Mike Hitchmough (M55) - 03 September 2022

Whilst talking to Joss at this year’s Buttermere Horseshoe, I took the opportunity to ask him if he had any tips for completing his challenge. “Aye lad,” he replied, “lengthen yer stride.”

So with those words of wisdom ringing in my ears, I set a date for early September. Two days before my attempt, I almost called it off due to a forecast of rain, clag and high winds. Delaying it wouldn’t guarantee any better conditions and would only reduce the window for daylight, so I decided to go for it and just deal as best I could with the conditions on the day. As it turned out, the weather (for once) was kind to us.

Leg 1. Pacer Dan Miller. I’d been warned of the price you pay later on for going off too fast on the ‘runnable’ Leg 1. I was even told of some taking a casual 3hrs to get to Kirkstone and then go on to finish sub-12hrs. This advice seemed to occupy my every thought and stride as we set off at 6am in the half-light climbing through the caravan site and on to the fells. The self-restraint didn’t last long however as I arrived at Arthur’s Pike 4mins ahead of schedule! The pace felt fine and with a combination of fast hiking and running to conserve energy and we made good progress across the summits that came thick and fast, spooking a few early–rising wild campers along the way. Leaving Kidsty Pike, we got carried away contouring around the top of the valley and had to quickly alter our course to take in Rampsgill Head! At the final summit Pike Howe, whilst Dan was struggling to record the split with a 3H pencil on soggy paper, I pressed on and took my preferred line descending diagonally off St. Raven’s Edge arriving at Kirkstone a good minute or so ahead of Dan who kept high taking the path along the ridge. It’s a great tradition for previous completers to meet contenders on route and it was lovely to see Rainer Burchett at Kirkstone – I recognised him from a friend’s attempt a few years ago.

Leg 2. Pacer Dan Miller. Dan is young and strong and was therefore good for two solo legs. He pulled me up Red Screes and led the way up Bakestones Moss by keeping to the path. I tried to cut the corner but it was a bad call across the heavy-going open fell. Pulling me back in to line, he got me over to Fairfield with relative ease. Once on the BG route beyond Fairfield, I felt on familiar ground but standing at the foot of Seat Sandal in daylight (normally it’s the middle of the night), I was struck by how big it appeared. I always enjoy the descent off Seat Sandal (maybe it’s the thought of tea with sugar at Dunmail) and once we’d hit the summit Dan let me go, arriving just ahead of schedule.

Leg 3. Pacers. Tash Fellowes, Maria Cook, Chris Usher. I always knew Leg 3 was going to be the ‘make or break’ leg and so it was a big help that all of my pacers were either BG or Joss completers (or both). Sure enough it wasn’t long before I had my first bad patch towards the top of Steel Fell with the second hitting me on the slog up to High Raise. Maybe I’d overdone in on Legs 1 & 2 – who knows? I dug deep and knew, through my training I that I could get through these low points if I just took it easy for a moment, collected my thoughts, took on food drink (that flat Coke was amazing Tash) and listened to the warm words of encouragement from my pacers. On both occasions, my pacers read the signs and without asking, Maria would take my pack, Chris would talk me round and with Tash leading the way with some great lines up Bowfell and off Great End (the way only an Achille Ratti runner can), I felt good again and we were back on it.

Leg 4. Pacers. Guy Illingworth, Bill Beckett.

I knew at Sty Head that we’d lost time on Leg 3 and a sub-12hr finish was unlikely but I felt OK and was determined to give it my all. The climb up Great Gable was pretty comfortable and we made good time although the descent down the slippery scree was slower than I’d hoped. Guy was solid upfront navigating and Bill kept close by, merrily cajoling me along (as only Bill can) whilst feeding me sweets. We made good progress over the rest of the leg, even making up a small amount of time. We took the more runnable line off Haycock, avoiding the scree and boulders to the south with a good run across Pot of Ashness. On the tough climb up Seatallan I started to wonder if Joss would be at Greendale and began to worry that my wife - waiting at the bridge and not being the fell running type – might casually ask him what he was doing and if he was from round here? As we tipped over the 12-hr mark on the final climb up Middle Fell, I told Guy that on my last recce I’d done the final descent in 17mins. “Ah not today Mike” he responded. All three of us hammered it down the twisting rocky path, through the bracken and touched the bridge just 16mins later in a time of 12hr 25min.

Sadly, Joss wasn’t feeling up to it but at least I didn’t have to make any awkward apologies on my wife’s behalf! A big thanks to all my support crew, Dave Troman of Love to Run Coaching and of course, my wife.

