The Montane Lakeland 50 and 100 mile races are now in their 14th year. Out of small beginnings they have grown into a huge event with 1,865 starters across the two events this year. The 100 (actually 105 miles with over 6000 metres of ascent) starts and finishes in Coniston, taking in a loop of the Lakes with an almost non-stop flow of ascent and descent through ever-changing vistas as each pass reveals a new valley. So it’s a tough route but you are constantly rewarded with beautiful and varying scenery (unless it’s dark or covered in mist, of course). The 50 mile course covers the “slightly easier” second half of this route.
Most competitors camp in a couple of vast fields in Coniston. I was in a little Carnethy enclave with Peter Macdonald, Neil Mclure and Fiona Kerray (in her campervan that has passed through the ownership of several Carnethies). The 100 runners set off at 6pm on Friday evening. Peter and I went to watch Nicola Duncan at around the 2-mile mark where she had big smile and looked really up for the event [Let’s just say, I have a sense she prefers the 105 Lakeland Miles to the 4 miles of the Meldons Handicap!].
So while the 100 runners headed off into the night, those of us doing the 50 had 17+ hours before the start on the Dalemain Estate a few miles from Penrith. Competitors get bussed out from Coniston. While waiting in an endless queue for the portaloos at the start, we could see 100 runners arriving at their halfway point, including Phil Humphries.
The 50 runners were started in waves every few minutes. Personally, I had a ‘good ultra’, by which I mean that unlike the previous time, when I underestimated the course, I felt fairly reasonable and steady throughout. It was a little frustrating dealing with traffic jams of runners on the very narrow path along Haweswater but otherwise the day went by quickly with the bonus of getting cheered along by crowds of lunchtime drinkers in Pooley Bridge and large numbers of runners’ friends and family in Ambleside. For me, the cloudy, wet conditions were ideal.
Peter and Neil were both running their first ever 50-mile races. Peter was the fastest Carnethy in the 50. He could clearly have gone even faster as he stopped for several cups of tea and smoothies and even took time out to give a motivational talk to a runner at Mardale Head who was thinking of dropping out (“sort your priorities out, mate”). By the finish he was starting to get hypothermic so the excellent medical support gave him a blanket and sent him off to bed!
In fact the race support is one its amazing strengths. This includes volunteers in fancy dress at checkpoints where you an incredibly warm welcome with thumping music and blasts of positivity alongside all sorts of food and drink options. But there are also medics on hand looking out for signs you need a bit more care and attention before heading out again.
The 50 runners can also be inspired by the 100 runners that you pass by, with many of them heading into a second night as it turns dark on Saturday evening. However few 50 runners will have passed Nicola Duncan, who didn’t bother with a second night as she finished before 8pm on Saturday: she was 3rd lady and 1st vet 40 in what I believe was her first 100 mile race.
The last 3.5 miles of the course deserve a special mention for their brutality (in the context of the race). At Tilberthwaite, just outside Coniston, you get sent up some steep steps and then a final climb over rocky ground. By Saturday evening the rain had turned most of the paths into streams and in the dark it just sounded as if water was cascading down on all sides. A final steep and slippery descent takes you down to a final mile on the road down back to Coniston (where apparently one 100 runner stopped for a few shots in a pub on the corner before taking on the final 300 metres to the finish).
A special shout out for the surreal sight of Herdwick sheep standing in clusters by the side of the route looking utterly confused/intrigued by the steady flow of bright head torches. They seem to have a lot more self-confidence than the Pentland variety!
Many Carnethies will know friends of the club, Aly Caldwell and Alan Risk. They both completed the 100 but Aly in particular showed how much she wanted it. She arrived at Tilberthwaite after 101.5 miles with time against her to get inside the 40-hour limit. But she put in a near-sprint down the final mile and crossed the finish line in time; and then her eyes closed, her body gave way and she had to be supported to the finish area.
The event may be growing slightly too big, but it seems to have the wider support of Lakeland communities. The organisers create a spirit of positivity and inclusivity so that the event attracts world-class hill/ultra runners alongside people aiming to walk 50 hilly miles within 24 hours for the first time. If you’re interested in taking up the challenge, ballot applications for next year open on 1st September.
So with all this positivity, I should balance things out by mentioning Campsite Wallies. Night one we had a guy next to us running his campervan engine to recharge his phone battery in the middle of the night. Night two we had two guys who got their car stuck in the mud right outside our tent. They then spent several hours revving their engine and spinning their wheels further and further into mud. And what was their reason for needing to make a night-time departure? Sunderland’s first home game of the season…..
Below is a list of Carnethy finishers. If you’re missing, let me know and I’ll add you in.
Lakeland 100: 539 starters; 313 finishers.
Nicola Duncan: 25:43:37, 17th, 3rd Female, 1st FV40
Mark Hardy: 32:57:46, 137th, 65th MV40
Jo Wallace: 35:55:54, 191st, 11th FOpen
Phil Humphries: 36:04:57, 194th, 51st MV50
Lakeland 50: 1327 starters; 1183 finishers.
Peter Macdonald: 11:20:38, 127th, 42nd MV40
Ken Fordyce: 12:13:03, 214th, 21st MV50
Neil Mclure: 12:13:31, 215th, 22nd MV50
Fiona Kerray: 13:01:35, 305th, 23rd FOpen
Sarah Massey: 13:42:38, 380th, 28th FV40
Patrick Harrington: 16:33:40, 730th , 213th MV40
Steven Newman: 16:40:10, 744th, 165th MOpen
Ken Fordyce
(Thanks to Fiona and Peter for photos)