Here is the altitude trace for my BG from my Suunto T6d.

I didn’t wear the heart rate belt, which is a shame now, but at the time I didn’t want to carry it and was afraid of what it might say!

Click on the image to enlarge it and see more detail.  It’s interesting to see how the peaks are relative to each other, how thick and fast the peaks come on Leg 2, that steeple is lower than Scoat Fell and that although its a long climb to Kirk Fell, it’s not actually that high

BG Altitude Trace

Having drifted out of long distance triathlon and into the Ilkley Harriers and fell running a few years ago, it wasn’t long before I came across Richard Askwith’s ‘Feet in the Clouds‘ book and the Bob Graham Round (BGR). I had done a couple of mountain marathons 10 years ago and the prospect of more time in the lakes, brushing up my mountain skills and a good long slog seemed too good to pass up. Not long after that came Eddie Winslow’s winter round. I supported Eddie on Leg 2 in some pretty tough conditions, (where I almost got vomitted on before a quick assessment of wind direction) and actually came away quite positive. ‘If he can do THAT in 24 hours I must have a chance in summer’.

Moot Hall Start

I gave myself 18 months to get ready. One of the first steps was the ‘Old County Tops‘ with Brian Melia. At 37 miles it’s sort of half a bob graham, which we completed very satisfactorily as 9th pair, plus Brian had done his round the year before and we seemed very evenly matched. The rest of that summer I tried to get to the long Lakeland classics but somehow it just didn’t work out, another problem was that the increased running load was making my knees pretty sore. By the end of the summer I couldn’t ignore the knee pain any longer and went to various physios, masseurs and a podiatrist. Thankfully there was no underlying problem with my knees just classic runners knee made worse by lack of specific stretching and a history of ankle damage. However if you put up with something for 4 months it takes a lot longer to get better and although I was now stretching and had some orthotics I was also running more and more and in more difficult terrain so all improvements were matched by increased workload.

Dawn on the Dodds

The bulk of my winter distance training consisted of a monthly double leg recce (10 hours ish) to build endurance and learn the route and a monthly 5 hour adventure race (Open 5) with the rest of my training being pretty standard. As we entered the coldest and iciest winter since time began (or so it seemed) this plan became pretty ambitious. November and December were fine but Jan’s run was cancelled and Feb’s run became an offroad run from Ilkley to Pately Bridge and back. The upside was cycling was completely out of the question so I began running to work. I was away for all of March, training hard on skis and running, but it wasn’t time on the route and although ski training means you don’t have to run downhill, it does stress your knees in other ways.

The Joys of Leg 3

I’m not sure when I decided on May 1st. I didn’t want the BG to dominate the whole summer, or for it to be too hot. The weather is normally pretty stable in May and there was a full moon at either end so I plumped for the start. I was only back from the alps 3 weeks but hoped I would carry some altitude adaptation over for the 3 weeks. The good news was that after skiing my knees really started to improve, they were still my greatest physical worry about the round but even under training they were getting stronger again.

The last 3 weeks of April flew by. I still had to recce Leg 4 and 5 which I was no longer prepared to do as a double this close to the day plus go back and do Leg 1 in the dark. Nicky Jacqueri and I did leg 4 combined with the run in and out of Seathwaite on a summer’s day in April, The pair of us plus Brian Melia did Leg 1 at night at the end of the same week and finally with only 8 days to go I did leg 5 solo in the dark after work one night.

So the day dawned. The forecast had been changing all week but never looked like forcing a postponement. I moved the start from 0200 to 0000 because I thought Halls Fell Ridge by torch was quite OK and as I was hopeful of 22 hours that would only leave the back of Robinson in the dark. I had a mellow build up during the day but got no sleep so I had been up for 18 hours at the start! The weather was perfect, still and cool, great running conditions. The phrase I have used most since the round is ‘It all went according to plan’. I took it easy on Leg 1 and 22 hour pace was very comfortable. Nearly lost a few minutes on Halls Fell but didn’t, that’s what pacers are for!  Leg 2 was more of the same. Beautiful sunrise and cloud inversion combined with perfect running conditions. I had promised myself I would not go under schedule before Bowfell no matter how I felt but somehow had gained 40 mins or so by Dunmail. Leg 3 was a bit tougher as I was really bloated for a while and my food consumption had dropped off a bit but gradually it passed and I felt better. My personal nemesis of Bowfell came and went and the boulders were only a bit greasy so conditions were still great. Through Broad Stand with no problems, as it was fully roped, although Neil emerged a bit bloody. Had the best cheese and onion pasty of my life in Wasdale and then off up Yewbarrow. I had 5 pacers for Leg 4 and as it turned out I really needed them.