Jim Thompson (M55) - 03 September 2022

So, in 2020 I thought I am 52, running well and the Joss Naylor challenge in under 12 hrs seems very feasible! Then came Covid and scuppered that.

I thought I would try again in 2021 then Covid and lockdowns continued so going to have to wait another year.

So come 2022, helping on 2 BGR’s and being sensible for probably the first time in my life I thought wait till your 55 in July and have the luxury of 15hrs to complete just in case you cannot get under 12hrs!!!

Training started recceing routes, helping on 2 successful BGR’s and I was feeling good – starting to think I could outdo Keith Woods time of just under 11hrs 30mins.

I had also run Offa’s dyke in a week with Gemma, so my stamina was good.

September the 3^rd was to be the day and with a great support team around me from Saltwell Harriers I was set to go. Starting time of 5:30 and tried not to look at the weather reports too much in the week leading up to it, but it was forecast for rain, low cloud and windy – great!

I started leg 1 with Seb and Kev and was seen off by my road crew, Gemma and a couple of the guys and the weather could not have been better. No visibility issues and had a nice run in the early morning warmth with daylight coming just before Arthurs Pike. The rest of the leg was great and got to Kirkstone about 20 mins down on schedule.

The support crew were there with everything in hand, and it was a pleasure to be met by Rainer Burchett – a JNC ambassador who offered wise words about ‘just enjoying the day’.

Full of porridge and tea, clean top and off up Red Screes with Fred, Simon and Davey and started feeling tired, cramping so badly at times I felt like I had been shot by a sniper! Got through the leg with no nav issues and down to Dunmail a few more minutes down on schedule but ok.

Onto leg 3 and struggling to eat but set off up Steel Fell with Keith, Rob and Andy and still feeling tired. I was having doubts now about completing but thoughts of Sarah Garrett and the struggles she had with cancer and knew I had to press on – I certainly couldn’t give up knowing what she went through!

Leg 3 is the leg I knew least well but I knew I could rely on Keith Woods navigation skills but standing at Calf Crag Andy asked why it wasn’t on the pace card – because it’s not part of the JNC was my reply – Keith’s face was a picture and my excuse for not beating his time was set in stone! The rest of the leg was tough - I continued cramping up, struggled to eat and rain and low cloud came in before High raise until after Bow Fell so there were hard trudges up those summits – I wasn’t in a happy place! We found the good line off Great end though, so I was glad to get down to Sty head about an hour down but ready for the last leg.

Fed watered and a new top on and I set off up Gable with Paul, Gemma, and Peter. Still feeling tired but knowing I was on the last leg gave me a great buzz and my support crew certainly kept me eating and talking and we started steadily ticking off the tops. Even a heavy rain shower on Pillar didn’t dampen my spirits and we were soon looking at the looming lump of Seatallan and the last top of Middle Fell just behind it.

We all trooped up to that last summit, rain jacket off, Saltwell vest on and the adrenaline kicked in and as I followed Paul down towards Greendale bridge I could see and hear the cheers of my support crew, some of their wives and kids waiting for me.

13hrs 26 mins was my finishing time and I have to say it was tough. Anyone who can do sub 12hrs for that challenge gets a lot of respect from me and thanks to Joss for setting such a great challenge – it was indeed a grand day out!

Thanks again to all of my supporters and well-wishers and Sarah – I couldn’t have done it without you all!

Even Keith Woods sabotage plan didn’t stop me finishing 😊

Jim Thompson

Mike Warwick (M70 Repeat) - 25 August 2022

The dream of making a crossing to celebrate my 70th birthday started years earlier when I supported Rainer on his magnificent crossing for his 70th in a then-record time. Preparations went well except for the increasingly frequent episodes of atrial fibrillation which drastically slow me down on climbs.

The team met up at the Brackenrigg Inn the night before, beer was restricted to a pint despite it being my actual birthday and on leaving we were treated to the most beautiful sunset.

That had to be a really good omen.

A 5 ‘o’clock start at Pooley Bridge was ideal with the first glimmer of dawn. We met up with Craig who is the most brilliant navigator, he knows every line and keeps grass underfoot wherever possible. My daughter Asha running in the Lakeland fells for the first time was treated to glorious views as morning broke. Dry and well trod paths sped us to the first 12 summits and then a more tricky but direct line down to Kirkstone.

