The Billy Bland Challenge

Miles to date - 457
Races to date - 16 

The Billy Bland Challenge


For the more well adjusted of you who read my blog I'll perhaps explain a little bit about the challenge that our club undertook last weekend. 

"The Bob Graham Round is a circuit of 42 fells in the English Lake District, including the 3,000 foot (910m) peaks of Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Scafell and Scafell Pike. The round is named after Bob Graham (1889–1966), a Keswick guest-house owner, who in 1932 set the record for the number of Lakeland fells traversed in 24 hours which he held for twenty eight years until its repeat, with Graham's encouragement, by Alan Heaton in a quicker time in 1960." (Wikipedia)

In 1982 Billy Bland smashed the time for the round and to this day his 13 hours and 53 minute record remains unrivalled.  


In 2010 Dallam runners set up the 'Billy Bland Challenge' for teams to attempt to beat Billy's record time. To date no team has managed to get even close - the record being held by Macclesfield Harriers 14 hours and 24 minutes. 


At 7pm, Friday 1st June 2012, our first leg runners set off on their 12.5 mile leg with a mere 5150foot of ascent ahead of them as they trotted up Skiddaw, Great Calver and Blencathra before dropping into Threlkeld to hand over the baton just after 11pm . By all accounts they had a crystal clear evening with only a little clag descending on them as they summitted Blencathra. 

Ali G and Shane setting off from Moot Hall in Keswisk 

Leg 2 - Threlkeld to Dunmail and Leg 3 - Dunmail to Wasdale ran like clock work (I won't mention the reported minor navigational 'issues' on leg 2 that led to a short 30 minute delay on the scheduled time!). I can make no comment as I was safely tucked up in a very warm and comfortable bed!  


Leg 4 set off ahead of schedule and so - many texts and phone calls later -  we prepared to be over at Honister Pass for 1:00pm ready to run the last leg back to the Moot Hall. 

The baton handover - a stop watch

Camille and I had been up and recced the route a few weeks previously and so were confident about the route and what it had in store for us. For Diane and Lorna this was to be their first experience of Lakeland running. Tizz is really just super woman in disguise with many, many races in her running history. However, as Stuart and Dave appeared at Honister, Tizz was no where to be seen. 


We took possession of the stop watch baton and stored it safely away in my bum bag and a white van screeched into the car park entrance. Out jumps Tizz, bags and clothes flying every where as she dug out some running kit. Concious that we didn't want to lose any of the hard run precious minutes gained by Stuart and Dave we set off without her. 

The start of the leg goes straight up from Honister Pass to Dalehead summit - a long continuous and steep ascent. Sure enough after about 15 minutes Tizz came trotting past me, having caught us up she made the summit well ahead of us all! 


At the start of every run I do the little gremlins in my head set about picking away at my confidence, niggling and questioning my ability. This one was worse as I knew I was by far the weakest link - running with women who've done marathons, who clock county standard times in cross countries and pace at least 2 or 3 mph faster than me felt an enormously daunting prospect that hit me about halfway up the first ascent - I've only been running 11 months, what on earth made me think I could run with these women?!  Not least as I know the final 4 miles is on tarmac where their pace will increase and mine will gradually dwindle to a walk as my legs protest and lungs explode, unable to maintain any pace or speed at all. I beat the gremlins into quiet submission and continued up. A new found vigour and determination filled me as we set off from Dalehead and I bounced over the uneven ground and set off down the rocky path and over to Hindscarth. I can run downhill at least! 


From Hindscarth over to Robinson the path countours round the side of the fell before the last steep ascent up to the summit. The day was perfect - blue sky, gentle breeze and views across a picture perfect chocolate box scene. 

The final ascent done, all is downhill from the summit of Robinson. As I knew from our recce there is one section of the descent that is rocky and exposed. As a group of runners we all had very different abilities and experiences. My gremlins about my own lack of speed were banished as I talked Diane down the hardest section. If you're not expecting it, and have no previous climbing experience to fall back on, finding yourself climbing down a mountain where the land falls away into a steep sided valley hundreds of feet directly below you is a truly knee trembling experience. We slowly and calmly inched our way down, seeking out foot holds and hands gripping rock until the land levelled out and we could stand back to see just what we had conquered. Massive well done Diane! 

Tizz, Diane and me descending Robinson - thanks for the picture memory Camille! 

On the steps with J-P - team Cap'n

The rest of the leg was very straight forward. A very steep but grassy descent down to a level track to Newlands Church and then tarmac all the way back to Keswick. The gremlins came back as I lumbered away at the back, clock watching and willing my legs to work and carry me back in under 3 hours! 


Tizz was a marvel as she trotted ahead and then circled back to push me forward - as Camille said, it was a bit like having a bouncy springer spaniel to keep us all together!  The last mile or so my legs completely bonked. I had lost all rhythm and my breathing was all over the place. It really took everything I had to pick up the pace and run the last few hundred metres into the town centre, through the busy market place and up to Moot Hall door. 2 hours and 48 minutes - we'd done it!  

TEAM RESULT!

LEG 1 Threlkeld 12.5 miles – 5150ft ascent - Ali G, Shane Beaumont 4 hours 3 minutes
LEG 2 Dunmail 13.2 miles – 5900ft ascent - Brett Weeden, Tim Whitehead, Fraser Hardie, Dick Ballantine, Paul Smithson 5 hours 5 mins
LEG 3 Wasdale 15.2 miles – 6500ft ascent - John-Paul Hopkinson, Ste Brock 4 hours 48 minutes
LEG 4 Honister 10 miles – 6300ft ascent - Dave Evans, Stuart Walton 3 hours 54 mins
LEG 5 Moot Hall 10.6 miles – 2500ft ascent - Livi Farrar, Tizz Woffenden, Di Macdonald, Camille Askins, Lorna Hubbard 2 hours 48 mins

Overall Time 20 hours 38 minutes.

Much celebratory drinking was done that night in Keswick, recounts of our individual experiences and plans for next year made. I had a fantastic weekend and experienced a brilliant team effort for which I need to give massive credit to Camille, Lorna, Diane and Tizz for being wonderful women to run with and to J-P for herding the cats required to make this weekend happen. 

Courtesy of David Brett

With slightly tired legs I had a day off on Sunday but - as our holiday plans had changed - found myself at Ilkley Trail Race on Monday! 7 or so miles around the woodland, fields and moors above Ilkley - all the ascent on the way out and all the descent on the way back made for a fast and furious race! Having gone on my own - the family having better things to do - it was wonderful to race to the finish and see a small posse of red and green hoops cheering me in. At 71minutes 40seconds it was a massive personal best and I really enjoyed the whole race - thanks Ilkley Harriers, you have the best marshals! 


This Thursday and it's a little 10km race over at Hebden Bridge and Sunday - The Wadsworth Parish Boundary Walk - at 21miles it's a test to see how much more I need to do before the Yorkshireman Off Road Marathon in September. 


Big thanks to Lorna for sponsoring me donating to both Asthma UK and Sue Ryder keeping the fundraising totally equal! A little reminder as I approach the halfway point in my challenge that the Just-Giving page is here - www.justgiving.com/teams/1000miles