"The Fellsman is a high level traverse covering more than 60 miles over very hard rugged moorland. The event climbs over 11,000 feet in its path from Ingleton to Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales. ...the route does not follow well defined footpaths, so the entrants’ navigational skills with a map and compass are tested as well as their physical fitness. Because of this, only fit and experienced walkers or runners should enter."
This is a longer than usual post for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, a lot of things seemed to happen that weekend, never mind the 22 hours we were out on the hill. Secondly,
The Fellsman is an event I've been aiming to complete for the last 4 years so there's a certain amount of preparation, build up and mentioning of previous events to cover. I shall try not to procrastinate too much.
Read on for tales for history, hills, hypothermia, hard work, hot dinners, happiness and the quest for a fully clipped tally.
"He's Got Previous..."
A short history of The Fellsman and me
2011 - Walked up to the Snaizeholme ostensibly to see my mate Tim who mans that checkpoint every year, arriving in time for the annual BBQ. I remember being impressed by the fitness of the participants but didn't entertain any ideas of entering...
2012 - ... so I entered the next year as a walker. Training consisted of lots of winter mountaineering in Scotland (up and down Ben Nevis four times in 5 days) and going round the Yorkshire 3 peaks about 4 times. Having seen the forecast (high winds, rain, cold) I equipped myself with many clothes. The wind was a pretty incessant 30mph plus during the day with lots of people suffering from exposure. I for one was glad of my windproof fleece and thick trousers.
Our grouping of four also had a hard time on the the pretty featureless moorland between Middle Tongue and Hell Gap. We were following a faster group who had picked a good line when we realised that we'd dropped our other two team members off the back of the group.
(the scene: a windblown bleak moorland in North Yorkshire. Night)
David: "Where are the other two?"
Me: "They were in the group in front weren't they?"
David: "No they were behind us at the last checkpoint"
Me: "Get some shelter behind that wall, I'll go and find them."
<climb up a peat hag to see two torches catching us up slowly>
Me: "Sorry about that, are you guys OK?"
Chap 1: "No not really, I can't feel my feet or hands"
Chap 2: "I can't see."
Me: "What do you mean you can't see?"
Chap 2: "Well, I can see your light but its all fuzzy and I can't see the ground properly"
Net result is I had to walk Chap 2 hand in hand for 4 or 5 miles (along with a step by step commentary of "there's a step down here, now uphill, big step over this puddle") to get to the nearest roadside checkpoint at Cray where the marshals came out to tell us because of the increasing casualty count and bad weather that the event had been cancelled and that they were pulling everyone off the hill.
We were bundled onto a warm minibus where Chap 2 started to recover from wind burnt eyes and the cold with his eyesight slowly returning (he was OK the next morning). Needless to say Chap 1 and Chap 2 were greatly relieved about being pulled out. I was gutted and might have had a small cry on the bus. I had the equipment and the fitness and the drive to finish. I considered withdrawing myself from the event and carrying on regardless. Instead I fell asleep, vowing to come back next year.
2013 - After having been introduced to fell running with
KCAC by Trev, I had good fitness pre event including the 33 mile
Haworth Hobble and a
6 1/2 hour round of the Y3P. However at the end of this last long run my Achilles tendon was really hurting. It didn't get better in time despite icing and gentle stretching so I withdrew from the event.
2014 - My left knee bothering me post winter mountaineering trips and it got painful to the point where I couldn't run or cycle on it. Following some poor physio advice I didn't make any progress in time for the event so withdrew again. I finally got some
good physio advice from Katherine at Bodyfix Physio in Silsden and hopefully the knowledge and improvements from this will help me in...
2015 - Read on.
