Lakeland 100 - 2024 - 38:46

 

This was a much more positive Lakeland 100 than my previous one back in 2012. Last time, by Dalemain I was struggling with trench foot, blisters and early issues from what would later progress into a stress fracture in my right ankle. This time my feet held up really well until Kentmere.

Right foot post race - 2024 vs 2012

I didn’t have a good enough fueling plan, and struggled with low energy from Howtown. This became particularly problematic after Skelwith Bridge, when I seriously crashed.

I got to run the final 30 miles and finish with Nick, which was fantastic. I had a plan which had been working and believe I would have completed within the 40hrs cut off under my own steam, but it certainly would have been tighter. Alone, I think I would have stopped more, which may have given me more energy, or might simply have cost precious time. I met Nick after a slow queue around Haweswater. I had been feeling very sleepy, which was a big concern. Once we hooked up, I didn’t feel sleepy again; a combination of companionship, encouragement and Nick's solid pace.

Crossing the finish line with Nick was magical. Something I'll never forget.

 

Leg 1 - Coniston to Seathwaite, 7 miles

Friday 6pm - 7:49pm (target 7:52pm)

When the start pen opened I happened to be standing close by with fellow Spartans Dave, Nick and Andy, and the four of us ended up right at the front of the start grid. 

 

I moved myself over to the left side railings and slumped over them in an effort to take as much weight off as possible until the last moment. I shared a brief moment with Marc, when he caught my eye and made a “come on, you’ve got this” gesture. Nessum Dorma, Thunderstruck and we're off, running through the most incredible crowds all the way through and out of Coniston.

I eased back to a walk as we started to climb and was through the bottleneck before I knew it. It was then a walking procession before we got higher on the fell and were able to get into our own pace where the path opened out. 

It was a beautiful evening, and lovely to be able to take in the views down to Coniston water to our left, with the trail of runners snaking away in front and behind as far as I could see. I was keeping to a sensible pace, happily letting people drift past me.

Over the top of Walna Scar and we were met with the beautiful views of the Duddon Valley.

This is a trail that begs to be attacked, but I was disciplined and walked the initial steeper section before dropping to a slow jog whilst munching a gorgious black pudding sausage roll purchased earlier in Coniston. I was still losing places here, which made it feel like I was going incredibly slowly. Even so, I think I overcooked it slightly. My quads felt like they’d worked too hard for the next few hours.

I arrived at Seathwaite feeling happy. Everything was in the green and I was slightly up on schedule.

Leg 2 - Seathwaite to Boot, 6.9 miles

Friday 7:49pm - 9:44pm (target 9:47pm)

Harry Potter topped up my water, I grabbed five custard creams and headed straight out.

I enjoyed conversations with a few people on this section, including Spartan, Lyndsay, and was a little envious of a climbing party enjoying a perfect evening on Wallowbarrow Crag.

Grassguards was pretty boggy, but not as bad as 2012. I enjoyed the next descent and managed to arrive at Boot without rolling my ankle as I did in 2012. It felt like a win. I was loving this race…having an absolutely fantastic time. 

The descent into Boot

On arriving at the Boot CP some preventative maintenance was needed on my feet. I had taped up every toe apart from my second toe on each foot (as I’ve never had blisters on those). However, I was discovering that the tape was quite abrasive and was acting like sandpaper on these bare toes. I took a seat in the Christmas themed CP, took off my shoes and socks and spent a good ten minutes taping up those toes and taking the opportunity to re-apply a liberal amount of Trench to the soles of both feet. Also, my brand new right shoe was too tight and causing some pain so I spent some time slackening off the laces.

I loved the xmas tree gummy sweets at this checkpoint and left with Boney-M stuck on repeat in my head to power me up the next climb.

Leg 3 - Boot to Wasdale Head, 5.3 miles

Friday 9:44pm - 11:25pm (target 11:27pm)

The headtorch came on soon after leaving the CP and it was quite a jolly walk up to Burnmoor Tarn, with some brief conversation. I loved the run down into Wasdale and was feeling fantastic. The end of the second toe on my right foot was still being rubbed raw. I realised I hadn’t taped it well enough and another pit stop would be needed at Wasdale. Everything else was very much in the green. I felt fantastic.

