hr33m, 13 miles and the first three hills down 5 minutes ahead of my 22hour schedule. 

On the downhill my ankle had hurt a lot, increasingly so as it began to thaw out. I was not surprised and not concerned, providing the damaged ligaments didn’t go completely my recent training runs had taught me I could continue to run with this level of pain, especially as it was only on the downhills.

Leg 2 – Threlkeld to Dunmail

After a 7 minute refuel with our road support teams, Adam, Duncan and I set off onto Leg 2 with a fresh team of support runners. On the harsh grassy climb up Clough Head the morning frost crunched underfoot and glistened as the sun crept up over horizon - I felt fresh and alert - privileged to be fit enough to be out running on what promised to be a glorious day.

Running steadily over the Dodds towards Helvellyn in the morning clag our navigation was put to the test. Duncan and his team pushed on into the cloud and Michael, my support runner for Leg 2 looked after us brilliantly. This allowed me to switch off and concentrate on relaxing and eating and drinking regularly over the five hills to Helvellyn.

After the tough descent off Dollywaggon, the sun had burned off the cloud and Adam and I began the long climb up Fairfield. I was surprised that at this point I felt ok, the climb was taken steady, my legs were beginning to shout but we were still 8 minutes ahead of the schedule.

My ambitious target to reach the end of Leg 2 on a 22hour schedule and feeling fresh was achieved after we flew off the last hill, Seat Sandal, in just 14minutes.

Now 17 minutes up on schedule, 7hr 42mins, 15 hills down and over 26miles miles 

under the belt – time to dig in: still 27 hills and nearly 40 miles to go.

Adam: Descending down from Seat Sandal at a fair rate of knotts was a great feeling, in stark contrast to blindly hacking our way through a bracken covered boulder field as had been the case 10 months ago. I was looking forward to arriving into Dunmail. It would be the first time on the round that I'd meet my parents who were supporting and also I'd have the opportunity to shed my kit as I would now have my own support runner until the end.

Over legs 1 and 2, I piggy-backed on Duncan's and Andy's support runners and whilst I carried my own kit, I very much relied on their pacing and navigation. Rob Sanderson would be my support over leg 3 which filled me with confidence as I knew Rob would keep us on the right track and be wary of any potential sugar crashes! It also meant that Andy and I could go at our own pace without slowing the other down. 

Duncan was long gone!

Adam climbing out of Dunmail

Leg 3 - Dunmail to Wasdale

Just before 9am we headed off onto leg 3 as a group of four. A fellow NFR team mate of Andy's, Scott, would be supporting Andy. The guys were energetic and enthusiastic and this rubbed off on Andy and I as we made our way up Steel Fell. The day was only just starting and the mood was positive.

We hit the summit of Steel Fell together but then Andy started to pull away on the gentle climb to Calf Crag. I just didn't have another gear to go to whilst climbing and so decided to stick to my own pace and let Andy go. I expected to see Andy and Scott gradually disappear into the distance and that I'd eventually see them when it was all over, back in Keswick, fingers crossed.

The gap grew to a couple of minutes at High Raise but a couple of steep descents around the Langdale Pikes meant that I caught back up whilst coming off Pike O' Stickle. We made steady progress together over Martcrag Moor and Andy picked an excellent line up to Rossett Pike.

Running over Martcrag Moor

Andy: Rosset Pike, hill No. 23,  marked the point where last year I had had to abandon my attempt. This year that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I felt strong and confident, pushing on to gain time on both of the big climbs up Bowfell and Esk Pike, even the rocky ground of the Scafells ahead couldn’t stop us making good progress and meeting the splits. The cool weather but clear skies provided ideal conditions and the scenery was incredible.

