Rab Mountain Marathon, Howgill Fells

Race: Rab Mountain Marathon, Day 2
Peaks: Wandale Hill, Grere Fell, Hazelgill Knott, The Calf, Calders, Arant How
Time/Position: 190 pts in 5:41/7th SM overall
Woke to a misty morning after a cold but reasonably comfortable night. Set off after a good breakfast, and picked up the day's controls. The basic outline of my route leapt out from the map after just a few minutes thought, more so than yesterday - it seemed pretty obvious to head north to the edge of the Howgills, before returning to Sedbergh after another giant loop. So I headed up Wandale Hill in the mist, before skirting Adamthwaite to a control on a spur of Grere Fell. Easy going really, and it remained so for the big descent north to High Cocklake. Again, I was now committed to going for big value remote controls towards the north of the range - with very few other runners for company: great stuff. An easy ascent over the northern shoulder of Green Bell gained the steep side valley of Turn End, and a sharp climb to a control above Weasdale Beck. Then easily north to a hidden control in a drystone wall. I opted to take the easy bridleway south up Bowderdale Beck, so I could eat and rest a bit, although possibly should have been more ambitious. The weather was very different today, overcast, rather chilly and windy on the tops. Pleasingly, I continued easily north until Hazel Gill (the lowest col on the ridge) before beginning the brutally steep climb west into Langdale - the next valley over - for two obvious controls, before another very steep climb back up to the shoulder of the Calf. Quite windy and cold at this point. After contouring down to a control in a re-entrant I found myself faced with a classic mountain marathon dilemma: staring down into the steep valley of Hobdale Beck, 40 minutes left, knowing I could get two controls in the valley and knowing that would probably have given me a podium place. However, it was obviously going to be a very steep climb out, so I played it safe and headed for home via the north side of Winder and two compulsory controls. Finished with 20 mins spare, so perhaps should have gone for it. It would have meant third place, I think, but I also think it would have made me 5-10 mins late, which would have meant points penalties - and I was told that people were on their hands and knees climbing out of the valley, so perhaps it was the right call! In the event, I finished 7th from around 70 teams in the category (solo runners and pairs were mixed again). Perhaps 15th in all categories, several hundred runners, so quite pleasing. I think my route planning and nav was reasonably good, and I was pleased to have the legs throughout (felt comfortable and able to keep running and climbing for the duration) but I could perhaps have been a little less cautious in terms of the time penalties. A superb event again, which ticks all of my boxes in big bold ink.