I need to talk about it.
66miles, 42 lakeland summits, 26000 feet of accent in 24 hours of running!
Its been my main topic of thought for the last 7 months and its now only 10 days away.
We leave Keswick at 00:01 sunday the 10th july so if youre in the lakeland hills sunday the 10th and you see a bunch of runners do say hi.
I am slightly stressed and nervous to the point I think its actually causing my aloepecia arrette[sp] Something ive never had before.
Anyone done it? How did it go?
We have recced all legs in all weathers and there is nothing more to do but finalise Pacers and road support. We have some good strong people out with us but essentially we will carry most of our own stuff-Water, food, waterproofs etc.
Do wish me luck, i am so going to need it! 😕

It’s been walked in under 24 hours, so I reckon you’ll be fine 😉

Billy Bland 13 hours 😯

enjoy it mate, it’s a truly epic achievement even to have a bash at it!

(no doubt you’re on the FRA forum if not there’s a page dedicated to it)

good luck 😉

Not by me it hasnt. Have you done it?
🙂
To be fair, this has been discussed on route many times. A lot of the section are slow walking anyway because there is no chance of running due to the BIG climbs or the boulders, so you cant run, well not unless your Joss Naylor or of that ilk.
I also wonder what constitutes walking when your Joss or a Bland brother? I dont think its the same sort of walking as normal folk do!!

Yeah im on the Fra but its a steady away site over there. Even those guys are in awe of it, well most of them.
I suppose the closer you are to it, the harder it appears, maybe?

It’s on my to-do list before I hit 40, got a couple of years yet, all the best and try and enjoy it. Let us know how you get on

Hope it goes well, you mad fool.

Clockwise or anti clockwise?

If you have reccied it and have good pacers then its down to your fitness. I think you will be fine.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Surfer

(50 at 50 for me!!)

Clockwise shirley with a midnight start. What schedule are you on?

My top three tips:

(1) Don’t go too fast on the first two sections.

(2) Don’t go too fast on the first two sections.

(3) Don’t go too fast on the first two sections.

Oh and don’t forget to eat eat eat 🙂

Mad fool +1!

Can’t comprehend why you’d even think about doing it!

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Clockwise!
We plan on staying together for leg 1 and 2 and be around 22.30 pace. We dont have much support for these legs, So we need to stay together.
Leg 3 i imagine we will stay together till Bowfell where it gets really tough going [rocky].

Surfer-Good luck with the 50 @ 50 and if you need any help mail me.

Realistically i will be happy to start leg 4 as that will certainly be my longest run to date.
I wont be to upset if i dont finish its my first attempt. This maybe not the best attitude!

Good luck man!

Are you doing broad stand or another route?

I’m looking at doing one in the next couple of years, although 3 peaks fell race is my next big focus.

Ive looked at broadstand. To be honest the whole atmosphere up there makes me scared anyway. If you replicated the climb at sea level you would just have a go. But for me, even roped on its a no no. I would waste too much energy worrying about it. We will split here and were well supported so i intend on dropping to foxes tarn and taking the gully up. I reckon i can catch the guys using broadstand by wassdale as 1 chap is cautious going downhill.
If its raining were all doing Foxes tarn.
I did the 3 peaks this year and hope to agin next, Great event.

This maybe not the best attitude!

Au contraire “I’ll just keep going as far as I can” might be more productive than beating yourself up with anticipation. But be ready to push through the bad patch when it comes (it will).

Have you recce-ed the “high line” traverse to Foxes Tarn? Don’t need to drop all the way down to the bottom of the gully (but you do need to get the right line below the crag).

As my mate pointed out ‘it’s only walking pace’. Just rather a lot of it. Strong in the head or just pig-headed is the key I think. Good luck.

We stumbled across some grassy ledges on our last recce of scafell 😯 I was already in a bad place mentally that day after a dodgy climb up bowfell and it nearly finished me off. If its the same that your talking about they felt pretty exposed and i was on all fours pulling up on to them. In the pouring rain and cloud, Im hoping to drop closer to the bottom and do the gully. Does it save that much time and did we pick a bad line?

It is walking pace, a slow walk at that, presuming you forget about the 26000 feet bit and the rocks. And as we all know, running downhill quickly is a doddle right? We will be doing walking pace down some of them to and at times we will aspire to walking pace whilst going downhill!!
😥
😀
Its got the potential to be the 1 of the best days of my life.

@nosemineb

I assume you have seen Bob wightmans site? Some useful stuff on there.

BG Round

My mate is doing it too and i’ll be supporting him on the sunday. good luck matey, you and my mate and all who are taking part are really mad as hatters!

for a bit of nostalgia get yourself to rosthwaite chapel where Bob Graham rests.

Does it save that much time and did we pick a bad line?

The blue line on here:

When you leave the scree there’s another higher line, hard under the most overhanging part of the crag, which you *don’t* want to be on, it’s the climbers’ access route. There’s also an option to cut straight up past the end of the main crag, around where the blue line kinks down a bit.

If it was clagged in when you recce-ed then you might well have missed the best line.

