All roads lead to Wasdale.

Good morning folks

This is the latest hotch-potch round-up of happenings from the land of Tad.

A busy old month.

This is an extended 12″, apologies, get a brew!

Summer came (and stayed), the sun shone and shone and shone, to the point where hosepipes were banned and folk even did rain dances.

A month twinged with disappointment, as sadly the Youngster’s operation did not work. I was absolutely gutted for her, as she had been so brave, hadn’t moaned once and had bounced back well, but sadly that’s just the way it is sometimes.

We snook in a 24hr raid up to Langdale for a club BBQ. the girls went for a dip in Loughrigg Tarn, then I got equally as soggy on some hill reps near Blea Tarn.

Along with a few other sunny weekends away, July has been pretty awesome so far 🙂

Carry on camping.

All year Valentina’s school had been planning a big trip down to East Sussex, which is north of Eastbourne, west of Brighton and south of London. Not a manor I know well, but after a LOT of planning, prep and packing, everyone was ready.

Then it was cancelled, the day before 😦

Everyone was absolutely gutted.

So, we all rallied round and found an alternative. One of the class parents found a campsite near Scarboghorror that would take a group booking, so on the Friday, off we headed, to the (Yorkshire) East Coast, breaking all my own rules about never heading east on a sunny weekend!

All the kids were good as gold, the sun shone (although perhaps not as strongly as the wind blew), I squeezed in a sweaty run up to Ravenscar and back, and a good time was had by all, (including the greedy bloody Ticks! Never known a lowland place as riddled with the little Blighters).

Hopefully the class won’t think “Remember the time we didn’t go to East Sussex” but “Remember that awesome camping trip when we went to Scarbados”

Felix and the Green Machine!

(Great name for a band!)

A few months ago I was asked by a friend from Achille Ratti CC, if I would like to help out on his Bob Graham Round. (I run for Pudsey & Bramley AC, but I’m also a member of Achille Ratti Climbing Club, who along with other climbers, mountaineers and walkers, have a multitude of fellrunners from other running clubs).

Felix runs for Dark Peak Fell Runners, a BIG running club in Sheffield.
Every “longest day” weekend, DPFR organise “The Green Machine”, a logistical force of nature designed to get any club members round the Bob Graham Round, who fancy a crack at it. On this particular weekend there were 5 hardy souls attempting to enter the sub-24hr hall of 42 peaks fame!

Felix has only been running a few years but has already achieved some amazing results already; Old County Tops (twice), and a 3:30 Three Peaks to name but a few. So when he asked me to pace him, I hinted that he was too fast for me/I was too slow for him, but he said (in his ever-cheery manner) that it was just a big day out!

How could I resist?
Plus, to be a tiny non-DPFR cog in the mighty Green Machine was too good an opportunity to miss.

The club hired out a campsite at Thornthwaite (part way to Cockermouth, alongside Bassenthwaite). I got across the A66 just in time to see the Gran Depart, then it was back to camp, chat, faff and sleep.

The BGers set off Friday teatime, so whilst us campers were lounging about, they were tackling leg 1 (Skiddaw, Great Calva and Blencathra, with a very, very steep freefall to Threlkeld) and then leg 2 (Clough Head, all the Dodds, the Helvellyn range, Fairfield and Seat Sandal) and onto leg 3 (Steep old Steel Fell, the Langdale fells, Bowfell Esk Pike and all the Scafell Range).

Overnight we got the news that Felix was almost 2hrs up on schedule, so we headed over to Wasdale, to witness a rather heated bun fight at the NT car park. The longest day weekend is rush hour for “Three Peakers”, numerous groups all trying to summit the highest 3 peaks in the land. Wasdale doesn’t cope with it too well. There simply isn’t enough parking for a shedload of mini buses and trailers. By Wasdale most of the people tackling the Three Peaks will have been on the go most of Friday and through the night, so some folk are a little tetchy perhaps!

