I got round OK, 14.48. Much harder than expected. I made it 39.7 miles and over 16,000ft of climb
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I got round OK, 14.48. Much harder than expected. I made it 39.7 miles and over 16,000ft of climb
Chap-eau...
Brilliant effort Martyn! :)
Brilliant Martyn. It looks hard to me!
I've just been reading Peter Hayes, Swim-Hike book on kindle. It's very inspiring, and entertaining.
Well done.
Chapeau Martin.
Great stuff. Well deserved
Since my successful round on 23 July, there have been two further FGR completions:
6th August - Mike Vogler (14.44)
13th August - Steve Wathall (17.46)
So, including Tim Mosedale's CW round on 23rd June (the first) that's four successful completions this year and I know of at least one more attempt in the wings.
I did a swim recce in Cummock this week. It was very sunny but the water was very cold.
If all the watery parts are that temp I think a wet suit would be necessary. Would be interesting to have each attempt categorised with either skin or wetsuit or mixture.
Who's going to be the first person to do a winter round?
Like the BG, that would be a whole different challenge.
I swam Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater with a wetsuit, Crummock and Buttermere without.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily
In retrospect, I might have been better putting a wetsuit on for Crummock as it was absolutely freezing. The issue here is that you come off the fell a bit hot and sticky, blood pumping around your extremities and then jump into a very cold lake. If you're not acclimatised to that sort of thing, you're going to suffer and I did - about halfway across I started to cramp up from the waist down and my swim bag (which attaches to your waist) was very full of kit, heavy and stopped me from kicking as much as I would have liked to get blood moving. I know that Steve Wathall used a shorty for Bassenthwaite, then switched to a full length suit for the other three lakes.
I think it's possible, but bloody dangerous. You would have to be very accustomed to cold-water swimming.Quote:
Originally Posted by millipede
That said, it makes sense to get your timings right for an FGR attempt because bracken is a real issue on the route.
Yours truly entering Crummock on my FGR. I don't think the diving club that were there knew to make of it. Probably thought I was insane.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily
Attachment 8519
Frog Graham blog:
http://www.harrogate-harriers.co.uk/frog-graham-round/
Nice one Martyn, that sounds excellent and horrific all at the same time.
It's on the List now :-)
Probably the Tadpole this month :-)
Then the Full Frog next year.....luckily I can still swim a bit :-)
Others may remember the "first" Lake District Mountain Triathlon.....a truly mega event!!!!!
From Lowswater Village Hall....and more....
Organised by some very lovely old pals......which would also be amazing to revive......?
Nothing so far in terms of "official events" has ever come close to what was one of the very best things ever :-)
(for us mad baggers......I glink I smelt tha't reet....)
Finally got round to reading the blog Martyn, fantastic effort mate and a good write up, well done!
Half way through reading it, but intriguing so far. Well done!
Thanks for the kind comments, much appreciated.
Just as a postscript to my blog, I think I ought to point out that Mike Vogler from Ulverston has taken the record even lower, shaving four minutes off my time. Well done Mike!
Great write up Martyn. First time I've read a full FGR account! Sounds epic!! Funnily enough I always think(...thought!?) of it as a 'fun' version of the Bob!! Not anymore! Cheers!! :)
Finished reading it. A great read. Any kind comments are well-deserved! Inspirational stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Anyone having a go this summer?
Yup
As part of a relay
😁
Hell yeah. Err, bags not doing the last swim
I am delighted to say that I managed a successful Frog Graham Round last Wednesday 3rd May setting off at midnight and finishing at 23:13 I used a wetsuit for all the swims and the weather got up very windy which made forward progress difficult on Leg 3 and what should have been a nice easy 10 minute swim across Buttermere, a far more serious challenge with mini tornados scudding across the surface. I carried on hoping that the wind would drop but I had lost a lot of tine on my 21.5 hour schedule which put me in the dark for Derwentwater. Fortunately I was saved by Nicky Spinks and her husband Steve who guided me across the lake in a canoe on a compass bearing, visiting each of the three islands on the way. I am chuffed to bits to claim FGR009 - now who is going to be next? It's a brilliant route - highly recommended :-)
Brilliant stuff - well done Charmian. And lovely chatting with you half-way up/down High Crag yesterday.
Brilliant Charmian! One day . . . .
Wooo!!! Well done Charmian.
Superb & Very Well Done Charmian!!!!!
It's been on my must do list for some time now, hopefully I'll get it done before too long ;)
Well done Charmian, we're chuffed to bits for you.
Take care
Darren + Alison.
Hats off ! Magni-fish-ent effort Charmian :)
Thank you all - I have been ticking off Wainwrights with frog's legs and the biggest smile on my face for the last week or so. ;)
Just heard from the Moot Hall that Paul Wilson has successfully completed his Frog Graham Round in 18hr 39min.
There have been a number of successful rounds lately and Paul becomes the 16th person to complete it.
http://www.froggrahamround.co.uk/roll-of-honour/
Obviously buoyancy aids are cheating but I understand that wet suites do provide some assistance. As a very poor swimmer who has some aspirations to do this, what kind of wet suits could people recommend. Do you need a fresh dry wet suit for each swim stage, or can you use the wet one again effectively from the last swim?Also have all successful completers used front crawl, as that really is my weakness. Any advice on the swimming aspects great fully received!
Well, apart from the horror of putting a cold soggy wetsuit back on :eek: :eek: :eek: ....Quote:
Originally Posted by Corniceman
...there's a cryptic note in the FAQ about biodiversity impact, with a bit of googling I found this page about invasive weed species in Derwentwater and Bass Lake which the conservation people are keen not to have spread into the other lakes. The implication being you ought to either (a) use a different wetsuit etc. for Crummock and Buttermere or at least (b) clean & rinse all kit very thoroughly after exiting the water so you're not carrying any scraps of weed that could regenerate. Be useful if anyone better informed could comment though?
If you jump on the facebook page there is loads of info on there, most are washing the suit in a convenient beck or at Whinlatter en route.
Generally a swimming specific wet suit is best but at least 1 completion was in an Otillo style suit, worn all the way round.
Any stroke will do, and the swims are not excessive TBH, the daunting one is Derwent at the end but this is broken up by 3 islands that reduce the psychological issue.
Actually, there's not really such a thing as "cheating" in the context of using something that will enhance your safety. So buoyancy aids are absolutely fine for use on the FGR, by that I mean water wings, a Donald Duck rubber ring, pull buoys, foam tubes, kickboards, wetsuits (some have extra buoyancy built in for sinky-legged swimmers), float-bags etc. About the only thing it's been agreed are not in the spirit of the FGR are performance-enhancing tools such as paddles and/or fins.Quote:
Originally Posted by Corniceman
p.s. Well done on your recent round Jon, fantastic effort :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Glanfield
^ Martyn thanks for clarification re buoyancy aids. As a swimmer who doesn't particularly like swimming this opens up a whole new world for me
One of the many interesting / attractive aspects of the Frog is its relaxed approach to "rules" but focus on safety. Which is obviously not a pop at the BG club on my part
About time I got off my fat lazy arse
You have been threatening that for sometime DT. I am 'strongly' considering this next year as it is more relaxed, but I am no swimmer but just have to learn! This year I did Fred Whitton as a brand new cyclist and coped well especially with the climbs, so adding swimming to the repertoire would be a new challenge. To be honest its the run that is likely to be the most problematic as my knees are so bad. I'd be up for a few recce days out swimming and running next spring although the first target is a width of the local pool.Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Thanks all for advice, its very reassuring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martyn P