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Ennerdale Horseshoe – June 2011

ADRIANS CHALLENGE
The drive up was no problem apart from stopping for a wee stop in the bushes at the side of the road and going to the wrong car park, we were early though.

Made sure I was fully prepared and soon got sorted getting warm now needed to get out of the sun. Not too many runners in this race around about 80 + which made it more daunting. We had the usual debriefing before the start, getting very warm now.  Mike thought it was unusual using a dibber. We lined up along the lake side in full sun to get ready to start, started at  a good steady pace we needed to, soon got very warm sweating a lot it seemed a long way to fell going along these farm lanes.
There was stream across the stile I took the opportunity for a quick drink my cup proving useful. Now for the long climb up it went on forever I just plodded along with Mark  But when it leveled out I could’nt get going Mike+Mark soon left me just made the cut off although there was still a lot behind us at this point. Got passed by a few coming off Great Borne.  Just hung in there, by Starling Dodd I soon realised I was catching the ones who passed me.  Feeling quite good now began to reel Mike + Mark in going up Red Pike. Made the check point first with 1 minute to spare. Soon back behind again as my downhill and dodging rocks is crap. It was like going round town on this section, going round High Stile to High cragg Infact it was !$???$! annoying so many people, they were noisy too. It was great descending from High Crag a full scree run all the way down. I went more to the right while I could see Mike going more to the left, I guess Mark went that way as well, either way we all had a good run down but once at the end  I switched to the Buttermere side to avoid the steep rocky section but it was’nt any quicker it was rougher than I thought, I had to scramble down a couple of nasty crags which meant I lost time.

Going round Haystacks was not much better the going was rough you couldn’t even contour upwards, instead I used the fence to pull my self up the shortish climb?? Then the run down passed Inominate Tarn to Black beck Tarn was no better although on a well trodden track it was full of well worn smooth rocks just the worst terrain for me.3 minutes behind here had a gel and got watered here, my cup again came in useful. Anyway the marshall urged me on, not to hang around.  Mark Said that her bra was hanging from a post as a flag I never noticed, apparently it was a pretty one. I soon got going again into a good steady rhythmic march as I just couldn’t run at this point across  the boggy land I could see Mike + Mark a long way off, they seemed to be going up Brandreth I could recognise Mike by his stooped running style.

I contoured up and round to get to Green Gable missing out Gillercombe Head I had been dreading getting to this checkpoint out of time It turned out I was back in front by 3 minutes. All along this section there was a guy from Bowland fell runners running with me when he got to the checkpoint he just disappeared. I thought he had quit. It was only when I entered Stoney Cove I realised this was the most scariest section the way the rocks lay made it very slippery, I am glad it wasn’t wet. Somehow the guy from Bowland raced down here. Once through that section I was feeling OK.  I think the adrenaline was pumping I could see Mark + Mike still quite distant.  I had closed the gap. I had no problems climbing Kirk Fell just got stuck in Mike + Mark were a bit nearer now I was closing all the time by the time we summited I was in shouting distance and able to point them in the right direction to the checkpoint avoiding climbing Kirk Fells first summit.  Made this checkpoint on time  Mike + Mark soon pulled away again on the downhill.  Had to make sure I was heading for Joss Naylors gully not an experience too be missed going down the scree chute was brilliant, scary but brilliant and fairly quick.  Now for the very LOOONNNGGG climb up Pillar.

Adrians ears must have been burning at this point from all three us. I used the same technique as I did going up Green Gable soon got into steady marching pace whilst eating a bag of dried fruit almost all the way up.  As we got higher I could see that Mike was struggling. We all arrived within seconds of each other Mark first with me + Mike coming up together. I was going to have 5 to 10 mins rest here and recharge, it was a little chilly up here, Mark was getting cold so he carried on, Mike decided to follow but lost sight of Mark and wasn’t sure he was going the right way off the top. Meanwhile I was having a good chat with the marshalls.