However, Felix soon arrived, had a lightning quick pit-stop and we were off, up the BGR Nemesis of many, Yewbarrow. A diminuitive but ridiculously steep peak climbing near vertically out of the car park!

“We” were Felix, myself and a top lad called Luke (another non Dark Peaker). The fact that both lad’s combined ages was less than mine worried me a bit, Luke had run LEJOG in 14 days, but leg 4 of the BGR is an absolute belter, the weather was good and spirits were high.

Yewbarrow, Red Pike (Wasdale, NOT Buttermere), out and back to Steeple, Kirk Fell, Great Gable (make it here, in time, with anything left in the tank and your chances of completion are high), Green Gable, Brandreth, Grey Knotts and a plunge down to Honister Pass, to pick up Cameron (who is also called Josh) who had done a 13min 5000m. I had been hanging on by my fingernails up to now. The pace was about to step up. Like a struggling WW2 Fighter pilot in a damaged Spitfire, I jetisonned all of my own absolutely non-essential kit, as the pace was about to get even hotter.

Robinson,42 of 42 peaks done ✔

Leg 5 is the victory lap, but first Dale Head, Hindscarth and ultimately, Robinson and then a last plummet to the road at Little Town.
Change shoes, cramp up immediately in the process, suck it up, trying not to be sick, feeling goosed. Head down on the road all the way back to Portinscale, Keswick outskirts and finally, THE MOOT HALL, with Felix banging the door 21hrs and 5 minutes after leaving the night before.

BGR DONE 🙂

Glorious weather, amazing company, party atmosphere and a free pint for the conquering hero.

Chuffed to bits for Felix. I had had to dig deep. I felt rough; dizzy, nauseous and desperate for the khazi.
I was just about to slip away from the party to find the nearest WC and then bumped into the legendary Cherry B, a running friend I had never actually met outside of Strava, so had a chat and then immediately afterwards, I bumped into Rose G, from Leeds, up in the Lakes recceing a Frog Graham (another story for another time!) Had a very quick chat and then I then ran faster than Allan Wells to the nearest place that might have had a toilet, which unluckily for Costa Coffee, was Costa Coffee.

“CLEANING IN PROGRESS” was the worst possible sign that I could have seen at that very moment, but the cleaner , seeing the look of desperation in my eyes, said I could use the Disabled toilet. (I am colourblind).
I won’t traumatize you with details, but I was not well and then I discovered that timeless classic “NO TOILET ROLL”

There was a few pieces on the floor, beggars can’t be choosers, then after hearing some pretty banging on the door, I staggered out, apologising to the luckless souls following me. They looked haunted.
“Sorry, I am not well” was my parting shot, having recreated the toilet scene from Trainspotting.

Back to the main event at the Moot Hall, the party in the afternoon sun continued and everyone was getting stuck into the beer, I felt even worse so made my excuses and started to walkback to the campsite.
Ambitious!
I made it half a mile to the bus stop and topped. Slumped over a wall, waiting for the 16:48 to Cockermouth. I would have waited a week for that 16:48 as there was no way I would have made it walking…

Guardian Angels do exist in real life!

Mine was Tori Miller, heading into Keswick to do her shopping, who kindly did a u-turn and took me back to a campsite of which I couldn’t remember:
a) The location.
b) The name.

After a bit of to-in and fro-ing, we found it, I thanked Tori a hundred times and then forced myself to eat something, for the long drive home.
Resisting the draw of a shower (the best camspite shower in the UK I was later told), I pulled out of the campsite and noticed my “Boot Open” warning light, which always lights up when I haven’t slammed the boot properly. I was planning to stop for a brew at Rheged, so it could wait

An urgent sounding horn honking from behind made me realise that the boot was actually wide open and half my kit had fallen onto the road.

After a quick reload, it was away and by 11pm, I was finally home.

What a weekend, plus ALL 5 DARK PEAKERS GOT ROUND IN UNDER 24 HOURS. 100% SUCCESS RATE!