Training
Trying not to hurt yourself in preparation for pain
The preparation for this year has been:
- Not to injure myself in training and get physio for any niggling injuries (done)
- Get a solid base of long walking and cycling as training focusing less on the running (cycling to work and back every day)
- Mental preparation. Recce-ing and reviewing the route and my capabilities (done)
- Practice fuelling correctly on long walks (this involves eating so done)
- Recognition that several shorter runs per week to keep the specific muscles strong are just as valuable as the longer days out
I've managed to maintain my fitness over winter with some general training of short fell runs, lots of cycle commuting and night mountain biking along with the odd
Insanity workout class.
Specific training included
As I've found out, mental strength is key for long events. You have to believe in your own ability to do it which is easier said than done when you are tired, cold and nauseated. Confidence in navigation is a massive help. So I found myself going in to the event with my eyes open and about as ready as I could reasonably be.
I was also concentrating on my nutrition prior to the event, trying to get the right balance of protein and carbohydrate for maximum performance. After seeing my personal nutritional consultant, namely Mr. Vince from the
Whistlestop Cafe in Steeton we came up with what shall be known as the "isotonic endurance sports performance Full English".
Boom!
Kit Check
Being a Scout organised event open to all, and given the organisers experience, the
kit requirements are quite detailed. I went up to Threshfield school on the Friday evening for kit check so that I could have that extra hour in bed on Saturday morning. Thankfully the queue was short and the chap checking my kit was thorough and fast, in and out in under 20 minutes.
"Now, please can you show me that you have the regulation number of safety pins?"
- kit checker in the line next to mine taking his job very seriously
There's a full kit list of what I took at the bottom of this post.
L: All laid out and ready to go
R: queue for kit check at the school on Friday evening
Bumped into my team mate David S on the way in, he was settled in the hall and ready for the next day. Also saw Andy and Becky Riley from Venture Scout days (nice to chat to them) and Mark from work, all three of which were helping man the radio network.
On Your Marks...
I ended up, without properly realising it (although I thought he looked familiar), being stood in the queue behind multiple winner and course record holder (10 hours 6 minutes!)
Jez Bragg. A missed opportunity to say hello and express admiration on what he achieved on the
Te Araroa trail,
running the length of New Zealand in 53 days. He was chatting with
Aleks Kashefi, already sporting his sandals in preparation for a partly barefoot, partly sandalled, partly minimalist fell shoe-d Fellsman. He's training for a barefoot Lands End to John O' Groats to raise money and awareness for the Stroke Association. Good man.
The community centre in Ingleton was quickly filling up with bodies. Technical clothing and tiny rucksacks were everywhere along with energy bar wrappers and nervously clutched mugs of tea. Outside the rain was starting.
Jonathan Carter, the Race Organiser, gave a short briefing in the hall exhorting us to carefully consider our clothing choices and to err on the side of warmth over weight with a promise of temperatures of -5°C on the summits overnight. He wasn't wrong.
We were ushered out of the warmth onto the cold sports field to have our tally discs punched and await starters orders. My running buddy for the day, David Say, found me at this point as we waggled our legs and generally tried to keep some of the warmth we had acquired inside.
Home and Away. Great photo.
The RO again reminded us to look out for ourselves and to look out for each other whilst the faster runners edge closer to the imminently congested field exit, itching to get started.
"Go!"
374 people turned and sprinted, ran, jogged, shuffled, strode, pottered and (the thesaurus having run out) generally made their way out of the sports field, through the narrow bottleneck path for an opportunity to trip over the leg of the cricket sight screen. The sheer weight of people stopping the small amount of traffic on the road, bemusing the lady in the Renault Clio who found herself surrounded by runners. Everyone began to find their pace on the steady climb up Ingleborough into the mist and rain.
David: "I remember the first time I came up this path was in 1974 on a university trip"
Me: "I wasn't even a twinkle in my Dad's eye in 1974!"
"Majestic Ingleborough dominating the skyline" say Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
We made steady progress to the top, a brief pause to attend to some errant shoelaces and then down the slippy rocks and steep grass of Ingleborough towards the
Old Hill Inn checkpoint. Passing the Hill Inn led to a few reminisces about camping there with Venture Scouts, enjoying the ale and also the dodgy nightclub they used to have in the barn behind.