Scafell Pike was busy with walkers, one of which joked that this was probably my second hill of the day  – I didn’t correct him (No. 29!) and just grinned in response. Mickledore saw Adam and I part ways – his preferred route up Scafell was via Lords Rake, whereas I headed to Broad Stand, a moderate but exposed rock climb. I was relieved to find Ian was still there manning a safety rope. This took the pressure off by reducing the risk of a potentially fatal cramp induced fall. The rock was fairly dry and I climbed up the awkward layback without any issues. The remaining scramble up after Broad Stand proved to be easier than I remembered.

With all the major mental obstacles out of the way Scott and I ran down the quad burning 800 metre descent to Wasdale, once again desperately trying to ignore the pain in my ankle and making good use of the scree slopes before being cheered in by our road support.

Now 33 minutes up on schedule, 13hr 19mins, 30 hills down and over 45miles done - I felt great. I was trying not to get ahead of myself but it was difficult, I just could not imagine not getting round now. Even with another 7hours to go thoughts were starting to turn to how fast I could finish, how strong I could be and how determined I was to maintain the pace.

Adam: I'd decided before setting off that I'd be using Lord's Rake to get between Scafell Pike and Scafell in the most efficient and risk averse way. I'm not a climber and the additional worry of scaling Broad Stand was not something I wished to entertain for the first 12 hrs of the round. At Mickledore, Rob and I headed right and under the cliffs towards Lord's Rake.

I was quite surprised to see so many walkers in the rock strewn gully. Whilst safety was of paramount importance, I was keen to not get stuck behind anyone 'mincing'. I took a brash approach and scuttled up and round several walkers on my ascent. At one point, the shouts of "below, below!" had me thinking I'd dislodged some huge rocks but Rob assured me that it was a young lad venturing up a thin and precarious parallel gully.

We made quick progress, quicker than I'd done on my recce a few weeks earlier and made our way round to Scafell summit. I knew Andy's route was a lot quicker and didn't expect to see him, although with such a quick ascent of Lord's Rake I hoped that I might catch a glimpse.Unfortunately it wasn't to be, at least not on the climb to the top.

On the descent, however, I could clearly see Andy and Scott only a few minutes ahead. I knew I had an advantage over Andy on the downs, especially such a runnable one, and so up'd the pace in an effort to reduce the deficit. If I could, I wanted to head onto Leg 4 with Andy.

Leg 4 – Wasdale to Honister

Andy: The climb up Yewbarrow is notorious. A steep grassy climb that can break even the most prepared runners. It is not its size, more its position in the round. A steep 600m grassy climb hurts, more so after 45miles.

I surprised myself. I felt like I was gliding up the climb, chatting away to Paul Hainsworth and James Charlton, both fresh and determined to support me and help me round. Without meaning to I had dropped Adam on this climb and was 5 minutes inside the target time for this hill alone. He was not finished though and was no more than 10 minutes behind me at any point for the rest of the leg.

Adam: On the climb out of Wasdale and up Yewbarrow, I had to let Andy go for the second time. Now supported by Jonny, I was again struggling on the climbs. This was a long one and simply a matter of head down and get on with it.

Andy: The peaks of Red Pike, Steeple and Pillar flew by and I continued to feel strong on the climbs. On the long rough run down to the bottom of Kirk Fell I began to struggle to block out the pain in my ankle and I think I let this get to me. My legs felt weak for the first time on the climb up Kirk Fell and I was sure I had dropped some time. James confirmed that I was still well up on schedule and a sub 21 hour round was now on the cards.

Andy on Steeple

A gel helped me push hard up Great Gable,  in my mind the final big hurdle,  and I had taken another 5 minutes out of the schedule by the top. “It is all downhill from Gable” – a complete lie, but relatively speaking the last three hills of leg 4 involve very little climb and the flat terrain was run comfortably.

Adam: After Yewbarrow, I made steady progress on the way to Great Gable. The weather was still fantastic, with views right out over to the Scafell Pikes in one direction, the remaining Leg 4 peaks in the foreground, and then the final 3 peaks of Leg 5 in the other direction. With a combination of steep and rocky ascents and descents, Andy and I yo-yo-ed as we progressed. At times we'd be close enough to shout words of encouragement to each other but minutes later we'd be seemingly miles apart.

