Eskdale Elevation

Just been trying to plan a few races for next year and came across this new race, and have to say it looks fantastic...

I pretty much did a training run over this route in the summer, albeit in the opposite direction, and thought at the time how it would make a superb race over some pretty remote terrain...

Not sure if this is an old race that is being resurrected, or completely new, but I wish the organisers every success and i'll certainly be there on the 2nd April...

Note: link to the race is on the 2016 race calendar...

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Originally Posted by Travs

Just been trying to plan a few races for next year and came across this new race, and have to say it looks fantastic...

I pretty much did a training run over this route in the summer, albeit in the opposite direction, and thought at the time how it would make a superb race over some pretty remote terrain...

Not sure if this is an old race that is being resurrected, or completely new, but I wish the organisers every success and i'll certainly be there on the 2nd April...

Note: link to the race is on the 2016 race calendar...

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It's a brand new route. Dave Jones has been saying for ages that Eskdale needed its own race, so this is the result. Lots of options for route choice (or getting lost if you prefer!!)

Hopefully plenty will turn up on the day.

Details

Not the first race in Eskdale: the Muncaster "Luck" Fell Race was run every year from 1977 to 2000, although the route was notable for its lack of elevation. However, the new Eskdale Elevation Race does appear to remedy a more serious omission: am I right in thinking that this will be the first time a fell race visits the second-highest peak in England?

No, Great Lakes visits it as well.

Sounds interesting, might give it a go.

Appears this went well.

Really wanted to support this new race, however commitments next weekend meant I sadly couldn't make it.

It's a great course with plenty of options, and I gather the mist was down which would have made it very tough. Hopefully the race goes from strength to strength and I'll be there next year.

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Originally Posted by Travs

Appears this went well.

Really wanted to support this new race, however commitments next weekend meant I sadly couldn't make it.

It's a great course with plenty of options, and I gather the mist was down which would have made it very tough. Hopefully the race goes from strength to strength and I'll be there next year.

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There was a bit of a disappointing turnout of only 43 runners, but the weather was pretty awful.

Unfortunately Dark Peak's Joe Blackett took a nasty fall just below Whin Rigg and had to be stretchered off by WMR. Special mention to Pennine's Rick Houghton and Stefan Bramwell who effectively sacrificed their races by helping out, looking after Joe etc. Hopefully he's ok. We had radio contact between all check-points and race control, so MR response was very fast - obviously a big thank you to them too.

The race was won by Rhys Findlay-Robinson.

Here is Dave Jones's race report and results.

My first fell race since my nasty shoulder injury.

Bruising weather and a testing course. A tiny field which (after the run out) gave a real sense of, on the one hand, isolation, and, on the other, camaraderie if you were lucky enough to catch or be caught up.

I ran round with my dear wife as a pair. I predicted the route back from Scafell would be tricky (never having been that way before) and I was proved right; complicated with no defined ridge to follow.

A great test of navigation in poor weather so happy to have made it in one piece.

The marshals deserve great praise, especially the guys on Scafell, where it was cold enough that I couldn't feel any of my fingers. Good job the bearing off was pretty much due South. :D

I was well out of my comfort zone but found a new friend (thanks Lindsay)and we decided to stick together and get round safely. Thanks to everyone at checkpoints for waiting. I was very glad to come out of the mist and see we were on course for Eel Tarn!

That was a good day out, thanks to Dave B and all who helped or stood out on the fells & marshalled in those conditions (and to GeoffB who I believe was on his own in a tent, off the course, with just a radio for company). It might have been a small field but it guaranteed that if I finished I would have, by some way, my highest ever placing in a Lake District race, duly bagged. Proper navigation & a rare day when you know almost half the field by name (rather more by the end of the day). Sign me up for next year.

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Originally Posted by Paul Hills

That was a good day out, thanks to Dave B and all who helped or stood out on the fells & marshalled in those conditions (and to GeoffB who I believe was on his own in a tent, off the course, with just a radio for company). It might have been a small field but it guaranteed that if I finished I would have, by some way, my highest ever placing in a Lake District race, duly bagged. Proper navigation & a rare day when you know almost half the field by name (rather more by the end of the day). Sign me up for next year.

