Mountain Running Where Most Rock Climb… (WARNING – Do Not Try Unless An Experienced Climber)

I noticed a post recently on-line via the “Trail Running Magazine” (Superb magazine for all things off road running) Facebook page, which was asking readers to describe a favourite mountain running route. This got me thinking, through my regular visits to the Lake District for training runs I had discovered a very fun climb which I made into a run, and over a period of researching where it actually was, I found that most on-line information was vague… So hence my blog, I finally located the climb known as Pinnacle Ridge – which is classed the Lake Districts toughest scramble, to give you a breakdown of the classification for this it is labelled as a Grade 3 Scramble – This type of scramble may involve making moves on steep rock in very exposed situations. All but experienced climbers might prefer the protection of a rope in some places. Occasional moves of Moderate rock climbing standard may be encountered. The ability to abseil may be useful if a retreat has to be made.” Grade 3 rock-scrambles are effectively Moderate Climbs, and we treat them as such using ropes and relevant climbing gear. After many ascents of this route I felt very confident that I could run it or climb it as fast as possible without any ropes and solo (on my own) and further I could actually link it up to another good climb known as Striding Edge – Grade 1/2 Scramble. 

Lake District…

The route I love to run is a bit of a mix of other routes I’ve now actually discovered (there’s me thinking I’ve made this up all myself), these include the Pinnacle Ridge Climb, Grisedale Fell Race, Small section of Bob Graham Round leg 2 and to finish the Striding Edge Climb. In total I have clocked this route at around 14 miles depending on route selection on ascents and descents as some do not have any trails marked. 

Route Map Of Whole Route

Starting in Patterdale you head out on roads and take the Grisedale path from the bridge located near the Mountain Rescue post on the edge of Lake Ulswater (great place to dip after the run). Heading out into the valley follow the trail due South West and naturally head up the valley. Previously I tried to research the climb (first part of our run) and I found very little information out in the world of blogs or youtube, so key markers are when running you finally come to a small building and barn complex on your left, as you head past this you come to a prominent gate. Look left here and you will see a wood-line and to the right hand side boundary of this wood a small grass trail, take this trail and start your ascent up via a zig zagging grass path. This can be where most become lost as it can be confusing if heavy rain but stick to the principle of if its steep then keep heading upwards. The next marker is where the ground gradually plateaus out and a small stream becomes very small and disappears, this is where you need to cross over and head back on your South Westerly bearing, you will notice a small grass / rocky trail. 

Grisedale Valley Back To Ulswater…

Run along this trail which is small and can be technical until you cross over one scree field, on reaching the second scree field you need to head left and start ascending from the slight plateau feature and climb again. This time stick to the left hand side of the scree and follow the loose rock until you hit the base of the sheer rock face. This is where you will start the ascent of Pinnacle Ridge, the key to identifying the start is a trail will take to you to the base and a prominent rock will stick out of the rock face above you.. known as the “cannon”. Initially the climbing can be done quick and is very basic stuff, you can cut a zig-zag path up to speed things up and be careful for loose hand holds, but most are classed as “jug” type holds and perfect for fast moving if your confident. 

Its approximately 2/3 of the way up you will come to some exposed areas of the route with a fairly big drop down either side. I will mention here if you commit from this point it will be difficult to down climb and abseiling will be required to escape. After a few moves you hit a ledge… 

Resting on the “ledge” before committing to the climbing section…

From this point on you will have a “moderate rock climb section” to complete where it is advised to rope up for protection if you don’t feel you can solo climb. I find that speed and confidence here helps and fast climbing is a must, some great views around the lakes can be taken in once your on the ridge summit of the climb and it will get the heart and blood pumping as your very exposed and a fall will certainly hurt if not result in serious injury. 

Terrain on the lower sections of the climb and easy going…

Once over the meat of the climb it is a slight hill to the summit and I always find this section the most fun as you emerge from a route that most walkers think is crazy and you join a trail most trodden by fellow Lake District lovers… I enjoy the look from people who stop and stare “where the hell did you come from and your just in shorts with no rope”. 

                            Route Climbed In Red…

In the above image, as best as I can I have marked the route to the summit with the approach to the start, the key indicator is the second prominent cut into the face is the right hand border for the climb. On the summit you then have some really good trail running down to the tarn at Grisedale. This is fast and very fun with a great way to train descending. Once at the tarn you can replenish water then start the ascent via running up-to Dollywagon Pike and onto some peaks such as High Crag, Nethermost Pike and finish at the summit of Helvellyn, making up a small section of the BGR Leg 2. It’s here where the route will become very busy with walkers, I find the transition from climbing the Pinnacle solo then bursting into the packed summit of a well visited mountain summit very nice and refreshing. 

