The Beginings of a Bob Graham Round

For a Keswickian there is one challenge that has to be achieved if you wish to hold your head high and call yourself a true ultra-distance fell runner and that is the Bob Graham Round (BGR). 

The BRG.

The BGR is an endurance challenge taking in a loop of 42 of the highest Lake District peaks covering 106km with over 8200m of ascent, all to be completed within a 24 hour period. The round was established in 1932 by Bob Graham, a modest hotelier from Keswick, who completed the challenge arriving at the Moot Hall in Keswick, the start and finish point, in 23 hours 39 minutes. This impressive feat was not repeated until 1960 when Alan Heaton, with Bob Graham's assistance, completed the round in 22 hours 18 minutes. 1977 saw the first woman, Jean Dawes, complete the round in 23 hours 37 minutes. So far, the record for the fastest round is held by the fell running legend Billy Bland who completed it in 13 hours 53 minutes in 1982. The equally impressive women's record is held by Nicky Spinks who completed it in 18 hours 12 minutes in 2012. There are all sorts of other permutations to the original BGR, including winter rounds and more extreme 'extended Bob Graham's', but I'll save details of those for a future blog post.

I began running in 2010, after too many years of drinking and smoking, and a desire to change bad habits! I aimed high, with my goal to one day complete the holy grail of fell running challenges, the BGR. I started slow, with the first run recorded on my Garmin coming in at 4.85km in 33 minutes. I was so unfit I had to stop and walk 8 times! Undeterred by my lack of fitness I chose to attempt my first endurance fell challenge in Wales in 2012, the Welsh 3000's. For those unfamiliar with the challenge, this is a 42 km route over the 15 peaks in Snowdonia over 3000ft. I managed to complete it in just under 17 hours, including the hike up to the first summit, and off the last – as well as making it peak to peak in just under 14 hours! Needless to say, this achievement only fuelled the fire and I became more interested in other fell challenges that would take me closer to my BGR dream.

My progress was not without setbacks, and a month after the 10 Peaks, I entered the inaugural Vegan Welsh 3000's race (55km with 4000m of ascent), only to to drop out half way through with a knee injury. I tried to do too much too soon and paid the price. I have suffered with niggles in the same knee ever since, but fortunately with good physiotherapy support and strengthening practise, it has not held me back too much.

During this time I met a ultra runner who told me of the 10 Peaks challenge (75km with 4500m of ascent) in the Lake District. This looked to be a good stepping stone from the Welsh 3000's, so in July 2012 we teamed up and ran together, on a gloriously sunny day, in 22 hours 2 minutes. In the process I also gained two Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) qualifying points, which got me thinking how I could use them! Two points was enough to qualify for the 'Sur le Traces des Ducs de Savoie' (otherwise known as the 'TDS'), a race starting in Courmayour, Italy, ending at Chamonix in France, covering 119km with 7250m of ascent. So, I decided to apply for it, and cranked up my training for August 2013!

As part of my training I had a go at the 2013 Vegan Welsh 3000's race in June, this time finishing in a pleasing 8th place in a time of 10 hours 58 minutes.

The TDS: approaching the aid station at Col du Petit St-Bernard at about 35km. 

The TDS is my biggest achievement to date, and though very tough, I managed to complete it in 29 hours 10 mins with the support of my amazing family and friends cheering me on. Once the TDS was out of the way I had one last race penciled in, the Ennerdale 50k trail race (a mere snip at 560m of ascent) and finished in 4 hours 57 minutes – a time I was happy with, but I would have liked to place ahead of Chris, planetFear's manager! Now that is out of the way my goal for next year is to finally do the BGR. 

My plan at the moment is to do my BGR on 4th June 2014, meaning I can celebrate with a pint in hand at the Keswick Beer Festival starting the weekend after. However, that would mean my BGR would clash with the Blencathra Fell Race, another great event that I really enjoyed racing this year. There are too many great events to choose from around here, I am spoilt for choice! 

After Ennerdale my race dates for 2013 were concluded and I decided to take it easy for a month or so. I will now step up the training for my BGR attempt and post regular updates on how I'm getting on. As well as updates on my BGR training I hope to also provide you with inside info about the best places to train locally as well as reviews of the kit that I've come across working at planetFear.

Better than power........

.....is more power

It has been a hectic week or so in planetFear with all hands on deck to have stock and fixtures ready and available for an amazing offering at Kendal Mountain Festival. The previous week however, Johan (myself) and Chris headed East, for a patch of a few days good weather, to re-stoke their phyche for climbing.

Following a glorious summer, the recent wet patch had somewhat dampened our spirits, and having been confined to the joys of pulling on plastic, or nothing at all, grades were dropping and pints were beggining to show. Luckily salvation was just across the country in the form of the outstanding sandstone outcrops of Northumberland.

Johan shows off his impressively big p........rotection.

This was my first climbing outing to this legendary region, having previously sampled sandstone in the South (joyous..) and at St Bees (awesome), and it did not fail to impress.

First up was the Pilgrimage of Power to the ever lauded Kyloe-in-the-Woods. To say this took some getting used to would be an understatement, and although being a frequenter of both The Styan and Trowbarrow, failing utterly on fb6c (and below) upset and inspired me for the coming days. We did however come close on the local testpiece of Jocks and Geordies (fb6c+) needing to just suck it up a little more when we next assault it.

Not quite enough suckage on Jocks and Geordies

Following a few more pints than expected,  Doveholes was the second day's entertainment. A picturesque clearing, offering shelter from the ever-bitter North-East wind, trapping the sun in a patch of large boulders who provide many low-end climbs. A flask of coffee, with bagels and chocolate, makes this the perfect autumn venue, as you relax listening to the wind sigh amongst the trees.

Sandstone softer than the local norm gives rounded slopers and top-outs, smeary slabs of all angles and a break from the tendon-busting crimps found elsewhere. Unfortunately it does see less traffic, and as a result, lichen-covered boulders lead to excitement, demonstrated perfectly when I became unexpectedly airborne, and narrowly missed Chris' head.

The final offering went back to the brutal! Bowden Doors, where the weak get spanked and the strong, well, still get spanked. Bust out the guns lads, 'coz the climbing here takes no prisoners.

Messiah

First up was The Messiah (fb6b) as, being a bunch of girls, we decided we didn't fancy the E4 top-out (fb7a)! This was then followed by a hectic run down the crag to complete as many reasonably-graded problems as possible, the best of which, The Lightbulb, gives fantastic fridge-hugging, heel-hooking gloriousness, and, as you think its all over, the sandiest rock-over known to man. Shins anybody? This was all finished off with a reachy, crimpy, 7a slab and then home for some well earned rest.

Cold off the press.... Winter is coming.

Snow on't tops

It was with great excitement that, on the way to work, what was initially thought to be cloud on Skiddaw was, on more thorough examination, in fact snow. Winter is on it's way, or, "it's here damnit!" as exclaimed by Steve. This fresh new snow seems like all the excuse required to start a fresh new blog.

The first snow on Skiddaw of the 2013-14 winter season.

Here at planetFear, based in the tourist haven and market town of Keswick, we are once again hoping for a good hard winter, following a gloriously dry summer. Wit fresh memories of last year's fantastic conditions lasting for an unexpectedly long period we are all keen to get back out on those fells and gullies, be it simply with a sheepdog and microspikes, or tooled up to the eyeballs for some itching and scratching.

Johan tooled up to the eyeballs.

We will, over the next few months (hopefully), whilst not too busy skiing/climbing/running/recovering, use this to give an account of our adventures on the fells, alongside the odd gear review, rant, or entertaining anecdote.