Great Gable was very much a focal point for me during the early parts of Leg 4. Once there, it's pretty much one direction back to Keswick and it's the last of the 'big' peaks so to speak. I'd also failed miserably to climb Great Gable simply from Wasdale on one of our early recces and didn't want to be defeated again.

I felt strong on the flats and the downhills especially but the climbs were still a struggle. There was nothing I could do but plod and plod I did. I knew completing the round was definitely on, barring any major incident, and knew that we'd been up on schedule throughout Leg 3. But I had no idea what sort of time I could manage at this stage.

With the final really rough descent out of the way having come off Great Gable, we made good progress on the soft and surprisingly dry tops between Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts. I approached Honister with a huge amount of optimism as the legs were feeling good. Despite being out for nearly 18 hours, the cool evening air, clear tops and thoughts of finishing were hugely motivational.

Leg 5 – Honister to Keswick

Andy: Honister was a buzz. My road support could sense it was in the bag and I was eager to get going. Mums homemade flapjack went down a treat, I was feeling hungry and for the first time all day I felt tired. A procession of us  set off onto the last leg. Despite running Leg 2 Michael was joining me along with, Dad,

James and my best friend Richard. It meant so much to have such close friends with me and I was determined not to let them down, especially Richard. Not a natural runner, he had trained incredibly hard to join me on this leg and reaching the end with me would be a huge achievement for him.

I felt strong again on the climb up Dale Head and could sense that my support team were being stretched. I wanted to enjoy the last leg with them but at the same time didn’t want to lose any time. I needn’t have worried - Richard made it to the top inside a 22hour schedule just two minutes behind me and soon caught me on the ridge to Hindscarth before heading to Robinson with Michael to wait for me there.

I  resisted the temptation to attempt the ‘test of man’ to run up the gradual climb up to the top of Hindscarth but was another 4 minutes up on schedule despite walking some of it.

James was keen to continue to push the pace and I was happy to be pulled along, running the diagonal path to the 42nd and final hill of the day. I continued to push out the climb but my legs finally started to desert me and it was a welcome relief to see Michael and Richard waiting at the final summit.

From here Michael and Richard kicked for home and I got swept along in a wave of emotions. I felt relaxed and at ease, despite being very aware that I had a tough road section ahead I seemed to be striding out  comfortably. Seeing Richard and Michael thoroughly enjoying themselves on the fast grassy descents just ahead of me, and having James by my side encouraging me on was a wonderful combination. After dodging a crazy horse guarding a gate, the hardest part of the day began - the 5 miles on the road.

Adam: Feeling good, we kept the refueling down to a minimum and set off on Leg 5 within 4 minutes of reaching the car park at Honister. Andy had left just before I'd arrived and I wondered if it would be possible to catch him on this leg. It certainly wouldn't happen on the final slog of the day up to Dale Head, but I had so much running in my legs, I thought the flat sections might just be enough.

It was also clear now that a 21 hr round was a likely outcome and just how quick I could do Leg 5, which was very much a mystery, would decide my final time. Rob joined Jonny and I on this final leg and it was great to get going with both my support runners. They made the climb up Dale Head entertaining with general banter and it went by in a flash.

Next up was the 'test of manliness', a run from Dale Head all the way to Hindscarth without a pause to walk. One of the few peak to peak legs where this is a possibility, but so late in the round, it would be a big ask. Setting off, I wanted to remain comfortable for as long as possible, I knew it would be doable if I didn't go too fast. Once on the gentle climb along the Hindscarth ridge, I could feel it was in the bag and so kicked on. I never thought I'd be running so strongly at this point in the round. At just under 13 minutes for the run, I'd knocked nearly 8 minutes off the scheduled time. This felt great on such a short leg.

