I blame the late, great Alfred Wainwright!
Once I'd ticked off all the Wainwright's I was looking for a new challenge.
The Birkett's gave me inspiration and introduced me to previously unvisited parts of Lakeland.
When a change of scenery was required I'd find myself up in Scotland bagging Munros. All was going well on the Munro front until I discovered fellrunning. The Munros took a back seat as fell racing soon became an obsession.
Like most, I had a 'to-do list' and before I knew it I was ticking off races and bagging different ones on a weekly basis.
From year to year races disappear, only to be replaced with new ones. We currently have approximately 500 different fell races in the race calendar....so that's my aim, 500 different fell races.
Why not do the same ones every year?
Some races will be hard to miss but my 'bagging' instinct is simply too great.
Below is a list of the races bagged in the last seven years....races done more than once are numbered accordingly:
AL CATEGORY RACES
Pendle full tour x7
Duddon long x 3
Wasdale x 4
Borrowdale x 5
Sedburgh Hills x 3
Three Shires x 3
Langdale Horseshoe x 6
Edale Skyline x 3
Three Peaks x 5
Isle of Jura x 2
Ennerdale x 2
Great Lakes
Howtown
Teenager with altitude
Stuc a chroin 5000
Buttermere Horseshoe
Holme Moss x 2
Peris Horseshoe
Old County Tops x 2
Helvellyn and the dodds
Cwn Pennant Horseshoe x 2
Black mountains
Pendle Cloughs
Howgills
Eskdale Elevation
South Mynd Tour
AM CATEGORY RACES
Winter hill x 3
Coledale horseshoe x 2
Loughrigg silver howe
Kentmere x 4
Snowdon
Ben Nevis x 4
Buttermere sailbeck
Coniston x 2
Fairfield horseshoe
Rydal Round x 3
black combe x 3
ben lomond
skiddaw
ingleborough
fellside
turner landscape
lakeland country fair
wrekin wrecker
cardington cracker
long mynd valleys x 2
yr aran
anniversary waltz x 2
blencathra
tebay
maesgwm muddle
guisborough 3 tops
rhobell fawr
middle fell
blakey blitz
ras y moelwyn
stretton six summits
cadar idris
ras moel eiloi
dockray-great dodd
durisdeer
grisedale horseshoe
badger bar blast
arenig fawr
pendle 3 peaks
merrick hill
breidden hills
wharfedaleT.T.T saturday
flower scar
AS CATEGORY RACES
bleasdale circle x 4
pendle x 2
barley cabin x 2
weets x 3
aggies staircase x 3
wharfedade T.T.T sunday
waughs well
whittle pike x 3
burnsall classic x 2
pendleton x 2
grasmere sports x 4
scafell pike
wansfell x 6
lads leap
flower scar x 2
mearley clough x 4
blackstone edge
paddy's pole x 3
holcombe two towers
clougha pike x 2
reston scar scamper
heptonstall festival
ambleside sports x 3
great whernside x 4
dunnerdale x 3
really wild boar x 4
skirrid
jubilee plunge x 2
lambs longer leg
carnethy 5
llantysilio
new dungeon ghyll x 2
loughrigg x 3
herod farm
dumyat hill
kettlewell bofra x 2
cautley horseshoe
buckden pike
cononley
hawkswick bofra
hot foot up famau
wicken hill whizz x 2
cracoe bofra
blisco dash
farleton knott x 2
shipman knotts
reeth bofra
kilnsey crag x 2
shelf moor
muker bofra
burnsall bofra x 2
embsay bofra
theiveley pike
screes
corndon 3 peaks
titterstone clee
fairmile
carding mill canter
ilkley moor x 3
causey pike x 2
arant haw
orchan rocks x 2
blackstone edge x 2
glaramara
coniston gullies bofra
up the beast
bridestone
helm hill bofra
eddies revenge
kirkby gala bofra
heptonstall grand depart
wormstones
arncliffe bofra
eccles pike
malham show
hodder valley dunsop bridge
dale head
blakes heaven
pipe dream
mynd mac
grisedale grind
lords seat
james thorn x 2
caw
totley moor
shutlingsloe
saddleworth
pen y ghent
gillgarth gallop
pontesbury
lingmell dash
cock hill wood
dufton pike
barrow
loweswater show
st boniface
wasdale show bofra
sedburgh 3 peaks
cautley x 2
sabden
elterwater common
ras moel wnion
dale head dash
up the nab
latrigg
mount famine
lantern pike dash
west nab
sedburgh sports
tor mile
kerridge climb
cnicht
ennerdale show
yha king of the castle
