From Simon Richardson…
Mountain marathon descriptions usually involve a 36 hour sufferfest with hours of running in dire weather on Saturday. Once you stop, the tiniest tent you could find for one has two wet tired people crammed into it. Dirty limbs attack each other as you try and get dry(ish) and into a sleeping bag to stretch, cook, and find a comfortable position to eat. Once this is completed you arrange what little kit isn’t already being used into a makeshift sleeping mat and lie down. Sleep isn’t really an option. The second day is easier in many ways – it’s usually shorter and has the finish line around or even before lunchtime on Sunday if you’re quick.
The GL3D is the antithesis of this. If you like running long distances in the fells this good part is still included, but most of the less enjoyable parts such as overnight discomfort & suffering are removed. You can even sit down at a table out of the rain, and have a chat and a beer from the bar(!). A dry bag (with a fairly generous weight allowance) for your overnight kit is taken from the start to the overnight camps – you can even include luxuries such as a decent sleeping mat, an appropriately rated sleeping bag for the chilly April forecasted temperatures and a down jacket for comfort(!). There are four classes from the relatively short cafe class (60km over 3 days) to Expert. Despite being 15 years since I ran mountain marathons seriously, I chose Expert. Day two, however, is not shorter like a “normal” MM.
I was looking forward to what I thought would be 40/50/30km days with about 7500m total ascent. This was about right but with a few twists – after about 49km and only 2km along Buttermere shore to the finish on day 2, there was a final Robinson up-and-down. Having marked up my map the night before, I was prepared for this – but unfortunately I had not noticed that the descent is the direct Southerly line taken from Robinson which in places is more like a muddy double black ski run. By the end of a brilliant day 3, I had clocked up 125km and a “slightly more than advertised” 8990m ascent (78 miles and 29500ft). Stairs on Tuesday were looking unlikely. Instead, I could get out my Wainwrights list and tick off those new from the 25 tops of the long weekend.
Roll back 2 days, and having never done the event a loud cheer went up at the end of day one. Stood in the queue for cake and tea (made for you in the shelter of a marquee), a small group of ladies behind me had just confirmed a rumour that you could get wood fired pizza – a massive unexpected bonus (and apologies to those who have already read Steve Turland’s report as this won’t be a surprise) – maybe I would eat my dehydrated meal thing after all, but after pizza (roasted squash, pine nut, spinach and rosemary pizza no less). We had awoken to frost and a beautiful clear Saturday morning in Braithwaite near Keswick. Not really having total confidence in completing what would be my longest event ever, I planned to set off early in the 7-8am window allowed. Being sunny, I was also concerned about water so an earlier start was preferable. An easy warm-up first checkpoint of Catbells was followed by Sail – a slightly trickier route choice with some folk doubling back to drop quickly, and others like myself avoiding the steep by continuing South and West. The day continued to be lovely and high cloud brought welcome respite from the heat whilst allowing great open views. Skirting Robinson, on to Dale Head and to Base Brown (a Wainwright I’d not done) lead us to the MRT box at Sty Head – and on to Kirk Fell. As a climber, there was only one way I was going, which was to take the Kern Knotts/Napes traverse avoiding the ascent/descent of Great Gable. Off Kirk Fell down red gully to Black Sail, up to Haystacks and finally the meandering through the path to Fleetwith Pike – tricky to follow in the light drizzle that had started.
Day two was joked about whilst eating cake and chatting. It was easy for folk doing the other classes to joke about the loop I was a little concerned about completing. It took us from Buttermere to Middle Fell (above Wastwater) via Red Pike, over to Lank Rigg in the West. Most of the checkpoints are obvious points, like Wainwright tops, path junctions etc. and unlike orienteering events focusing on difficult navigation. All of this completed in thick clag, wind and light rain, with two alternating worries. First, navigation on some of the sections was tricky in the terribly visibility (just a map and compass for me, despite GPS being permitted) and second – being on the verge of being too cold and not moving fast enough to keep warm. Luckily, after dropping down to Ennerdale water I was able to increase pace a little and the rain stopped. After adding the steep-sided Hen Comb (foolishly discarded in my mind as a little 500m bump) before returning to Crummock Water and Buttermere, came the short sharp up & down detour to add Robinson at the end of the day. Far from grim, but unpleasant conditions for a long day out made a big difference. 64 people completed the Expert class on day one, by day two this was down to 29.
However disappointed I was to have not made it round in these conditions in under 10 hours (by a cruel 60 seconds or so), it was hard not to be pretty pleased. My training plan had hardly been perfect. Easter fortnight saw the kids off school and is the official Richardson annual pilgrimage to Fontainebleau, home of some of the world’s best bouldering. Thanks to Covid, this was the first visit in 3 years and I rather like bouldering, so that took precedence for the vast majority of the fortnight. Luckily, there is also a brutal 15km loop around the bumpy sandstone plateau called the 25 bosses. It’s a fantastic mix of easy forest trail running and crazy up & down sandstone tors, with extremely technical twisty trails ducking under the odd rocky roof and scrambling over boulder jumbles. It’s only 15km, but under 1’45 will get you on the Strava top 10. A few rest days (from climbing) would be days running the 25 bosses – and these “rest days” confirmed what I had hoped, that the lethargy I’d had from Covid seemed to have gone, and I wouldn’t be completely insane to try and finish the GL3D.
Having never done 120 odd km in 3 days before, I had been fairly conservative with my pace on days 1 & 2. Day 3 dawned generally dry and much to the amusement of those on the shorter classes “the finish is that way” (pointing North), I set off for the finish in good spirits, South towards High Stile. Climbing Whiteless Pike on the way to Grasmoor my legs felt great (I have no idea how) and the last day was a day of pure running joy from then on. Pleasant easy up or down angled paths led to Grasmoor in the clag, and mistake free navigation lead me happily round towards Hopegill Head. The chap I had joined up with briefly didn’t like my plan to “play the lottery” and contour round the SW side of Hopegill Head to avoid some climbing, but it paid off. After a fantastic undulating ridge run to Whiteside, I returned along the same delightful ridge to pass him having gained a little time on the “up & over” option. I took another pleasing but steep line off Grisedale Pike, avoiding following paths and caught up with a pair that had been descending as I climbed the last part of Grisedale Pike. And all of a sudden the last checkpoint – Outerside – was in reach. Elation, and a beautiful grassy as-fast-as-you-can-run perfect fell descent later and I was double checking my map reading through the village of Braithwaite, along the river, to avoid making silly last minute mistakes on the way into the finish.
A brilliant event that I would strongly encourage others to try if you like days out running around the Lake District. Great organisation and extremely happy, encouraging staff & volunteers made for a truly memorable event.
From Steve Turland…
Great way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend doing the Great Lakeland3Day Event. One of the only mountain marathons where you don’t have to carry your tent and you can get pizza, beer, sausage butties and fresh coffee at the overnight camps! I opted for the ‘Long Wainwrights’ course which covered 62 miles over the 3 days with 22,000ft of ascent. I made a steady start on day 1 finishing in 8th position. Thick mist on day 2 helped me move up to 5th place. And then with a final push on day 3 I managed to move up and finish in 3rd place overall. Entries have just opened for next year’s event – would highly recommend.