A brief stop for cereal and Craig was leading off on leg 2. I tried to keep my pace steady and easy to ward off the onset of AF. By Dunmail we were slightly up on my 16 hour schedule but my navigator planned for the last 2 legs had to pull out that morning due to a knee injury. My son Ben was unfazed and with the help of a GPX file on memory map expertly navigated the complicated route including the tricky ascent of Bowfell and the descent off Great End. At Sty Head there was a big reception including Rainer who has been hosting the family and friends and old friend Barry who was fresh from winning the M80 European championships triathalon.

Still on schedule the day seemed to be going so well but the last leg proved to be a shocker. My pace ascending dropped dramatically as I had gone into AF, this in itself was neither surprising or to troublesome as I could still run comfortably downhill. The ascent of Seatallan was very slow but the promise of nearly finishing meant our spirits were high. Parminder had been an excellent stand in navigator using the GPX route but unfortunately it led us into a ghastly descent from Middle Fell. Instead of using the path and track that deviates a bit west it took us on a direct line down the worst rock, scree and bracken I have ever encountered. I fell dozens of time becoming bloodied and bruised and it took an age. What should have been a 20 minute descent took 1& 1/4 hours. Thankfully everybody got down safely in the dark and we celebrated at the finish with family and friends. 17 hours 10 minutes was a good time and overall it had been a fantastic day.

Attempting a Joss Naylor crossing requires many months of training and beware of thinking gentle road and grassy ascents prepare you well for the rocky and steep rigours of The Lakeland fells.

Support from family and friends is vital. It may be tougher for the family doing all the support than it is for the runner. I think it requires some dedicated but self centred behaviour to succeed. Hopefully it will inspire others. My grandchildren certainly seemed proud. 

Rick Ansell (M60) - 30 July 2022

 A WET ONE

The forecast was for occasional drizzle and low cloud gradually clearing. The forecast was wrong. The postcast (which obviously was right) was 14 hours of rain.

At 01.50 Pooley Bridge was quiet as the four of us waited on the bridge for the clock to tick round, one of us rather nervously. At 02.00 we padded off down the track beside the river. Patrick and Alex had recced the way out through the camp site and no time was lost here. I think recceing is cheating and these things should always be done on sight or just using existent knowledge but trying to weave a way between people’s tents in the dark is tricky. On Arthur’s Seat the lights of the farms beside Ullswater twinkled up at us but by Loadpot we were in the cloud and starting to get wet. When we got to High Raise the wind was up and conditions were becoming distinctly unpleasant. The mist was definitely a hard drizzle. Alex, Patrick’s brother-in-law is a resident of Montana and more used to running on the trails around the hills there. This was a fairly precipitous introduction to real fell running. Max stuck close and handed the bottle and jelly babies as his father demanded. The rain meant I had to remove my glasses. Removing the glasses meant I couldn’t read the map so the main burden of navigation fell on Patrick who did sterling work. On High Street Alex announced that he was cold and he did seem to be close to hypothermia. We crammed a hat on him and jelly babies in him and hurried on to Threshthwiate Mouth where there was respite from the wind and he could pull on more clothes. The dawn came reluctantly as though the day had seen the weather and wanted to stay in bed.

By Stony Cove the torches were ineffectual and we romped down the wall and completely missed the turn to Pike Howe. Patrick caught the error 500m further on as we arrived at St Raven’s Crag. Back we went. 20 mins lost to the schedule. Annoyed, I made up quite a few of these descending to Kirkstone. The car park seemed deserted, just a couple of camper vans loomed in the mist. Panic. And then Scott saw us and leapt out of a car we hadn’t seen in the fog. Suddenly the place came alive. Coffee was poured, potatoes offered, bottles filled, Jaffa cakes grabbed and we were on our way with another five minutes saved. The new team included Scott Collier and Kevin Harding. With them to navigate there was no point in me even carrying a map. Paul acted as mule and handed drinks and food when required. The pace was a little slower than on the Hodgson Relay but by Fairfield we had pulled back more time and on Seat Sandall the rain seemed to ease off. We found the BG trod and soon we could see the cars at Dunmail and there was Julie out to meet and greet. On runs like this when there are times you feel a little fragile it is amazing what a boost a friendly face can make and a quiet: “You seem to be going really well” She surveyed the team: Scott, Simon Barnett, Ned Needham and Paul Addison. “You’ve got a crack team here” she said. Between them they had decades of hill days and, as Paul discovered, Simon is a secret weapon as he knows every blade of grass between Dunmail and Sty Head.

