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!!

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

The BG - a preface

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 odd 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. Of course, there's a fair old chance of an early failure through injury, fatigue, lack of belief, weather, slow progress....the list goes on.

Cast your minds back to summer 2011 and let's throw the dice!

At the start of last year all of the members of ‘Team Skids’ (Konrad Rawlik, Duncan Steen, Robin Sanderson, Adam Stirk and Andrew Higgins) were planning to take out the BG that summer. Training had been good on the whole for all of us; lots of big hill miles through training, competitions and BG recces and after successful Fellsmans a date was set.

Konrad’s inspirational solo round (of 21hr05 in fine conditions) two weeks prior to our joint attempt gave the rest of the team confidence. When it came to our attempt I felt like I had never been fitter and leaving Keswick's Moot Hall at 7pm on the 15^th July I was confident that in less than 24hours I’d be back on those steps for my hero’s welcome. How hard could it be?

Leg 1 was uneventful; all of Team Skids running happily together with Konrad carrying our kit as support runner for the four of us, we flew round to Threlkeld ahead of schedule and just as darkness fell.

It was from here that things started to go wrong. We let ourselves down by disorganised road support, but mainly though insufficient hill support, kit and contingencies required in anticipation of the atrocious overnight conditions, which had been exactly as forecast. A bitter and fierce headwind with heavy driving rain and very limited visibility.

Konrad and Robin had become separated from us in the thick cloud off Clough Head, meaning that the three remaining BGers arrived in Dunmail in bits and over an hour down on schedule. We were demoralised from the unplanned split and drained from difficult navigation, the odd mistake, not taking on board enough food/drink and being chilled to the bone.

Duncan and I continued but the damage had been done, despite picking up the pace and catching up on the schedule we both struggled to keep energised, our determination wavered and as the atrocious conditions failed to improve our attempts were abandoned after around 12 hours, just over half way to Wasdale.

To say we were disappointed does not do it justice. I for one was consumed with a sense of failure and self pity for weeks afterwards, feeling that Mother Nature and the Bob Graham Round had combined forces to humiliate four very experienced and determined hill runners. In a sense, they had, but they did it for our benefit. The Bob Graham deserved more respect, especially in those conditions – it is so much more than a physical challenge. But we will be back, lessons learnt, even more determined and equipped to succeed.

Andy 

The time to be back is now.

50th Fellsman

The 50th Fellsman - a post nearly as long as the race itself....

With roughly 61 miles of trail, moor, fell and mountain, the Fellsman is one of the toughest races in the UK ultra running calendar. The race weaves from Ingleton, over many peaks including Ingleborough, Whernside, Great Knoutberry, Dodd Fell, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside on it's way to Threshfield. The event started 50 years ago in 1962 with only 76 entries and 15 finishers. Full details of the route and history are available on the Fellsman website - www.fellsman.org.uk. In it's 50th birthday year, the event was to be bigger than ever with 500+ entries received and as close to 500 taking part as possible.

Unfortunately, Andy was one of those who would have to 'DNS' and following his amazing run in 2011, it was left to the rest of our team, the Iced Spiced Collective, to put in some good performances and win the team title we'd missed out on last year. The team was largely the same as last year, with Jonny Muir added earlier and Ondrej Mandula taking Andy's team spot. Konrad, Duncan, Rob and myself were all ex-'Team Skids' from the year before.

In the lead up to the race I was feeling quite excited and the absolute fear of the event from last year had been replaced by an anxiety to put in a much improved performance. I knew that getting round was not going to be an issue - I'd done that off very little training, albeit at a slow pace. However, this time I'd been able to train (sporadically) and despite a few niggles, was in much better shape. I think knowing the route and what to expect when the night drew in meant that I was in a much better position mentally as well.

A relatively good nights sleep and a later wake up call than the usual 5am certainly helped us all feel that little bit more rested before the start. The weather looked good and we were told that the chance of rain was 0%, at least until the early hours of Sunday morning. I certainly didn't plan to be out until the small hours this time round.

