From Kate Archer…
I managed to secure an entry in the ballot to the Lakeland 50, the shorter option to the Lakeland 100 ‘Ultra Tour of the Lake District’ (which is actually 105 miles, while the 50 is ‘only’ 49). We arrived in Coniston on Friday afternoon. The atmosphere on the event field is great, with most of the over 2,000 runners camping, a lot with their families. We enjoyed a beer on the field at registration on the Friday afternoon before the 100-mile runners, which included Helen Ward and Kirsty Wicks, set off at 6pm. The 50-mile event starts at 10am the next day from Dalemain and is the second half of the longer race.
I have run both races before, but was still surprised at how tough it was, despite the weather being kind (not too hot or wet). The climbs are long and the tracks are rocky. But there are frequent well-stocked checkpoints and lots of supporters on the route which keep spirits high. I was running with a few others into the last checkpoint when someone said we might be able to make it back within 10 hours. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to cover the last 3.5 miles in the required time, especially as there is a steep climb (Jacob’s ladder) before the final descent. I made it to the road about a mile from the finish with 9 mins remaining on the clock so it was then what felt like a sprint to cross the finish line in 9:58:20, 10th F. Looking at the results, I was shortly followed by another Harrier, Charlie Kay, who finished in 10:42.
Kirsty and Helen battled through two nights and finished the 100 within a minute of each other, in 38:02 and 38:03 respectively. The drop-out rate is about 50% so a huge achievement!