On the long stretch to High Raise the clouds began to clear and for a few wonderful moments we were graced with a rainbow and views of the hills we had come to run over. Climbing High Raise was a chore, though, the rain came on again and the weather closed down. Despite this I felt better on the nice grassy trods down to Stake Pass. I wanted to get Rossett behind me so I could get stuck into Bow Fell which loomed large in my mind. Things went quiet as we toiled up. It felt slow but Scott informed us that we were 15 minutes ahead of schedule and immediately I was lifted. Scott headed off down the Band to the ODG for lunch having done a brilliant job keeping us on the straight and narrow. We retraced from Great End towards Esk Hause and ran down the track past Sprinkling Tarn rather than try to find the direct descent. It might be slower but it was safe.

A party had come up from Wasdale with coffee, brownies, potatoes and bars. It was cosy behind the stretcher box and nice to stop moving. Simon had to gently suggest that progress should be resumed. We wanted to use the scree descent off Gable but the scree we found was a bit bigger than the ideal. We stumbled onto Beck Head with little time lost and the final big climb on Pillar just the other side of Kirk Fell. My back was getting very tight and on the slopes of Pillar I had to lie down and try to stretch it out. It improved it for about 150m but that was enough to get me over the top and but for the fog the end was in sight and 30 minutes in hand on a 17 hour schedule. I kept telling myself to concentrate. A trip here could end it all prematurely; too cruel at this stage.

Finally we were on Middle Fell and trotting down the path. We heard Greendale Gill long before we saw it through the clag, clearly in spate. I realised just how much rain had come down since we started. Then we dropped down out of the cloud and there were the cars and the bridge that we had be running to all day and a little group of friends to welcome us in. Passers by looked on curiously as we stood for photos in the rain, drinking coffee and grinning from ear to ear and satisfaction, as Fred Rogerson used to say, dripping like fat from a goose from one of the group.

Helen Elmore (W50) - 16 July 2022

 

I think a lot of fell runners have a natural inclination for short and fast or long adventures, but I have never quite been able to make my mind up which I like the best! I had completed a Bob Graham back in 2009 and then mainly did short fell races whilst my children were small. As they got more independent, I got drawn back into the mountain challenges. I did a Paddy Buckley in 2019, a Ramsay round in 2021. I turned 50 in 2022 and completing a Joss Naylor was going to be the icing on the cake.

I had supported Nicky Spinks and Keith Holmes on a sub 12hr Joss and knew that wasn’t on the cards for me. I also really wanted to enjoy this one. Setting off on a13hr schedule seemed about right to give a good buffer for the 14hrs allowed for 50-year women

Leg 1 – Kev Saville and Simon Rippon

This leg is always fast and furious. I had a schedule that Nicky Spinks had tweaked for a friend but even so its hard work to keep on the splits. Its even harder for supporters with full rucsacs on cold legs at 4.30 in the morning. Despite having carefully recced the start the week before, in my excitement to get going, we dropped Simon and then I overshot Arthur Pike and had to cut across the rough to bag the summit. Time to concentrate! The leg went well otherwise with Simon soon catching up after Kidsty Pike and leading us in to Dunmail a couple of minutes up.

Leg 2- Keith Holmes and Steve Wathall, both v65. The leg went perfectly. If I can run like these guys in my 60s , I will be a happy woman. Despite Keith’s protestations on what’s app the week before he was too slow he shot up Red Screes at a storming pace. Whilst Steve kept me well fed and watered.

Leg 3- Nicky Spinks and Tom Saville.

Bit of a dream team support wise. No need to introduce Nicky. Tom is Kev’s son. My other leg 3 support had been hit with COVID-19 so I asked Kev mid-week what is your lad doing at the weekend. Well he is supporting an 18 hrs BG on Sunday so a bit of warm up on Saturday should be ok. Tom has represented England, placed in champs races (is very nearly the holder of the mid-winter BG record, another story there) done an unsupported Ramsay etc etc.. so was definitely a bit of a handy last minute super sub. Despite all the amazing support I was starting to feel that I had been running for quite a long time. I had psyched myself up for Steel fell and Bowfell but had sort of forgotten what a horrid drag High raise is. Its was hot, but the ground was still boggy, and it started to feel a bit of a trudge. But then Nicky showed me a great line on Rosset Pike and Bowfell went swimmingly with Tom handing my 3 Percy pigs every 5 minutes or so. Why is other people’s food so much better?