“Heat Training”

Although I have recentlybeen called a Trendy Wendy for doing Uphill Treadmill sessions and eating 126g carbs per hour, heat training (especially passive heat training) is something that is so easy to do and will get results, especially if your race day is on a day which is hot enough to boil a monkey’s backside!

Saunas, hot baths or simpling sticking your car heating on HOT on a hot day (especially if the interior of your car is hot already) can provoke pysiological changes in your body, which will help you adapt (suffer less) if you are racing on the surface of the sun, with very little shade!

DISCLAIMER: “Exercising in the heat can be incredibly dangerous and should not be done lightly or on a whim. It is very easy to overdo heat training and wind up with heat exhaustion or heat stroke.“

So, I have been doing this on a regular basis and had a last minute opportunity to do some on the way up to the Lakes. (Not advisable!)

The plan: Heat training from work to the Cumbria Border, an hour’s drive.

The reality: Murderous traffic and roadworks on the A66, plus an absolute scorcher of an afternoon, meant an extended 94 minute session, in which I ran out of water and ended up dying for the toilet. Hang on until Penrith, I told myself. After going through the worst traffic in Northern England, Rheged services couldn’t come soon enough.

Would this heat training (as opposed to actual running training, of which I was lacking) be enough?
Would it even make a difference?

Wasdale Horseshoe Fell Race – The Big Daddy!

“Deepest lake, highest mountain, biggest liar and hardest fell race – that’s Wasdale. Wordsworth once said that
every fellrunner should do Wasdale at least once, or something like that!”

A last minute entry into my favourite race.
Perfect forecast.
What could go wrong?

This year I have not been as greedy as last year with choosing my races.
2024 was at best ambitious, at worst suicidal. Too many races meant the season was ended by August.
2025 has been more selective and although I have not yet made it to the start line of the Lakeland 50, it has been a good year and I am having a break in August anyway!

The Old County Tops, Ennerdale and Wasdale were all down as my A-races.
With Wasdale, I had never ever headed into a race with as many doubts and question marks as I did for Wasdale last weekend. I even had an 11th hour (Friday lunchtime) try-out run (and then an 11th hour fall down the stairs at work straight after!)

After an extended heat training session and a 4.5hr journey, I finally arrived to Wasdale on a balmy evening, (although not as barmy as it was on the lake shore the next evening!)

I first ran Wasdale in 2001: 34 started, 25 finished, a lot of clag and a lot of navigation. Looking back I have no idea how I got round, but I did.

Fast forward to 2025: 140 entries, 100 starters, but how many would finish?

An inspiring pre-race talk by the RO told us what everyone already knew, it was going to be hot and we were going to suffer!

The Wasdale Horseshoe starts near Brackenclose, Wasdale Head, with checkpoints on Illgill Head (60mins cut off), down across the valley to Greendale Bridge and up the boggy slopes of Seatallan (1:25 cut off), across to Pillar (2:25 cut off), to Great Gable (3:30 cut off) and then down to Styhead, up to Esk Hause, up a bit more to the roof of England, Scafell Pike, then a freewheel down Lingmell Nose, back to the finish.
20 miles/32km with 9000ft/2740m up and down.

Wasdale cut-offs are tight, and if you are tight at the cut-offs, these tight cut-offs get even tighter!
It was hot from the off.

Illgill Head was ok, then plunging down into the sauna in the valley, past Greendale Bridge and then a chitter-chatter free yomp up Seatallan, NOBODY was talking, despite my best efforts! (I love a chat, but I get why people didn’t!)
10mins to spare at Seatallan, cutting it fine, 60 seconds to spare at Pillar, it was going to be so close. I had chomped through 2 bars of caffeinated Voom, and gulped a few litres of caffeinated Tailwind. (Caffeine has a half life I have since learned, this would come back to haunt me later).

Round the back of Kirk Fell, I booted a big rock with my right foot and immediately my right calf started cramping up, please, not now!

