Race report by Tara Hilton

50 miles, 4000m of ascent – traversing the Lake District from Caldbeck in the north to Cartmel in the south.

Photo credit: Joe Faulkner

This race has been a long time coming.. Pretty much my every waking moment over the last few months has been about what to wear; what to eat; how much food to carry; and the biggie – what clothing will keep me warm when wet.  To top this off, my strava activities were a little low on long training runs (essentially non-existent) thanks to hamstring niggles from a misjudged sprinting session earlier in the year.

The race weekend finally arrived and I headed to Caldbeck on Friday afternoon with some very good friends who had volunteered to cheer me around the course.  After a delish (carb loaded!) dinner at the Oddfellows Arms it was off to bed to try and get some sleep.  I chose not to stay at Caldbeck (start) or Cartmel (finish) as I thought both locations would be heavy with nervous energy (and probably noisy) so I booked into the Greenhill Hotel a few miles away.  I managed to squeeze in an hour or two of more, unnecessary faffing, which included trying to cut down Salomon Flask Straws (not as easy as the lady on Youtube makes it look) but once I shook myself out of the faffing trance and took myself to bed I did bank a good few quality hours of sleep.

I was up at the crack of dawn on race day for some hotel room breakfast – and a little more faffing – and then my friends arrived to whisk me off to Caldbeck.  The predicted rain had begun to fall but wasn’t heavy.  I was happy with the gear that I’d chosen – 2 x base layers, a featherlite down jacket and a shell waterproof, hat, gloves and water-resistant leggings.  My race vest was packed with the mandatory kit plus the usual selection of mars bars, energy blocks and electrolytes etc in my water bladder (Tailwind).  Registration was friendly, quick and efficient and then it was off to the start line.

I wore my VJ Maxx IIs – I’ve been wearing VJ sports shoes for about 6/7 years and will probably never buy anything else.  Their grip is out of this world and the slippiest, wettest rocks are no match for them.  I also packed an extra pair of VJs plus socks for the optional shoe change at Ambleside (30 miles in and the end of being on the fells).

I set off in a relaxed manner – I’m not fast so felt no need to bolt when I had a long stretch ahead of me.  Off I plodded towards High Pike – once off the road/track this section of the race is an open route but all mainly stayed on the same line so I followed suit.

Once over the top of High Pike you then have a steep but fun descent to the managed river crossing – not deep at all this year.  Then you start the long haul up to Blencathra summit.  I managed to pass a few people at this stage (always a nice feeling).  Visibility was amazing and the views breathtaking but I didn’t stop to admire them for long; I wanted to keep moving.

Photo credit:  Joe Faulkner

Next was Halls Fell Ridge – not for the faint hearted but a bit more fun than the optional route via Blease Fell.  Poles packed away and I navigated my way down – you need all four limbs for this section unless you’re mountain goat confident.  Someone had a pretty bad slip resulting in a nasty head bump so it’s definitely a section of route that needs a lot of focus and sure steps.

A short stop at Threlkeld Feed Station where I quickly got rid of one of my base layers as I was melting.  Some crisps and coke and off to chat with my friends.  Told them how’d I’d spent at least 30 seconds looking for my glove at the bottom of Halls Fell Ridge only to realise it was in my mouth (had taken it off to rummage around in my bag)  Also found my much-searched for hair bobble on my wrist – the one that I’d emptied my race vest out to find at the registration that morning only to have a lovely volunteer take the bobble off her own head and give it to me.  Note to self: pack mindfully!

Elapsed time: 3hr 55min

Threlkeld to Ambleside

Clough Head – my nemesis – was next.  I got lost here in 2021 and ended up God only knows where – losing a crucial few hours before hooking up with the route again.  This time visibility was fantastic plus I knew the way to go which is always a bonus!

We soon left the road and started the climb up Clough Head.  I’d been sipping Tailwind pretty regularly and taking small nibbles of my food throughout the run so far.  I felt strong and made good progress.  This is one of the toughest climbs of the race.

The weather from here to Helvellyn was wild with hailstone and very strong winds.  A few people were really struggling at this point.  The hailstones were painful and the wind so strong that I was frequently blown four or more steps to the left.  I found out after the event that Mountain Rescue were called to assist a runner who succumbed to Hypothermia at this part of the route and he was stretchered down to safety.

