After completing my first 50 miler in 2016, I wanted to set myself a similar target for this year. One of the things I love about running is being able to explore new areas at a leisurely pace that only running provides. Having not really explored the Lake District in the past I figured a 50 mile ultra, covering the whole Lake District from top to bottom, including most of the iconic hills, in one day was surely the best way to see it. No doubt about it, this is a big race. 50 miles is a long way to run in anyone’s book. Add to that 4,000 metres as ascent and it takes on a whole new meaning.

One thing you get to know very quickly about the Ultra running world is that it is an incredibly supportive community in which everyone is more than happy to help one another, be that with advice on training, kit, tactics, to physical and emotional support during an event. So, after signing up I wasn’t surprised to find a very active ‘Run it in a Day’ Facebook group comprising of previous competitors, race organisers and of course competitors like myself who have signed up for the first time. In reading many of the blogs and posts it became quite clear that a lot of thought and preperation would be needed if I was to complete this race. It seemed the 2 biggest things to consider would be race kit and Navigation. Kit quite simply because you could be up in the high fells for a very long term, potentially in inclement weather, and a long way from outside support. And Navigation would also need to be considered as this isn’t a ‘fully signposted’ route and has some ‘open route’ options. If I’m honest it was probably the Navigation part that scared me the most. Running 50 miles over big hills is tough enough without adding unnecessary miles due to taking a wrong turn.

I was fortunate that the race organisers had put on a couple of ‘Recce events’ so that competitors could check out parts of the course before race day, so I signed up for the Caldbeck to Threkeld leg which covered the ‘open route’ section and went a long way to calming my navigational fears.

Having taken everyone’s advice on kit recommendations, including a change of footwear to change into at the halfway point, and eased my fears on navigation, off to the lake district I headed.

The weather forecast for the day looked pretty bleak with intermittent rain and strong winds for the high fells forecast. However, the start and first few miles were fairly comfortable and I soon settled into a steady pace. Having recced this section previously, I was looking forward to several sections such as the river crossing and the wild downhills to get there, as well as the descent from Blencathra along Halls Fell ridge. There was a lot of talk about whether people would take the route down Halls Fell or rather take the less treacherous, but longer route down to Threkeld. No doubt about it, Halls Fell would be the trickier and slower option but I had no hesitation in taking this route, quite simply because I wanted to experience the extremes that the Lakes would throw at us. Its such an iconic part of the route, event used as the cover image for the event. And boy was this extreme. By the time we reached the top of Blencathra the wind was at its most extreme, pushing 45-50mph apparently. Coming down Halls Fell on slippery rocks and intense side winds was something I never thought I’d experience. It felt like real ‘living on the edge’ adventure, especially for someone coming from such a flat area of the country.

I must say that despite the weather, I did most of this first section with a smile on my face and a real sense of enjoyment. Even laughing to myself at the craziness of it all as I was nearly blown off my feet by some strong gusts. When we arrived at the Threkeld feed station I was excited by the unknown challenges the next section would throw up. Just about all of the toughest hills are in the first 2 sections (from Caldbeck to Threkeld and then Threkeld to Ambleside) and with this 2^nd section being 17 miles long, it was the part everyone was worried about and the one that very nearly broke me.

The 7hrs 15 mins it took me to complete the 17 miles felt the longest of my life. After a couple of miles running along paths and tracks we hit probably the toughest climb of the day… Clough Head. I noticed on my tracker playback that the gradient reached 54% at some points… absolutely insane. With the gale force winds still buffeting us, we slowly made our way up the side of this hill, literally on our hands and knees at times. There was no talking between runners, just the odd nod and wink of encouragement as we all knew how deep we were having to dig just to get to the top of this hill. Looking at my splits afterwards I was travelling at 1 mph over this section!

Once we summited Clough Head the next few hours were a constant battle against the wind as we went up and down over the various peaks. By the time we reached the top of Fairfield, the last big climb of the day all I could think about was getting to the next feed station at Ambleside. I didn’t want to think too far ahead and knew that this was very much a race of 2 halves so I just needed to get to this rest stop, sort myself out and then could consider how I was going to tackle the remaining 24 miles.

I must say that all the rest stops were fantastic, however the one at Ambleside was exactly what was needed. After some nice pasta, pizza and sugary drinks together with a clean pair of shoes and socks I left the feed stop transformed from a broken man to someone who knew they were going to complete the event.

The rest of the event, whilst not easy, was at least manageable. The hills were still tough, but not as tough. The mud was still sticky and deep, but not as bad. And the novelty of running at night, with a full moon reflecting beautifully off the calm Lake Windermere was mesmerising. The real battle of the second half of the run was just the mental one to keep going. Once you settle into a steady rhythm and have some good company to distract you then you can just tick off the miles. Prior to the event I was worried about navigating this section but the race organisers have obviously listened to previous competitors as the signage was very good and if you concentrated it was pretty easy to follow.

By the time we finished the last off-road section, we had about 3 miles of roads to go to the finish and the boost this gave us meant we could muster a slow jog to the finish. And what a welcome sight, seeing the yellow glow of the school lights in an otherwise sleepy village at 3 in the morning after having been out on our feet for the best part of 19 hours.  Finishing this race was really emotional having had so many doubts earlier in the day and will go down as one of my biggest achievements.

Finally I must give a big shout out to the volunteers and supporters. The guys standing at the top of Blencathra in freezing windy conditions for hours on end… you legends! The volunteers in the feed stops constantly serving food, drinks or sweeping mud off the floor at all hours of the night with a smile on their face… thank you so much. And to the supporters of fellow runners, standing on lonely country roads in the pitch black to not only cheer on your loved ones but to offer support and encouragement to every other runner…. You kept us going with a smile… we owe you!

And to the race organisers… that’s one brutal race you have on your hands! Keep up the amazing work.