The Sunderland Strollers' checkpoint is always something to look forward to - the Strollers are kindred spirits to the Spartans and they really go all out on their checkopoint theme. This year's theme was also Christmas, done brilliantly. I was welcomed in by the Grinch before entering a full-on Santa’s grotto. Santa said I could have a chocolate coin if I sat on his knee. I remember my mother warning me about men like this, so I politely refused before finding a corner to finish taping up my toe. I grabbed a couple of sandwiches and ate them on the walk to the next climb.

Leg 4 Wasdale - Buttermere, 6.8 miles

Friday 11:25am - Saturday 2:08am (target 2:30am)

I love this section. Two mountain passes on technical ground in the middle of the night. In 2012, with 280 competitors, I thought the light trails were magical. Oh my gosh, with 730 in this year’s race it was more like a river of light, running back beyond Wasdale and snaking away in front all the way up the fellside. You won’t see a spectacle like this many times in your life and it’s worth the entry fee just to experience it.

I had an ace up my sleeve here. I’ve never listened to music in an ultra before, but I (rightly) guessed that with so many entrants it would likely be a bit less chatty than the old days. For months I’d been building a playlist with tracks that reminded me of my family. My daughter, Josie, in particular had been loading this up with her favourite tunes. My eldest, Alex, was away in Kenya and had added several Africa-related tunes.

At the bottom of the climb I got out my headphones, selected random and hit ‘play’. First track - Hakuna Matata from the Lion King. Cue me bounding up the hill, passing several groups, with the biggest smile on my face. Next song - The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Amazing! If you've never tried climbing a mountain in the middle of the night to The Lion Sleep Tonight, I can heartily recommend it!

I made it to the summit in a single push and dropped into the technical descent. I’d been a little worried there would be queues here but the pace was fine - only slightly slower than I’d have gone under my own steam.

I can’t remember when the rain started but it was bouncing by the time we reached the bottom. I was one of the few people still only in a t shirt, but with this downpour I decided I’d look for limited shelter at Black Sail YHA and cag-up. This year the bridge was out so we first had to navigate the river using a rope, hopping on rocks beneath the flowing water in a downpour. I realy felt for the poor marshal there, though he seemed to be in great spirits.

By the time I got to the YHA the rain had eased a bit. I was soaked but wasn’t cold so decided to continue in my t-shirt.

Over the next climb and down the other side to Buttermere.

I’d started passing Andrea a few times on this leg. She looked absolutely dreadful, vomiting and dry heaving, then floating effortlessly past me until I’d catch her up vomiting again. I was sure she’d be forced to bail at Buttermere but we'd pass each other for the rest of the race and she made the finish - nothing short of heroic.

The broom waggon was parking up as I arrived at the checkpoint; never a good sign. It was cold and raining and there is this lovely warm coach just begging to give you a free ride to your sleeping bag in Coniston. I put my blinkers on and queued up to get a famed hotdog. I didn't spot Bev but Kim was run off her feet keeping everything in good order. 

I was really chuffed to meet up with Paul Nesbitt here. He was super positive despite having knee trouble and believing his race was over. We managed a breif chat before I lost him in the crowd.

A drink of Coke, refilled water and out.

Leg 5 - Buttermere to Braithwaite, 6.5 miles

Saturday 2:08am - 4:27am (target 5:14am)

Last time, I really hated this section. This time I quite enjoyed it because I knew what to expect (a very long climb with little to look at). I soon found myself towards the front of a train which grew and seemed to snake all the way back to Buttermere by the time we reached the col. The guy in front was going just a little bit slower than those behind wanted to, which was actually quite nice. We were not losing any significant time and it was nice to not be working hard. I had also planted some excellent memories on this leg from a recent recce with Dave (turn left at that sheep and watch out for the freshwater crabs in Addacomb Beck!).

I ran quite well down to Braithwaite and arrived looking forward to a sit down and some food. Unfortunately, the hall was absolutely rammed full of wet, waterproof covered runners. I fought my way to the back of the hall to try the loo then decided to just crack on to Blencathra in the hope it was a bit quieter. I really should have paused to eat here. Hats off to the marshals, this must have been a very unpleasant CP to man for hours on end.