My good friend Lewis joined us at Esk Hause. Lewis has been one of main training partners over the years, whether it is joining me on before work training runs, reccing or just generally persuading me what is possible. Unfortunately, due to health issues Lewis wasn’t able to do a full leg but he made up for this in helping with maps, schedules, planning car shuffles etc. Thanks mate it was great to have you along.

Leg 4

I didn’t have anyone coming in for leg 4, so instantly made up a bit of time there by not stopping. The heat started to kick in on Gable, but again Tom came to the rescue with the Percy Pigs. It wasn’t a lot of fun, but it was soon done.

We said goodbye to Lewis and Tom after Kirk fell and it was just Nicky, me and the dogs on the most beautiful Lakeland day. We have done so many recce and training runs together over the years and I decided I was just going to enjoy this last section. I was hovering around 13hrs but didn’t feel like I could push much harder and my feet were feeling pretty sore on the downhills. I decided not ask about splits and just run. Simon and Kev bought in more water at Pillar and Steve, Nicky’s husband had left a stash before Haycock. Much appreciated as getting enough water for yourself and supporters can be a real issue on a hot day on this section.

Before I knew it I was on the last peak with the just the lovely run into Greendale to go. I was wondering if Joss was going to there with his recent ill health. It was such a lovely surprise to see him, as I touched the bridge in a time of 13.04. I then gabbled my thanks to him to have created such a great route and then left him to have some farmer chat with Nicky’s Steve.

The best thing about the Joss compared to a 24 hr round? Plenty of time for a shower and a wander over to the pub for a proper celebration with good friends.

Jackie Scarfe (W60) - 14 July 2022

 

Leg 1 Phil Scarf [CVFR] Leg 2 Kate Ayres [Ambleside] Leg 3 Steve Milner [Wharfedale] Leg 4 Phil Scarf [CVFR] Road support Annie Milner [Wharfedale]

Having had my 60^th birthday only 4 days before, I set out at 4.37am on a luxurious 17.30 hour schedule, on Weds 14^thJuly 2022. The weather was set to be warm, but with some sunshine and a few showers. Leg 1 with my husband Phil went to according to plan, although we took a less than perfect route down to the Kirkstone Inn. We’d had the mountains to ourselves, plus a few meadow pipits and wheatears. Leg 2 with Kate Ayres, from Ambleside, went up a notch. We kept a good pace, beating all the scheduled times by a few minutes. It was great to have someone who knew the area well. I hadn’t done any recent recees, as I’m conscious of the environmental impact of driving long distances [I live near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire] but I have supported several other runners on their attempts in the past. I carried all my own kit + food on the day. Road support by Annie -nut bomb- Milner was first class and I was please she managed an hours swim in Rydal Water while I was on Leg 2. Leg 3 with Steve Milner was steady with great 360 degree views. We missed the best BG route up to Bowfell, cut 10 mins off the 30 min schedule running across to Esk Pike just by cunningly cutting thought the boulders. We messed up the Great End descent – realised we were halfway down and facing Lingmell … so we cut down to the corridor route to Sty Head and lost about 20 mins. We’d intended to meet Phil at Great End, as he knew the route, but were too early and missed him. Panic ensued, as he was meant to do Leg 4 with me, but he appeared just in time. Annie Milner’ Tea and sandwiches at Sty Head while sat on a blanket were delicious! Leg 4 -Phil managed to keep up with me on the hills this time. I’m not a great descender at the best of times and by now my knees were suffering, so he had to wait for me! [NB I used poles] Luckily he did most of the nav , although we are both orienteers and we pushed on up some mighty ascents to finally finish in the light at 9.27pm, with Annie + Steve whooping and clapping me in to Greendale. It was a minimalist attempt, with 1 car, 5 amazing people, sunshine + showers and lots of fun.  

Geoff Davis (M65R) - 12 June 2022

 Geoff Davis MV65 (Elvet Striders/Northumberland Fell Runners)

JNLC Sunday 12^th June 2022.

(No 137 – previous crossings 17.06.12 & 02.09.17)

This would be my third crossing of the JNLC and was to take place on my 65^th birthday.

The forecast was for 40mph gusts on the tops with scattered showers throughout the day. In Pooley at 5am it was fairly calm but cloudy, although the south westerly wind was soon in our faces as we climbed onto the open fell. The cloud started to break through and my spirits lifted as we began to make up time across the grassy tops. Apart from my small band of pacers we saw no one else on the fells across this leg. We did have the company of red deer though which were a very welcome sight. Feeling fresh and fit this leg troubled me very little and we arrived at Kirkstone thirty minutes ahead of the 17 hour schedule I was using.

