Rab Mountain Marathon

Race: Rab Mountain Marathon, day 2
Peaks: Gray Crag, Thornthwaite Crag, Mardale Ill Bell
Area: Eastern Lake District
Time/Position: 170 pts in 4:56 (10th from 271 [4th Vet])
I decided to throw caution to the wind today, given my overnight position. Started off at 8am, under cloudy skies, and jogged comfortably up Bannerdale back to Angle Tarn. It seemed pretty obvious to go for the big value checks around High Street again, although it is distinctly possible that a more subtle approach bagging more accessible lower value checks further north might have been more productive: certainly, the end result suggests that was the case. That said, the route choice felt right today from the off: I never questioned it (which is sometimes the case). From Angle Tarn, I headed up the ridge before contouring awkwardly to Hayeswater for a CP before the very steep climb up Gray Crag. This wasn't as bad as I'd expected, and it was satisfying to dib the 40 pointer in the mist on the summit. Thick mist and cold wind meant I felt the need to play it safe for the crossing of the plateau - going to the top of Thornthwaite Crag and navigating across the various paths (which I know from past experience to be confusing in mist) to the easterly route to Mardale Ill Bell. The wind tore a big hole in the clouds as I descended, superb views down Kentmere and superb running. This got even better as I descended the obvious spur from Ill Bell down to Blea Water. On my own, apart from one other well-placed runner who had pulled ahead after a chat. Some scrambling, a great rocky descent. Feeling good, I ran down to Haweswater and then faced a classic mountain marathon dilemma: whether I had the time/legs to reascend to 600m+ to gain a distant check in Randale Beck. The ethos of the day was to go for it, so I did, finding the Coast to Coast path a great help. I met up with the other chap again, and we ran together over the spur due east to pick up the Haweswater track at Whelter Beck after some awkward terrain and a tricky descent. This was always going to be the escape route, but I ended up cutting it finer than expected. It all culminated in a desperate race-pace dash for the final 6k, sprinting up the path to Aika Sike and getting a 10 pointer at Burnbanks before a final 2k sprint to the finish: 4 minutes to spare, 405 points. This was the hardest day I've had on a mountain marathon, in that I pushed it and maximised the time available: far more so than yesterday. So it was a surprise to find that I had missed third place by 3 points! That said, it was a fantastic event again and I was even more surprised to have the legs for the event, given that I'd spent the last two months training for entirely different purposes.

Rab Mountain Marathon

Race: Rab Mountain Marathon, day 1
Peaks: Branstree, Adam Seat, High Street, Angletarn Pike, Beda Fell
Area: Eastern Lake District
Time/Position: 235 pts in 5:45 (9th from 271 [3rd Vet])
My favourite event seemed better than ever this year. For the third year in succession the weather was good, and the location this year was really tremendous - proper mountain terrain, albeit weirdly similar to the Saunders MM in July which I also did. After a cold night in Dan's van at the HQ in Bampton, I started solo in superb sunny weather from Drybarrows, making the usual hash of the first checkpoint as I adapted to the scale! Aika Sike was familiar from July, and I ran down this to a road section up to Naddle Bridge and Swindale. The outline of my chosen route had already formed, and I forded the stream to bash up a horrible vegetated gill (Mere Sike?). When the gorse began to draw blood from my face, I moved on to the Hare Shaw plateau! After dibbing a hidden CP, I got my running legs and ploughed across the plateau, picking an efficient line down to a 30 pointer in Guerness Gill. The long climb out and back round to Hopegill Beck was not as bad as I'd feared, and even the climb up Branstree went well with some food. Great views over High Street from the summit of Branstree confirmed my decision to go for the 40 pointer at Blea Tarn, mainly because I'd never been there before and it looked great. An easy run down to Gatesgarth pass, familiar from the SLMM, then up Adam Seat towards Harter Fell. I then picked my way down very steep terrain to Small Water (lovely spot) and contoured round to Blea Tarn on a superb, almost level trod. Noone else around, and I think this good route choice on this section gained me a lot of time and places. A lovely but tiring climb up the well-defined ridge of Long Stile gained the top of High Street and a cold wind. Great running down the busy ridge, before a very steep plunge towards Hayeswater and another crucial high-value check. My slow start was paying dividends now, and I kept a good pace down the valley to the climb beside Brock Crags to lumpy terrain overlooking Patterdale. A long, slower climb past scenic Angle Tarn led to a pass through the peaklets then a great runnable ridge all the way above Martindale to Beda Fell and the final check: the overnight camp visible below. I had enough time to pick up another 5 points before a leisurely jog to camp. The whole day felt very comfortable, so I was surprised to find myself 3rd vet overnight. The night was rather cold, to say the least, and I found myself re-thinking my insulation policy on several occasions!