Great Gable was the first ever mountain I climbed as a youngster and it is one of my favourites, but the Wasdale race approach is a cruel one, hidden until you round a corner and see what looks like a vertical climb, the sun was out and any breeze had died, nobody was chatting, some had given up hope, but I had already decided that I would turn myself inside out to get there, at that moment in time, for 20 minutes, that was ALL that mattered in my life and the universe. With a parody of a run after scrambling up and over the near vertical boulder field, I somehow made the cut-off, but had burnt way too many matches, as there was still a long way to go (but mercifully no more cut-offs).

I stumbled down the far side of Gable and topped up with water at a questionable looking beck. Chatting to an old mate I hadn’t seen for 20 years, I racked my brains to think if there were any more streams before the end, as my water quickly disappeared, my reactions slowed and my batteries emptied.

On the death march up towards the start of the ridge, a big lady (stomping downhill) was just about to plough straight into me (gurning uphill), so I “skipped” across to the other path and then my right hamstrings twanged, cramping up. I took a really, really poor line, rock hopping clumsily to Scafell Pike and then dibbed my dibber, meaning it was all downhill to the finish.

Being a scorching summer day, Scafell Pike was awash with folk. Highest mountains (Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis, plus, I guess, Everest) always attract a wide, wide range of people. Each of these mountains have way more attractive, interesting, beautiful neighbours, albeit not as lofty).

I staggered down through the clouds to Lingmell col, and then rolled down the ever steepening slopes of Lingmell Nose, to the last checkpoint, the world’s highest/steepest stile and the finish in sight. Down, down, down and DONE!

I had exactly the same feeling that I had after Felix’s BGR. Nausea, stomach ache and again, the only position I felt ok-ish in was leant over. I needed the toilet, badly, but fearing I might pass out from post race heat training (portaloos do get hot in the sun), I then discovered no bog roll (this is surely a Déjà vu conspiracy!)

Back to the van, loo roll found, back to the loo, back to the van, cramped up, felt sick, sat down, waited an hour, then decided against driving home (original plan) and drove back to the hut, passing a shocking circus of campers, campfires, MASSIVE tents, ghettoblasters and cars parked in passing places.

Enjoy beautiful places in the great outdoors, swim, paddleboard, kayak, splash about, run, walk, do what you like, but respect the area, the people who live there and other people using it.
Someone parking their 25 plate Audi A4 (in a passing place) can surely afford the campsite fees at a campsite. It is not Glastonbury, it’s the Lake District and nobody should have to pick up someone else’s sh!t afterwards.

Since when was it ok to do that?

The National Trust is either powerless, under-resourced or have simply given up. It was a shocking and upsetting sight, but that is another topic for another day…

Anyway, caffeine!

I gave up coffee 5 years ago. In my heyday I got up to 12 cups a day, then reduced it to 4 mugs a day (4 x 9-cup Mr.Bialettis), then gave it up totally, thinking it would solve my sleep issues, but it didn’t so I am back on it again.
I never have a cuppa after midday, BUT Voom bars are not cuppas and I ws guzzling one chunk every 30mins until 5pm, so…

When I finally got to bed at midnight, I laid WIDE awake until 1:30am, then the Cockerel started cock-a-doodle-doing at around 3:30-4am, so I got up at 5am and drove home.

As a resume, if my legs dropped off and Wasdale 2025 was my last ever race, I would be content 🙂

2025: 100 started, 40 finished, 60% timed-out/retired.

Next stop???

The Lakeland 50?
Next weekend.
If my troublesome knee rights itself?

Raider’s round-up

The mighty Raiders comprehensively beat Batley Bulldogs 40:16 last weekend on a sweltering Sunday and remain in 5th spot in the league, ahead of a daunting trip to York, against the in-form-top-of-the-league York Knights.
(I remember when York used to be Ryedale York and they were generally rubbish, but the current outfit are bloody good!)

Meanwhile, Barrow Ladies trounced Warrington 52:10 and a win in the Superleague top flight has to be celebrated 🙂