From Andrew Merrick…
Lakes in a Day was one of my first ultras on a very sunny day back in 2016, with a few friends including Rob who I hadn’t run with again until this August. I am not entirely sure what led me to enter it again in 2018, but in stark contrast, the weather then was very, very wet, and funnily enough my plan of drinking and eating little in a futile attempt not to get too wet wasn’t the best approach….. I threw in the towel and tried to find a dry one at Ambleside that year, so decided I had to do it again in 2020 to lay that ghost…
For obvious reasons 2020 became 2021 and since the deferred (from March 2020) Tokyo Marathon was still not an option for international runners, I stuck with the LiaD plan.
I joined the camper van convention at a very picturesque Cartmel racecourse on Friday evening, did the registration thing – no kit check in these covid times – and after an appropriate amount of faffing settled down for the night, hearing every hour rung by the church bell until my 5am alarm competed with it.
I dropped my kit bag at the village hall just in time for the 5:45 coach north to Caldbeck where the race starts. This year each forecast I had seen suggested dry, even quite pleasant, weather, so I was slightly surprised when the guy next to me on the bus suggested 4 hours of rain was likely.
At least I knew what to expect with a first steady climb out of Caldbeck before we dropped down to the double river crossing at the foot of Blencathra. No rope was required this year but there were a number of marshals in the water to ensure we didn’t fall in the knee deep current. I stuck with my standard plan of working the climbs and trying not to damage myself on the descents, Halls Fell Ridge being the first test of this plan. A fellow runner muttered something unprintable about how well his roclite’s weren’t working as we fiddled our way down, bum shuffling being required for some of us in a number of places given how wet the rocks were.
Stage 1 ends in Threlkeld, mask hunting being required as we approached the check point there, with a well stocked feed station at which we were generally encouraged not to stay too long and a water station outside. I grabbed a banana and some soreen and refilled my bottles, knowing from previous experience that the next 18 miles before CP2 (a long gap by ultra standards) were going to be challenging. I don’t recall exactly when the rain started, but cold, wet and miserable was the best description of both me and the weather courtesy of a brisk wind bringing the rain largely against us and very limited visibility almost all the way along the ridge before the long descent to Ambleside. I battled on determined that I would not DNF again, but had to have a proper word with myself as we continued along the top of the ridge to finally reach Helvellyn and the gradual descent down towards Grisedale tarn. The route here involves a series of stone steps, and I decided to follow the lead of others and run away of the steps in an attempt to make more rapid progress…. A comedy slip resulted in a damaged and bent pole, not ideal before the final major climb of Fairfield. However I managed to get that done and had company for the long, slightly messy, misty descent into Ambleside. My spirits were raised by a combination of a bowl of pasta and cup of tea (to be consumed outside), the improved temperature as we descended and got out of the wind (it was still raining), and the sight of a skiing friend of mine who happened to be in the area and had dropped by to cheer me on.
I said to my friend that I didn’t think there was a chance I would hit my target of getting back in time for us to have a drink in Cartmel, but I was firmly told that it was much easier from here and that I should crack on…..
Still 21 miles of the 50 to go (54 on my watch), with one more CP before the finish, but very different terrain from now on, with some road stretches and in places relatively flat paths, and fully signed all the way back to Cartmel and I had a pub-based renewed focus…. The lakeside paths were in places at least ankle deep in water (and it was still raining), and there were a few minor climbs through the woods as we neared Finsthwaite, leaving in theory 7.5 miles to the finish. I was in good spirits after grabbing some coke and a take away leek and potato soup on my way through the CP, not dimmed by the marshal confidently stating only 14km to go (even my tired brain told me that was nearer 9 miles). A few climbs (several more than I was expecting) but largely on tracks and decent terrain, and only one wrong turn as a few us travelled broadly at the same pace before the final couple of road miles (it was still raining) down into and through Cartmel to the school on the far side. I heard the church bell ring out 10 times as I neared it – I hadn’t missed it – which encouraged me to keep running the last half mile or so to the finish, leaving ample time for a shower before heading off to the nearest pub with my ski friend. The landlord entered into the spirit (?) of the day and said there was no charge for the pint of blonde with the water chaser that I enjoyed to the sounds of any songs he had on his music system with the word “run” in them….. After a lift back to the racecourse, I managed to sleep through the sound of the church bell until I counted 5……
A very well marshalled race, which is much more enjoyable in good weather… I don’t plan to do it again but then I promised myself all sorts as I was in the cold and miserable phase of the race. The descent off Blencathra is challenging for some of us, and the 18 mile stretch between check points starting with the ascent of Clough Head and ending with a long descent into Ambleside is both physically and mentally demanding, but it gets much easier from there and Cartmel is a lovely place to wake up (in the sunshine) on a Sunday morning… even if I did forget the sticky toffee purchase!