Rab Mountain Marathon

Race: Rab Mountain Marathon, day two
Peaks: Grasmoor, Sand Hill, Outerside (Derwent Fells, Lake District)
Time/Position: 180pts in 4:29 (17th from 213 [2nd V40])
I ate my porridge by the light of the moon above the High Stile ridge, keen to make an early start. As with yesterday, I didn't really consider many route choices as the day provided an opportunity to head up some peaks I've never done before. One of these was Grasmoor, and I had already resigned myself to starting the day with the 2500ft slog to the top - not because I felt it was the best route choice, but because I've never done it before and the weather was again so good that it seemed wrong not to enjoy the tops (but when I found out what the prize for first V40 was I wished I'd been a little less romantic and a little more hard-headed about the route planning!). The first control was at a hidden sheepfold in Cinderdale Beck: and rather than slog through the heather like a number of other runners were doing, I took the path further south and contoured in, before contouring back out through the gruelling heather to the Lad Hows ridge up Grasmoor. This is relentless, and a strong headwind (that had woken me several times last night) didn't help one bit: a brutal way to start the day, and all for 25 points at the summit cairn. Wonderful views compensated, with the same clarity of light that we all enjoyed yesterday. I felt a little tired running down to Coledale Hause - completely new territory for me - the contoured too high above Eel Crag, meaning I had to drop down awkward terrain to dib the next checkpoint in a sheepfold. A tiring climb, hot already, back to the Hause and up Sand Hill (a subsidiary summit to Hopegill Head. Then I left the crowds behind for the excellent ridge NE over a forepeak towards Grisedale Pike. No need to go up this, as the control was hidden deep in remote Grisedale Gill to the North East. So a long and trackless traverse past the tourist path led down into this unfrequented valley for another remote and demanding checkpoint. Draining, very awkward terrain then made for snail-like progress back up to the Grisedale Pike ridge and all the way down to the 200m contour at the bottom of characterless Coledale Beck. Then came the crux of the entire weekend - a desperate and somewhat pointless slog direct up the northerly slopes of Outerside to get the control on the summit. Not a sensible route choice and a rather demoralising experience. Still, it meant I could take a long contouring descent on a narrow and intermittent sheep trod to get more points below Causey Pike before a short heathery climb to the little spur of Rowling End. I had at least half an hour to play with, and could have got a 20 pointer in Rigg Beck, but was quite tired so played it far too safe and descended to Stonycroft Gill and the finish above Stair. Inevitably, I lost a few places due to poor route planning and over-caution today - but it hardly mattered in the context of a great weekend, the 7th consecutive year this event has experienced benign, dry weather.