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| Greendale Bridge |
I’m
guessing that you are reading this for one of three reasons.
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You’re bored at work (again!)
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You’ve done the JNC yourself and are interested to see how someone else’s experience compares to yours
Or 3. You have decided that
you want to have a go at some point and so you’re obsessively
reading all the accounts to glean as much knowledge as you can. I’m
aiming this at the latter category (because that was me not long
since) but I’ll see what I can do to entertain the rest of you.
Training.
For comparison, I’m 56. One
of those skinny bald types that always populate races. On a really
good day I might get in the top 1/3 of a small local fell race. So,
no Ian Holmes but not Eamonn Holmes either. I was motivated to
attempt the JNC mostly by the regret of not doing the Bob Graham
Round when I was younger. A recent brush with mortality gave me that
bit more encouragement. A 6 month plan was put into action. Not very
scientific - run more. Mostly up and down hills. Ideally in the
Lakes. Even more ideally actually on the route. I’m not one for
high mileages but ramped it up a bit from my usual 20 odd miles a
week to 30 odd with forays into 50 +. I’d build up and have 1 easy
week in 3. This plus cycling to work most days seemed to work for me.
I was getting fitter and avoiding injury. At the end of March/early
April I did a couple of 60 mile weeks, finally an 80.5 mile week two
weeks before my attempt - the most I have ever done. Long runs
comprised lengthy trots across the West Pennine Moors (home turf), a
recce of JNC L1 and L2, competing in the Anglezarke Amble and the
Howarth Hobble in horrendous conditions (very useful training for the
JNC), a recce of the Old County Tops route and an aborted Abraham’s
Tea Round also in ‘the grim’. I didn’t do any more than 33
miles in one hit.
Logistics
This was harder than the
training! I’m lucky knowing a lot of people from Darwen Dashers and
beyond who were keen and able to help out so had cover for all legs.
The hard part was arranging to get them back to their vehicles
following the legs. I created a JNC WhatsApp
group to make life a bit easier as they could organise lifts between
themselves. I also had volunteers just to collect/deliver people to
the appropriate places. I made a Word document listing who was
helping on each leg and their role – Nav, timekeeper - and what
I’d need for each crossing (food carried/food eaten at
crossing/clothing to be ready). I had a dry bag with emergency big
cag, mitts, buff and a gel to be carried by a pacer and passed on at
each crossing. I weighed and measured this and posted the info on the
WhatsApp group. I had seen about 90% of the route and was comfortable
navving most of it but made sure that I had at least one competent
navigator per leg. The night before the attempt my wife and I went to
the Pooley Bridge Inn for food and a few beers then slept in their
car park in my van. We had done this in the past as they were ok with
it if you’d spent money with them. We booked into Church Stile
campsite on Saturday night - close to both the finish at Greendale
Bridge and the Screes pub. I booked a table at The Screes for all the
helpers who were staying on and pre-ordered food as their kitchen
closes at 9.00pm.
The attempt
I used the V55 ‘standard’
14:40 schedule and hoped (optimistically) that I’d gain time as I
went along as I was concerned about having enough time on the final
leg. This meant a 5.00am start. The forecast was shit. It was right.
There were suggestions about postponing for 24 hours but this wasn’t
an option due to the availability of helpers. The night before I
messaged everyone to say that unless it was epically terrible weather
in the morning then I would start as arranged. I would assess at end
of Leg 1 if I was to continue and at Leg 2 I would make the ‘big
call’ if we were going to abandon. This was to have enough time to
stop people making a fruitless trip up to Styhead with no signal. So,
at 5.00am we set off. Russ Owen (Eyriri) and Dave Haygarth
(Rossendale Harriers) covered this leg.
It had rained all previous
day, all night and was still going. We were in clag before we reached
Arthur’s Pike. Tip: have
a look at the start. Don’t run along the shore of Ullswater. Take
footpath to left and head for the road. The gate is by a large tree.
Turn right on road then enter campsite on left. Straight up the road
through the site before reaching a 5 bar gate onto the fell. Climb it
and bearing right you will reach the main track to Arthur’s Pike.
Despite God awful conditions I was quite happy. We ticked off the
summits and only had a problem with Red Crag. It is not an obvious
summit and in the clag it was difficult to find. In the end we used
GPS to hit the grid ref.
Soon we reached the large
cairn of Thornthwaite Beacon. Tip: If
you don’t want to run the main zig zag descent (rocky, loose, steep
and slow) you can bear right alongside the wall by the cairn and
reach an easier path with some grassy sections. We
got Stoney Cove done and then the clag made us pause slightly before
spotting the trod to Pike Howe, then headed back to the main path
towards St Ravens Edge. Tip:
cross the wall by a large boulder and drop down diagonally across the
field to the road rather than the slower ‘tourist path’ above the
pub.
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| Kirkstone Pass |
At the crossing I had homemade
potato and leek soup and, as I’d warmed up on the run in, I decided
to save time by not changing kit. I went to get a last mouthful of
soup only to discover Dave polishing it off! Ah well, he’d earned
it. I was very pleased to meet Ian Charters doing the JNC traditional
‘meet and greet’ here. Joining Russ and I on Leg 2 were Dashers
Garth Taylor, Karl Aspin and Calvin Fergusson (his Grandad, Don
Ashton, was an early completer of the Challenge).