The second leg was a joy as the long climbs were easily accomplished in what was a brisk wind but under a dry, bright sky. My three female pacers were happy and chatty and time passed quickly although Dawn took a tumble coming off Fairfield and bruised her arm, although she never let on to me until the following day. The fells were still quiet with just one or two walkers encountered across Fairfield and Seat Sandal. I still felt it was early days and we received a warning of things to come with a brief, heavy shower on the descent to Dunmail where we arrived 51 minutes ahead of schedule.

It was great to see so many supporters at Dunmail but I resisted the temptation to linger for more than the allotted 10 minutes and was soon toiling up the steep slope of Steel Fell. This was accomplished fairly easily but I started to suffer on the long trudge across to High Raise. The steep, wet pathless section was hard, as was the final less steep but boggy rise to the summit and my spirits were at a low point. They picked up on the descent towards Sticks Pass and I felt fine on the climb to Rossett Pike. It was still windy and we could see the dark clag moving towards us from the Coniston fells. The rising traverse up Bow Fell felt steep but was over fairly quickly. As we reached its top the clag descended and the rain began to fall. If this crossing was a tale of two halves then the whistle had just blown for the start of the second half.

From now on the wind was joined by thick mist, heavy prolonged showers and wet rock underfoot. Along with growing fatigue these started to slow my progress and a particularly heavy downpour after Esk Pike saw me stop to don full waterproofs. Things were particularly desperate on Great End but we decided to still take the rocky descent down to Sty Head, albeit very carefully, arriving an hour and five minutes ahead of schedule.

Again I had a posse of supporters here all clad in full waterproofs seeking what little shelter there was around the stretcher box. My wife Susan opened up an emergency shelter and I spent the next 16 minutes beneath it trying to eat and drink what I could. Donning a third jacket I set off up Gable with my new team of pacers. The next three climbs were very tough but the descents over wet slippery rocks on tired legs and sore knees were particularly challenging. Nonetheless, they were all accomplished and I started to count down the remaining fells as the end approached. Haycock was climbed without stopping and we chose to omit the scree descent opting for a grassy path instead. With my head down climbing Seatallan, on Joss’ advice, and only Middle Fell remained. After the quickest descent I could manage on shredded legs we arrive at Greendale Bridge. All done in 15 hours 47 minutes. An incredibly tough day, which I wouldn’t have missed for the world. Standing on the bridge I felt incredibly grateful to all those who had helped me and just a little bit proud of myself.   

Penny Browell (W50) - 22 May 2022

 

Penny Browell WV50

The Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge. 14^th May 2022

Around 48 miles involving 17,000’ of ascent across 30 Lakeland peaks

Turning 50 was not something I was looking forward to. I needed glasses, I was starting to find grey hairs and (most depressingly) my running was getting slower and slower. So I decided that instead of moping I should face it head on and make some plans to keep me busy. The Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge was the perfect choice.

Leg 1. Pooley Bridge to Kirkstone Pass

Support: Nick Latham, Stuart Scott, Tamsin Imber, Nina Mason

It was a lovely morning at Pooley Bridge and Ullswater was perfectly still – after a few nervous minutes counting down we were excited to be off at 6 o’clock sharp. The first leg is by far the most runnable and with the tight schedule I had to run the uphills as much as possible. My pacers commented we were moving fast but I kept assuring them I was on schedule. The first couple of hills take a while to tick off but before long we were getting through them. A bit of cloud descended around Kidsty Pike and I started to wonder if the weather forecast had been wrong. But despite the clag, the team effort to get the route right was impressive with Nick brilliantly shouting us back from a near error after Stony Cove. Then Nina took over to do a great job getting us to the annoying Pike How despite the fact I went into trip mode and managed an impressive superman dive followed by a slide onto my bum within a couple of minutes. Before I knew it we were negotiating the rocky short cut to Kirkstone and were at the van and my support crew a surprising 14 mins up on the schedule!