Myself and David on the way up Whernside. Note the large amount of weather.
Image copyright SportSunday
The climb up the side of Whernside seemed to pass much quicker than either David or I had anticipated as we arrived on the ridge and turned up the series of false summits (not that you could see 'em in the cloud) to the trig CP for the second clip of the day. Steady down and along the ridge to the stile that is always further than you think! This year, the wooden job that is normally there had been replaced with the bastard offspring of a stepladder and a baby giraffe that wobbled in an entertaining manner (for those watching, not the person on it). I shoved a pizza roll down my neck as we were 2 hours in at this point and I knew I needed to eat regularly and early to prevent an energy crash later on.
Dropping down into Kingsdale
A fairly steady descent down to the next CP at Kingsdale, famous for the homemade flapjacks! We grabbed one each and plodded up the steep sides of Gragareth, munching away and discussing the finer points of flapjack ingredients and construction (David remembering a paricularly gooey affair whilst I discussed how much I liked honey on my nuts). Definite hints of golden syrup in the sturdy Kingsdale flapjack, firm but not quite ships biscuit territory. Just the job.
L: We'll come back to the chap with the yellow rucksack cover later
R: the trail behind
Again, the climb up Gragareth wasn't as bad as I remembered from 2012. I must have fitted my climbing legs! It is quite a nice hill, with great views out over the Irish sea that is quite neglected in comparison to its more famous neighbour Whernside. The lovely, cheery ladies who run the CP are normally camped out by the trig point but they'd sensibly relocated to the sheltered side of the ridge wall.
"Hello Mr. Blue coat! Hello Mr. Green jacket!" - being greeted in the traditional manner by the Gragareth CP volunteers
The wind and rain across the ridge was quite strong at this point, my jacket was pretty wet through despite me reproofing it earlier in the week and I was starting to feel pretty cold. David was too so we shuffled along steadily on the lee side of the wall towards Great Coum.
A chair. On Gragareth. Of course.
Through the mist I spotted an odd shape on the floor, only realising as I got closer (and when it stood up) that it was a fellow runner. I caught him up to ask if he was OK but spotted the problem pretty quickly; he only had one shoe. Turned out that he'd gone waist deep in a bog and it had sucked off his shoe. Realising, after a short period of searching, that being stood around in the conditions was a recipe for having a bad time he was limping on ahead to get to the Dent CP. I asked him if he thought that Kingsdale was nearer but he replied that he'd rather retire having done 20 miles than 12 on the books. His foot would have been murder coming down the rocky lanes into Dent - mine hurt and I was wearing shoes!
On the descent from Great Coum we had our one and only navigational boo boo, heading too far to the left before we hit the wall (see red trace below). It would have only cost us a couple of minutes in the scheme of things but it served us right for being too lazy to get the map and compass out and for following other people in front!
The
Flyby Viewer on Strava for my route shows everyone else who ran on the day and the varying lines that we all took. Look at all the sensible people hand railing the wall.
The chaps at Flinter Gill were staked out underneath a bit of sheeting draped over the wall. They got the award for best improvised CP. Then down the stony path to Dent.
The Weather Improves
Cordon bleu? Gordon Bennet more like!
The usual excellent catering at Dent
The Dent CP is my favourite I think for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is about 1/3rd of the way round and marks the end of the three big hills of the day so it feels like you've got some of the harder bits our of the way and that you've got into your stride. Secondly, the food is spot on. Sausage rolls, cheese and onion rolls, beans, tea - real food and exactly what the body needs! Thirdly, the catering guys are super enthusiastic (and mad as a goose on stilts in some cases) and are practically falling over themselves to feed you.
Me - "Please can I have another sausage roll?"
Marshal - "You can't have ANOTHER sausage roll, but you could have A sausage roll..."
Me - "Please could I have A sausage roll?"