Whilst we congregated near the start, it was clear that there was a pretty strong wind blowing throughout the Dales and although the sun shone, it was cooler than you'd expect for a late April day. I was very tempted to keep my waterproof on to keep the chill off on the ascent of the first peak, Ingleborough, but the Iced Spiced peer pressure worked and I went for the usual single Helly. At just gone nine the madness ensued and we were off, dashing across the cricket pitch and out onto the road.

I decided to start with the lead pack, knowing that I'd drop off eventually but hopefully with enough space to run and pick my way cleanly up the rocky path to the first summit. I attached myself to the back of the pack and maintained a steady pace as we climbed. Glancing back, the pack had pulled out a considerable lead on the rest of the field, strung out all the way to Ingleton. I reached the trig point and marshalls only a few minutes behind the leaders and headed north west off towards Whernside, 3 miles in but with many many miles still to go.

There's a choice in descent from Ingleborough - the straight 'Mark Hartell' line or the regular walkers zig-zags. I'd only ever taken the regular path previously but decided to experiment with the alternative. Most of the quick guys were headed that way anyway. The descent suited me. I gained numerous positions and probably found myself in the highest position I would all race, maybe just inside the top 10. I knew it wouldn't last for too long but it was nice to be racing in an ultra rather than just getting round.

I slipped back a few positions on the ascent up Whernside but felt good coming off and into Kingsdale. A steady climb up Gragareth and I was ready to tackle my first 2011-demon. I'd really struggled in the run to Great Coum last year, at only 13 or 14 miles in, this was the pinnacle of my fitness 12 months ago. My intention was to run the majority of this section and despite a constant wind blowing south west and slowing progress, I did manage it.

At this stage of the race it was great to run with and chat to the legendary Mark Hartell, running his 18th Fellsman. Mark has won the event 11 times and although thoughts of a 12th victory has been scuppered by an injury, he was still able to motor.

A few miles later and we dropped into the picturesque village of Dent. Another plan of mine was to feel 'good' at Dent and I'd mentally prepared to start the race at this point. I felt great coming into the checkpoint and was efficient in my fueling, taking on some juice, biscuits and a few handfuls of raisins. However, it didn't take long for the first feeling of weariness to come over me on the road out towards Blea Moor. Maybe I just hadn't eaten enough on the earlier sections?

It's a bit of a drag up to Blea Moor and I was overtaken by a group who gradually pulled away from me. I started to struggle and wondered if I had set off too fast. I continued to be caught on the way down to Stonehouses but when back on the road, with only a couple of K to the checkpoint, I perked up a bit and ran well towards the first real food stop of the day. The sun was out and the beck running through the rugged moorland made a fantastic Dales scene.

Just short of the checkpoint I caught a glimpse of Jonny heading under the viaduct and up towards Great Knoutberry. I'd last seen him on the steep climb up to Gragareth following a minor navigational blip and the rest of the team on the out and back of Whernside. This was motivating as I knew I'd not dropped off too much.

I took a bit of time to refuel at Stonehouses - cake, juice and the rather basic pasta/tomato combination - and then started the next slog back into the fells, aiming for Great Knoutberry. The wind had really picked up and whilst the first part of the track was protected, as it climbed, the wind became more of an issue. It was certainly a great deal more effort than a still day. Great Knoutberry is also an out and back and my earlier sighting of Jonny was confirmed as he and Duncan headed back down as I climbed. Just approaching half way I was chuffed to only be about 15 mins behind these guys. Konrad and Ondrej had pushed on and were no where to be seen.