Leg 6 - Braithwaite to Blencathra Centre, 8.5 miles

Saturday 4:27am - 7:09am (target 8:05am)

One surprise at Braithwaite had been seeing Nick Wishart. I expected to be a long way behind him here but he was leaving the CP as I arrived. It gave me a boost as I must be doing quite well. I left the CP with a spring in my step and ran/walked down the road and onto the old railway line. A group caught me and I latched on to them to Spooney Green Lane.

Man, this climb is steep and hard! About half way up the wheels came off and my legs turned to jelly. I was paying the price for not eating in the previous CP and had seriously bonked. I didn’t panic though. This was a time to ease the pace right back and walk this leg. The northernmost section of the course was not a bad place to enjoy the start of a new day, and I felt super positive walking around here, looking forward to tea and toast at the next CP.

I arrived at Blencathra Centre a wobbly mess and staggered to the back of the hall to get tea and toast, eating a handful of cola bottles on the way. The marshal apologised for only having crusts, but more toast was on the way. I love crusts and grabbed four!

Nick was there, looking a bit broken and I went over and sat next to him, David and Tracy soon joining us. Both Nick and Tracy were having a tough time. Tracy had been struggling with nausea (lots of people seem to have had stomach issues so far) and Nick had had to punch himself in the face to prevent himself from walking back to Braithwaite from Spooney Green Lane 😳.

Nick left but I needed to recharge, taking my time and making sure I got plenty of food down.

Leg 7, Blencathra Centre to Dockray, 7.6 miles

Saturday 7:09am - 9:53am (target 10:47am)

The rain was battering down again, and I put on my waterproof top leaving the CP. Walking down to the old railway line, I realised that being so close to Keswick, I should have mobile signal. I got out my phone and saw a bunch of messages from Mich so, realising she was awake, decided to give her a quick call. It was a super positive chat from both sides. I was still in the green, feeling great and loving the race and it was wonderful to hear her voice and positivity. 30 seconds after we hung up someone turned up the rain to 'torential'. It was absolutely bouncing down. I quickly called Mich back and tried to persuade her not to bring the kids to Dalemain but to go and do something fun indoors instead. It would not be worth them hanging around in the rain for hours just to see me for 30 seconds. We left it with a ‘I’ll think about it”, which I knew meant “forget it, we’re coming to see you’.

Is this a running race or a swim?

This section was extremely wet and cold. It was rough. My family playlist came into force again and really had a positive impact. I was one of the few people still smiling as we came into Dockray.

The CP was fantastic, and I loved the humorous signs on the way in (“Stop moaning, you entered this”, etc). The tent was rammed and it was still raining so I grabbed a couple of sandwiches and walked out with them.

Leg 8, Dockray to Dalemain, 10.1 miles

Saturday 9:53am - 12:41pm (target 1:41pm)

I had a secret weapon waiting for me on this leg. From Aira Force, I had reccied 90% of the route with my eldest, Alex. It almost felt like he was waiting there for me and as soon as I hit that section of path by Ullswater, I got an emotional power boost. 

Ullswater Way recce with Alex earlier in the year

The Ullswater Way went well. I was moving well and in a bubble of about four runners. None of us were really chatting but pleasantries were exchanged. I had a nice run in on the roads (yes, this time I could actually run these, without my ankle screaming in pain :-) ) and fed into the 50 runners on their lap of the estate,

This was superb! I overtook a few walkers but most of the L50s were passing me, shouting encouragement. Very moving. I managed to run sections of this with Spartans Hackos, Barry and Iain, which was just brilliant.

Mich and the kids met me by the cafe and we ran into the CP together. I was feeling super positive. The rain had stopped at some point and it was turning into a lovely afternoon. I managed to find a chair outside the CP so I could sit with family and friends.

There was much faffing here and I spent a rediculous 42 mins in the CP, mostly through disorganisation. I had way too many things in my drop bag, which meant I needed to hunt to find the things I actually needed. What I did need were:

• Change of clothes
• Wet wipes
• New shoes
• Trench
• Foot care kit
  

Those second toes were sore so I tried wrapping them with moleskin. My waterproof socks had been amazing so far but I decided to try injinjis, as my toes were rubbing a bit and I thought these might help.

I ate some stew and bread, kissed Mich and the kids (and Dave, I think), then eventually walked out of the CP to let the food settle.