Marshal - "Certainly!"
We rolled in at about 1400 (a good hour and a bit ahead of the 2012 time), both of us cold and hungry. The first thing I did was to put my waterproof trousers on as my legs were cold and David stuck on another top layer. I ummed and ahhed about putting my fleece on top but I knew a steady climb awaited and I didn't want to overheat - this was a sensible decision. Two sausage roll sandwiches, a cup of beans and a mug of tea and we were rolling off down the road burping happy burps.
By this point the cold front had blown through and it was starting to clear allowing us to see the hilltops as we trundled up the bridleway and over the shoulder on the north end of Whernside. The food and increase in temperature was very welcome and we both found our climbing legs, steadily passing several people on the climb, descent and climb again up to Blea Moor trig.
Ingleborough from Blea Moor. A long way to walk...
By the time we reached the top, all the kit that we were wearing had dried out (even our feet) and we had both warmed up nicely. We hit the trod from the CP through the forest and down towards Stonehouse.
Nice cottages and waterfalls, Stonehouse
The Stonehouse CP is famous for two things: the pasta and the costumes. This year we were treated to a fine selection of Christmas costumes including Rudolf and Santa. I elected to skip the pasta (I had a bit of an energy crash with it last time) and instead shoved one of my pizza slices down me with a cup of tea and a hot juice. David tucked into some pasta and we were ready to go in a jiff. Energy levels were good, motivation was good and we were hoping to make it to Redshaw before grouping at 1800.
It's a long steady climb up to col below Great Knoutberry and a longer-than-you-think climb from the col to the summit (3.5 miles in total). David had slowed slightly so I said I'd wait for him at the top of the hill and cracked on at my own pace.
Marshal (clipping my tally) - "One Two One"
Tent - "One Two One"
Me - "Thank you Oh Speaking Tent"
(general laughter)
Me (looking around) - "You've got a cracking view up here"
Marshal - "Yes, we think we've got the best checkpoint of the lot"
What a treat awaited at the top of Great Knoutberry. Stunning views, a full 360° panorama. All of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the Howgills and, off in the distance, the craggy Lake District. Behind us the line of Great Coum, Dent, Blea Moor. Ahead of us Redshaw, Snaizeholme, Dodd Fell and Fleet Moss. None of my photos do this view any justice.
L: Towards the Lakes
R: some of t' peaks
I waited a few minutes for David to arrive, refuelling my soul and motivation with the view, enjoying one of the few moments on the walk that it wasn't head down trying to maintain a good speed.
Heading down towards the Redshaw CP it began to snow, bizarre given the fairly clear skies at the time. I wondered if the folks down at Stonehouse were singing any carols...
Grouping.
Marshal - "Please, step inside our nice warm checkpoint, have a cup of tea, get some food down you, by the way did I mention we are grouping?"Me - "Do you make it 6 o clock by your watch?"Marshal - "Yes, I do!" (not looking at his watch. Mine said 1755)
With not much ado, we were shepherded into the tent to sample their hospitality. A large mug of tea, a hotdog (with onions!), and some cake all went down the hatch.
I approached one of the other walkers who we'd been keeping pace with since the start, leapfrogging each other repeatedly, to see if he wanted to group up. We'd both been impressed with his steady pace. Kevin (for that was he) agreed and so we had a three.
Our merry band! It's gloves in my pocket, not an epic hernia.
L-R: Lizzie, Kevin, Neil, self, David
Off we go :)
We spoke to the marshal about getting grouped up and setting off and we quickly acquired a Neil and a Lizzie to make us up to a merry band of five. Having done introductions, we trundled off up the hill, having what the other half of Team Spinach,
Emma calls "The Talk". This ensured we all had similar goals, agreement on letting each other know if we were flagging, etc.
Very quickly I realised that we had landed a good team. Everyone was still chirpy, chatty and had retained their sense of humour. We were covering ground at the same speed, there was a mix of experience with the event and everyone seemed more confident as a group. It was only until later that I realised how true this was.