I’ve not been that way for a while and it’s apparently getting eroded in places (turf stripping off ledges) so dropping right down the scree to the bottom of the gully will definitely be your “safe” option.

some friends completed the BG round a few weekends ago in 23hours, you sound much more prepared i’m sure you’ll be fine and love it! good luck! 😀

the first page of feet in the clouds is enough for me!

seriously good luck though – plan plan plan! keep eating and make sure your pacers feed you (even if you dont want to)

dont come back on here if you dont make it 👿 😀

A 16 year old from Dark Peak completed it 2 weeks ago, he looked shattered at the finish. Key is to have good support and change of clothes as it will be wet.

One of our guys (Darwen Dashers) completed t’other week in 23:20. He was the 4th member of the club to complete (we’re only a small club). Another bloke completed last year in 23:57 – talk about cutting it fine! What club do you run for?
Oh, and good luck!

Cutting it fine… there was a guy a couple of weekends ago finished the Paddy Buckley in 23:59:45 😯

My dad did his in 2008(?) and finished in 23:08, running a 23 hour schedule. He and his mate were doing it together until halfway through leg 4 where they split. His mate ran the road section at the end where as my dad walked it and did it in 22:11. He’s currently doing the 3 Peaks Yacht Race, which is also very silly, especially if it’s windy. 3 years in a row, every single year there’s been almost no wind.

Didn’t someone do it in just over 14 hours a few weeks ago, the 4th fastest round ever I read somewhere, probably on fellrunner forum

That was Mark Palmer who did 14:59 earlier this month, 4th fastest on record as you say, pacers included at least one of my brother-in-law’s clubmates from Ambleside (among others).

But no-one’s even got within an hour of Billy Bland’s 13:53. One of the most amazing records in all of sport, that, let alone just fellrunning.

Worth mentioning also that Billy did a 6:50 Fred Whitton this year as a V60!

My hat is well and truely doffed to you!
I walked it a few years ago during training for my summer ML. Took us 4 days and it killed me…knackered my knees with tendonitis.
At the end of day one (clockwise) we’d done Skiddaw and Blencathra at a leisurely pace, which I think is about 3 hours on the pacing notes for a 24hour attempt!

Put me in my ‘thinking I’m fit’ place that’s for sure 🙂

Good luck!

Respect! Fair few of our mates have done it, one just the other weekend. Plenty of jellybabies required.

Good luck! I recently read ‘Feet in the Clouds’ by Richard Askwith – an absolutely briliant read about a sport I knew little about. Inspiring.

Thanks for all the messages guys, I will try and remember them when the lows points come!

I believe we’re the first ever attempt by Ripon runners.

Elliptic- ive seen that pic before and i still cant work out how high we were! If its clear on the day we might see it and it may feel better if dry and clear. If not, its down to the tarn for me, we will have done 30 mile by then i wont want to be crawling on ledges at that point!
After seeing and running/walking the terain in really makes you wonder how people can do 15 hour rounds, We recced the 2 hardest [imo leg 3 and 4] in 12 hours. Its incredible.
Mark Palmer round was also his first attempt which i think makes him the 2nd fastest at first attempt.
We helped 3 from yorkshire area about 3 weeks ago. 1 woman and 2 guys. The lady despite complaining of knee pain before leg 2 ended went on to do 20:56.
That must put her high on the ladies all time list.

Here is an interesting blog from Morgan who completed his in 2005 in 17:24. A very talented fell runner and top bloke from what I gather.

Morgan Donnelly

He also missed out Broad Stand.

Cheers Surfer, Ive heard of him. I will have a read.

Elliptic – seem to know an awful lot about subtle route choices – you pencilled it in now you’re an endurance athlete?

Kendal, i dont think he ever suggested that. I appreciate his advice though and at the end of the day we will bear it in mind whilst making are own route choices. That photo diagram has done the rounds on many walking sites.

@nosemineb: Kendal is actually an old friend of mine 🙂 best of luck whichever way you go on the day!

@Kendal: currently having in-depth conversations with my knees…

nosemineb – I know it’s done the rounds. I’m not being (very) sarcastic; elliptic has been getting more into endurance stuff over the last year and I know he’s always had an interest in the BG.

nosemineb – some of this may be useful.

For what it’s worth the hourly average speed works out at just under three miles an hour, with the terrain and height gain, (which I can see from your posts you are familiar with,) this is not ‘only walking pace’. I’m sure you realise this.

I supported a mate with a winter attempt last December and having the route GPSed really helped.

Stage 3 seems to be the one most drop out on. At this point just focus on Wasdale not what is left total.

Change your socks at all the road crossings.

Don’t wear new / untested footwear or clothing.

Have road shoes to change into for the run into Keswick.

Oh ok so its a lovers tiff! I read it as if you were having a real dig. 8)
Thanks for the advice.
We have gps watches. Its good guidance for the route [mapped from previous recces]. It does work really well but we will have maps as back up. Battery life is 20 hours we have 2 available.
My new omm jacket arrived today so if it doesnt rain before next week im going to take a chance and take it on the day anyway. 🙂
I intend on having comfy slippers for the road miles at the end and i am undecided on the changing socks..
I always grease my feet before starting [Rob Jebb does it so thats a good enough reason for me] But some people swear on not changing socks, i guess there not doing 24 hours though. So you stand by that? I will take spares anyway.
Cheers guys.