Leg 9 - Dalemain to Howtown, 7.1 miles

Saturday 12:41pm - 3:33pm (target 4:17pm)

I always think that the 100 is over at Dalemain and I now get to do a shorterned version of the 50 for free. I’ve done the 50 lots of times and know I can do it again. It’s a mental trick to take the pressure off, and it works for me.

The L50s had long gone and it was quiet at the back, with just a few 100s. I bumped into Terry Gilpin on his way back to the CP and stopped to chat for a few minutes. He said there had been quite a few drop outs in the rain overnight.

Through The Pooley Bridge and up, onto the fell, passed again by Tracy and David, who I was contionuing to yo-yo with. I enjoyed the run down to Howtown, and still felt good despite the feet showing signs of discomfort, especially those second toes.

The Howtown CP had been ransacked, having been infested by a swarm of L50s. It must be a particularly tough CP to manage during that intensely busy period. A marshal kindly gave me crisps that had been hidden away in a van for 100 runners and I headed out up Fuesdale with them stowed for later.

Leg 10 - Howtown to Spardale, 9.4 miles

Saturday 3:33pm - 7:40pm (target 7:54pm)

I found this leg very tough. I was passing people in the 50, but still felt I was walking through treacle. It was very odd that the faster people were the 100s....a complete reversal to the experience further up the course. Fusedale just went on forever. I passed Snazzlepants for the first of many times (we never did figure out where she re-took me, but she kept sneaking past like a nimja!). She promised me there was an ice cream van at the top and the very idea dragged me upwards.

 I eventually crested the top to meet a very welcome surprise in the shape of Spartan, Paul Chrisp and his (possibly imaginary) friend, David, doing a recce for Paul's upcoming Joss Naylor Challenge. I collapsed to have a bit of a rest and eat those Howtown crisps. I really fed off Paul’s energy. It was a lovely moment. I was really knackered but still in a bubble of positivity.

Highest point on the course. Photo Paul Chrisp

Having struggled so much on Fuesdale, I decided to walk the rest of the leg. It was boggier than normal over High Cop and quite slippery down to the lake. Here, we were in a bit of a procession, with the L50s actually holding up the 100s. Along the lake side I started to get very sleepy, with blinks taking several seconds. I was happy to reach the checkpoint and see the Spartans. 

I was given a very special welcome, and felt quite emotional. I was sat down while Jake fetched soup and sandwiches and coach Nick Brooks came over. I had been looking forward to seeing Nick to get advice on my sleepiness. Should I be thinking about sleeping? We agreed that the final cutoff was tight and it would be too risky this far out to think about sleep…make a call in Ambleside or Chapel Stile depending on time available.

I stayed for a second cup of soup but that chair was starting to feel way too comfortable so I forced myself back onto my feet and off to climb Gatesgath.

Leg 11 - Spardale to Kentmere, 6.5 miles

Saturday 7:40pm - 10:37pm (target 10:47pm)

Nick and I happened to leave the CP together and he said we should stay together all the way to the finish. Nothing would make me happier than finishing with a really good mate, but I was apprehensive. There was still 30 miles to go and I knew there wasn’t time to waste. Running as a pair, you risk always running a the pace of the person who is having the worst time at any particular moment. Right then I felt I was probably the stronger of the two, with Nick in a really negative funk. If we slow to Nick’s pace now then to mine later when I crash we could drag ourselves down and miss the 40hr cut off at the finish. I expessed my concern to Nick, who said "We'd better get moving then", cranked up a gear and headed up the climb.

We worked our way up Gatesgarth together. I couldn’t pull him out of his funk, but he was going at a good pace. As we crested the top another 100 runner overtook us and Nick latched onto them, re-finding his positivity, chatting away. From this point all the way to the end he was the stronger runner and pulled me along. I hung off the back of Nick and his new mate, enjoying listening to the conversation without having to put in any effort. We had another tow when we were caught by a lovely couple from the Wirral who I’d been trading places and pleasantries with for most of the day. Good company was making the miles fly by.

Kentmere CP. Photo: Nick Wishart

We made it to Kentmere just as we lost the light. I went inside to look at my feet, which were starting to get really quite sore. I cut off all the tape, which had gathered and was now causing blisters on the bottom of each toe, applied copious amounts of Gurney Goo and put on fresh waterproof socks.

The CP team had packed up the smoothy maker by now, so with a poor substitute of orange squash we headed out into our second night.

