Winter BG 28 th Feb 2011 - Jim Mann

I think it was Mark Smith who first told me that any Winter Bob Graham round where everyone gets
home safely is a success and after an uncompleted attempt on the 18 th of December last year I was
ever more mindful of how quickly those Lakeland fells can turn nasty! With this in mind I had
decided to wait till December 2011 for a further attempt where I would be fitter and more
experienced but the BG has a strange way of eating away at you, teasing you when it has beaten
you. I hadn’t seriously considered another attempt until I had the good fortune of supporting Ian
Taylor on his successful attempt on the 22 nd of Jan. Conditions were near perfect, crisp cold but very
runnable – I was extremely jealous and decided that I would go again as soon as I got a break in the
weather. It finally looked like that break had come at the end of February BUT it was right on the
deadline and I had a race on the Sunday before! I checked the rules over a winter round and asked
Morgan Williams for clarification and sure enough I had to be finished before the end of the 1 st
March. Now just to get a crew and choose a time.
I started pulling a crew together on Sunday morning (Sunday 27 th February, about 36 hours before I
set off!). It’s a big ask... ‘hey do you fancy running with me up lots of big hills tomorrow in the cold?’
and of course people were working etc. It was clear pacers would be very thin on the ground but I
managed to get 3 nutters to join me on the fells. Leg 1 would be Rhys Findlay‐Robinson, leg 3 and 4
Joe Charles, leg 5 Andy Blackett (straight from work). Leg 2 was a problem. My nav is not the best
and I was terrified to be even thinking about going solo across the Dodds and Helvellyn but if I
wanted to do this then that looked like the only option. I finally settled on an 11.45pm start time. I
wanted to be going as late as possible to allow Andy to get to Honister after work but didn’t want to
end up on Gable in the dark. To ensure I was off Gable in the light I would have to be right on my 21
hour schedule – something I felt I could do but it was certainly ambitious as the fastest winter round
ever was 22hours and 8 mins. I could only try!
The weather still looked great, I had my crew but I was bottling leg 2. From a car park in Keswick I
called Andy so he could persuade me that I could do it ‐ I knew it was at the edge of my ability to nav
this leg in the dark, try and keep to schedule and I knew the penalty I would pay on leg 4 if I fell
behind! Joe had never run legs 3 or 4 before either so most of the nav there was going to be from
my memory – could I hold my mind together that long – what was going to be the effect of carrying
all my own gear for the leg – only one way to find out!
Leg 1
Before I knew it we were off – Rhys was great! He had volunteered to do leg 1 as it was the only leg
he could fit round his work shifts so was giving up a night’s sleep to be there! He got me settled in
really quickly and leg 1 was very uneventful (which was great J). We were up 6 minutes on the
schedule at the top of Skiddaw but discussed the pace and slowed down – (my aim was to not be up
or down any at the end of leg 2). We came down Doddick Fell from Blencathra as I wanted
everything really safe and careful – a good round would come if I took no risks and as there was a
good bit of ice on some rocks I figured it would be easier than Hall’s Fell ridge. We came down 1
minute up and Rhys had managed to convince me to do leg 2 solo (I was terrified!)

Leg 2
I normally consider that Bob Graham rounds where the contestant is fit enough are made or broken
by leg 3 but this wasn’t a normal round – I was going to have to run leg 2 in the cold and dark on my
own. I am not really sure what I was scared of but I was certainly scared. So with my bravest face
and most confident attitude at Threlkeld I tell Gill that the weather is great, there’s good visibility
and that leg 2 would be just fine! I then set off and try to hold it together. ‘So this is lonely’. I’ve
never listened to music on the fells as I like being up there and taking it all in but tonight was
different; I had to stay strong and keep my mind on it! So with The Killers and The Kings of Leon for
company I started to nav my way round the leg. Clough Head 5 mins early and the breeze is getting
up – let’s hope that stops and take it easy there is a long way to go! Great Dodd 2 mins more up.
Steady now, don’t blow this, but I am really starting to enjoy it now !
‘Give me rolling hills and tonight could be the night that I stand among a thousand thrills’ Nice choice
of lyric for tonight.
I headed for the shelter on Great Dodd before cutting the corner – no quick routes tonight just keep
it safe. Watson, check. Now the tricky one, (Stybarrow) get this right and it’s just a trundle along the
motorway to Helvellyn a much needed relief from nav – a chance to eat and drink something – man
it’s getting chilly!
Being gifted a clear night made it really cold but I could see the outline of Stybarrow and went
straight line to the summit. Across to Helvellyn was uneventful (that’s good). I went to touch the trig
point and my wake‐up alarm on my phone went off – 5.45am – up 8 minutes! I knew I was tired
though and was very aware that I couldn’t afford mistakes. As I approached Nethermost it was just
starting to dawn and I could make out the outlines of hills. Just 3 to go and after Dollywaggon they
would be easier. I started to climb to Dollywaggon but it didn’t feel right – no chances – remember
you promised yourself! I got the GPS out and checked (I was 90% sure I was on the lump between
nethermost and Dollywaggon but wanted to be 100%) sure enough wrong place – move on – yep
this is Dollywaggon! Easy now find the post down the hill and tick off the last 2 – I relaxed (bad
move) I missed the path round the back of the tarn in the halflight I really don’t know how and only
realised as I came across the wall – damn it! Contour across the grass to the col – it’s going to be
fine! Ohh a spring – fill water bottle! I hadn’t seen anyone at all (not surprising really) so dropped my
bag at the col and headed up Fairfield (half way up I realised my GPS was in the bag so I had no trace
but had my mobile phone so I have some nice summit pics at dawn J to prove I was there!) Just
Seat Sandal and down to Dunmail –I‘d done the what I thought was going to be hardest part of the
round. I proceeded to again relax and, in turn stuffed up the nav, coming off Seat Sandal way South
of Dunmail raise and having to contour back in – nevermind, I was there and 10 minutes early. Nice
work and now I would get some company!
Leg 3
The first thing I said at Dunmail was along the lines of ‘yes I’m great – but I haven’t eaten or drunk
enough – I need to get that sorted on this leg or I’ll be in trouble’. I’m sure this sounds crazy – I was
clearly aware I needed to eat more but was too focussed on nav etc to actually act on it. I ate a small
feast at Dunmail, sat on the verge (we forgot chairs in the rush to get things ready) and stayed a little
longer than the planned 5 minute break but felt better for it. Leg 3 was really smooth – I ate and