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Nice one Paul - actually I'd got my copy of the Guardian to keep me company as well!

Well, it's time for this cracking race again - this Saturday. The weather forecast this year is looking considerably better than last year.

All the race details are here. Let's hope for a big turnout - it should be a grand day out.

I would really love to support this race (alas, I said this last year as well), but 3 races in the next 5 weeks means I can't justify another weekend up in the lakes.

Fantastic route.

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Originally Posted by GeoffB

Well, it's time for this cracking race again - this Saturday. The weather forecast this year is looking considerably better than last year.

All the race details are here. Let's hope for a big turnout - it should be a grand day out.

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MrRTS will be there. His Race 7 of 50@50. Beau dog and I will be up at Whin Rigg shouting support to all with camera at the ready. Smile everyone :-) Looks a super and challenging route :-)

Yep - I'll be there too. Its a CFR club championship race so hopefully a few blue and white vests will be seen. My plan is simple (based on looking at last years strava traces) - to get from start to finish visting 3 checkpoints en route taking the simplest route possible.

general advice from up these parts is........Don't follow Bobster............

Thanks to everyone who turned up to run this race on Saturday, in somewhat better weather than last year.

Dave Jones has written a report, together with results, here.

Thanks to you Geoff, Dave and team of helpers. A cracking day, great route with interesting route choices, will be fascinating to see which lines become the most favoured in future years.

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Originally Posted by lwarby

Thanks to you Geoff, Dave and team of helpers. A cracking day, great route with interesting route choices, will be fascinating to see which lines become the most favoured in future years.

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Echoing Leigh's comments, many thanks to all involved.

Next time I'll be taking a different route from Whin Rigg to Scafell....less traversing if possible.

Scafell to Eel Tarn...on Saturday I dropped straight from Scafell heading towards Broad Tongue, then ran beneath Raven Crag.
Would staying high towards Slight Side have been a better route?

Choices aplenty....loved it.

Brilliant day out! MrRTS has a new favourite race. His Race 7 of 50@50. He will be back for this one next year! Not sure about route choices on the hills I'm going to check out the route choice going home next time. MrRTS thought we would try Hardknott Pass! Flipping heck, had to dig my fingernails out the dash board by the time we got over that :-/ Race write up and photos here if anyone would like to take a gander :-)
https://plus.google.com/114550169192...ts/LYmhNRQEKK6 Thank you so much to all who made it happen. Super race.

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Originally Posted by Tindersticks

Echoing Leigh's comments, many thanks to all involved.

Next time I'll be taking a different route from Whin Rigg to Scafell....less traversing if possible.

Scafell to Eel Tarn...on Saturday I dropped straight from Scafell heading towards Broad Tongue, then ran beneath Raven Crag.
Would staying high towards Slight Side have been a better route?

Choices aplenty....loved it.

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It was fascinating watching all the route choices from my radio control point on top of Great Barrow. From the moment you past the peat huts where 70 runners fanned out across the moor to all the different lines approaching Eel Tarn. I think John Heneghan left Scafell in first place and took your route Daz, whereas John Helme looked as if he came from Stony Tarn and arrived at Eel Tarn well in the lead.

This was one of the things that the RO was really keen on - providing lots of route choice.

Glad you all enjoyed it.

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Originally Posted by RaceTheSweeper

Brilliant day out! MrRTS has a new favourite race. His Race 7 of 50@50. He will be back for this one next year! Not sure about route choices on the hills I'm going to check out the route choice going home next time. MrRTS thought we would try Hardknott Pass! Flipping heck, had to dig my fingernails out the dash board by the time we got over that :-/ Race write up and photos here if anyone would like to take a gander :-)
https://plus.google.com/114550169192...ts/LYmhNRQEKK6 Thank you so much to all who made it happen. Super race.

