The Lakeland 100 – Everybody Needs Somebody…

This story starts, as so many do at the moment, with a tale of Covid induced disruption. Many races went virtual in 2020 – Lakeland became Fakeland..

My good friend Jackie is a Lakeland legend, with five finishes she is a huge part of the Lakeland family and so was definitely going to get involved in the 2020 Virtual Lakeland 100. The suggested format was to run the distance between two checkpoints every day for a week to complete 105 miles (for those that don’t know, for reasons which seem to have been lost in the mists of time, the Lakeland 100 is 105 miles).

I felt this lacked ambition, plotted a 105 mile loop around Essex and so Fakeland was born…

With support from Jackie’s partner Adam, we completed the loop and had great fun. So when Jackie said I should enter the real one I kind of agreed, anyway it’s a ballot to get in so I had no chance…

Twelve months later, four weeks after DNFing at the Spine Race, I’m heading to the Lake District.

I won’t lie, I wasn’t entirely looking forward to the race. Firstly, I knew the terrain, climbs and descents were harder than the Spine Race. Secondly, I had no idea if I was physically recovered sufficiently to even run 105 miles. Thirdly, I really didn’t want two DNFs in a row and my firstly and secondly made my thirdly a strong possibility.

The theme for 2021 was The Blues Brothers, getting the band back together and everybody needs somebody. This was extremely appropriate given the number of people I knew that were doing the event. There were eight of us with Essex connections, including, of course, Jackie and Adam. My 2016 MDS tent mate Darren lives in Kendal and had promised to come and support me. As it would turn out he wasn’t the only member of Tent 137 I would see over the weekend, all the bands were getting back together!

The weather was fantastic and the Lake District was heaving. Our guest house was lovely and not far from Coniston – except that Lake Windermere was in the way… Fortunately I had a tent to set up at the campsite as driving back to the guest house after registration and then back for the start could have been challenging. My tent is so easy to.put up – it basically puts itself up. I haven’t used it for ages and really should have practised putting it away…

Kit check was painless – the kit was mainly a subset of my Spine kit and all passed without any problems. Then it was the official photo for the tracking page and I was done, all that was left to do was eat, drink and wait for the briefing.

There is no doubt the organisers of the Lakeland 100 go out of their way to create a great atmosphere around the race. The briefing was a mix of humour and the usual race type stuff, shut gates, don’t drop litter, try not to die etc. After the briefing I disguised myself as a runner and joined the hordes at the start.

The atmosphere as we ran through Coniston was electric, probably the best I’ve ever experienced at the start of a race. However 500+ people starting together and heading for single track paths and gates did mean there was a lot of delays after we left Coniston. Its a tricky one as a rolling start would allow smoother running but the mass start had the best atmosphere. From my perspective it didn’t matter too much as I wasn’t going to be racing but I guess if you are you just have to make sure you start far enough forward.

I wasn’t really taking notes as I ran so you will be relieved to know I’m not going to go through a checkpoint to checkpoint breakdown of my race. To summarise the Lakeland 100 course:
Scenery – stunning;
Climbs – long, hard;
Descents – sometimes nice but usually too steep for someone with my lack of mountain experience to be comfortable on;
Underfoot – occasional tarmac or grass but mostly rocks and stones.
So what did this mean for me? Well the stunning scenery helped, although less so in the dark. I actually did OK on the climbs I felt, I was usually keeping up with whatever little group I was in. Many of the climbs were single track and so small groups tended to develop as it wasn’t really worth trying to overtake unless you were planning on going much more quickly. The descents were a real problem for me. I would arrive at the top of a climb in a group and suddenly find myself all alone as everyone else descended and I tried not to do anything embarrassing out of sheer terror.

The combination of steep descents and rocky paths started to give me another problem – blisters. Those who read my Spine Race report will know that blisters figured significantly on that event. I had added anti-blister plasters to my shoes for the Lakeland 100 and they worked very well – I didn’t get any blisters in the same place as I did on the Spine Race. However, probably due to poor technique, the steep descents put a lot of pressure on my heels and I could feel them starting to blister on the bottoms. By Checkpoint Two I decided to put into practice the lessons of the Spine Race and stopped and taped them up. It wasn’t a perfect repair but they were no where near as bad or as painful as the ones on the Spine Race so I gave myself a tick for learning my lesson and doing something sensible. The only time they really hurt was when I missed my footing and slipped to a halt on my heel.