The weather was looking ominous you could see rain showers over the Irish Sea. I did’nt realise that Mike was a bit disoriented. I had to give up my rest and point Mike in the right direction, I think even Mark was away with the fairies at this point as we found him having a rest on the climb up from Wind Gap towards Black Crag. When we got there Mark was OK, he had just got cold and needed food, I was feeling good, I was buzzing, we stayed together going up Scoat fell but once it levelled out I tried to pull away using one of my infamous shortcuts!! and soon ran into a boulder field I was still infront and stayed there all way to Haycock and beyond, which at this point was being shrouded in cloud there were one or two drops of rain, that was it thankfully.

The descent from Haycock was horrible I was still able  to stay infront though not as far. Mark began to have a few twinges of cramp so we hung back for him while he got through it I was on the summit of Caw when another runner coming back in the wrong direction asking where the checkpoint was. At this point I had built a decent lead on Mike + Mark.  This runner thought the summit of Caw was Iron Crag,  As I couldn’t remember the name of the summit we were on, I had to get my map out to check. I decided to bring my Harveys map as the race map was rubbish, but the map of Ennerdale is spread on both sides which meant unfolding the whole map I lost a lot of time here.  As this runner had sown seeds of doubt, anyway I pointed him in the right direction. He soon scuttled off cheeky bugger. Where was his map??

We all ran together now contouring round to Iron Cragg with me basically leading. The instructions are to follow the wall all the way to Crag Fell But there is a junction in the wall and fence line that goes off to Lank Rigg. Having been lost on Lank Rigg in the past I certainly didn’t want to end up there I made sure we were going in the right direction. Before the incident with the other runner I was having visions of a dream finish I was really pulling away, alas not be, all I could do now was maintain my lead the rest of the way to Crag Fell. Had to really focus going through the forest section, because I know how tricky it is to navigate, it is so easy to follow the main tracks, so it was eyes to the ground and follow footprints, had to watch it going over the stile for cramp, all OK just the last climb now nice good soft ground and an easy gradient.  There was no way that Mark or Mike!!!  he made me run for it were going to beat me to the last checkpoint. We stopped for a posy photo. Now for the run down !!!. This is a good route in reality but when you have just run 21+ miles, hundreds of mountains, and your feet hurt, its not nice, again it seemed to go on forever the section through the woods is just horrible especially when you can see the lane below going the other way no SHORTCUTS allowed Mark + Mike left me on this section. I could see them walking up the lane, I was able to catch them up again, but I had nothing left to have decent run into the finish.
Would I do it again probably not. there are better ways of enjoying running across the mountains
As a challenge it’s a good one But to do it  properly you have to be putting the climbing and the miles in Have I got the time or funds for these adventures?  probably not

I was hoping that we may I have done the route in under 7 hours it just did’nt happen
Some thanks ??? has to go Adrian for bullying us into doing this even though he wussed out of it it is a  race I wanted to do  but always kept deferring.

Mark C

Full results

A great account of the challenge from Checkers. He pretty well summed it all up. Here’s a bit more info.

Whose bloody idea was this anyway? and where is he?
The race is 23 miles and 7500 foot of ascent around the Ennerdale valley. There are 10 checkpoints that each runner must visit and the 1st 6 checkpoints have timed cut-offs so no pressure there then not only have you got to get to these CPs but you have to get to the 1st 6 before a deadline!
Not to worry the cut-offs will be quite generous and it wont be a problem, or so we thought/hoped and its not like its the middle of summer….

When we arrived at Ennerdale water it was like being abroad, a beautiful day for most people perhaps sat in a beer garden drinking ice cold beer, certainly not ideal conditions for fell running.
Talking to more experienced runners at the start we were informed that the 1st cut-off at 50 mins at CP1 & the 2nd at Red Pike 1hr 25mins are tough!!

So not only have you got to run 23 miles up 8+ hills you have to visit 10 CPs and you have to visit the 1st 6 before a deadline and the deadlines aren’t that generous!! and its probably the hotest day of the year so far!! There was no Hope.

