A pre-3.30am breakfast was a rude start to the day, but it surely improved from then on. A short drive up with Phil, my first pacer, with radio 3 playing and a deserted car park in Pooley Bridge, which must be a rare thing. Bats were flying around and after a ‘to the second’ countdown to 5.30am by Phil we were off from the newly rebuilt bridge, just about managing to see without using the head torch.
We soon climbed into cloud and from then on leg 1 was mostly in light cloud with the hairs on my arms and legs catching dew drops, shining against the two layers of white factor 50 sun cream I’d applied earlier. The leg was soon chatted through and Jan, Jules, Rainer and Ellie+Erin welcomed us to Kirkstone Pass car park. Porridge, tea, a change into a dry shirt and plenty of encouragement saw Jules and I off up Red Screes with the sun now through and the morning getting hot. What a beautiful morning to be on the hills. Sunny, mild, with a gentle breeze and even that was blowing in the right direction. I suddenly felt slow when Jules ran on ahead with no effort down Seat Sandal to warn the Dunmail crew of our arrival. A small group of walkers helpfully did their best to stand aside in the bracken near the road and shouted encouragement after asking whether I was the support runner or the contender.
More porridge and tea at Dunmail served by Hilary then Paul and I were soon climbing Steel Fell to be surprised at the summit by Andrena+bump. What a great surprise. My factor 50 sun cream was really coming into its own now and the run through to Great End felt easier than the previous two legs. Dropping off Great End was as tricky as ever, but Paul got us down to Styhead with no problems. Emma fed me more porridge and after a swift hand-over Jim and Jim took on the pacer duties and we were off up Great Gable, the only summit on the route I’d not recently been over. Going up was fine, getting down was far more difficult. Thank goodness to be down and on to Kirk Fell. My drinking routine was also struggling now with a flat-coca-cola-based diet providing calories and fluid but doing me no favours. The views however were fantastic, with the sun at an angle as the afternoon was progressing and a cloudless sky it was as perfect as you get.
Haycock was beautiful, Seatallan was hard work, Middle Fell was good to see and Paul was on the summit cheering us on, this despite him having another JNLC leg 3 support to run tomorrow! A hug from Hilary at Greendale Bridge was just fantastic and the best end to an enjoyable but hard run. The bacon and egg butties cooked up by Hilary and Emma whilst we sat on the grass at Greendale as the sun lit the screes with red rays, went down well with Paul, Jim and Jim as I sat in a deck chair with a big grin on my face and legs that seemed to be doing their best to carry on running.
A good run in the hills with a great bunch of friends to share the day with, and the best weather – it doesn’t get any better.
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