From the top of Great Knoutberry I headed south to Redshaw, half way, and then onto Snaizeholme and Dodd Fell. The wind was still strong and the rough descent off Dodd Fell was tough. Next was another 2011-demon - Fleet Moss to Hell Gap. Under prepared and running with another novice competitor, I'd taken the road option last year and whilst this made the going easy and the navigation simple, the long hard descent and steep climb took it's toll. I was nervous about the navigation across the peat bogs but needn't have been - it was easy!! Finding the checkpoint half way and then the fence line leading to Hell Gap was similarly unproblematic.

The only thing slowing me down was the wind and a short lived flurry of snow! I recalled there was a 0% chance of rain. Given that this was actual snow, the statement still rang true. Nailing the navigation was good as I needed to make good progress to banish the final 2011-demon - getting grouped at Cray. To make the cut off, which was 30 mins earlier than last year, I'd have to make it through Cray by 1900. I'd then be able to progress on my own up Buckden Pike and keep my own pace through to Park Rash. At 1830ish, with Hell Gap not in sight I thought this was going to be impossible. I pushed on and eventually spotted the track leading from Hell Gap in the distance and worked hard to get there as soon as I could. It wasn't long before I was heading down from Hell Gap to Cray, keeping an eye on the watch as my quads took a beating from the hard packed track.

I reached Cray at 1852, a good few minutes to spare. With a couple of bourbon biscuits and a mug full of spaghetti hoops I headed out towards Buckden Pike. The climb was slow but once on the top I made good progress through Top Mere and down to Park Rash where I knew I'd be grouped.

There were no other runners at Park Rash when I arrived so I would be the first in any new group to form. This was good as I'd get some time to refuel and rest, with the added bonus that waiting time gets deducted from your finishing time. Unfortunately I got a little short changed here as I was awarded only 5 minutes for what was well over 15 minutes of faff as we got our group together [Still awaiting the results, so I don't know what the other guys were awarded].

Unfortunately the fourth member of our group was struggling and we got caught on the descent down from Great Whernside by a group that set off a few minutes after us. We reached Capplestone gate as two groups but separated shortly after, our group making the slower progress. Despite a few handfuls of Jelly Babies, our guy was still finding the going tough and took a couple of tumbles.

He was pretty spaced out at arrival in Yarnbury, the penultimate checkpoint. As it's a simple road route back to the finish in Threshfield, groups are allowed to split and the three strong runners among us, myself included, shot off towards Grassington. Fueled by a certain amount of frustration built up over the final section of the course, we made rapid progress and ran miles 60 and 61 in about 15 minutes. I stopped the clock at 13:42 - over 3 hrs quicker than 2011!!! A pleasing result.

After grabbing some food I met with the other guys who'd just finished getting cleaned up. The team had done brilliantly, led by another remarkable performance by Konrad in joint 3rd place with Ondrej. He too had smashed last year's time and Ondrej had taken the Tregoning Cup for the quickest novice. Jonny and Duncan had followed suit in just under 13 hours, coming 10th and 11th respectively. Needless to say, the Iced Spiced Collective took the team honours! Unfortunately Rob had retired early on in the race.

I eventually got to bed about midnight but it was really difficult to sleep. So many different pains emanated from my legs, feet and back I just couldn't switch off. It was during one of my waking moments that I discovered the race had been cancelled at 0140. Conditions has deteriorated since I had finished, with snow and rain coming in. Coupled with the strong winds and night time temperatures, the support teams at various checkpoints were becoming stretched, dealing with many cases of hypothermia. The organiser had taken the very difficult, but ultimately correct, decision to pull the plug and get everyone off the fells. Although not everyone is happy to be told they cannot continue, safety should always come first - as was said on the FRA forums - "better a pissed off competitor than a dead one".

In summary: I'm pleased with my race and managed to meet all my in-race targets. I could have probably gone a bit quicker than my time will suggest but the grouping can be a bit hit and miss and I was just a bit unfortunate this time. But, that's the nature of the event and something you just have to accept. There's only one way to remove the randomness grouping creates and that's to get to Park Rash before the cut off. Maybe a target for next year? [Did I really say next year?]