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Great Blog, thanks for sharing.
All the best with your remaining races.

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Originally Posted by GeoffB

I think John Heneghan left Scafell in first place and took your route Daz, whereas John Helme looked as if he came from Stony Tarn and arrived at Eel Tarn well in the lead.

This was one of the things that the RO was really keen on - providing lots of route choice.

Glad you all enjoyed it.

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'Twas a cracker Geoff, probably the most off-the-beaten-track race I've done in the Lakes and all the better for it. From Scafell I went via Stony Tarn as it's a route I know and that seemed to work well. However that may only have been because Quagrigg Moss was dry as a bone - if it's wet that bit can be a right quagmire (hence the name maybe). A few beers in the afternoon, then spent Sunday chuckling at people trying to get up Hardknott Pass on the Fred Whitton challenge - great weekend!

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Originally Posted by GeoffB

It was fascinating watching all the route choices from my radio control point on top of Great Barrow. From the moment you past the peat huts where 70 runners fanned out across the moor to all the different lines approaching Eel Tarn. I think John Heneghan left Scafell in first place and took your route Daz, whereas John Helme looked as if he came from Stony Tarn and arrived at Eel Tarn well in the lead.

This was one of the things that the RO was really keen on - providing lots of route choice.

Glad you all enjoyed it.

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Hi Geoff

Lakeland races ever present Leigh Warbarton once again showed his impressive fell credentials. He was behind me at the summit of Scafell and unsurprisingly the next time I see him he's enjoying a sip of water at the finish. Leigh said he took the Great Lakes route to Slight side and cut down the fell from there on....impressive stuff.

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Originally Posted by Tindersticks

Great Blog, thanks for sharing.
All the best with your remaining races.

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Thanks, it was a brilliant day. See you at one of the others before the 51 hits! This one is a keeper for next year though. Next week South Mynd (another unknown to everyone) :-)

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Originally Posted by RaceTheSweeper

Thanks, it was a brilliant day. See you at one of the others before the 51 hits! This one is a keeper for next year though. Next week South Mynd (another unknown to everyone) :-)

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See you there all being well....it looks very interesting, another route choice epic day out?

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Originally Posted by Tindersticks

Echoing Leigh's comments, many thanks to all involved.

Next time I'll be taking a different route from Whin Rigg to Scafell....less traversing if possible.

Scafell to Eel Tarn...on Saturday I dropped straight from Scafell heading towards Broad Tongue, then ran beneath Raven Crag.
Would staying high towards Slight Side have been a better route?

Choices aplenty....loved it.

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Tindersticks - I was with you for most of the way to scafell (I was the one huffing and puffing and swearing with you up scafell in the CFR vest).

I think the traverse off whinn rigg is probably the best. Another CFR vest dropped straight down to the track to avoid the traverse but he reckons he lost about 2 minutes on other runners he was with who continued on the traverse. The other option is to carry on over on the path but about 100m of climb here.
I dropped straight down to Oliver Gill - strava traces are all over the place. I've no idea which the quickest way back is from Scafell. I think the way I went via Oliver Gill is probably best in bad weather.

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Originally Posted by Bobster

Tindersticks - I was with you for most of the way to scafell (I was the one huffing and puffing and swearing with you up scafell in the CFR vest).

I think the traverse off whinn rigg is probably the best. Another CFR vest dropped straight down to the track to avoid the traverse but he reckons he lost about 2 minutes on other runners he was with who continued on the traverse. The other option is to carry on over on the path but about 100m of climb here.
I dropped straight down to Oliver Gill - strava traces are all over the place. I've no idea which the quickest way back is from Scafell. I think the way I went via Oliver Gill is probably best in bad weather.

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Hi Bobster

Interesting stuff on the route choices.

What I did notice is you dropping like a stone from Scafell, that was some great descending over tricky terrain that you did there pal.

Roll on next year.

I was wondering if I can get a ride out with anyone running this Saturday?

I'm coming up on the train and can meet at the following stations:
Oxenholme 0905
Kendal 0915
Burnside 0919
Staveley 0925
Windermere 0930

Thank you very much.


