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| (photo: Brian Horn) |
Living
less than 5 miles from Pooley Bridge might give a local to this
challenge a bit of an advantage and it has to be said that I’m no
stranger to the old Roman road running from Askham over Loadpot and
High Street with the kind of moorland terrain that can be challenging
in less than good visibility. I also have the advantage of running in
many of the Lakeland fell races that criss cross the route all the
way to Greendale Bridge and given that I successfully completed the
BGR 22 years ago you could be forgiven for thinking that I might be
able to run this blindfold or cruise round it. Well that wasn’t how
thought I about it. In fact I didn’t really seriously think about
having a go until early this year when I foolishly committed myself
to support my daughters 32 year old friend on his BG attempt in May.
Having
just returned from lots of skiing trips I found myself trying to cram
in long distance stamina runs to build some endurance and also
refresh my memory of the 3rd BGR leg. Once I got going I found that
I was rediscovering my pleasure in just running long distances
rather than racing over some beautiful terrain and because of the
overlap of routes I began to imagine that maybe I should continue to
work on this rediscovered pleasure and began to consider the ‘Joss’.
(The BGR support I gave was in foul weather and 6 hours of hell and
nearly put me off!)
I
decided I wouldn’t commit to the ‘Joss’ until I’d done a few
long races and felt that I might be able to get somewhere near
getting round. At the end of May after the Jura Fell Race I
committed. There then followed several weeks of long runs and long
recoveries. No more interval training or tempo runs. Build the
stamina, recce the route, compare my times, look for the best lines.
Most of this was done on my own as another advantage is that I’m
retired can get out on the hill when most folks are at work. My wife
Jane supported me by picking me up from remote valley heads after she
had finished for the day in Carlisle where she works for the charity
Safety Net (UK) as a therapist for victims of domestic, sexual
violence and child abuse. Getting the timing right for meeting up was
interesting and surprisingly worked out well.
Six
weeks before the chosen date I took part in a 22 mile race in North
Wales over Snowdon and the Glyders and almost from the start found
that I was having difficulty breathing. I couldn’t understand what
was wrong with me. A friend suggested exercise induced asthma. The
Doc thought differently and referred me to the Cardiology Dept. An
article I found on the FRA Forum suggested Atrial Fibrillation (I’m
no doctor) so I decided no caffeine or alcohol and as my appointment
would be nearly 2 weeks after my attempt I had a dilemma! I continued
training but making sure I started slowly and monitored my heart
rate. I seemed okay. Borrowdale Fell Race loomed. I had entered
intending to make it my last long run out before the big day. I tried
to run it and not race, which is difficult when you see someone pass
you that might be in your age category. Anyway I got round fine
although 20 minutes slower than last year (but somehow managed to
pick up 1st vet 60 - I think most of the opposition were somewhere
else that day)
For
the week leading up to the 12th August Jane took charge. I rested,
stretched and ate - all veggie and healthy - till I nearly burst,
then before I knew it, it was dawn and I was standing on the bridge
with Craig, Steve and Scamp and we were off.
 |
| (photo: Steve Angus) |
The
value of knowing where you are going means you can travel confidently
and we moved swiftly through the sleepy village and campsite and onto
the open fell. The summits ticked by nicely making steady progress as
the dawn sky darkened and clouds smothered the tops. Raven Howe, a
little blip on the ridge gives sweeping views down to Ramps Gill
valley and then High Raise disappearing into the mist revealed two
bolting red deer. More tops came and went. Jogging steadily trying to
remain relaxed and energy efficient. Steve claimed the Hodgson
Brothers Relay line from High Street and in the mists Simon joined us
as we climbed Threshthwaite Crag towards Stoney Cove Pike and
we pushed on into the wind and rain and neatly down to Kirkstone Pass
for hot tea and rice pudding.
I
had told my supporters that I wanted them to enjoy the day out and
would only go ahead if the weather was good so I was getting some
stick for the unsettled stuff we seemed to be stuck with. Sorry guys!
 |
| (photo: Kath Aubrey) |
But
the babble of chat and banter, the concentration on travel and
lightness of effort seemed to ease the conditions and it wasn’t
long before I was saying goodbye to Kath and David who took me to
Dunmail Raise where we surprised the next team who were huddled in
cars sheltering from the elements.
 |
| (photo: Jane Horn) |
I
thought long and hard about what to eat on this adventure. I took
some gels for an emergency but relied mostly on home made mini
pancakes from a Mountain Fuel recipe and some bite size flapjacks and
caramel bites from M&S. I kept off the sweet stuff for as long as
possible. I also had a couple of homemade tuna, mayo and sweetcorn
wraps which took me ages to get round to eating but really enjoyed
them when I did. I wanted something ‘sloppy’ to eat at the road
crossing and normally after a long run I eat a tin of rice pudding as
it contains good carbs and protein mix and it’s cheap and easy - so
that’s what I had at the road crossings and Sty Head plus hot black
tea.
Now
it was the turn of Richard and Justin. I took Richard on a recce of
this leg in pea soup conditions and Justin had never done it before.
As
we gained Steel Fell the cloud lifted and we had a view, but the rain
and wind continued.