Thoughts on grouping:
Fell running, despite the very friendly nature of the sport and the majority participants is still a fairly solitary activity. One person against the clock, the elements, the hill, their best time, their injuries. Most participants will have got to grouping pottering along on their own and then suddenly they are forced to work together.
Group dynamics are very important to the overall success (I'm not trying to sound like a management consultant here!) and the random nature of who you get grouped with sets how well you will do. The personalities in the team, especially when affected by tiredness, can make it a fun race... or not.
Most importantly, it is important not to navigate by committee otherwise it becomes a battle. Think "it's this way", "no there's a better path over there". Decisions need to be made as a team but someone needs to take charge and set the final decision. Getting to operate well as a team takes familiarity, not easy to acquire in a couple of hours!
I was looking forward to reaching the Snaizeholme CP to see my old friend Tim who gave me a much needed boost, walked with us a short way and letting us catch up with the race gossip. We bid him farewell and let him get back to his BBQ - the cheeseboard and wine had been finished earlier in the day.
It was dark last time we reached this point in 2012 so it was nice to be far enough ahead to see the beautiful view down from Snaizeholme Fell into the valley below with the evening light picking up the rippling details in the hillside.
Down the Pennine Way, turn off at the small cairn and we dropped right on the Dodd fell CP. Some sensible navigation from Kevin and Lizzie selected the correct path towards Fleet Moss. I was doing much less navigation than I had expected to which was a nice change.
Arriving at Fleet Moss checkpoint we decided on a swift in and out to try and make the most of picking the best line over the trickiest navigational section. David was having some trouble with his insides so we took some time to shovel some rice pudding into ourselves. I was amazed at how good cold rice pudding tastes when you are hungry and how easily it went down the hatch! That's definitely going on the list of "food what I can eat when feeling sick". Also, good to receive some support at the CP from Neil's wife Ros and Lizzie's mum.
Off we went, Lizzie leading the way, ticking off the landmarks I'd noted on the map
when we did our recce with Gunter. We were treated to an inspring, lovely sunset as we tramped off over the Moss. We'd also picked up a team behind us, a very cheery bunch with lots of singing.
This was my lowest point of the race so far, as I had grumbling insides, frequent burps and hiccups, and a touch of nausea. It took me several miles to force a slice of pizza and a couple of jelly babies down. David too was continuing to suffer with his guts.
I was very grateful for Lizzie's very competent navigation, leading the way and dropping us almost spot on to gaps in the walls, gates and quad tracks. The best tip I picked up on the day was when leaving the Middle Tounge CP is to head for the radio mast on the horizon as this drops you right on the gate for the next section. This blank section seems to go on forever!
Soon we spotted the lights of the Hell Gap CP and the other team who'd overtaken us at Middle Tongue. We clipped and then headed down the rocky track into Cray.
All Change!
By this time the temperature had dropped significantly with the clear skies and the tiredness was starting to take it's toll. David was striding off ahead to get so I caught him up for a chat. He confessed to being really cold and needing to warm up quickly.
On arrival the CP staff quickly spotted David was having a bit of a bad time as he was having trouble drinking his tea due to his shivers being so bad. They stuck him in the back of the well heated ambulance to try and get him warmed up. He was shortly joined by a chap with a yellow jacket that we'd been following from the start after he decompressed his stomach all over the CP field.
Kevin and I were sat together on a bench in the CP feeling like death warmed up, trying to eat some of the soup. I'm sure it was very nice but we were both struggling. I managed half a cup and a slice of cake. I went out to check on David but it was pretty clear that he wasn't in a fit state to continue as he was still shivering badly. The marshal requested his tally and <snip> for him the war was over. In a way a unpleasant decision for David to make but very much the sensible one. The hills will still be there next year mate.