Leg 12 - Kentmere to Ambleside, 7.3 miles

Saturday 10:37pm - Sunday 1:50am (target 2:40am)

Nick put in a monumental shift on this climb. I’ve always disliked Garburn, but here I just kept my head down and tried to keep pace with him. We passed a group of L100s who latched on to us and we filed our way up hill, Nick leading the way and us ducklings following on his heels.

I started to slow on the descent, and Nick waited several times for me to catch up. I finally dropped off the back going into Ambleside and had quite a slow, quiet walk through deserted streets at almost 2am.

We didn’t want to climb the steps into the building and get too comfortable, so sat outside, eating bits and bobs and putting on our waterproof trousers for warmth. It was cold in the CP and we moved before we would have liked in order to get warm.

Leg 13 - Ambleside to Chapel Stile, 5.6 miles

Sunday 1:50am - 4:05am (target 4:44am)

I was noticeably slower than Nick now and he was having to keep stopping to let me catch up. We had been joined by another L100 competitor (callsign “50/50”) who had been thinking of dropping out at Ambleside but Nick convinced to continue.

We had a lovely surprise coming into Skelwith Bridge, with Mich there to see us through. My family were staying in a holiday cabin on the route and she’d stayed up to see us pass.

On hitting the flat runnable valley, the wheels came off for me. What started as fatigue progressed into dizziness, which turned into seasickness as we drew towards the Chapel Stile CP. Nick had drifted off through the mist with 50/50 and I was eventually passed by a couple of L50 runners. The horizon was pitching and rolling as I staggered from one side of the path to the other. A lady asked if I was okay. “Yes”, I replied, “it’s just been a long day”. She drifted off, obviously concerned but I wasn’t overly worried. I just needed to get to the CP, sit down and get some food down.

As I approached the CP a marshal walking out towards me asked “Have you seen a 100 runner who is really struggling?”. “I think that’s me” I answered. I was guided inside where the lovely marshal found me a chair, then got bonus points for catching me in it. She said she was getting used to catching L100 runners tonight.

I felt pretty dreadful. I managed to eat a bowl of soup and bread but was in no rush to leave. I should have taken electrolytes but didn’t. Feeling queasy. Brain not working properly. I really should have taken a longer break here but as soon as I felt able to stand, Nick and I headed out into the dawn. The end felt tantilisingly close and there was a strong sence of 'let's get it done'.

Leg 14 - Chapel Stile to Tilberthwaite, 6.6 miles

Sunday 4:05am - 7:09am (target 7:27am)

Nick was pushing me hard on this section and I felt I was letting him down with my slow pace. He pointed out that my fueling had been pretty rubbish and it’s definitely something I need to plan better next time. I'd even stopped drinking at this point. I was keen for Nick to blast off and get some enjoyment out of the last section without me acting as a ball and chain, but he was adamant that we would finish together. My thoughts were "sore feet, sore feet, sore feet, dizzy, dizzy, I’m never ever doing this again, stupid f^&@ hobby".

It really was a stuningly beautiful morning in Little Langdale, though.

Photo: Nick Wishart

We arrived at the CP and I would have been happy to collapse and spend 15 minutes gorging myself on cheese toasties, but Nick said we didn’t have time and needed to crack on. Probably a good thing as once I stopped in Coniston I really struggled to get going again. A stop here might have been trouble. 

Leg 15 - Tilberthwaite to Coniston, 3.5 miles

Sunday 7:09am - 8:46am (target 8:59am)

We left here as a gaggle of Spartans, with Steve & Lou and the redoubtable Andrea all hitting the steps of Jacob’s Ladder together. I really struggled on the climb, with the hillside pitching and rolling. I even stumbled back off the start of the rocky section, which forced me to focus on what I was doing. This is not a good place to fall.

Photo: Nick Wishart

The descent was slow and painful and I was firmly in survival mode. I was hit with a wave of emotion as we finally arrived at the metalled road. I hugged Nick, broke into tears and remember blubbering “I never thought I'd do this again”. I may have declared everlasting love. It’s a bit of a blur. I pulled myself together and broke into something vaguely resembling a trot, only to pause for more hugs and tears with Sally Howarth and Steve Foster on the final approach.