We had decided not to treat it as a race against each other but to stick together and just get thru it as best we could, this race is significantly harder than anything we have done in the past.
We set off on the flat for 1.5 miles then headed up to CP1 Great Bourne 1700 ft a tremendously steep climb which was walked, there was just a single line of us walking in similar pain. We made it in 49 mins to CP1, cut-off was 50 mins and 1hr 24mins to CP2, cut-off 1hr 25mins. After this CP i was following some Horwich runners who i knew were on a possible 7 hr finish time and without really knowing it i pulled away from Mike and Mark C. Before the climb to Haystacks i stopped and surveyed the long descent from High Crag to see Mike part way down, but there was no sign of Mark C. I waited for Mike losing touch with the Horwich runners and then we saw Checkers ambling down towards us using his very own style of descending. We saw he was on the right track and we knew that he knew the way to CP3, we were confident in his navigatinal abilities (no i’m not joking), we were also conscious that we were on the limits of the cut-off time for CP3 and so carried on up to Haystacks. Mike and I made CP3 at 2hr 24min – cut-off 2hr 25 mins!.
We set off up to CP4 at Green Gable and periodically checked that Mark C was on our tail, at CP4 3hr 2 mins cut-off 3hr 10 mins we took a few minutes to wait for Mark but in the wind, being stood still and being covered in sweat we began to get cold and so told the marshall to explain to Checkers that we were carrying on – we were confident that he knew where he was going.
Both of us were tired by now 1/2 way round the course and the climb to Kirk Fell was slow with the first twinges of the dreaded cramp, we arrived at CP5 in 3hr 42 mins – cut-off 3 hr 45mins. Checkers was very close but i was almost obsessed with getting up Pillar before the last cut-off time, the thought of being timed out was driving me on and so i headed off without waiting with Mike in tow, Checkers was in sight and only 1 min or so behind. I had made it to the gulley and dug my heel in and ‘surfed’ the scree alternating legs every few seconds – without doubt the highlight of the route. From the bottom of the gulley my watch showed 4hr with the cut-off at Pillar summit at 4hr 40mins. I made it up the 12ooft climb and i mean climb, no running more like mountaineering to the summit at 4hr 40 mins. This was the job mostly done now as there were no more timed CPs from now on we could relax and take our time!!!!
Mike and Checkers arrived almost straight after me and they both had a break with some refreshments. Again stood still i soon began to get cold, my fingers went white, i didn’t feel good and knew i needed to get to lower ground and more importantly to eat something substantial, up to now all i had eaten was jelly babies, jelly beans, a gel and had a load of juice. The route off Pillar took me down to Wind gap and out of the cold wind that was on top of Pillar. I sat there on my own with a wonderful view eating a ham butty followed by a very nice chocolate covered flap jack that Mike had kindly baked for me. Checkers was right i had been away with the fairies, luckily i knew i needed food and to get out of the wind. Anyway Mikes flapjack did the trick and i felt better, that isn’t to say i felt good, just better than ‘away with the fairies’.
The 3 of us set off at a sedate walking pace and followed a seemingly endless drystone wall to CP after CP with Checkers much the stronger runner now urging Mike and myself to run where we could. I periodically stopped to chuck some more jelly babies down my neck in the hope it might help me cover the last few miles and prevent a full blown cramp attack (ref. The Hebden LDWA event), it must have worked as i only had a brief bout of cramp which seemed to go after a short rest during which Mark and Mike stopped to make sure i was ok.
As we approached the last climb there seemed to be a bit of a competition to be 1st to the top but i think i was content with a bronze. From the top the marshall uttered those magic words ‘its all downhill from here!!!’. That was all Mike needed and he was off like a thoroughbred with me right behind, Checkers seemed to lag behind but then again he descends like a big girl. Its a long 1200ft descent on nice tracks to the road below where we walked to let Checkers catch up then ambled into the finish line.

Thanks to Mike & Mark C for a memorable day out one i won’t forget for a long while. Although we weren’t always running side by side we kept an watch on each other and finished the race together – team Lostock!!!.

Mark S

Full results