We were regrouped with Andy 1, Andy 2 and Janet who had lost Mr Yellow jacket from their team, now forming a super group of seven. Stopping to say goodbye to David in the ambulance we all wished him well and told him that we'd finish it for him. Thankfully our new team members were competent and up to the task and we gelled quickly.
More good navigating from Lizzie up to Buckden Pike, the climb passing quicker that I was expecting. My legs were still working well (amazingly!) with no knee or piriformis issues. I took a painkiller at this point just to ease the ache in the soles of my feet but I was otherwise fine despite being 45 miles in.
Trudging through the night
Steady along the tops, a different line from the gate to the bridleway than I'd recced and we were at Top Mere and Park Rash before we knew it.
Home Run
0230 on Sunday morning. Park Rash CP. Hungry but nauseated. Need food. Perusing the selection with a cup of tea and my eye alighted on a small black and yellow jar. Marmite! Some cheap white bread, some I-can't-believe-its-not-hydrogenated-vegetable-fats, and the last scoop out of the jar. That Marmite sandwich was the best thing I'd eaten all day and was, I think, the primary reason I got to the end! Shovelled some ginger cake down along with a tea and we were off on the climb up Great Whernside. Neil also gave me half a salt tablet as mine had annoyingly gone walkabout. That also perked me up.
This climb has a short sharp bit before the long steady rising traverse up to the CP. Neil had found his climbing legs at this point and was leading the charge. I was feeling much better and took the back to ensure nobody got spat out of the back of the group. More than one team has been disqualified for losing people on Great Whernside before.
The CP tent was nicely wedged in a very large
grike just down from the trig. Having experienced a
windy Great Whernside on a couple of occasions I fully understood their location!
It's a long way from the top of Great Whernside back down on the home run to Grassington. By this point both my Achilles tendons were hurting where my shoe heel tabs had been pressing. I topped up on
Vitamin I and loosened my laces a bit to ease the pressure. At this point the miles really seemed to drag. I was walking, amazed at the ability of body to put one foot in front of the other for such a long period of time. There is something magical about seeing the dawn when you've been out in the hills all night.
We clipped in at Capplestone Gate, followed the flashing beacons in the pre-dawn light over the fields down to the road at Yarnbury where we were de-grouped. Andy 1 and Janet trotted off, as did Lizzie. Kevin and I walked along, Neil joined us after greeting to Mrs. Neil who had was still supporting even at this hour.
We reeled Lizzie in eventually, Andy 2 joined us and we finished down the spookily peaceful Sunday morning streets of Grassington, over the bridge and to the finish.
We had survived.
Finish
Primarily I was too tired and hungry to take it all in. Given that I had finally achieved this goal that I'd been aiming at for the past four years I felt an odd lack of emotion. Instead, I went in search of a breakfast as a priority, shovelling beans and sausages and toast into me like it was going out of fashion.
After a lovely hot shower I collapsed into my sleeping bag. It didn't take long.
Back Home
Tim packed up his hilltop checkpoint that morning and came to pick me up from the school, filling me in with events on the drive back home. Reward for the lift were some mighty fine sausage sandwiches and the realisation that the main part of my diet since Friday lunchtime had been sausages. Snorkers for power!
Lots of snoozing on the sofa, a bit of writing this blog, some gentle stretching and a chinese takeaway all eased me into bed at about 9pm, satisfied and sleeping the dead tired sleep of the honest.
Reflection
It has taken several days for it all to sink in. 61 miles is not a "walk in the park" but because of all the prep I'd done I went into the event expecting to finish so it wasn't a surprise when I did.
I've experienced more satisfaction seeing the achievement through the eyes of my friends and family. Thank you all for your messages of support and congratulations, it has certainly brought it home.
I'm relieved to have finally finished, and I feel like I've got a monkey off my back as a result. However, my thoughts are turning to the next challenge... whatever that might be! On Sunday I was glad that I didn't have to do it again. On Monday I was wondering if I could do it faster next year!