Peak '40@40' climbs

Crag: Windgather, Western Peak
Routes: Rib and Slab (M:Sol), Buttress Two Gully (M:sol), Leg Stump (D:sol), Middle and Leg (D:sol), Centre (HVD:sol), Broken Cracks (D:sol), High Buttress Arete (D:sol), High Buttress Arete Direct (HVD), Corner Crack (VD:sol), Toe Nail (VD:sol), The Corner (D:sol), The Corner Middle Buttress (M:sol), Wall Climb (HVD:sol), Chockstone Chimney (D:sol), Small Wall (S 4b:sol), The Staircase (M:sol), Red Nose Route (D:sol), Bay Wall (S:sol), Aged Crack (S 4a:sol), Face Route 2 (D:sol), Face Route 1 (HVD:sol), Overhanging Arete (VD:sol), Groove (M:sol), Left Triplet Crack (M:sol), Discontinuous Rib (M:sol), Side Face (S 4a:sol), First's Arete (VD:sol)
Crag: Castle Naze, Western Peak
Routes: Double Crack (VD:sol), The Arete (HS 4b:sol), Crack 1 (D:sol), Crack 2 (D:sol), Crack 3 (D:sol), Pinnacle Crack (VD:sol), Pinnacle Arete (VD:sol), Sheltered Crack (VD:sol), Slanting Crack* (S:sol), V Chimney (D:sol), South Buttress (D:sol), Boomerang (M:sol), Overhanging Chimney (HVD:sol)
I had a vague idea to do 40 climbs in a day as the easiest method of marking my 40th year. The other planned options - 40 competitive races and 40 peaks in a day - are a tad more challenging, but still on the schedule. However, not being a gritstone 'native' I hadn't realised quite how quickly you can bag a large number of easy routes, having always concentrated on proper climbing whenever I'd visited the region in the past. Actually, 40 is a straightforward target, perhaps 100 routes would have been more meaningful as a 'challenge'. Windgather, the easiest crag in the Peak above a very pleasant valley on the edge of Cheshire, was an obvious starting point. It was early morning, with a cold breeze and no sunshine, so chilly fingers ensued. But I still enjoyed the rapid movement over these very simple routes, particularly the charming and well positioned High Buttress Arete, for which the sun came out as I moved round the arete onto the upper wall. I also enjoyed the juggy Aged Crack, and other fun routes scattered across the buttresses, particularly First's Arete, Wall Climb and the misnamed Chockstone Chimney. I found that I had bagged well over 20 routes in less than 90 minutes, and drove over to Castle Naze for a break. I'd never been to this venue before, unlike Windgather, and thought the proper longer routes look well worth a future visit. Not an option today, though. Instead, numerous short routes around the Pinnacle, and further right, allowed me to reach 40 routes quite easily - about 2.5 hours in total. As a result, I had enough time to go to work, then do the full run up Moel Famau later on.

Cardiff 10k

Race: Cardiff 10k (Welsh Championships)
Time/Position: 34:45 (45th from 3000 [4th v40])
I'd had around five weeks to prepare for this, having been selected to represent North Wales Masters in the Welsh Championships in early August. I was obviously keen to justify my selection, but I'd only had time for three intervals sessions after a summer running exclusively in the hills. However, those three sessions plus my performance in the Capenhurst 5k rather surprisingly suggested that I could get close to a sub-35 minute PB. So I was reasonably confident, and ended up enjoying the weekend and the very different experience of a championship race (my debut at this level of racing after 200 races and 12 years of running!). I paced it quite well through Bute Park, in warmish sunny conditions, deliberately laying down a 15 second buffer in the first 3k then keeping to 3:30 target pace. Some of the route was familiar from the Cardiff Marathon which I did in 2006. I got into a decent group of 7 or 8 runners, with Jez, for around 1k through Llandaff fields at halfway, before the group broke up a bit. The final 3k were then inevitably pretty tough, but the long finishing straight was a great help. Obviously a very strong field, with a home international meet combined with the regional and national championships. Pleased to put in a decent performance in my regional debut, but slightly gutted to miss both the Welsh Champs bronze medal and the 3rd vet in the overall race by five seconds!