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| Leaving Dunmail Raise |
Straight into the climb of Red
Screes. I was still buzzing with the euphoria of the occasion but
Russ was struggling with his ITB and the others were into a big
climb with no warm up so we climbed in silence until I said ‘Bloody
hell lads, the banter’s not so good on this leg! We dropped out of
clag at Kirkstone but by the summit of Red Screes we were right back
in it. Summit tagged and off toward Scandale Pass. Tip: you
can cut the corner rather than hand railing the wall line. There is a
trod on the right part way down. It can be wet but it is still
runnable and saves time. The
next section was a grind, uphill into the wind. It was screaming as
we crested Fairfield. Next it was down to the saddle by Grizedale
tarn. Last year this was the spot I had managed to briefly run
alongside Kilian Jornet on his record breaking BG. Climbing, the
wind made me stagger as I neared the top of Seat Sandal. Tip: after
the summit bear to the right and keep on the slight trod. You will
pass one of those huge sacks they transport stone in and later a
stone points to the right indicating the path down. Out
of the cloud and the road crossing became visible and soon the van
with my crew waiting.
I was still feeling good
here. In fact I felt great! It couldn’t last of course. The
decision was made to continue with the attempt. Finally I started
using the walking poles that had been carried round the previous two
legs. Head down and get into a rhythm, glancing up towards the top
occasionally, immediately regretting it and looking back down. Steel
Fell is one long, steep sucker. On this leg I had Dashers Gareth
Davies (nav), Alex Buckland, Ady Humphries (timekeeper) plus Kev
Smith (Red Rose) and Stanners (CLEM). The latter two hanging back
with me. This leg continued to be a clag fest but the rain began to
tail off. Gareth did an excellent job of the navigation and we were
soon up and over High Raise and heading towards Rossett Pike. Tip:
aim to cross Stakes Pass and then contour round Rossett Crag before
climbing up to the summit. Bow
Fell was next and I began to struggle. A tough climb over the rocks
although the route is easy to follow with the cairns on the way. I
hadn’t taken enough food in and the cold and wet was sapping my
energy too. A big mistake that nearly cost me dearly. I struggled to
the summit and started to play catch up with my nutrition but by this
stage swallowing was getting harder too. Everything had to be
accompanied by water. Esk Pike came and went and then the trudge up
Great End. I had been shown a line off that I was happy I could find
in good conditions however we had agreed that if it was bad vis then
we would take the safer but slower option doubling back before
heading to Styhead. It wasn’t worth the risk on the day so that’s
what we did.
There was quite a group
waiting at Styhead. I had a few mouthfuls of chilli from a flask and
some other bits but I was conscious of needing to keep going. Gareth
continued on with me to the finish but the rest stopped here. Amy
Freeman (Dashers) took over nav duties, also
from Dashers we had Paul Taylor plus Jonathan Stubbs (Settle). Great
Gable was trudged up and then onto Kirk Fell. I was suffering but
still able to run when terrain allowed it. We descended via the Red
Gulley. Tip: worth a
recce so that you know exactly where to get on to it and that you
would be happy going down it.
I was starting to get some pain and restricted movement in my left
leg now so was glad of Paul Taylor directing my hand and foot holds
down here. On Pillar we were joined by the ever cheery Iain Asher
(aka Asher the Dasher) and he kept me fed with bits of caramel
biscuit. I touched the little cairn on the wall indicating the summit
of Scoat Fell and then headed towards Steeple. Only 3 to go after
this.
Down the wall line and up the
slope to Haycock. I’d arranged with Amy that if I had time in hand
we’d go down the forgiving grass slope but if it was tight we’d
use the faster scree descent. As we approached on the day she said
‘Right, we are going to use the scree descent.’ And I thought ‘Oh
shit.’ As it turned out we descended on grass right next to the
scree and made it down quickly. I ploughed on as fast as I could but
I was worried about time. At one point I turned to Gareth and asked
‘Is it on? ‘It’s on’, he replied. Seatallan is a wall - a
heartbreaker. I knew to just keep my head down, use the cut out steps
and make good use of the poles. Finally the slope lessened and I
could risk looking up. Waving and cheering figures on the summit
materialised as Claire Davies and Lea Pea from Dashers, last seen on
Styhead. Their enthusiasm and encouragement spurred me on.
My legs, particularly the left
one, were in state by now. The steep Seatallan descent was always
going to be hard but with a flash of inspiration I slid down the wet
grass on my back, hurtling down like a toboggan! Desperate times need
desperate measures! I stopped before the rocks and levered myself
upright. Back into the shambolic run. Middle Fell seemed to have
grown since I’d been up it previously. Stomping up using the poles,
taking on mouthfuls of whatever was offered swigged down with
isotonic drink. Finally the summit. A brief pause for a photo then
the final descent. Amy told me I had 27 minutes to get to the bridge.
My brain struggled with the mental arithmetic. I did this descent in
14 minutes on a recce on pretty fresh legs and ‘going for it’. A
different proposition now. Shambolic run mode re-engaged. Get. It.
Done.
Supporters were screaming at
me from near the bridge ‘Come on! COME ON!!’ Iain Asher spotted a
direct line through the bracken and I followed. I ran as hard as I
could now. Pain blocked out. Along the beck and hard right onto the
bridge. DONE! I had a brief head in arms collapse onto the wall of
the bridge and then I was back in the room. A big grin on my face
with everyone cheering and there he was – Joss Naylor – standing
next to me extending his hand. I gripped it firmly and we shook. I
looked him in the eyes and took in as much as I could of the moment
that I dreamt of and worked so hard towards for months. Tip: it’s
worth it.
Finished in 14:57:57. 123
seconds inside the 15 hours.
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| Job Done |
Huge thanks to everyone who
supported me in achieving this. You can’t do something like this
without a good team and I had the best. Thanks also to everyone who
contributed to my JustGiving page and helped raise over £1800 for
Prostate Cancer UK.
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