High
Raise, (the second one), was now hidden in cloud on a featureless
plateau. And it was raining again. Getting too cold now and so extra
layers were added but no gloves because I’ve never mastered the art
of putting them on with wet hands!
Ten
minutes later and we saw a crack in the clouds and shafts of sunlight
on distant fell sides, soon turning to swirling mist in the gullies
and valleys and giving us fabulous views to Bowfell and the route
ahead.
 |
| (photo: Richard Maven) |
More
comfortable now and more confident, forward motion and eating and
drinking became routine. Memories of ascending the
steep rake of Bowfell played on my mind as
we approached, but it was dreamlike as we scrambled over the boulders
and wet grass meeting Sue then Dave who made the trip out to give
cheery support and encouragement. A stumble on the descent nearly put
paid to the day leaving a few cuts and bruises but now I was looking
forward to getting the right line off Great End and feeling the
satisfaction of time well spent recceing the route.
 |
| (photo: Jane Horn) |
Jane
was waiting at Sty Head with rice pudding and tea. She’d had a long
drive from Dunmail Raise to Wasdale Head through heavy traffic and
then dashed up the path in a panic in case she missed me. She needn't
have worried. We were ahead of schedule but not by that much.
This
isn’t a race and it’s a long time to be out in the fells. So kit
was something to consider as the weather forecast, although
improving, was to be fairly unsettled and rain was likely
particularly in the morning. Getting thoroughly wet early on made a
change of tops necessary at Kirkstone Pass. When it rained again I
wore my waterproof to Dunmail Raise and my waterproof - isn’t! so I
was wet through again. It wasn’t raining much at Dunmail and I
didn’t take the opportunity to change which turned out to be a
mistake. It rained again and I got very cold on High Raise!
 |
| (photo: Jane Horn) |
With
support from Nina and Mark we now began the final stage and the climb
of another psychological hurdle - Great Gable but soon enough we
topped out and were descending carefully and climbing hard again and
right on for the descent gulley from Kirk Fell. A quick stop at Black
Sail Pass to get rid of a stone that I’d picked up over 4 hours
earlier and head down for the long stretch up Pillar.
I
knew the whole route pretty well so was happy to be ahead of the
supporters. I like to find my own lines but sometimes following
someone else gives a clue where a slightly different approach helps,
for example where they falter or fall in a bog! And luxurious to have
someone carry all your kit, food and drink and to keep you supplied
on the go.
 |
| (photo: Mark Irvine) |
Pillar
and still smiling at the top with five more to go. The forward motion
continued accompanied by the routine of eating and drinking, chat and
banter.
No
matter how many times I’ve been up here I’m blown away by the
richness and depth of colour, the drama and magnificence of the
Lakeland Fells, the power of the universe to create this environment,
a place to enjoy. The running was a pleasure and I felt stronger than
I could have hoped for. Scoat Fell, Steeple and Haycock - all to
ourselves.
Even
though the weather on my day was a bit grim at times and
the bogs were full, they’re all an intrinsic part of the mountain
environment and add to the atmosphere and enjoyment.
 |
| Greendale Bridge (photo: Mark Irvine) |
Getting
closer now. Seatallen was hard, (I needed a gel) Middle Fell amazing,
the trod to Greendale Bridge an absolute pleasure, and to be greeted
by Joss Naylor, my wife and friends an honour and a privilege.
It’s
a long time since I completed the Bob Graham Round and memories of it
are limited. The weather was grim then too. I’m pretty sure though
that I enjoyed this day out better than the Bob partly because it’s
a shorter challenge and you don’t have to stay out all night
(unless you’re called Billy Bland).
I’m
delighted to have completed the traverse in 13 hours and 13 minutes
and I’m grateful to Joss for setting the whole thing off in 1990. I
think it would be disrespectful to view the experience as spending a
day just ‘doing the Joss Naylor’. There’s a whole lot more to
this than the one day. What I’ve taken from this is the pleasure
and satisfaction of many days out on the hill on recce runs in all
weather conditions, on my own or running with friends. Exploring new
corners of the fells, meeting other walkers and runners and telling
them what I was doing and why. I even bumped into old
friends that I’d met or skied with in the Alps from
years ago. Even at home hours have been spent planning and reviewing
and organising. And afterwards, meeting up with my supporters again
and having the chance to relive and laugh.
And
why did I do it in the first place - for my own pleasure initially,
but then raising funds for Safety Net (UK) became another part of the
fun! And I’m pleased to say that, so far, I’ve raised £750. So
thanks to all the donors.
 |
| (photo: Mark Irvine) |
Thanks
to Joss for turning out, to my support runners who did a tremendous
job of looking after me and without whose help I would never have
made Greendale Bridge, everyone who has made a donation - no matter
how small and to my wife Jane who has been outstanding in her support
for my venture.
Brian
Horn
Borrowdale
Fell Runners
15th
August 2017
Supporters
Leg
1 - Craig Smith, Steve Angus, Simon Veitch and Scamp
Leg
2 - Kathleen Aubrey and David White
Leg
3 - Richard Mavin and Justin Bibby
Leg
4 - Nina Walkingshaw and Mark Irving
And
throughout - Jane my wife
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