Running into Coniston - Photo Sally Howarth

Nick encouraged me to run through Coniston to the finish and I’m so glad he did. It was a very satisfying end to a really great experience. Mich and the kids were there at the finish and I let my tears roll unashamedly as I hugged and kissed them all, instructing Mich to never EVER allow me to enter this race again.

I’ll be marshalling with Alex at Mardale next year. 

Then I'll be back in the 100 in 2026 :-).  

What went well

Mindset

My head was in a really great place for this race. It took a while to get ‘in the zone’ but by the final three weeks before the event I felt absolutely certain I would finish.

I used my old tactic of promising Mich and Alex that I would not drop out unless someone put their hand on my shoulder and told me I was out. An unexpected benefit of this tactic was that when I felt rough I would ask myself “Would a marshal pull me out for this?” The answer was always ‘no’, which gave my discomfort some perspective.

"100 miles" and "40hrs" are both very large, overwhelming numbers. I tried to think of it as "two nights and one day". Three things to check off. As I went into the second night I told myself "just one night to go, then I have this completion forever". It made the whole thing feel much more doable.

Splits card

I produced a laminated card (below) with 39 hour splits using the 2012 climbers.net prediction tool. I wasn’t planning to religeously follow this plan, but rather use it as a guide as to how I was doing. I was inside the 39hr times the whole way around, which was constantly reassuring.

Left, my split card - right, my actual times

 

(Largely) Consistent Training

I was fortunate to be coached this year by Spartan, Nick Brooks from Balcony Coaching. I absolutely loved this experience and without Nick I would not have reached the start line. It took a while for me to trust the lower volume running, but once I started to see the benefits of consistent training I was all-in. It’s a shame I developed a foot injury in March that persisted until the race and limited both distance and intensity, but the gym work was superb. I really felt the benefit of those stair stepper sessions on the climb up Black Sail Pass.

Still, my weekly mileage was low following the foot injury in week 10. There's a lot of chatter in the Facebook groups about the high volume mileage needed to run a 100 (is 70 miles per week enough? 90?). For anyone worrying they haven't put in enought miles, here’s my weekly mileage and longest runs in the 7 months leading up to the race. I’m don't think anyone would look at this and call it optimal mileage for the Lakeland 100, but following Stuart Mills’ logic, I believed that I had done enough, and so I had.

Week	Total Weekly Miles	Longest Run
1	20	13
2	14	14
3	25	15
4	19	16
5	34	26
6	21	13
7	24	13
8	20	13
9	24	11
10	28	13
11	17	10
12	0	0
13	0	0
14	8	8
15	19	13
16	4	4
17	9	6
18	13	11
19	25	20
20	19	11
21	32	21
22	23	19
23	21	13
24	33	16
25	33	25
26	11	4
27	12	7
28	10	4
29	107	107

Early Fueling

After reading one of Nick Wishart’s blogs about stomach issues I was determined to eat early and often. I had some dextrose tablets before the start, again on Walna Scar and then noshed down a black pudding sausage roll on the first descent. My early fueling was pretty good and nausea only started after Braithwaite.

Shoes

Hoka Stinsons 💌

Areas to Improve

Electrolytes

I used Elite electolite ONCE in the entire race. ONCE! It was a hot Saturday afternoon and I think a lot of my struggles later on the race were due to not looking after myself. I had Elite in an accessible pocket on my vest but had overloaded that pocket, meaning it was difficult to find anything and so when I got tired I just stopped trying. Lesson for next time - don’t overload your easy accessible pockets!

Late race Fueling

I felt queasy from Braithwaite but was able to eat all race. However, I was not fueling effectively. I had pockets full of dextrose tables which I carried to the end and was not eating enough at the checkpoints. I even stopped drinking in the latter miles. A pause to take on food and salt could have resulted in a much stronger finish.

Shiny New Shoes

I planned to run the first half in Hoka Mafates and the seconf half in Hoka Stinsons, but my Mafate's fell apart with a couple of weeks to go. I thought I would just make do, but Mich encouraged me to get a new pair of shoes, which I only managed to do two days before the race start. This meant running the first 59 miles in brand new, out of the box Stinsons. The laces were a bit tight around my right foot,  causing some discomfort and leading to a bit of faffing to correct at checkpoints. Not ideal, but luckily didn't cause any serious issues.