The next section will involve some very fun ridge line running but it can be hairy due to the business of the route and you will enjoy the looks of amazement from walkers and climbers alike, who are obviously frustrated that you can run this while they are on bums or all fours… 

                                   Striding Edge…

After the fun of Striding Edge which is very runnable you will then be onto the last section… this is from Hole in Wall and down the valley path which descends to the bridge over the Grisedale beck and the road where we started the run. This path is fun and fast but after already climbing and running an approx distance of 12 to 13 miles, you need to stay focused as a trip or fall can be painful. This last section is good running and excellent trail but not very wide so keep your eyes peeled for those walkers but many different options are available and some may find running on the grass easier. The finish is along the road and in the car park opposite the White Lion pub in Patterdale – which is a great spot to stop refuel and I highly recommend a naked dip in Lake Ulswater. 

In total I have the route as 14.7 miles and over 6 mountain peaks the highest being Helvellyn at approx 2,800 ft… Climbs are Grade 3 scramble with a small section of Moderate rock climbing and also a Grade 1/2 ridge-line scramble which is runnable.

I hope you enjoy the post and feel free to message and let me know how you get on with the route… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berghaus Trail Chase (Struggling to compete after injury)

After a tough period of injury and not being able to run at all for a 2 month period, it was a tough decision to run in this event as I’m not the best person when just making up the numbers. The injury i received at the Bupa / Karrimor Trail Race in Keswick where i won was a tear to the soleus muscle, a very difficult period of recovery has followed but during this i have taken a positive, this being Aquarunning. I strongly advise anyone to try this, whether it be post injury or even to add to your weekly training regime and a great tool to increase mileage with no impact related niggles, another area its good for is to improve running form and technique.

The inaugural Berghaus Trail Chase took place in the North York Moors National Park and judging by the flurry of social media comment since then, it was big success!

Shane Ohly, the Race Director for Berghaus Trail Chase had this to say, “The Berghaus Trail Chase™ concept is innovative and looks to bridge the gap between trail races, multi-day races and navigational events. First, competitors are issued with a map but the routes are fully marked; this enables competitors to make the step towards navigational racing without it being a requirement. Secondly, the competitors are eased into the two-day format as we transport up to 15kg of camping and overnight kit for each of them; this means that the runners remain fast and light for maximum trail running enjoyment. Third, and most importantly, is the concept of the ‘Chase’ itself – by starting the competitors on the second day, in the exact order and time difference that they finished the first day, we create an exciting and exhilarating finale to the weekend”.

Competitors could choose between three different courses, which were colour coded like ski pistes. On the first day the Black course was 32.8km, the Red Course was 25.3km and the Blue course was 16.6km, with all three courses starting from different locations and converging on the same Overnight Camp at Chop Gate. On day two the Black and Red courses set off from Chop Gate with 21.3km and 17.4km to complete respectively. The Blue course competitors had a short bus ride and then a lovely 10.1km run into the Event Centre finish near Osmotherley, where the Black and Red courses also finished.

      Compulsory kit during the race

In hindsight, due the fact I was post injury and I’ve only actually ran on four separate occasions with all being very short distance sessions or races, I really should of selected a course with lesser mileage. However, me being a great believer of emotion over sense, I decided to do the “Black” course and I was aiming to be a top 3 finish. We set off from Hutton Le Hole and break away group of three formed, me, Duncan Archer (DFR runner and elite mountain marathon runner) and Charlie Sharpe (Team 9 bar athlete and recent 2nd place at the Lakeland 100). Although running with two amazing athletes I really felt the distance and terrain would suit me and that speed would come into play, with this belief I decided to crank the pace up and see what happened. Soon I was running alone and felt good… “how long will this last I asked myself”, Hoping i could build a healthy lead then hang on into the overnight spot, then i could maybe be in contention for a top 3 finish. Then Duncan got a alongside and looked strong, we chatted for a few miles before he opened up a gap and was gone…