Andrew Han

Hope to see everyone this Saturday. Once again I'll be on Great Barrow watching all the different route choices from Scafell - mist permitting of course!

Had a walk around the route on Easter Saturday - it was almost impossible to make forward progress from Whin Rigg summit due to the ridiculous headwind.

I'm doing this race for the first time and I've been looking at the possible routes over to Whin Rigg from the start. I'm not on Strava so I don't know what runners have tended to do in previous races.
I was considering doubling back down the road to Beckfoot Bridge and heading over via Blea Tarn and Siney Tarn. It looks a bit more direct and there's slightly less climb but I've no idea what it's like underfoot.
Any thoughts anyone?

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Originally Posted by The Cat Herder

I'm doing this race for the first time and I've been looking at the possible routes over to Whin Rigg from the start. I'm not on Strava so I don't know what runners have tended to do in previous races.
I was considering doubling back down the road to Beckfoot Bridge and heading over via Blea Tarn and Siney Tarn. It looks a bit more direct and there's slightly less climb but I've no idea what it's like underfoot.
Any thoughts anyone?

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Did it last year, you take the track over White Moss, it’s a bit of a dog leg, some of us tried to cut the corner over tussocky ground which was hard going and slower than sticking to the path. Dropped into Miterdale then up to Whin Rigg fairly direct.

Thanks to all the marshalls & organisers for a great event. I was a bit surprised about the last minute extra kit requirements, especially with such a settled forecast; fortunately it was a vest day, even a no-vest day at one point!
Finished with a pint, sat in the sun outside the pub; as it should be!

Well, it's that time of year again. There's not much else happening on Saturday so you might as well head over to Boot for this belting race. As ever I'll be sat up on Great Barrow doing the radio relay stuff with a pair of binoculars, hopefully watching all the different route choices.

All the details are here.

Eskdale Elevation Fell Race

On the official race website it states: “This is definitely NOT a race for novices. It has only three checkpoints - Whin Rigg summit, Scafell summit and Eel Tarn. The route is completely unmarked, covers some very high terrain and the route choice and navigation are completely your own responsibility - the route indicated on the map is a general suggestion only”.

There you have it, straight to the point: Eskdale Elevation is a ‘proper’ fell race!

On arriving at the beautiful Eskdale village of Boot I feel it’s only fitting to turn down the car stereo. The ambience and tranquility synonymous with one of Lakeland’s best kept secrets shall remain just so. There’s a time and place for Black Sabbath and Boot doesn’t feel like the appropriate venue.

I’m parked up alongside Joss Naylor. Sideways glances and nods of acknowledgement are exchanged. Instantly my day feels complete before it’s barely begun. I maybe mistaken, but I think Joss ‘Iron Man’ Naylor actually knows me? He’s probably just being courteous, either way, I’m feeling cock-a-hoop. I’d like to use poetic license and proclaim that I spotted Joss whilst listening to the Black Sabbath classic track Iron Man. Truth be told I was listening to my mate Bill Beckett heaping praise upon Nellie my border terrier. She’s impressed my friend with her in car etiquette and takes great delight from a belly rub for her good behaviour. I lift up my t-shirt and await my belly rub... I’m still waiting.

I ask Joss if he’s partaking in the race? He isn’t, but just for verification, in an act of bold disobedience he squeezes his Knee, a knee devoid of cartilage. You feel that for a split second Joss is looking for devine intervention, alas there is none forthcoming. Joss is a dyed-in-the-wool man of the fells. He’s the embodiment of our amazing sport. His enthusiasm for the fells is infectious: it’s evident in his voice, it’s noticeable from his body language as he looks longingly towards the Scafell skyline.

Joss was at Eskdale Elevation as a spectator. He said it’s the type of race he’d have relished in his day...high praise indeed.

I’ve done the race three times now. I know what to expect and with my expectations comes a tinge of sadness. The Miterdale section of the race resembles a scene from the movie ‘Apocalypse Now’ where felled tree debris is still evident. This years race is poignant as it’s the first time I’ve been in attendance since becoming a tree-hugger.