4 seasons in one day

The fairytale had to end somewhere and it ended on Steeple. The temperature dropped, the hail came and the wind blew. This either caused or coincided with my lowest physical state of the day. The Steeple to Great Gable section was a case of just putting one in front of the other. I stopped looking at my splits because I knew this was my max speed, so it was irrelevant what the schedule said. Again my pacers saved me, gloves, over trousers, food and water. My lightweight waterproof was even swapped for something warmer and thicker. Luckily I had the advantage of being the right side of Wasdale when this happened and I knew I had some time to play with, both of which made this mental hole easier to climb out of. In the end I had to check the split at the summit of Great Gable and was amazed to find I was still on 22 hour pace, cold and knackered but still on pace. If you study the schedule you will see that the times get much more generous on Leg 4 and 5 as fatigue sets in, so what this meant was that I was tiring at the same rate that the schedule allowed for. By the time I hobbled down into Honister I knew it was in the bag, just hold my concentration.

Honister Road Crossing

A complete set of dry clothes and some soup and rice pudding transformed me at Honister and we were off. I could still climb pretty well on Leg 5 but the uphill gains were matched by the pathetic downhill hobble I was reduced to, still we stuck to 22 pace. In the end I had to walk down from Robinson to Newlands Church because I could no longer run downhill and dropped maybe 15mins, but as the road flattened out I managed a jog and a march back to Keswick.

Run in for 21 hours

Because of the slow descent of Robinson I had given up the thought of making it back in 21 hours but Alison lied to me about how far it was and I gave it a go. Several times on the way back I gave up the attempt and my pacers encouraged and urged me to keep it up. I finally quit just after the suspension bridge. Then it happened. I realised how close it actually was and I still had 3 minutes. The pain and fatigue melted away and we were off. Even now I think that I must have been hamming up the shuffle beforehand because suddenly I could run like it was a 10K and it didn’t hurt. Up the road, through the traffic and dead on the stroke of 21 hours I reached the Moot Hall Door.

A massive thank you must go out to all the people who gave up their time to help me achieve my goal, it would not be possible or preferable to have done it without you. For some of you I am too late to return the favour but hopefully not for all.

Nice cup of tea

Completed my BG round on saturday may 1st. Started at midnight going clockwise. Full report and pictures to follow but the very brief summary is perfect conditions for first 2/3rds then hail, wind and rain. Set off on a 22 hour schedule, everything went as planned and managed to gain an extra hour along the way to finish in 21 hours (actually 20.59 we think but maybe only by 10 seconds!). Worst bit was Steeple to Honister, but that must be pretty common.

Daybreak on the Dodds

This post follows on from others about Stu’s BG round. Previous posts can be found here.

This Sunday (08/11/09) I did my first double leg recce of the winter.  Starting at the Moot Hall in Keswick, finishing at Dunmail Raise on the road from Ambleside to Keswick. I was accompanied by 3 other Ilkley harriers (Paul Sowden, Neil Smith & Roy Ruddle plus Rin Colombi from Lyon Equipment). These legs total 29 miles, 15 tops and around 3800m of climbing.

The weather was pretty good, some of the tops were in cloud but there was only light winds and no rain, so a good day for November.  We started at 8.15 am and hoped to be down before dark but torches were taken just in case. I won’t go into too much route detail here but the salient points are

1. It’s a boggy and strength sapping mess on the Great Calva diversion and I really hope for firmer ground there in May. It’s important to drift off runners left on the decent from Great Calva to minimise the pushing through deep heather.
2.  You spend more time on the left of Halls Fell ridge that the right as you decend but you do change a couple of times.
3.  GPS waypoint markers for the summits are quite useful in low visibility on leg 2 as some of the tops are quite indistinct.
4. Having done Fairfield via Cofa pike and going the Seat Sandal side of Grisedale Tarn and then up and down the same track, I now think it’s quicker and less sapping to go up and back the same way. Especially when you take the more runnable decent from Dollywaggon into consideration
5. It’s not as far back up to Seat Sandal as it looks!

Don’t worry if the route description sounds a bit complicated and you don’t get it or feel you can remember it, I felt the same when I began reading about the BG, but as you do a few recces it all begins to make sense.

My general kit observations are

1.  Carry a map, compass, gps, and altimeter. I use the altimeter most, it helps me know when to drop left or right off a ridge line when decending and how much vertical left to the next summit, marking your own spot heights on the map also helps this.  I find the GPS great to locate actual summits in low vis and help in moments of low concentration.
2. Use walking sticks! I tried them for the first time this recce and despite my initial reservations about not having my map and compass in hand the whole time I thought they were really worth it. The only time they are not useful is on gentle decents but on  ups and steep downs they are great plus a bit of nordic walking on the flats really keeps your average speed up. A system to quickly put them on your back rather than tucking them under you arm when you need your hands for other things would be a good improvement.
3. One bacon or sauasge roll  with plenty of mayo and ketchup for each 3 hours plus jelly babies and peanuts semed to be a reasonable claorie intake.  Napoleon was right, an army really does march on it’s stomach. Some water to cover the dry bits but not too much, it’s too heavy. Protein and fat are needed just as much as carbs on big days out.

