Sorry I don't want to waylay the thread but it irritates the heck out of me when people diss the 3 peaks as not being a 'proper' fell race. Yes I know it follows a road and has a couple of small tarmac sections but that's mainly because it has to, to keep landowners happy and accommodate such a large field of runners. And of course it has to keep up its history as a fast race, broadly following a traditional route. The 3 peaks could easily be de-roaded, if landowners agreed, but it then wouldn't be the same race would it? And if you count the contours, the 3 peaks is circa 5,300 to 5,400 high, hardly small in the scheme of things (a mile give or take) and with all of the climb condensed into the first 18 miles. Teenager with Altitude sounds brilliant by the way but it doesn't have 10,800 feet of climb (as inferred by WD) in 16 miles.... does it?
This whole proper fell race thing is complete bollocks. Auld Lang Syne, a brilliant, brilliant fell race, could just as easily be labelled a trail race if we were being picky. And Loads of great races have far less climb than that and loads have more, some have road, some have none, some follow tracks, others are bogathons and other less so. I love the Fairfield Horseshoe for example but surely that could be criticised for (largely) following an impossible to miss track on two impossible to miss ridgelines?
Anyway I too have done the Malhamdale Meander and run the route from time to time on my tod and I'd heartily recommend that as a lovely 3P substitute, even though it includes... oooh a hundred yards of road down from Calton to the river Aire