I had been really looking forward to the Saunders Lakeland
Mountain Marathon this year for a number of reasons. Primarily, I just love the
challenge of a mountain marathon, testing your ability to not only run over the
terrain but also to navigate and look after yourself, being self sufficient for
the two days. This would be my first such race since the operation and
therefore by far the biggest test of my tendon. Finally, this would also mark
the end of my training for the Lakeland 100 which is less than three weeks
away, giving just enough time for a nice taper.
I left home after eating on Friday night and drove the van
round to Wasdale; the usual journey of nearly one and a half hours to finish up
only about 15 miles from home. With the early start time on Saturday morning,
it was great to have the use of the camper to sleep in at the race on Friday
night, so I registered and settled down for a good night’s sleep.
The Klets class (Elite) had an experimental format this year
aimed at spreading out the field. At the start at 8:00am, we were given the
grid references of all the controls we would need to visit over the two days
but we could plan which controls we would do on each day in whatever order we
wanted, with the proviso that there was a 10 hour time limit on day 1 and 7
hours on day 2. The organisers had provided tables and chairs for us, though
the start of this race did resemble an exam room (or was it a bingo hall?)
It took about 10 minutes to plot all the controls and have a
think about my plan. I thought it would be a good idea to collect all the
controls to the east and south of Wasdale which covered the more difficult and
rougher terrain. It does nothing for your confidence as you turn off the track
and watch all the other runners in your class take a different route, perhaps
this was the moment I should have re-evaluated my plan but instead I stuck to
my guns. I made the long climb up from Wasdale to Beck Head, checking over the
map and started to realise that I had probably made the wrong strategy choice.
A better option would have been to split the rough terrain over the two days,
particularly as my route would bring me back close to the start which just felt
like a waste. By this time I was committed to the route so just decided to get
on with it.
The weather was amazing, particularly when compared to the
conditions we have had recently. I climbed round Green Gable and dropped down
to Styhead Tarn as most of the rest of the field came up the other way. I
remember thinking that they could all be wrong in their strategy and I might be
right! Over the next couple of hours, as I made my way over the hills to the
south of Wasdale, heading towards the west end of the lake where I would cross
the valley, I tried to up the pace to make up some of the time I would lose
with the poor route choice. Big mistake!! As I finally dropped down in Wasdale
again I felt pretty goosed. With all my training this year being aimed at the
Lakeland 100, I have not spent any time running off-piste and therefore found
the rocky and tussocky terrain a real handful. I went through a really bad
patch after about 4:30 hours and just slowed right down, walking on even the
most gentle of inclines. My original plan was to do a loop of 5 controls on the
Seatallan slopes, above Greendale, however, I made the decision that it would
be better for my overall race plan if I left those controls for the Sunday and
made my way to the overnight camp over towards Ponsonby Fell. This would at
least mean I could regroup at the camp, there was no point in wasting time
whilst I was struggling. I did start to get things back together again by the
finish but felt that it was a prudent move.
I had been running for about 6:30 hours, covering 20 miles
and about 7200 feet of climb through much of the rougher terrain and had ticked
the most important box; don’t get injured!!
The campsite was about half full at this point. I had a wander
about until I found a familiar face and set up camp next to Dan who runs for
Ambleside. We got chatting about the routes we had taken and I could
immediately see that I was well out of the running for this race. Dan had split
the tougher controls over the two days and still collected a good section of
the others, all in less than 5 hours. It was interesting talking to other Klets
competitors and seeing what strategies they had employed, with some going for a
monster first day of over 9 hours, leaving a very easy second day. Nobody could
really say for sure who was in the box seat; I just knew it wasn’t me.
The overnight camp was a great experience, the sun was beating
down most of the time, you could even dry out your socks (unheard of in a
mountain marathon), great banter with everyone and a view of the remaining
competitors as they came across the final hillside. If you are reading this
after making this SLMM your first race, let me tell you, it is not always this
idyllic!
I got through the long process of refuelling the body;
Cup-a-soup, freeze dried lasagne pasta meal, custard, chocolate, energy bar,
then three hours later, start again but with Bolognese this time. I do find
that by the end of this process you are simply eating for the sake of it and
not getting any pleasure from it!
As I settled down to sleep, I tried to calculate how long it
would take me to collect all the remaining controls the following day and would
I have enough time within the 7 hour limit. Working back from the finish, I
gave myself a 5 hour target to reach the checkpoint on Scoat Tarn which would
allow me to finish off the full course in time. This target setting was useful
as it gave me a real focus for the following day, rather than just head off and
see what happens.
With a 7am start on Sunday, I was up and out of the tent at
5:30am to give enough time to have breakfast, break camp and pack everything
into the rucksack. It was all so quite after the hustle and bustle of the
previous evening, with the sun peeking over the hills. I now felt fired up and
ready to finish this event with a flourish; the course was not going to beat
me! I decided to run a more conservative race and just maintain a steady push,
rather than go hard and blow up and I was pleased when a number of runners shot
past me at the start and I felt confident enough to let them go.
I settled into a nice pace and met up with Toby, also from
Keswick, who was taking slightly different lines to me but we both kept meeting
up at the controls. It was amazing that we could not see each other for 20
minutes and then reappear together having taken different routes. This time my
route took me up to Kinniside Common, a long slog up the lower slopes of Caw
Fell before the lung busting climb of Seatallan. During this long climb, I had
another good look at the map and decided to change my planned route round the
next group of 4 controls, with the aim of reducing the overall climb. This worked
a treat and I started to feel like I was back in the groove and making good
progress, being much stronger than the previous day.
After passing Scoat Tarn nearly an hour quicker than my
rough plan, I had the bit between my teeth and pushed on hard up Scoat Fell,
Pillar and along to Black Sail Pass. My mind briefly drifted to three weeks
time, when I would once again be running through this pass, hopefully feeling
strong. It was all downhill back into Wasdale and the finish. 5:20 hours, 17.7
miles and 6350 feet of climb. A grand day out, Gromit!
After 37.7 miles and over 13,000 feet of climb, I had
achieved most of my aims for the weekend; enjoyment, no injuries, mega hills,
etc, etc. I was pleased with my strength on the second day and delighted with
the way my tendon has held up after a bashing like that so, despite a mid-table
finish in the results, I feel confident about my preparation for the Lakeland
100 and am ready to start a proper taper.
A great event, as always, and a huge thank you to all the
organising team who once again made this race one of the highlights of the year
for me. Congratulations to Dan, who went on to win the race with a superb plan and some serious mountain running.
I am in the process of putting together a video of the weekend, which I hope will give some insight into the goings on at a mountain marathon for the uninitiated.