Anyway enough about blisters and back to the event. I’ll be honest, by the time I’d completed marathon distance and had got to Buttermere, I wasn’t feeling too much love for the race. This was nothing to do with the race itself but all down to my failings. I had really struggled with the steep descents in the dark, I’d rolled my ankle several times on a narrow track on the hillside and I was seriously wondering if I hadn’t taken on way too much so soon after the Spine Race. However it wasn’t all doom and gloom (there was a very spectacular orange full moon so definitely not so gloomy). Someone asked if they had done the MDS with me – it was Tony, another of the Tent 137 occupants in 2016! We had a quick chat and passed each other a few times during the race until Tony pulled away from me as the race went on.

By Braithwaite it was getting light. Braithwaite was also a source of rice pudding which improved my mood no end. I padded my heels a little more and set off up the road. This was good as it was easy underfoot and I had a little chat with another runner on the way. By the time I got to the old railway line I decided some running was in order as it was a good path with only the slightest of gradients. I didn’t even see the shortcut that we weren’t to take and so passed the virtual checkpoint without any worries.

Before Dockray I would have to negotiate the Old Coach Road, a fairly universally hated trek along a wide stony path. I chatted with a few more runners along it which at least passed some of the time.

Dockray to Dalemain was the longest leg but by now I was running in loose group which included my friend Matthew, race director for the Stour Valley path 100, a race I had enjoyed many times. The weather was good, the views even better and the paths less challenging. Also at Dalemain would be my drop bag. Whist I had some first aid stuff with me (it was part of the kit list as well as being useful), in my drop bag I had a lot of tape and padding so my plan was to really sort my heels out. I did have a full change of kit but as the weather was good I only changed my socks.

I was shocked to see Jackie at Dalemain as I had expected her to be several hours ahead of me by now. She had been having stomach issues and had a little sleep and some food at Dalemain. Fortunately she recovered and I didn’t see her again until the finish. Less good news was that Adam had had to pull out. I had seen him at an earlier checkpoint where he had told me his ITB was giving him problems and he would probably have to retire so it wasn’t a surprise but disappointing nonetheless.

After Dalemain it was Howtown. Apparently some people had a long wait at Howtown as it’s the first checkpoint after the Lakeland 50 runners join at Dalemain. I don’t remember much about it and was behind most of the LL50 runners so I assume it was OK. However the next leg was the second longest at 9.4 miles and had the most climb, 2205 feet according to the road book. I was still with Matt and a couple of others and we picked up someone that knew the course and was able to give us an idea of what was to come. The climb was hard with many false summits but not terribly technical. We were very fortunate that it was dry as much of the descent is on grassy boggy ground which can be very slippery – for us it was OK but I can imagine slipping and sliding down to the lake wouldn’t be a lot of fun. By the time we reached the lakeside it was just me and Matt and I tried to push us on at a reasonable pace as, although it was a bit rocky and technical in places, the course was no where near as difficult as some of the earlier stages.

At Mardale Head I experienced something I don’t normally have a problem with – the fact that checkpoints can run out of stuff for later runners. Due to the heat of the day, Coke and squash had proved extremely popular and so we only had a choice of tea, coffee or water to drink. You might think this would cause me to think badly of Mardale Head but as it happened it was where things started to really come together for me.

I should point out that the fact that this was where I stopped running with Matt is NOT the reason things changed for me from here. Matt had a few issues with plantar fasciitis and I had my own issues I’ve mentioned previously. The net result was that it was becoming obvious that we had very different strengths and weaknesses. I was still fairly OK on the climbs but was suffering a little on the downhill. As the route out of Mardale Head is up the Gatescarth Pass I pulled ahead. As I was heading upwards I had the most welcome sight of Sharon and Darren coming down to cheer me on. This was also where I first met Mary. At this point we weren’t deliberately running together but she was running at a similar speed to me, and obviously Sharon and Darren were running with me . As Mary was Scottish, Sharon immediately liked her.

After we came over the pass, Sharon and Darren went off to the car park back to Darren’s car. Darren said they would see us at the Garburn Pass, obviously assuming I had any idea where that was…

Mary and I both had a few issues but were of quite similar pace and so we ran together chatting about subjects as diverse as camel fairs and GPS. We actually made quite a good team, Mary’s husband has done LL100 before and was way ahead of us but Mary had recced most of the course and knew her way round 99% of it. The reason I say we made a good team is because I has my handheld GPS and so could quickly fill in the 1% Mary didn’t know. This was great for me as, whilst I absolutely love my handheld GPS, it isn’t very convenient to refer to continuously whilst using poles.

