Today was a bit of an epic, the worst conditions I've ever encountered...

Rain was pretty much non stop and horizontal, wind on the Scoat Fell - Pillar ridge was enough to blow me over, and the state of some of the people who retired say more thsn I can about the combined effects of the cold/wind/rain....

I was timed out on Pillar. Things were going well up to Seatallan and i was a good 15 mins ahead of the cutoff, and although heading in the right directlion towards the Haycock/Scoat Fell col, I guess I took a terrible line in the zero visibility, and the people who caught up to me were backing right up against the cutoffs. Pressed on over Scoat Fell, and then encountered the first casualties. 4 or 5 guys helping a woman down who was suffering hypothermia, then some army guys who had retired or timed out I'm not sure. Around here I somehow turned 180 degrees and was heading away from Pillar. Whether I was heading down the Red Pike ridge or back towards Scoat a Fell I still don't know, but luckily I bumped into a lady who set me right.

By the time we reached Wind Gap the Pillar cutoff had gone, and we bumped into another 5 or 6 runners who were escorting a lady down who had fell and banged her head. I think 3 of us battled on up to Pillar checkpoint, with 9 peoples tags, to verify our location and time ourselves out, not that we had a choice as we were 20 mins past the cutoff.

Shame as I felt strong and was still moving well, albeit in the wrong direction at times, but the conditions were very harsh, and with slower rockier ground to come, it was probably a blessing that I was timed out, and didn't have that hard decision to make myself, as I'm not sure I'd have been man enough to retire.

I have to thank everyone involved today, from the runners who looked out for each other, to the marshals who stood out in such terrible conditions for our safety, I really have no hard feelings or disappointment about my first DNF...

One slight negative. My dad had gone up to Sty Head to hopefully see me come through, and he said people who had clearly been timed out on Gable were carrying on up the route. Whether he got this correct or not I can't say, so probably shouldn't even mention it, but if so, it's a pretty poor show on a day like today.

I'd also mention all the people who finished today. Better men and women than me.

Pete