barbondale
jarretts jaunt
brough law
donard challenge
sedburgh gala bofra
great orme
chunal
BL CATEGORY RACES
heptonstall x 3
roaches
stretton skyline
hope moors and tors
mickleden straddle
haworth hobble
tour de helvellyn
trigger
exe to axe
good shepherd
wadsworth trog
guisborough moors
the full yomp
chevy chase
brecon beacons
nine edges endurance
wharfedale half marathon
BM CATEGORY RACES
hodder valley slaidburn
nine standards x 2
stanbury splash x 4
ovenden
wray caton moor x 2
crowden horseshoe x 2
hutton roof x 2
austwick amble
pilgrims cross x 4
boulsworth x 2
withins skyline x 4
bronte way x 2
shepherds skyline x 5
mytholmroyd x 3
high cup nick x 3
cloud nine
mow cop x 2
kinder downfall
bollington nostalgia
widdop x 3
great hucklow
worsthorne moor
weasdale horseshoe
chipping show
saddleworth edges x 4
passing clouds
clwydian hills
wadsworth half trog x 3
kirkby moor x 4
white holme circular
wardle skyline x 2
boulsworth bog/hill x 2
hendersons end
castleton
reservoir bogs
crackenedge
leg it round lathkil
coiners
cock howe and beyond
tour of norland
penmaenmawr
glaisdale rigg
red kit challenge
race the devil
edenfield
charmouth challenge
lee mills x 2
great westmoorland
ventnor horseshoe
simonside cairns
box hill
stan bradshaw half pendle
ian roberts
rivock edge
settle hills
bingley show
turnslack
teggs nose
arnside knott-extended route
eskdale eureka
mortimers forest
hoofstones
tigger tor
muncaster luck
dick hudsons
cake race
barrel inn
BS CATEGORY RACES
harrock hill x 15
whinberry naze x 6
ashurst beacon x 3
liver hill x 4
belmont
stanhill
great hill
walsh two lads x 4
tideswell
golf ball x 4
padfield plum fair
dave staff x 2
stoop x 6
auld lang syne x 6
studmarks from the summit
mr sparkles dark un x 5
midgley moor
rivington pike x 4
bamford sheepdog trials
knowl hill
trunce
tom tittiman x 2
flan fell
tockholes
bull hill x 3
sheldon
beetham sports
crow hill reverse x 2
hades hill x 3
orton fair
arnside knott x 3
famous grouse
gravy pud
lothersdale
kelbrook
bosley fete
fun on the fells
beamsley beacon
james blakeley harden moss
langley fete
cragg vale x 2
hathersgate gala
stoodley pike
top of leach
ricky's race
rusland 5
rusland short
blackshaw head
bradley
beefy's nab
giant's tooth x 2
great hameldon
rainow 5
pinhaw moor
last drop loop
kildwick
killington sports
hope wakes
winster
stiperstones
ravenscar rumble
darwen gala
sheep fell over
bury ditches
race you to the summit x 2
hoppits hill
maybeck 3 crosses
hartcliff hill
foe edge
bluebell race for the wild
grindleford
chrome hill
gargrave show
whitfield village fair
tigers todger
bollington 3 peaks
hayfield may queen
wincle trout
tockholes evening
ragleth inn
royal rumble
great longstone chase
longshaw sheepdog trials
utterley butterly
captain cook's
chicken run
jack bloor
otley chevin
CL CATEGORY RACES
blubberhouses
wroxall round
grin and bear it
cannock chase trig points
CM CATEGORY RACES
bolton by bowland
sutton pinnacles
round hill
hexhamshire hobble
cop hill
two hillforts
CS CATEGORY RACES
bunny run
crosby commoner
warton crag x 2
brownlee olympic run
20 barriers x 2
harriers v cyclists
ilkley incline
scout scar
whitestones
birkrigg common x 2
murder mile horwich
crunswick scar x 2
peak forest
stoney middleton
parwich panoramic five
sedburgh school
ingleton scenery
RELAYS
pennine bridleway leg2
ian hodgeson leg1
ian hodgeson leg2
ian hodgeson leg3
ian hodgeson leg4 x 3
calderdale way leg2 x 2
calderdale way leg3
calderdale way leg4 x 2
Lee mills x 3
witton park
bunny run
kettlewell british leg2
long mynd british leg1
middleton british leg3
pendle british leg2
O CATEGORY EVENTS
kinder trial
new chew
MM CATEGORY EVENTS
peak raid 3 totley
rab mini calver
Current total is 409 different races....plenty more to keep me busy.
I'll keep updating now and then....see you at a race....somewhere.