Derogatory misconceptions put aside, this doesn’t mean I’ve started practicing Tai-Chi exercises in the woods, nor do I intend chaining myself to the next condemned Oak. I’ll leave that to the hippies and environmentalists, crack on guys and fill your synthetic boots. I’ve simply ‘embraced’ the practice of tree-hugging for its therapeutic benefits. It’s scientifically proven that wrapping your limbs around a tree has a soothing influence. A word of warning: be on the lookout for sap residue before you embrace. Sap and clothing fabrics don’t bode well together and to my knowledge naked tree-hugging could possibly be an arrestable offence that carries a fixed mandatory penalty. I’ll not risk the unclothed approach, even though I am tempted, as I’ve recently ruined a puffa jacket which in turn had an adverse effect on my well-being...lesson learned, always check for sap.

The technique I’ve adopted involves pressing your cheek to the trunk of the tree. Be careful not to scratch your face, as it takes some explaining on how you obtained the scratches - if you’re quizzed at a later date. With this in mind, then go about picking your arboreal friend: in essence the tree picks you, its ‘green energy’ draws you in - photosynthesis apparently. Whilst embracing the tree (a full-on wrap around, or just pressing yourself against the trunk, it’s your choice entirely) you’ll almost instantly feel comfortable in its presence. Hugging a tree increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for feelings of calmness and emotional bonding. When comfortable (some trees are more huggable that others) tilt your head back and look up towards the sprawling branches overhead. It’s magical, however this stance takes some practice as initially it plays havoc with your necks cervical vertebrae. Warm up your neck beforehand by spending time with taller friends where eye contact forces the cervical vertebrae into extension. Alternatively, wall mounted televisions can do the trick if spending too much time with taller friends becomes a chore.

It will come as no surprise that I’m not going to dwell on the finer points of the race. Suffice to say, there’s so much route choice that even now after my third time in attendance I’m still unsure of my favoured route. Give the race a try for yourself, experience a traditional fell race of the highest order. If it wasn’t for a dodgy knee the great Joss Naylor certainly would...enough said.

Many thanks to Dave and all helpers. Well done to Max Wainwright: a fantastically talented young runner who also broke the course record. Well done also Catherine Williamson: who’d have been even quicker if she’d have followed me off Slight Side...next time Catherine.

The following day was my wife’s birthday. Alison fancied a night away in Harrogate. I suggested we could go to Harrogate via Sedbergh as it’s practically on the way and I’d be able to squeeze in Arant Haw fell race. She agreed as there’s a cafe in Sedbergh that Alison fondly remembers from our previous visits.

Par for the course I didn’t run well at Arant Haw. I’ve done the race three times: once the day after Three Peaks, once the day after Teenager With Altitude and now after Eskdale Elevation. I think next time I’ll do the race the day after doing nowt. After the race Alison looks more downcast than me. I’m puzzled by her flummoxed appearance and enquire what’s up? She says “that due to unforeseen circumstances the cafe was closed”. Once we’d arrived in Harrogate she also said “if I’d of known about the unforeseen nature of your ridiculous route choice, the circumstances regarding you doing the race would’ve been very different”.

I suggested we go and embrace the large Oak tree that was majestically standing within the hotel grounds, as the experience would be therapeutic after our longer than expected journey. My wife’s derogatory comments that followed were certainly unforeseen, but given the circumstances they were to be expected.

Tree-hugging...it’s not for everyone! Nor is traveling to Harrogate via Sedbergh!

Another great report Darren - can't wait for the full, published compendium :-)

With the sad loss of Dave Jones, his son-in-law Richard took over as RO and boy what conditions the runners and marshalls had to cope with this year. Last year it was tee shirt and ice cream weather in the dale, this year the clag was down into the dale, wind, rain and dense cloud on the tops. Well done for getting all the runners round, even the one that managed to evade the controls, but finished in good fettle.