DALLAM Running Club is fast gaining a reputation for its generosity of spirit in helping others.
Witness the support given to Matt Beardshall during Martin’s Bob Graham this month, and yesterday there’s more Dallam runners out – this time to support Bill Goodwin from Pennine Fell Runners.
Bill’s on a Friday midnight start and a 23-hours schedule, so I’m up at Dunmail Raise for 7.15am (so often these past months have my Saturday mornings begun here).
It’s about an hour later and Bill comes down from Seat Sandal accompanied by a couple of his club mates and three Dallam runners: Stuart, Baz and Andy. Not a bad turnout from Dallam for a runner from another club.
A short rest for Bill, and then we’re off up Steel Fell. On this leg, I’m the sole representative of Dallam and fellow supporters from Pennine are Colin and Darren.
To push him on his way, Bill’s on the receiving end of a lot of encouraging verbal abuse from his ‘supporters’. That’s the bad cop routine bit. I adopt a more friendly tone. Besides, I tell Colin, I can’t join in being rude to Bill as I’ve never met him before. Give me two hours to get to know and dislike him first. “It won’t take you as long as two hours,” Bill quips.
20 minutes later into the climb and we can still hear Baz’s voice far below at Dunmail Raise. So can the inhabitants of Grasmere.
Just beyond Steel Fell the rain starts. It’s then the usual plod over to the Langdale Pikes and over to Rossett Pike. Visibility hasn’t been good, but neither has it been bad. There’s even been a bit of sunshine (and less rain) nearing Rossett Pike.
But it’s the climb to Bowfell when the mist comes down…..and stays down.
Bill’s flagging a bit on the climb to Scafell Pike so I run ahead and organise applause for him from a party of teenagers and their leaders standing on the summit. They’re only too happy to agree on a day when it would have been more fun to stand facing a blank wall in your garage throwing buckets of water over yourself.
From there we climb Lord’s Rake. My fellow supporters say the advice is not to climb it – but that advice only applies to the general public. I tell them when I left home that morning I was the general public. Anyway, we get to the top - and checking later, the advice from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team is it’s ‘passable with care’ – but it’s still an eerie climb as the persistent rain loosens the scree considerably.
From there it’s a fast run down to the changeover at Wasdale – leg completed in about six-and-a-half hours.
Say farewell to Bill as he departs for Leg Four. I get a lift around to Honister, and then run from there to Stonethwaite, over to Blea Tarn and down to Thirlmere and then back to the car at Dunmail Raise. Total time: just short of 12 hours.
I still don’t know if Bill completed his round, but I hope he has. I’m wishing for better (or less worse) weather on my attempt.
Witness the support given to Matt Beardshall during Martin’s Bob Graham this month, and yesterday there’s more Dallam runners out – this time to support Bill Goodwin from Pennine Fell Runners.
Bill’s on a Friday midnight start and a 23-hours schedule, so I’m up at Dunmail Raise for 7.15am (so often these past months have my Saturday mornings begun here).
It’s about an hour later and Bill comes down from Seat Sandal accompanied by a couple of his club mates and three Dallam runners: Stuart, Baz and Andy. Not a bad turnout from Dallam for a runner from another club.
A short rest for Bill, and then we’re off up Steel Fell. On this leg, I’m the sole representative of Dallam and fellow supporters from Pennine are Colin and Darren.
To push him on his way, Bill’s on the receiving end of a lot of encouraging verbal abuse from his ‘supporters’. That’s the bad cop routine bit. I adopt a more friendly tone. Besides, I tell Colin, I can’t join in being rude to Bill as I’ve never met him before. Give me two hours to get to know and dislike him first. “It won’t take you as long as two hours,” Bill quips.
20 minutes later into the climb and we can still hear Baz’s voice far below at Dunmail Raise. So can the inhabitants of Grasmere.
Just beyond Steel Fell the rain starts. It’s then the usual plod over to the Langdale Pikes and over to Rossett Pike. Visibility hasn’t been good, but neither has it been bad. There’s even been a bit of sunshine (and less rain) nearing Rossett Pike.
But it’s the climb to Bowfell when the mist comes down…..and stays down.
Bill’s flagging a bit on the climb to Scafell Pike so I run ahead and organise applause for him from a party of teenagers and their leaders standing on the summit. They’re only too happy to agree on a day when it would have been more fun to stand facing a blank wall in your garage throwing buckets of water over yourself.
From there we climb Lord’s Rake. My fellow supporters say the advice is not to climb it – but that advice only applies to the general public. I tell them when I left home that morning I was the general public. Anyway, we get to the top - and checking later, the advice from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team is it’s ‘passable with care’ – but it’s still an eerie climb as the persistent rain loosens the scree considerably.
From there it’s a fast run down to the changeover at Wasdale – leg completed in about six-and-a-half hours.
Say farewell to Bill as he departs for Leg Four. I get a lift around to Honister, and then run from there to Stonethwaite, over to Blea Tarn and down to Thirlmere and then back to the car at Dunmail Raise. Total time: just short of 12 hours.
I still don’t know if Bill completed his round, but I hope he has. I’m wishing for better (or less worse) weather on my attempt.
Climbing Lord's Rake - Bill is on the extreme left.
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