Doc Martin’s Bob Graham

“DO you think he’s alive?” “Yes, I can see his feet twitching.”
The time: 7.30am on Saturday 12 June. The location: Langstrath Country Inn, Stonethwaite. The position: Horizontal. On a bench in the beer garden. Covered in a space blanket.
Friday night and Saturday morning were spent supporting Doc Martin’s successful Bob Graham Round. Other than to say a well-earned congratulations, I’ll leave it to him to tell his story in full.
For me, it’s the usual 6pm start at Keswick’s Moot Hall. Stuart’s advised me to make it a big day, so I’m down to do Legs One and Two and then see what happens after that. I’m certainly not planning to do the whole thing. Which I have to explain to Leechy on several occasions.

Martin on Blencathra

Leg One goes well and then the changeover at Threlkeld, where Helen has come along to learn the support team ropes. Headtorches on just as we approach Clough Head. Over Stybarrow Dodd where there’s actually a sprinking of snow on the ground – thankfully being blessed with hairy legs and arms means I can get away with shorts and t-shirt where others can’t. They make them tough where I come from. Fool-hardy, but tough nevertheless.
I’m time-keeping on this section, which means juggling walking poles, time card and pen. This means I’m yo-yoing off the back of the group at each summit. Just as I catch them up, I have to stop to record the time as they run off, then put the time card away, and repeat the whole exercise again. Oh, and then I drop the pen at Whiteside. It’s a black pen. It’s dark. Bum.
Find the pen again, but it’s the descent off Dollywaggon Pike where I catch them again. Thankfully, Andy McCracken is generous enough to take over time-keeping, but not generous enough to offer to carry me.
At Dunmail, Helen Deason gives me the best bacon sandwich ever. That persuades me to carry on onto Leg Three. On Steel Fell and the wind turns really cold. Martin and the others are some way ahead now. No chance of catching them.
Instead, settle down to a night-time of assorted stumbling, cursing, eating and hallucinating. The latter was down to the Herdwick sheep at Calf Crag which were stood on top of every rocky outcrop. I hallucinate that I’m being watched by a series of midget men wearing brown waistcoats and sheepskin leggings. This is really weird stuff.
It’s getting light by now, so decide to take a direct line and miss out High Raise, Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle, to get ahead of the others and meet them at the rendezvous with Shinny at the Rossett Gyll col. I’m there only about five to 10 minutes or so when they come through. Martin’s looking on form. Well, better than me anyway.
Call it a day here at about 5.30am. From Rossett Gyll col, drop down to Angle Tarn and the Langstrath Valley which Shinny says is very long. “It’s very long,” he says. It is. Make it to Stonethwaite for 7.30am where I phone Helen and wish her a happy anniversary. And then I ask her if she can come and pick me up. The fact she agrees at that time in the morning says something positive about the state of our marriage.
It’s at Stonethwaite where I’m spotted by some passers-by under the blanket (it’s still pretty cold), trying to get some sleep and thinking what energy food I can possibly shove down my throat when I can’t be bothered. How about I-can’t-give-a-fig-roll?
Total distance covered: 37 miles. Time taken looking for pen: 42 seconds. Time asleep: marginally more than looking for the pen.
After breakfast in Keswick and another shut-eye at Honister – I join Martin for the run-in from Little Town to Keswick. He’s on fine form and I’m glad to be there to see it.

Marcus is spotted taking pictures of Martin’s shoes at Little Town so he can sell them on ebay.

Finally, here’s my updated running support team – just over a month to go:

Leg 1 – Ray Gill, Andy McCracken, John Hooson (Ambleside)
Leg 2 – Mark Bell, Mike McKenna, Martin Benson, Ben Beachell (Eryri)
Leg 3 – Mark Barrow, Stuart Hurst, Martin Gardiner
Leg 4 – Dave Deason, John Leech, Mick Pearcy
Leg 5 – Helen Smith, Dawn Gill, John Hodgson, Helen Deason and Julie Pearcy, Dawn W (Harrogate)