Leg 2. Kirkstone Pass to Dunmail Raise

Support: John Tollit, Stuart Scott, Dawn Hosking

Although I felt really good I struggled to eat much at Kirkstone and I’d heard my support team muttering to each other that I wasn’t drinking enough. So I made an effort to eat and drink more on this hillier and therefore slower second leg. For a short section after Red Screes we were joined by a pair of lambs who seemed to think they were part of the support group and baa’d in a disgruntled way when they realised they couldn’t stick with us all the way. It was still a bit cloudy on the tops but mainly we could see well enough and John did a superb job navigating over to Hart Crag (a section I’d failed to get right on recces!). Next was my least favourite hill in the Lake District – Fairfield. I have no idea why it is called Fair since it is ALWAYS in cloud and has a rubbish top with too many routes off. Today was no different and on reaching the top we went off slightly to the right but fortunately John was on it and realised in time to set us off the right way. Seat Sandal followed quickly and soon we could see the van again welcoming us for changeover 2 – now 20 mins ahead of schedule.

Leg 3. Dunmail Raise to Styhead Tarn

Support: James Garland, Alex Banks, Elaine Bisson

Again I struggled with food at the changeover despite giving myself a bit longer than I’d scheduled and I could tell Tom was worried – he told my support not to let me go too fast and ordered me firmly not to bonk. I said I’d do my best… Just before we left he insisted Alex made me eat a banana on the way up Steel Fell. I obeyed.. Whilst generally I enjoy leg 3 I’m not keen on the long drag from Steel Fell to High Raise which is hard to navigate perfectly and seems to take forever. Fortunately with James the king of nav and everyone chatting happily the time seemed to fly by. The cloud had totally vanished since Fairfield and it was a perfect day. My support team were superb at making me drink and eat regularly and I was loving every minute. We were ticking minutes of the schedule at each peak and I started to believe completing this was a genuine possibility. However, I really wasn’t looking forward to the descent of Great End which again had troubled me on recces. But James led us skill-fully through the boulders and all was well until I jammed my foot between two rocks which brought on massive cramp in my calf and a stream of swear words as Elaine tried to remove my foot from the rocks’ clasp. Once released I felt a bit better but knew I needed to take it easy. The rising temperature was beginning to take its toll so I gave myself a bit of a talking to. Although I’d done well sipping and snacking on this leg I needed more to get me to the end. When we arrived at the stretcher box I was 22 minutes up so knew it was worth giving myself a bit longer than the scheduled 5 minute rest to prepare for the final leg

Leg 4. Styhead Tarn to Greendale

Support: Geoff Davis, Alex Banks, Mark Davinson

To get myself back on track I took some salt tablets, drank some salty soup and milkshake and was given a double calf massage by Susan and Tom (thank you both – I know my legs were not pleasant!). Once fully refreshed we were off again. For some reason I love the Great Gable climb – although it’s steep I like that you can just stomp up. Once at the top I knew we had a tricky descent to deal with and I worried that my calves would cramp again but Geoff got us down brilliantly and my legs behaved. We were making great time and knocked several minutes off on the way up Kirk Fell. Mark was a fabulous social secretary updating me regularly - “Tamsin says you’re on fire!”, “Stuart says you’re amazing” he informed me as he shared pictures with the rest of the support team all the way round. Coming off Kirk Fell I asked why Geoff was moving so quickly and he told me I was obviously not tired as I was still chatting… I considered going quiet just to slow the pace but it’s not really in my nature and I was enjoying myself too much. All was good other than a sudden nose bleed half way down Kirk Fell which slowed me down a bit. Eventually it stopped and on we went; it was such a perfect day - I genuinely was just loving every minute. After the little detour of Steeple we were onto the last 3 hills of the day. I’d loved these on my recces as they’re not ones I know well.. Haycock did not disappoint but climbing Seatallan I suddenly felt the pain of all the climbing I’d done so far. It’s a horrible slog up there – I hadn’t noticed it on the recces but when you’re 28 peaks into a 30 peak challenge…yuck. I opted to not look up and just take one step at a time knowing eventually it would be over. Once at the top there was the slightly fiddly descent down and just one hill to go. I almost allowed my emotions to get to me knowing it was nearly over as we reached the top of Middle Fell but as the descent began my nose decided to bleed again which distracted me! The final run into Greendale is fabulous…I’d envisaged this run down for weeks and it didn’t disappoint. I was beaming as I was welcomed in by Tom, Susan, Nina and (as a lovely surprise) Sally and Adam. Having known 14 hours was a tough ask I was thrilled to clock 13 hrs 16 minutes as my finishing time. I was amazed how well I felt, how much I’d enjoyed it and how much I wanted to do it all again!

