While I am temporarily unable to walk I thought I'd better write my report up.
Doing the BGR has been an ambition of mine since I first joined Keswick AC as a teenager and a couple of years ago I thought I'd better get on and do it while I still can. Everything was going well until my Langdale accident meant a year off from all running. Things got back on track over the brilliant winter weather and long races at Three Peaks and Old County Tops put me on great form.
Pacing Steve Angus on Legs 3,4, & 5 of his 19:43 round in early June made me realise I could do it so a date was set for 21st June. Inevitably injury struck and shin splints put me out of action for another 4 weeks until Rob Wynne suggested a simultaneous round and with the offer of a Broad Stand rope I couldn't refuse. Rob was a great help over the last couple of weeks as we traded details of our preparations.
Leg1
By 10pm I was itching to get away after weeks of anticipation and as soon as the hour struck I set off like a scalded cat through the town with my pacer Chris Newman and didn't slow down until half way up Latrigg. A fantastic clear sky meant we didn't put headtorches on until the summit which came at 65mins. After meeting Richard Mavin on the summit we dropped down into the cloud inversion and thick mist. After Hare Crag we met John Sealby who provided hot coffee along with his partner Debbie and Richard's wife Helen. The mist persisted up and over Gt Calva but I did manage to keep dry feet even over the Caldew (without a piggy-back). Richard Unwin kindly met us on Mungrisedale Common to ensure we stayed on track onto Blencathra and after a quickish descent of Hall's Fell we got to Threlkeld 11mins up.
Leg 2
Rachel provided rice pudding and banana with a welcome cup of tea but we were off again within 5 mins. Craig Smith and Steve Bennett were the pacers loaded down with too much food and drink but they were excellent company and their experience of that leg in particular put me at ease in very poor conditions and they did a fantastic job of navigating the leg in thick mist. Great Dodd and Helvellyn summits saw us briefly above the cloud and into the bright moonlight and the lightening sky to the East. This was an extraordinary sight that I will never forget. Daylight came as we climbed Fairfield I began to feel a little less chirpy as I toiled up the climb. The lads kept me going but this bad feeling continued as we dropped to the road still on schedule.
Leg 3
Tea and porridge at Dunmail was wolfed down before meeting up with Steve Angus, Steve Murdoch and Simon Gray for the long leg. By this time I was experiencing flickering vision which bothered me at the time and persisted for the next couple of hours. In hindsight this was probably due to staring at the glare of my Hope light reflected back by the mist for hours on end. I started to feel sick at this stage too and by the time we got over to the Langdales I felt absolutely awful. Simon did a fantastic job of pestering me with food and drink throughout the leg which is exactly what you need. Steve Murdoch navigated flawlessly through the mist until we eventually emerged into sunshine on Bowfell which lifted my spirits and the clouds began to lift literally and metaphorically. Great End to Broad Stand seemed to fly by and Andy Williamson was ready and waiting with a rope which saved the time and effort of alternative routes. On the descent I opted to use the scree descent at Rakehead Crag which I hadn't done before but was great. The final few hundred metres into the valley were like going into an oven but we arrived at the car park 17 minutes ahead of schedule.
Leg 4
Rachel provided the macaroni cheese and coca cola while I changed socks with the assistance of my new pacers. Fell running legend Jackie Winn and all-round nice guy Nick Ray were my company along with Colin Murrell who had travelled all the way from Down South to help me out. I could tell that I'd blistered my feet coming off Scafell and temperatures were rising as we headed up Yewbarrow. Having dreaded this bit I found it went ok as I chatted to my pacers and took in the fantastic view. The climb up Red Pike was a different matter, the breeze disappeared and the sun beat down. My Suunto gadget recorded the maximum temperature at this point as being in the mid 80's. Jackie keep me topped up with water and Nick supplied white capsules (legal obviously) to ward off cramp and they worked.
Somewhere between Steeple and Pillar I hurt my left calf and on the long descent to Black Sail I was in considerable pain with this, blistered feet and my old Langdale war wound. The gully to Kirk Fell was purgatory and I was well into a bad patch again. Colin miraculously produced an instant ice pack which was applied to the leg along with a dip in the tarn. Great Gable was the first point at which I thought I was actually going to be able to get round and my spirits lifted again. I jogged into Honister an incredible 46 minutes ahead of schedule.
Leg 5
Rachel and Nina Walkingshaw applied ibuprofen gel to my legs while Nick very kindly helped sort my wrecked feet out. A few spoonfuls of rice pudding and we were off again with Nina joining the Leg 4 boys. I was chasing two other teams from Bingley who were just ahead of us and this helped spur me on. Dale Head was not too bad and I actually ran most of Hindscarth with the Ellenborough boys pushing me on for a sub-20hr time. On Robinson I started to believe that was achievable but as soon as I headed downhill I was in pain again. My pacing crew urged me on though Newlands after a shoe change but I just couldn't do it. As I started up Main Street I was elated and sprinted to the Moot Hall to be met by family and friends to finish. Finish time: 20hrs and 12 mins
Stats
63.91 miles
Average pace 3.2mph
Ascent 25,948ft
Running time 19hrs 54mins
Resting time 18mins
Max temp 87f
Min temp 53f
Acknowledgements
Running a Bob Graham Round is without doubt a team effort and it feels like our round rather than my round. I am humbled by the willingness of so many people to put themselves out on my behalf. Without the constant feeding, watering, guiding and generally looking after me that all these people did then I wouldn't have got round. Without the support and encouragement of lots of other people who weren't there on the day I wouldn't have believed that I could do it at all.
Thank you all.
Finally Congratulations to Rob and Neil on their round in 23:20 with the additional pressures of fundraising for a noble cause, well done.
Andy Slattery
