Lakeland 5 Passes 2023

 Claire and I both had a pretty good run on the L5P last year. It's exactly our cup of tea - climbs and fells and long distance.

This year as last, I'd booked to stay on the site the night before. We finished work and drove up (through the rain, again) and parked up on the showground about 8pm. Fran and Paul were registering as I arrived. We got ourselves settled in for the night, and slept pretty well.

The walkers were just setting out as we got up in the morning. We had some coffee and breakfast, and headed over to registration. I'd misplaced my race belt in the ongoing building works in my house, so had to pin my number to my shirt, which always bugs me because I often put a waterproof over the top.

The usual fairly low key race briefing and start, and off we went. The weather was muggy and not actually raining, which was a plus.

Along the lane and over the fell side to Ambleside, then up Loughrigg. We passed Karen surprisingly early (it didn't last, which wasn't surprising), but Claire and I were pretty much matching speed for the first few miles.

The descent to the CP at Kentmere is rocky and gnarly. I quite like it, but Claire hates it. I pulled ahead a little, then she caught me and overtook at the CP while I was guzzling water & food.

We stuck together for the next couple of miles, but I pulled ahead on the last bit of climb before dropping to Gatescarth Pass. I chatted with another runner who had been sorting his shoes out at the bridge before leaving him behind on the climb. I was feeling a bit dehydrated by now, in spite of drinking quite a lot, and it was also getting rather windy.

On the top of Harter Fell it was extremely windy, and that slowed progress on the climb. I reached the top and veered off right for the next leg towards Kirkstone. Thorneythwaite Beacon came and went, and the CP at Nan Bield, then I encountered a photographer at the foot of Stoney Cove. This was a nasty surprise, I'd forgotten about Stoney Cove Pike and the scramble took it out of me a bit in my thirsty state. I was still eating OK mostly, but tiring as I dried out and running low on water.

I ran on from Stoney Cove towards Kirkstone and saw no one around me. Reaching the CP I gratefully filled up with water, drank some, then filled up again. A couple of cheese sandwiches cheered me right up, and while I was emptying gravel out of my shoes Karen caught up. We left the CP together, Karen adamant that I'd outstrip her on the climb (until she overtook me near the top), then from the top of Red Screes I ran down into Scandale pass. I overtook Karen again on the rocky descent, but it didn't take long on the hard track towards Ambleside before she passed me again. I stopped for a pee (I wasn't that dehydrated then) and she drew further ahead.

The coffin road is hard going at this stage, even though it's not far. The path through Rydal Mount with all the relaxed tourists completely nonplussed by the exhausted runners is particularly hard work, but I was able to refill my bottle at the tap by the tearoom. 

I plodded/walked/ran the remainder of the way to Grasmere, coming in a few minutes behind Karen and within a minute of my last year's time. Claire knocked a few minutes off her time, coming in 5 minutes or so behind me.

Kit

• Decathlon shorts (with lining removed & lycra undershorts)
• Raidlight performer t shirt
• Altra Superior 
• UD Blazek 10 rucksack
• OMM Kamleika jacket
• Decathlon waterproof trousers
• Buffs
• Powerstretch gloves
• Montane Coda hat
• Small first aid kit
• Printed map
• route on my Coros watch
• UD Body bottle (should have carried a 2nd bottle, it was hot)
• 
  

Food

• Peanut butter in squeezy tube
• quiche at CP1
• cheese sandwiches and a few jelly babies at CP2