Have been wavering about posting this, because it would be the first time I've publicly admitted what's been going round my head for the first few weeks. My basic question is whether people with the wealth of experience that's on here think that it would be feasible for me to have a proper go at the BG this year (probably in late August/early September)?

Background info: Always been active, played the standard team sports through school then got into rowing at uni and did that for five years, training six days per week and generally building a useful aerobic base. Started running instead for logistical reasons (living in London) in 2017. I first came across the BG while looking at wikipedia as a 14-year-old about to go for a weekend walking in Borrowdale with my Dad and brother and filed it in the back of my mind as a 'one day...' ambition.

Fast forward and after running seriously for about 9 months I had got bored of just running to get faster and looked into getting into the hills. Did a couple of the routes from Kingsley Jones' book last June round Coniston and Fairfield and had a great time. Entered my first fell races at Arnison Crag, Barrow and Ennerdale Show last August, coming about 1/3 of the way down the field while training for a (road) half marathon (1:25), and then did Grin n Bear It (2:40) and the Roaches (2:44 with XC the day before) to qualify for the 3 Peaks.

Recent:
I started my training for the 3 Peaks in December, and have averaged 62 miles and 5,000 feet per week for the last twelve weeks. I had a 2020 attempt in the back of my mind, but things have changed recently:

1. I got offered a new job starting on October 1. This will limit my available training time substantially. I'm currently on a fixed-term contract ending on 31 July, so I should have a window at the end of August where I could schedule an attempt.

2. I went up to recce the 3 Peaks this weekend gone and ended up doing the recce in one day rather than two and ran Heptonstall on Sunday instead. I did my recce (full route, taking the old walkers' path) in 4:13 and Heptonstall in 2:22, and although my legs were pretty sore yesterday they feel alright today. Realistically I didn't think I was fell-fit enough to do that, but combined with the free time in August it's got me thinking.

Plan of Attack
So if I were to have a go, my plan would be to taper and race the 3 Peaks as planned (Saturday's run pushed me to 79 miles in 7 days, so was definitely on tired legs) and then recover in May before a 2-3 month training block. I'm spending the last week of May, after the Bank Holiday, in Wasdale and would look to get in a couple of solid runs as well as the walking with friends that is the reason for going over the weekend (before, I've done a day's walking on trips like this then headed off to run for an hour or two in the evening while they faff), support a leg of some friends of a friend's attempt on Bank Holiday Monday, and then spend 3 or 4 days walking and wild camping with my girlfriend before entering Duddon on the Saturday. That would kick-start training, and I'd try to get up for Buttermere, Wasdale, and possibly Borrowdale depending on dates, and combine each race with a leg recce. Around that, I'd be aiming to get as much elevation in as I can in the South...

As far as I see it, the gaping holes in this plan are a) lack of ultra-distance experience b) lack of night nav experience c) logistics. Are these too much to overcome? I've had a good dig for information, reading people's reports, the long threads on 10,000 ft/week and nav choices, and (of course) Bob Wightman's site. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on whether this is a viable plan or not. I'm really on the edge about whether it's worth the full-blooded commitment that I know it would take. At the same time, I feel it would probably be easier to commit as a 27-year-old with a couple of years of consistent training behind me than someone fighting to reclaim fitness later in life. Thanks for reading if you've got this far!