Gunter: "What was your time?"Me: "Just under 22 hours."Gunter: "Now then, I'm sure you can shave an hour off that time. We'll go over the route together and see where you can can improve!"
I'm still enjoying the endorphines from the day even now (Thursday).
Analysis
http://www.strava.com/activities/292819013
Navigation
Everything went to plan apart from the diversion at Great Coum. We picked good lines and didn't get lost.
Food
I ate well enough, and ate more checkpoint food than I thought I would. No crashes, bonks or massive loss of energy thanks to steadily eating throughout the day. Marmite and rice pudding are definitely "in", pizza rolls are "out".
Equipment
Clothes carried were just right, although my waterproof coat needs a more serious reproof as it wetted through after a couple of hours. One thing I've learnt is that you can never take too many clothes on the Fellsman. Both times I've participated I have seen people dropping out due to exposure / mild hypothermia from the cold and both times I've thanked the fact that I packed an extra warm layer.
Impressed that my phone (Sony Xperia Z3) worked so well. In flight mode, logging GPS data for 22 hours, occasional checks on the map/GPS location and taking photos and it still had 50% battery at the end of the walk!
Body
Suprisingly not much to report. Quads and calves a bit stiff, slightly bruised achilles on both legs but otherwise fine. I was back on the bike on Tuesday for the usual cycle to work. Lacking maximum power output but otherwise fine.
Strava Stats
- Miles = 61.1 miles / 98.3 km
- Elevation = 10,990 feet / 3,350 m
- Overall Time = 21:55
- Average speed = 2.7 mph
- Calories = 11,117
Results page for the race. Note the 25% dropout rate!
Volunteers
Last but not least, a big thank you to the army of volunteers who got up early to cook, set up, check us in, sit in a tent on a cold hillside clipping tallies, scrape bodies up and wrap them in foil blankets, transport people around, worry, go without sleep and tidy up long after the last competitors have headed off all so that some idiots can run around the hills having fun.
Cheers! But more Marmite next time eh?
Other Blogs and Race Reports
A steady round from Guy
https://guymawson.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/fellsman2015/
Nick takes a batteing from the weather
http://ultraploddernick.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/i-gambled-and-paid-price.html
Henry's blog
http://www.ultra-fit.me/2015/04/28/thefellsman/
The usual excellent Grough report
http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2015/04/27/adam-perry-posts-third-fellsman-win-as-jasmin-paris-sets-new-womens-record
Appendix: Gear List
Fell shoes - Inov-8 Roclite 295s
Trousers - Ronhill winter running tights
Waterproof jacket - Montane Minimus (needs reproofing)
Waterproof trousers - Montane Minimus
Base layer - Rab MeCo long sleeved
Long sleeved top 1 - White Montane windproof (not used)
Long sleeved top 2 - ME Eclipse hoodie fleece
Long sleeved top 3 - Montante Prism jacket
Warm hat
- ME beanie
Warm gloves - Buffalo mitts
First Aid Kit - triangular bandage, second bandage, wound dressing x2, roll of tape, pain killers, safety pins
Headtorch - Princeton Tec Apex with spare Panasonic Eneloop batteries
Mug and spork
Marked up Harvey's Yorkshire Dales Map and compass
Emergency Rations
- 350g flapjacks
Survival bag - SOL
Rucksack - Haglofs Gram 25
Two buffs
Sealskins waterproof socks
Cheap microfleece trousers (not worn, but I very nearly had to)
Emergency lights - Petzl eLite and Silva beacon
Android phone with Strava logging route and Maverick with a composite gpx track of the route loaded
Casio digital watch
Water bottle - 750ml bottle in shoulder holster, allows monitoring of consumption and doesn't freeze like a camelbak straw
Food
6 mini calzones (ate 3)
Jelly babies in hip pocket (ate whole bag)
Golden syrup cake, squashed, quarters
(ate half)
High 5 caffiene gels (ate none)
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