Saunders Lakeland mountain marathon, day 2

Race: SLMM (Scafell class) day 2 (24k/950m)
Time/Position: 6:58:50 (14:59 cumulative:13/16)
A complete contrast with yesterday: low cloud in the morning giving way to galeforce winds and driving rain which lasted all day. The essence of the mountain marathon experience and an enjoyable and satisfying test, although again we finished well down the field. A very steep climb up to the first checkpoint below Kentmere Pike was a brutal wake-up call, followed by easier contouring through the clag to Wren Gill. A tough leg over Gatesgarth Pass to CP 3 in a steep gully was draining: strong winds and torrential rain, although we had some relief from the wind as we retraced our steps over to (and down) Mosedale - some good running and good route planning over the side of Brunt Tongue, avoiding the bogs, to a CP on the top of Ulthwaite Rigg. Tricky navigation through knolls in the mist gained another CP at lonely Haskew Tarn, but we'd been up high for a while now in the worst of the weather and were starting to get cold. The next leg was clearly a toughie, with two choices: a big decision. I decided to go for the longer but less exposed option, given the weather, and it was a good decision. We jogged past delightful waterfalls at the bottom of Mosedale Beck to equally attractive Swindale, then took the Old Corpse Road to Mardale Common: breaking off to contour round to CP 6. More tricky nav over complex, lumpy terrain around Brown Howe - in thick mist - saw us gain CP 7 before good running and nav cut the corner to Harper Hills. We then made a mistake, careless navigation (tiring now) and had to retrace steps to a fence corner before taking a precise bearing to find CP 8 on a crag top. The route was in the bag now, apart from the climb back over Swindale to leave 'Lakeland' and gain the Pennine scenery and final check at Keld Gill. A ferocious squally shower was a fitting accompaniment at this late stage. A shame we couldn't have been more competitive (I would have liked to have done far more running, slightly frustrating especially on day one) but I still really enjoyed the Scafell class and found it about right in terms of distance and climb. There were so few competitors on it (compared to 70+ on the shorter classes) that you don't have the dreaded crocodiles to follow to the checkpoints - you are far more dependent on your own decisions and navigation, especially satisfying in these conditions.