Helvellyn is the highest point of the race and from here the terrain becomes quite rocky yet runnable.  Next was the hateful slippery staircase descent to Grisedale Tarn (no bother to my VJ shoes but it’s a brave soul that bolts down this).  A nice but short-lived bimble along Grisedale Tarn and then a truly brutal climb up Fairfield.  It really is relentless and you just have to put your head down and plod on.  It’s quite a winding trail with a lot of loose scree so it’s quite a challenge.  The descent from Fairfield to Ambleside is sharp slick rock and then trail.  Very technical but fun if you’re in the mood!

At this point the general advice is to keep to the left of the stone wall so as long as you can see said wall, you’re laughing the whole way to Ambleside.  Visibility was great so no bother this time.

There are a few styles along this route – one had lost all its treads on the downward side – I sat on the top for about 10 seconds trying to decide how to get down – 20 miles earlier I would have just jumped..!  The trail soon finishes and then back on the road and through Ambleside to the Feed Station.  I had a couple of slices of pizza, a gorgeous cup of tea and a biscuit.  Decided not to change into my clean shoes & socks as I was warm and comfortable and I knew they’d be wet & muddy in no time.   Head torch on and it was time to head out again.

Elapsed time: 10hour 32min

Ambleside to Finsthwaite

This next section (20 miles) is a bit dull in comparison to the first 30 in terms of terrain & views – but a lovely dear friend was running this last bit with me to keep me on track, alert & entertained.  This stretch is dark and can be quite lonely and daunting – something to consider if you plan to do this run solo.

This part of the route is muddy, undulating woodland.  I was still warm – SO warm – and felt comfortable.  The only issue I had was my right knee which had started to niggle from the bottom of Halls Fell.  The stars were bright and the moon was very beautifully peeking out behind some very atmospheric clouds.  This is one of my failings in a run – I’m very easily distracted!  I was still eating and drinking little and often which is absolutely key in a long run like this.  Eventually, I gave in and took off my shell and down jackets running only in my base layer.  Immediately felt revived!

The trail runs alongside Lake Windermere so it was very beautiful with the lights reflected on calm waters.

Before we knew it we were in Finsthwaite.

I knew from previous experience how welcoming and comfortable this feed station is and this time was no different.  I had some hot rice pudding and a cup of tea.  The open fire was blazing and the vibe was fun.  I really did not want to leave!   However, my friends “encouraged” me to get a move on so had to leave eventually.  “Only” 7 miles to go!!!!

Elapsed time: 15hour 20 min. 

Finsthwaite to Cartmel

The final leg starts across a field, through a small gate and back into the woods.  Some of the trail is a decent gravel track so no need to watch your steps and this takes you past a pub at Newby Bridge where there were a few customers standing outside to cheer us on.

I started to feel really sleepy at this point – not physically tired but really drowsy and would quite happily have made a little nest in the bracken and had probably the best sleep of my life!  But that would have been the end of the race for me so after a few words of encouragement and a poke from my friend I ploughed on.

We were trotting at a decent pace now that the end was near.  I could see a building with lights on (and at that time in the morning in the Lake District felt it must have been the end) but quickly realised it was just the racecourse camping grounds and we still had to run all the way through the village.  This deflated me quite dramatically given there was less than a mile to go..!   We passed two guys literally dragging their feet and this prompted us to run faster and overtake which was probably quite cruel but you take the wins where you can. 😉

I crossed the finish line in 18 hours 8 minutes.  Showered, devoured the gorgeous runners’ meal – chilli & cheese on chips and a can of coke, and then headed to bed for a few hours.

I felt good, relieved that it was over. Lakes in a Day is an incredibly well-supported race and a challenge regardless of experience.  My friends were at every feed station and popped up here and there along the route to cheer me on – there really is no better fuel than a friendly face and encouraging words to put a spring in your step.  The following morning, we stayed in Cartmel for a much-needed carby breakfast before heading home.

I felt a bit low in the week that followed, having spent so much time focused on this run; I missed the buzz and nervous energy. But I have managed a few (slow) runs with my dog each morning to keep my legs ticking over.  I promised myself that this would be my last Lakes in a Day but now that a couple of weeks have past and I’m left with just the good memories, I’m determined to keep up with my long runs so that if I do decide to enter again, then next time I can confidently say, “That was my very best, and I can do no better!”.

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