Below is the kit I wore/took and what I thought.  Bear in mind it’s was a winter day, dry but cold. There was snow/compacted hail sort of stuff  covering the top of skiddaw and just visible around Helvellyn.

1. Windstopper hat and windstopper gloves plus buff. The buff I use over my ears if I am too warm for a hat.  Had my gloves on the whole day. I find windstopper blocks windchill without retaining too much heat.
2. Ortovox Merino Wool Thermal.  Merino is great for varying temperatures and doesn’t get too clammy on short stops.
3. Decathlon long running tights. Quite compressive but just slightly thicker lycra tights for a bit of warmth.
4. Smartwool Merino Wool Socks. Wool socks are great when you know your feet will be wet all day. They get cold on immersion but warm up very quickly as soon as you are out of the water.
5. Helly Hansen Boxer Shorts. Don’t over look your pants when layering your clothing.
6. Mountain Equipment Astron hooded Jacket. Quite a premium bit of kit but really excellent. Really wind blocking, breathable and comfortable but not really that warm which is great for running and biking. As ths Astron uses a tight weave rather than a membrane to block wind you can wash it as much as you like without degrading the performance which is an important consideration. It has good chest pockets for maps etc similar layout to a waterproof  plus a hood with good volume adjustment for extra protection. I find I rarely need to take it off in winter, just use the full zip for temp regulation nor add anything over the top except in heavy rain.
7. Marmot Mica Jacket.  185 g MEMBRANE waterproof jacket with taped hood and seams.  Hood volume adjustment could be better but otherwise great.
8. Inov8 Mistlite 130 Pants. 130g waterproof legwear. Simple but better for it.
9. Silva Jet 5 Compass. Chunky easy to use dial and fast settling needle.  Also spare compass in pack
10. Harveys 1:40 Lakes Map – Covers the whole BG with one map! also spare pre marked map in pack
11. Route card with timings, summit heights and inital bearing from summit. Thanks to the excellent Bob Wightman site
12.  Garmin etrex GPS. The most basic GPS, no colour, no scrolling map. Does everything I need plus batteries (use lithium disposibles) last much longer without all the extras
13. Suunto Altimeter Watch. I use the T6 as it has an altimeter and HR.
14. Platypus Big Zip SL 2 litre Bladder. I used a carbohydrate drink mixed at half strength to what it says on the packet, that way you get extra calories but it’s more like water on your stomach.
15. Black diamond Expedition Walking Poles. As discussed above.
16. Petzl RXP headtorch. Only really needed for winter recces but invaluable coming off Seat Sandal in the dark last week! Takes the stress out of being behind schedule.
17. Camp Evo 290 Pack. 20 litre lightweight pack weighing 290g.  The Camp Evo 290 is actually a ski mountaineering race sack but worked really well and was very comfortable. The straps slipped a bit and needed tighening to stop pack bounce but that’s a common feature on light pack straps. Am going to try a few packs, others I am considering are the GoLite Ion, Deuter Speedlite 15 and Inov8 Race Elite 15. This is more for the recces than the actual round but good research all the same.

Kit is very personal but this is what works for me. If you are not happy with what you are using or need a new bit of kit, it might help you get some ideas. As well as route finding, recces are also important for testing food, clothing and pacing before big events and races.

The next recce (legs 2 & 3, Threkeld to Wasdale) will be mid december.
As always comments and suggestions welcome.

I have decided to do a Bob Graham Round.  Starting Saturday May 1st going clockwise.

Over the last couple of years I have gradually drifted out of triathlon and into fell running and adventure racing. It wasn’t  long before I became aware of the BG round and  one read of ‘Feet in the clouds‘ later and it was a definate plan. As I mentioned it to a few people it became apparent that plenty of people I knew had either done a round or were thinking of doing it. Not that surprising as I am a member if Ilkley Harriers, a fairly prominent fell running club.  As with any long term plan it’s the preparation that has at least as much affect on you as the actual event. I thought a BG round would get me and the family into the Lakes a bit more, improve my knowledge of bits the Lakes that I didn’t normally visit, improve my mountain skills and since we are trying to broaden our product range for adventure racing it would be good kit testing ground.

I have been generally preparing in 2009 by entering long fell races for stamina and plenty of score orienteering (both bike and foot) to improve my nav. I didn’t get the recces in over the summer as I wanted so the best thing to do was set a definate date for the round and work back from there. I now have a series of double leg recces planned for Nov – Feb.  I will post a short report with general musings after each recce, if anyone has any comments or suggestions then please feel free to comment or drop me an email stu(no spam)@facewest.co.uk