From Peter Shelley..
The Fellsman took place on Saturday, and for some of us part of Sunday too. A bucket list event for ultra runners, it is organised by Keighley Scouts and an army of volunteers distributed across the 98km route through the Yorkshire Dales. They ensure all runners are accounted for, fed and watered at 20 checkpoints and food stations. While not quite free route choice, the event has an element of navigation among its many challenges.
Joining me on this adventure were Michael Odell, Martin Hartley and Martin Peace. Our personal preparation for the event varied, but one common element was gathering the long and quite specific kit list which included goggles (in case the bogs were particularly deep?), a rear red light in addition to a head torch (in case we should have to reverse?), emergency rations and a mug (in addition to the one who entered).
Thankfully we all passed muster and by 8.30am were released in the direction of Ingleborough with 334 other runners and hikers. Care is needed not to go off too fast as the biggest climbs occur in the first third of the route and energy must be conserved for later. I proceeded accordingly, or at least I thought I did.
The Whernside summit is visited on an out and back route which allows for some spectating of front runners already descending and even some of those running the Three Peaks.
The next section enters more remote territory with a big climb out of Kingsdale to visit Gragareth, a summit which somehow conspires to be in Lancashire. There follows the first of many peat bog sections which on the day were relatively dry but can be horrendous. A long descent into our third county of the day (Cumbria) led to what I had identified as the lunch stop at Dent (and another kit check). The organisers kindly supply a menu for the food stations which I had marked up in advance to have something to look forward to in what was already feeling like a long day. Salty savoury food served to combat the onset of cramp.
Conversations with people whose faces began to become familiar as we encountered each other on the route or in the checkpoints helped the time pass agreeably and provided a distraction from the running effort.
I briefly left my poles behind at the Stone House food station. Lesson clearly not learned and brain no longer functioning, I made the same mistake at Cray and Park Rash.
Despite various recces, I was concerned about navigation particularly over featureless stretches like Blea Moor and the final section run at night. My first nav confusion occurred on the descent of Dodd Fell, although there were other runners to confer with and little time was lost.
Feeling ok and sticking to my pace plan, I made progress through the field including along the road section in Langstrothdale. By 75km, it was 9pm, dark and my quads had seized. It started to rain on Buckden Pike, my head torch stopped working and with Great Whernside still to do, I decided I didn’t like this event anymore. Even the promise of a gimlet could not revive me.
Teaming up with Martin Peace at this point was a welcome development. His sense of direction and route knowledge saved me much of the navigational challenge, and we had a nice chat to the finish. Aside from running briefly when I tripped over a rock, we were hiking by this point.
Finishing in 16hr 55m at 1.30am, we placed 75/261. By this time Michael Odell was already at home on his chaise longue after finishing a brilliant fourth! With Martin Hartley surpassing his own expectations in an excellent 27th place, this was a good set of results for four Fellsman novices. It was a day of lady winners with the Fellsman’s first female winner in Anna Llewellyn who achieved a spectacular 10hr 18m and a brilliant victory in the inaugural Fellsman Dart for our own Kate Archer.