      2nd place and feeling good…

Renowned Ultra Running photojournalist Ian Corless from TalkUltra was at the event and he managed to capture the above image. At this point which was roughly 12 miles into the race i started to ascend out of a valley and the lack of mileage and running started to show, with no strength on the ascents i worked hard to maintain my 2nd place and tried to make up any lost time on the flat or descents. The concern was the descending tracks seemed to be very difficult to see as overgrown bracken and heather interfered, so i couldn’t maintain my speed set at the start, in no time Charlie was level and cruised past looking very strong. I managed to keep him sight for the next 3 miles but i could just tell i had no pace left in me and it was a case of trying to hang on until the overnight spot and try and stay in contention for the 2nd days running. Then one by one runners passed me, with Martin Indge (Berghuas Trail Running Team) and Steve Coates (Recent wins on the Hardmoor series) catching up and we ran together for a short period. At this point i was struggling to maintain any sort of pace and niggles had started due to the lack of strength in the legs. Now back in 5th place and hanging on for dear life i tried to keep running, luckily i managed to keep 5th and 12 minutes behind 3rd place i was hopeful for the next days racing.

This hope started to disappear as the left knee started to swell as i sorted my kit out, deep down i knew it would be difficult to run in the morning and the top 3 finish was over. I would be lucky to finish at all but me being the forever optimist i just ignored it and kept telling myself i would get fit on the course as the race went on. This attitude is definitely something unique to mountain and ultra runners as im sure you wouldn’t hear Mo Farrah say “im not fit but by lap 7 im hoping i will be”.

Overnight camp site… Please note everyone’s tents!

Ignoring my rapidly swelling knee, i set about getting comfortable and making food and as i cast my eyes around the field i noted all the very organised people with support persons with big tents, chairs, blow up beds and so on. Me being me, i decided to travel light, and rolled out my sleeping bag, bivvy and made some noodles for tea.

My overnight bivvy site…

After many looks from competitors and event staff i got cosy and drifted of to sleep only to be woken at 2am with a huge downpour of rain, and yes… i got soaked. Up early as i was drenched i started to pack up and got ready for my start time of 7:34am. The event theme was a chase for the 2nd day, so 1st place set of at 7am with 2nd and so on setting off in order of finish, this would create a race and chase feel with some excitement. I was ignoring my knee and just staying positive, telling myself it would be ok if i just got running. As soon as i started i lasted 200m and couldn’t run any more, shooting pains in the knee. I was on a mud track going up hill and decided to turn back, after 10m i talked myself out of giving up and started to run… then again turned back to jack it in. This back and forth dance lasted the next 10 mins with me talking to myself out in the open. I finally managed to overcome the negative thoughts and got on with trying to run the last part of the race. This may seem crazy to people who think its silly to carry on injured but for me a i took a lot from this, if i want to be successful at ultrarunning i feel i have to be able to conquer scenarios like this as during any big race i will always get a niggle or pain. On i went and i managed to block out the pain and even get some running in, albeit 2 miles running then a good rub of the knee then running again. Then the next challenge popped up and in front of me was a middle age man bent double going uphill against the strong wind, with him was his sheep dog. I got closer and knew due to the high winds he may not hear my on purpose loud breathing, done to let him know i was coming and allow him time to move. So i pushed to one side and ran past, then the sheep dog which was startled by this leapt towards me with a wide mouth and clamped its jaws tight around a certain sensitive area. I screamed but knew if i stopped the knee would cease and it took me ages to get running… so on i went ignoring it and feeling my groin for blood.

 Berghaus Trail Chase Route’s

The last days running was excellent for speed, with some fast winding trails and long gradual descents, perfect running for me and i was gutted i wasn’t fit prior to starting this event. I have taken positives from the race and managed to finally master my fuelling for long runs and felt good for it, my plan was 1 energy gel every 20 mins after 1 hours running and to keep this up throughout. I finished hobbling but smiling and a 6th place. I would be lying if i was fully happy with this but i finished and learnt a few lessons which i will take into my next big event.

      Home and family time…

And finally it was time to head home, one of the challenges i faced on the adventure was the feeling i had of homesickness, with my new family addition, Ethan Beech, i found that i spent the whole time worrying or thinking about him and my wife. This i feel brings a added challenge to any extreme events and definitely plays on the mind. Hopefully i can use this and turn it into a positive, taking strength from them both and push harder so i don’t let anyone down and also making a list of times on mountain races so he can one day have a go at beating me.

Lastly, a huge thank you to my wife Catherine and son Ethan, as without them i wouldn’t be as happy or as strong as i am… Oh and the balls are ok 😉