After I’d changed and as we all chatted and snacked on Tom’s famous pie a car pulled up next to us and there was Joss Naylor himself. It was a real joy to see him and to chat about the day – interestingly he seemed to agree with me about Seatallan and said he too opts for the head down, don’t look up approach. As the sun started to go down we said our good-byes and headed off, my mind full of everything I’d seen and experienced and already making plans for the next challenge…

I have many people to thank who helped me complete the JNLC. Obviously my support on the day who were just the best – the nav was spot on, the nagging me to eat and drink was absolutely necessary and the chat was great so thank you Nick, Stuart, Tamsin, Nina, John, Dawn, James, Elaine, Alex, Geoff and Mark. There were also so many others who encouraged me and made me believe I could do it – special thanks to Susan for her support and to my kids who endured a lot of Joss talk and a lot of “I’m tired, I’ve been for a run” conversations. Biggest thanks of course to Tom who not only was a brilliant road support on the day but trained with me in all sorts of horrible conditions, made me believe I had it in me to do this and listened to me talk about it non-stop for months. I apologise in advance for the fact I may continue to bore you with my next potential challenge…

Neil Bowmer (M55) - 14 May 2022

 Neil Bowmer M55

With the cancellation of all races during the Covid pandemic, I needed something to motivate myself to stay fit so I started training for my Bob Graham attempt. Being 54 years old, I thought this had passed me by, so it was somewhat of a surprise when I successfully completed it on June 19^th 2021. Three weeks later I tagged along with my partner Ros and her friend Jess and completed the Frog Graham, definitely too close to my BGR but I was successfully dragged to the end. So with a Bob and a Frog under my belt, it seemed a natural decision to attempt to add the Joss Naylor Challenge in to make up the triad. As I was turning 55 in May 2022, which offered me a realistic time of 15 hours, I realised that I could complete all three within 12 months, if I could get round of course…..

At 5 am on the 14^th May (two days after my 55^th birthday), I set off from Pooley Bridge with Jess Young (my fellow Frog companion) and Phil Hodgson as my support runners. It was a perfect still dawn and with Phil knowing Leg 1 well, we made good time to Kirkstone Pass, arriving 16 minutes ahead of schedule, catching the breakfast crew by surprise. Mandy Goth still managed to provide a bacon butty and a cup of tea in perfect time to send me on my way. 

 Leg 2 was supported by Dave Garner and Simon Hewitt. The weather deteriorated slightly, with cloud on the summits but as I knew this leg well myself, we continued to gain time to Dunmail Raise, arriving 34 minutes ahead of schedule. I took a short break for hot cross buns and a cup of tea, then set off up Steel Fell with my new crew of Ian Oldham, Mike Keavney and Tim Grimwood, all of whom had supported me on my BGR. Dave also continued on with me, veering off at Rossett Pike to get his lift. Despite being ahead of schedule I wanted to keep pushing on as I knew the day was going to warm up and I wanted time in hand in case things got difficult later. We moved comfortably across the hills but were pleased to meet up with Phil Hodgson on Great End so that he could guide us down the perfect line. It was quite an achievement for Phil to get to us on time as he had to get from Dunmail and up to Great End with us being nearly an hour ahead at this point!

Mandy, Ros and Simon had also legged it up from Wasdale Head just in time to meet us, providing food and drink, including an unexpected treat of a cold bottle of coke. Simon replaced Michael, who was feeling the heat, but Ian and Tim were keen to continue and do a second leg. A quick 5 minute break and off we went for the slog up Great Gable in the afternoon heat. Caroline Graham, Ian’s partner joined us before Kirk Fell and added some energy to the group, who were starting to flag. The pull up Pillar took its toll on Ian, who had been looking after me so well that I think he had neglected his own fuelling, so the decision was made for him and Caroline to leave us and we would carry on as a three. Over Haycock and up Seatallan we were really starting to tire, not surprising really as Tim and Simon had both completed the Fellsman the previous weekend. So it was a very pleasant surprise to see Mandy waiting for us on the summit of Seatallan so that we could turn off our brains and just be led over the final hill and down to the finish at Greendale Bridge.

I knew that sadly there was no possibility of Joss being at the finish, but virtually my whole crew were waiting to cheer me in. I completed the crossing in 13.49, faster than I had expected. My day had been everything that Joss said it should be; a great day out with friends in the hills. I am told there was a fantastic evening of celebration at the Achille Ratti Hut, but unfortunately I managed to sleep through most of it! Once again I am indebted to my friends from Swaledale Runners and Todmorden Harriers for helping me to complete my Bob, Frog and Joss!