I pressed on, running down to the col before the final true climb of the day to Robinson. Jonny pushed hard up the hill and made sure we were headed in the right direction. Once at the summit, I resisted the opportunity to celebrate. My finish line was still 10KM away!

At just gone 8 in the evening I was on my way down the familiar slopes. A time well inside 21hrs was now possible and every minute counted. I was finally able to throw caution to the wind on the descent and spotted Andy and his support runners only a few hundred yards down the valley.

I'd pulled a bit of a gap on Jonny and Rob and didn't know whether to keep pushing the pace or slow down a bit and let them catch me. I was desperate for my road shoes! Fortunately, as I slowed a bit for the random horse, they caught me and this meant I could change immediately into my road shoes when we reached the first tarmac.

A formula one pit stop-esq shoe change occured and I was off again; leaving a trail of fell shoes and extra clothing ditched for Rob and Jonny to collect. I pulled another sizeable gap and caught up with Andy as he was changing shoes. I didn't know whether to stop or carry on, I was flying. In the end I think my legs made the decision for me and I decided to continue on.

I now had a new goal, making it from the top of Robinson to the Moot Hall in under an hour. I was on my own through the woods and still felt amazing. I couldn't hear, nor see, either Jonny or Rob and started to wonder if when I reached the Moot Hall if anyone would be able to confirm my time.

On the approach to Portinscale I began to flag a bit, my earlier exuberance started to fade and I began to realise that an hour was probably going to be too much. On the approach to the bridge, Jonny caught me, something I had half-hoped wouldn't happen. 

I took the opportunity to take stock. I was about to complete the Bob Graham Round; a challenge that I'd failed before and had so much respect for. The hour challenge hadn't come to fruition and I'd been caught but this didn't matter. I was about to complete in a little over 20 hours, a time I wouldn't have contemplated, even in my wildest dreams. More to the point, I'd managed to share the experience with family and a select group of mates. Two of whom were to join me in completing on this day.

I stuffed a couple of jaffa cakes down to keep off the impending sugar crash. After a couple of short walks and some steady jogging across the fields heading into Keswick, I was on the road heading up to the finish. It was great to see my parents and Andy's supporters as I used my last reserves of energy to scale the steps of the Moot Hall and stop my watch. Relief! Relief and then amazement - 20:07:51 - not a bad time I thought. The final leg had taken just under 2 hrs 10 minutes and the final Robinson-Keswick split was 1:03:48, over half an hour quicker than the schedule.

A couple of minutes later and I was able to cheer Andy in. Duncan, having successfully complete in an amazing 19:32 came out to greet us and we took the customery 'after shot'.

Andy: Crossing the market place in Keswick everything was a blur  – I noticed Rosie and Riley and heard a lot of applause and cheering. It was only when I bounded up the steps at Moot Hall and stopped my watch that I looked round and was able to take a breath and absorb the moment with a select group of friends and

family below me.

I cannot describe the feeling at the finish. Whilst trying to reflect on what I had just achieved I felt surprisingly calm, a strange sense of relief at completing the challenge yet a reluctance to accept that this amazing day was over. A wave of gratitude overwhelmed me, and I hobbled down to give all my supporters and family well deserved hugs.

For so long completing the Bob Graham had been a dream. Now it is a surreal reality for which I owe so many people. One thing is for sure - the highs and lows of 20hrs12minutes spent on those Lakeland fells will be etched in my memory forever.

Of course, without the following people, our rounds would not have been possible and a huge thank you goes out to them:

Hill Support - Duncan (BGR - 19:32!!), Viv, Michael, Scott, Rob, Jonny, Ian, Paul, James, Richard, Mick

Road Support - Rosie (& Riley), Karen, Mick (Andy's parents), Dave, Alison (Adam's parents)

And thanks to Duncan's supporters too for helping to make the weekend!

Adam - Duncan - Andy