I'm not sure that pure fell races help with the fellsman. Doing something nutty like the high peak marathon first helps though. When I first did the fellsman, I wasn't at all sure I could do the distance but knew I could do 24 miles over the 3 peaks. I drew consolation from that that 30 miles was therefore 'easy peasy' so felt that just a little more effort and drive would get me round the HPM (circa 40 to 42 miles depending on how much blundering around in the dark you do). Then having successfully got the HPM under my belt, doing the 60 or so miles of the fellsman was at least psychologically achievable. From experience, having done both twice, I can't discern much difference in my mind of how I felt during the last 10 miles over Kinder into Edale on the HPM and the last 15 miles of the Fellsman hacking up Buckden Pike and Great Whernside. They're both tough as aresholesOriginally Posted by egor
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The other advantage of the HPM, or at least the HPM route, is that it chucks plenty of bogs and groughs at you; grand practice for the groughs and bogs of Fleet Moss and Middle Tongue on the Fellsman. Finally although the fellsman isn't stupidly high, given the distance (11,000 odd feet of ascent/descent all in) it throws half of that at you in the first 13.5 miles as you do three peaks back to back - Ingleborough, Whernside and Gragareth. I tend to find that my legs are totally shot by the time I get to Stonehouse, something like 27 miles in, but after a long and drawn out bumble up Great Knoutberry amazingly they start to recover and I can finish the race without noticeably getting to feel any worse (or noticeably any better to be fair).
So best training for me is long days out in and around the peaks of the Dales with Pen y Ghent, Whernside, Ingleborough, Gragareth, Great Comb and Blea Moor being my preferred yomping grounds. I'm up for it again this year by the way
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