drank well and we generally cruised round, gaining a few minutes here and there on the schedule.
Joe was great, he kept me well informed and took over the map reading, taking bearings and
checking stuff when required. Bowfell was a little tricky due to ice and snow on the ascent and we
were a little slow at times across the Scafell ridge where the snow and rock mix proved very hard to
run on but to be fair for a winter round this was great weather – yes it was cold still and I spent a
long time in the dark but basically the weather was as good as you can get at this time of year. I
always worry about Scafell Pike to Scafell – Joe’s a good climber and wanted to go up Broad Stand
(not a chance! I have been up it but only in summer and on the end of a rope!) I wanted to go West
Wall traverse so as not to lose the height but the rake was full of snow and after Bowfell we thought
this might be tricky so went Foxes – what a big height loss that is! Anyway it was the last summit
then down the screes and into Wasdale – 10 minutes up on schedule – very much game on – I really
wanted the fastest winter time ever now which was 22:08 set in 1989 – all I had to do was hold it
together and stick to the schedule and leg 4 was about letting the breaks off and trying to gain some
time.
Leg 4
We had a great feed at Wasdale; Bill Williamson had offered support but couldn’t run due to injury
so was going to prepare a bit of cake and a coffee for us so Gill didn’t have to trek to Wasdale. He
had gone to the extreme! Coffee, lentil soup, fresh bread rolls, walnut cake, bananas, rice pudding,
tropical fruit ‐ wow! Gill had made the trip anyway and it was good to see her jumping up and down
again as we came in early and it meant I could get a change of clothes which I really needed. We
feasted until Bill finally told us we had been too long and need to get moving again but not without a
promise of more of the same at Blacksail Pass – now that was something to look forward to. Banana
in hand we set off up Yewbarrow to conquer the big ones.
I loved leg 4 on my September round. I did the leg in 3h43m and it was almost certainly the most
enjoyable time I have ever spent on the fells. Today would be different – my legs were heavy and I
was tired and I had a job to do. Keep the focus and come into Honister on time and I would have the
round I really wanted sub 22 was definitely on the cards if I could hold it together! We set to eating
into the schedule, 6 mins under on Yewbarrow, a further 10 on Red Pike but I was struggling to lift
my feet – this hurts! Steeple another couple of mins and on and on! Bill, true to his word, was at
Blacksail with all manner of goodies. We stopped for a few minutes and scoffed what we could then
filled our pockets and set off again – despite the stop we were dead on target for the section to the
top of Kirk Fell. By the time we got to Honister we were up by 30 mins and I didn’t dare stop as I
really wasn’t sure that I would be able to start moving again. My feet were killing and I really wanted
to change my shoes but could feel that one of my nails had dislodged and was now resident in the
toe next to it! I didn’t need to see that so no shoe change!
Leg 5
It was all about just holding it together now and it was getting dark – this was going to really test
me! All I remember is just keeping moving – that was about all I could think and for the first half I
chatted a little with Andy but then just closed in and really focussed. The cold had now really taken
its toll and I was heading into a second night section –so soon! The three hills were pretty straight
forward but we messed up the descent and ended up down all the crags on the main path – agony!!
I was stiff all over! Once we got down we started to get moving again and once on the road we

started to wind it up – we were working it out and thought a sub 21 might just about be on the cards
but with some great encouragement from Andy and lots of mind over matter we started to shift a
little bit. My overriding memory of the road was Andy just rolling out anecdote after anecdote to
keep me entertained with just the odd word (or grunt) from me – he was fantastic! Joe had been
back to Keswick to get changed and then ran back up the road to join us for the run in which was
brilliant! Final time of 20 hours and 39minutes – a decent day’s work! J
Rhys came back to see us finish after work but we were a little too fast for him to make it. It was only
sat in the pub afterwards that I realised what a tiny team we had done it with: Gill, Rhys, Andy, Joe ...
and Bill. Only 3 runners supporting!
I enjoyed a really nice pub meal, (real solid food is such a great thing!) and half a pint of beer (thanks
to Simon Noble for coming to meet us in the pub afterwards and stepping up to help me with what I
couldn’t drink J) then my mind and body finally gave in. I rambled absolute nonsense on the way
home whilst hallucinating horse drawn carriages and people hurling push chairs into the A66! A good
night’s sleep sorted that and back to work the next day!
Huge thanks to everyone who helped on the day, has shown me the route and helped with my
previous unsuccessful winter attempt – you all contributed to this success – I am really humbled by
your selflessness! Thank you!