Lakeland 100 - 2013

[IainR]

Big Up to Stuart Mills for his win.

He recently blogged that he can't hope to compete with the elite now that he's turned 50.
As a recent 50 something I found that a bit dispiriting.
Looks like he was wrong.
Well done Millsy.

I don't think he meant it like that... just qualifying for GB and competing at the World's...
But when he said that he still came top 10 in a British Trial race, so is certainly still in good shape.

If you look at his racing pedigree he often wins, doesn't race too much, but he's clearly very fit.

Strange though that the Lakes 100 is still not getting that strong a field, especially from abroad.

Good win though, TBH I thought he may have gone off to hard, which he sometimes does, he's a big proponent of the fast start... and the positive split. :-)

Be good to read his blog, always enjoy it as he thinks a lot about things, which even if you disagree with him he comes up with good arguments.

[Adnan Khan]

I struggled around in 12.28! Oh! and well done Sunderland Stroller for a brilliant turn out too!...very cheerful and chatty bunch they are!!

Hi Iain, I would have possibly bumped in to you on your last mile or so. I was going in the opposite direction. re Strollers most of them are all nutters, I am the only sensible one :w00t:

[paulo]

Total epic in every sense. Just got home to Manchester and still trying to put my brain back together after finishing in 37:09

I didn't start with a great expectation of getting round and had never done anything longer than last year's UTLD 50

I knew Andy (Derby Tup) and Stef from meeting them on a LDWA event a couple of years ago and then getting involved in their BGRs so it was great to meet up with them and chat before the race and in the early stages. We met up again just after the head torches came out on the descent to Wasdale and teamed up from there making a good steady pace. I've had a very sad year having lost my mum and it turned out Andy had also been through this recently and we had a really good talk about it which left me feeling better. Andy was having stomach problems and felt so ill after severe vomiting on Scarth Gap that he decided to bail and I went on whilst Stef stayed to look after him. It was a massive relief as I stood at Buttermere contemplating a lonely solo nocturnal trudge up Sail pass when Andy and Stef reappeared cheerfully back in the game and off we went. Somebody told me on the way up to Burnmoor that "you'll be fine as long as you get to Braithwaite still feeling good" so it was rather alarming to arrive there with legs feeling totally battered. "Knowing the route well" I took over the nav only to then immediately take us on a magical mystery tour of all the wrong bits of Keswick which A&S bore with amazing good humour. By 10am it was so hot I thought I'd be done for by mid afternoon and we all struggled along the Old Coach Road and particularly on the grim road section to Dalemain. Thankfully it cooled off for the Dalemain - Howtown - Fusedale section.

By Haweswater Stef was suffering from previous injuries and we all got split up by a sudden thunderstorm that resulted in soaking to the skin and, in my case, almost instant hypothermia so I pressed on to the checkpoint pausing briefly to check up on an injured competitor wrapped in a bivi bag and being looked after by another runner. The MR helicopter appeared that instant so I headed for the CP which was a gazebo packed to bursting and offering little comfort from the biblical deluge. It was on or over for me that instant so I grabbed a drink and some gels and trudged disconsolately up Gatescarth pass and didn't see another soul until Kentmere. I hoped the team might reassemble here but in the end headed off solo in to an increasingly wild night - as it later turned out Stef and Andy had already been forced to make the decision to retire at Haweswater.

The rest was a big struggle with mangled brain and body distorting time and distance throughout the night. My new state of the art Petzl Nao head torch started to play silly buggers in Skelwith Bridge and I had to team up with some lads from the 50 to be sure of getting to Chapel Stile. A lovely lady who had DNFd let me borrow her head torch at the CP so I wasn't forced to sit it out til dawn. My new friends from the 50 elected to join me sharing my nav/route knowledge and their safety and comfort of numbers and we plodded on to the finish without too much drama but plenty of suffering.

I've never been so knackered or dug so deep, especially Haweswater to Skelwith Bridge wasted, solo, and in the dark and foul weather - quite an experience. Despite knowing the route well my distorted time/distance sense in the dark with hallucination kicking in had me on the edge of despair at times. I think the foul weather in the night caused people to bunch at CPs - it was really alarming not to see another torch between Ambleside and Skelwith bridge with my mind playing tricks at the same time!

A brilliant event all told and a wonderful life-affirming experience. A massive thanks to Andy and Stef for your company, good humour and encouragement - I doubt I would have got round without your help and I'm really sorry it didn't work out for you this time

P x

[geronimo]

tremendous respect to everyone who took part in the 100 and the 50. I was amazed at all the 100 guys as we passed them.
I did the 50 last minute decision to substitute for someone who broke their leg and never done anything longer than the three peaks and finished in 11:42 and 77th so more than pleased so definitely going to have a crack at the 100 next year.
what a great atmosphere and fantastic people at the checkpoints who cant do enough to help you and feed you, great support from folk in Ambleside and Coniston, jumped out of my skin on the tarmac bit of the final descent into coniston in the dark when a jubilant and ecstatic Hester caught me up enthusing about finishing in 12 hours. I wasn't telling you to be quiet, I was trying to say I couldn't talk any more.
and what a reception in the school. this has got to count as one of my best achievements
and i wont be running at least for the next 7 days!!!!!!!!
and I found a tenner on the path to Chapel Stile so that will go towards the entry for next year

[stevefoster]

Well Done paulo, epic :thumbup:

[stevefoster]

@Steve. You'll enjoy the L50 after completing the 100. I kept thinking I saw you kicking about the place but was never sure. where you at Coniston, or was it mistaken identity! I've only got your avatar here to go off!!

No wasn't there mate, done the 50 the year before the 100, was meaning I'm 50 years old next year
Must have been a few Patterdale Terriers knocking about.

[ashstroller]

Probably met you Paulo at the Mardale cp. I was helping on the water station as two of the Marshall went to help the injured guy on Haweswater.
I was a DNF from the 50 this year.

[Hes]

That was mine! Only joking

and I found a tenner on the path to Chapel Stile so that will go towards the entry for next year

[Derby Tup]

An epic write-up of a great run paulo. See you soon hopefully for another run out :thumbup:

[MarkL]

Total epic in every sense. Just got home to Manchester and still trying to put my brain back together after finishing in 37:09

P x

Glad you got round. Well done, mate.