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!