At Kentmere we were too late for smoothies but they did have a lot of apple juice which went down very well with me as it was a nice change from the sugary synthetic tastes of Coke and Tailwind. I started chatting to the volunteer handing it out and he asked me about hallucinations. Although I was into my second night things were still behaving fairly well. I think this was down to a regular supply of sugar to my brain and the fact that having someone to chat to gave the aforementioned brain something to do instead of go off on its own and make things up. I mentioned the extreme hallucinations I experienced on the Spine Race. It turned out this particular volunteer knew exactly what effect they had had on me as he had been the member of the Spine Safety Team that tracked me from Cross Fell to Alston and so was aware of all my random delirious wanderings! He told me he was delighted to see me as he had been sent a photo of me on the course and said that he was concerned I may have been seriously ill – the fact I was at Kentmere in plenty of time to finish (he said) proved that I wasn’t and that it was just sleep deprivation and probably a lack of sugar. After my less than heroic performance at the Spine and the fact that I obviously caused the Safety Teams some concern, I wasn’t sure that they would be over pleased to see me back next year. However my previously unknown guardian angel said that everyone would be really excited to see me back and to see me finish.

So it may be dark, there may be no chance of me finishing without going all the way through the second night and well into Sunday but I don’t care, life is good. I’m still running and chatting with Mary, I found out more about my Spine Race and, as promised, Sharon and Darren were at the Garburn Pass.

After the Garburn Pass and Ambleside I could dare to dream I was going to finish. I knew there was some technical stuff at the end but at least it would be light and there was less than 15 miles to go and three checkpoints in that distance.

As we left Chapel Stile it was starting to get light. Bleamoss wasn’t at all boggy and we followed the line of flags a nice man puts in to guide runners through the potentially boggy exit and passed the second and final virtual checkpoint. Personally if anyone wants to take a shortcut through a bog I would let them and watch them deal with the consequences but presumably people have done in the past.

Tilberthwaite, the final checkpoint and only three and a half miles to go. On one of my ‘comfort zone’ races I would barely stop at a checkpoint that close to the finish. However I could see the steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder and I was aware that the other side involved a technical descent into Coniston so I made sure I was well fuelled, and that I wouldn’t need any ‘nature stops’ at an inconvenient moment.

I threw my pound in the bucket and started the climb up the steps of Jacobs Ladder. Jacob was a little boy that sadly died of cancer. He had a strong association with the race and so no one minds making a small donation to charity as they start the last part of the race. I certainly didn’t, I’ve rarely been happier to have been somewhere than I was at this point. The climb up was tricky in places but not too bad. The section across was fairly straightforward but then there was the descent. Everybody needs somebody right? With Mary’s words of advice, encouragement and demonstration of where to put my feet I got down without too much drama, just the last run into Coniston to go.

And it was a run. Someone pointed out that we could finish in less than 39 hours as we came off the final descent so we ran through Coniston. It was amazing, the marshals were cheering us on and directing us home, people cheering, Sharon and Darren cheering loudest, round the corner under the arch and we’ve finished!

Everyone gets their moment at the Lakeland 100. A marshal took charge of me, made me pose under the finish arch so Sharon could get a photo and then made me wait until it was my turn to be announced and enter the marquee to even more noise and applause (quite a lot of it from Jackie). I was the last of the ‘Essex Legends’ to finish but Jackie, Adam, Steve and Matt were all there along with Sharon and Darren. After getting my medal and my finishers photo I was given food, drink and beer.

Mary came over with her husband so I thanked him for lending her to me and he thanked me for looking after her (I didn’t much, only a little bit when she was getting tired). I wanted to stay for all the presentations but I was knackered so we went and failed to dismantle the tent properly – I knew I should have practised taking it down. however it was folded up enough to get it into the car and after saying goodbye to Darren and thanking him for his support and for looking after my wife, we went to our guesthouse.

So for those that have looked at this and said ‘Too Long: Didn’t Read’, I made it, four weeks after my traumatic exit from the Spine Race I found redemption in the form of the Lakeland 100. I do feel redeemed because it was an incredibly tough race and totally out of my comfort zone and I struggled, and I suffered, and I went thorough a whole heap of emotions on the first night but I have a big medal and a t-shirt I’m not taking off.

I did learn from my Spine failure. I looked after myself better, I took more responsibility for myself. I didn’t get it all right but I’ve made progress. I found out more about the Spine Race, I didn’t realise I was causing quite so much concern or that I would be welcomed back (presumably provided I do actually learn from the last one). I spent time with people, lots of different people. Realistically I should never have been able to finish that race but I did, because of people. Everybody needs somebody – and with enough somebodies on your side you can do anything.

Anyway I think I’ve gone on quite enough. For anyone that skipped straight to the end – summary: I am a Lakeland Legend!