Llantisilio mountain run

An excellent run in the hills with Neil and Jez. After six races in August alone, it was very pleasant to be able to enjoy a relaxing long social run for once. We'd come up with the idea of combining the Ponderosa fell race with the Moel y Gamelin fell race into one longish (15 mile, 8 peak) outing, and this seemed a good day for it. The weather was grim as we set off up Cyrn y Brain: low cloud, driving cold wind, light rain. Still, it improved slightly as we contoured the hillside above Eglwyseg, with the occasional hint of a view, before ploughing through the bogs that are so energy sapping on the race. The climb from the bottom of this valley up Moel y Faen via the Ponderosa is obviously pretty long, but reasonably gentle. From here, it stayed windy as we traversed the ridge over Gamelin, Moel y Gaer, and Morfydd to emerge near Bwlch y Groes. The long moorland section overlooking Berwyn allowed for more relaxed conversation before we began the tiring haul back to the ridge and back over the summits of Gamelin and Faen (2:25 for the round at conversational pace).

Acheron, Craig Cywarch

Crag: Craig Llywellyn/North Buttress, Craig Cywarch
Route: Acheron (HVS 4c,4c,4c,4b,5a:led p.2,4)
This route is generally described as a 'magnificent mountaineering expedition' and it is difficult to improve on that. We'd been so impressed with Cywarch during our previous trip in April that we were both very keen to sample the larger, more atmospheric cliffs along the north-eastern edge of the escarpment. Tucked away up a side valley, Acheron takes the most obvious feature - an enormous 150m rib running the full height of the cliff - indirectly via an intricate and wonderfully varied sequence of pitches. Rain was forecast for mid-afternoon, but we judged that last week's dry weather would allow for an enjoyable ascent before it arrived. Vic led up the slabby first pitch, with one tricky move over an overlap. I then led the excellent second, up a slanting groove with good gear to a memorable traverse on fine juggy holds across the right wall to gain a slabby nose. Up this to a distinctly unpleasant heather ledge which led right to the belay. The third pitch was just as good: a nice slab leads diagonally left to the arete, before a superbly positioned groove, steep but with huge holds, leads to another juggy traverse left to the gully. I led the fourth, which was similar to the second, although shorter and easier. Again, a steep crack with excellent gear led to a guano covered mini-cave. Then a semi hand-traverse below a bulge on splendid sharp holds leads back right to the rib and a fine belay. Vic led the crux 5a pitch: an awkward and steep chimney which led to a smooth open groove, tricky bridging, before easier and more broken climbing up a series of vegetated grooves and ribs led to the final short wall. A memorable route, with excellent non-technical but always interesting climbing, which is improved immeasurably by the wonderfully isolated position in this beautiful tranquil valley. The adventure continues with the descent down Llwybr Llewellyn, a broad but very vegetated shelf leading back to the cwm. This was a tiring struggle through thick heather and ferns, and I began to feel the effects of last night's run up Moel Famau. Plans to continue up Doom were shelved due to light rain (which soon became heavier) and the need to get home before 5pm, so we left before 3pm.

East Face of Bristly Ridge

Crag: East Face, Bristly Ridge, Glyder Fach
Routes: Skyline Buttress (S 4a,4a,4a:led p.1,3), Great Tower Buttress (HS 4a,4b,-,4a,4a: led p.2,4,5)
Time was even more limited than usual today: I had five hours in total (car to car). So this was a rather frantic dash to bag the two best routes on the East Face of Bristly (excellent weather meant it would have been rude to have done anything except big mountain routes). We ploughed up to Bwlch Tryfan in perfect weather in less than 30 minutes and were soon getting our bearings on this rather complex crag. It bears many similarities with Tryfan's East Face, although a tad steeper, but I'd never climbed here before (neither have most climbers: it is far more tranquil). Skyline Buttress draws the eye from the Bwlch, looking quite impressive as its name suggests, and gives a nice climb up the left side of the face. I led up a rib to a ledge, then a pleasant slab gives access to a steeper rib which is climbed on good holds: superb rough and unpolished rock throughout. Alwyn then led the enjoyable and eye-catching broad groove above, which has a good traverse to gain an upper slab, where he belayed. I led up the slab on huge holds to merge with the final pitch: a surprisingly steep wall which leads to a brief knife-edge arete. We descended to the sacs, had a very quick bite, and ploughed on. Alwyn led the scrappy first pitch of Great Tower Buttress, up ribs to a ledge. I then led the jamming crack on pitch 2: steeply up to a small ledge, then better holds lead up right to a chimney which is climbed on its right wall. Quite strenuous for the grade. Alwyn led over a horizontal ridge, giving me the last two pitches which were both splendid. A really enjoyable open groove on superb holds leads to a belay ledge below the Great Tower. Then a wide groove, with a crack on the right wall, provides a meaty and excellent climax. Steep climbing on big holds emerging into the sunshine on the top of the Great Tower in the centre of Bristly Ridge. Much better than Skyline Buttress, a route with a lovely mountain ambience. I now had 30 minutes to get back to the car. Central Gully gave an interesting and enjoyable descent from atmospheric Tower Gap, and I then ran back - good pace - to the car in Ogwen in 20 minutes.