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!