Lakeland 100 - 23 to 25 July
Report by Colm O’Cofaigh
Last weekend I took part in the Lakeland 100 race. It starts in Coniston and heads south before completing a clockwise loop which takes in the Dunnerdale fells, Eskdale, Wasdale and Buttermere before arriving in Keswick. From here the route heads to Matterdale and continues over to Haweswater before returning via Kentmere, Ambleside and Elterwater to the finish at Coniston. It is about 105 miles long with about 6300 m of ascent. The race starts at 6pm on Friday evening with competitors having 40 hours to get back to Coniston. The constant ascending and descending, and frequently very rough underfoot terrain really takes it out of you and the Friday evening start means that many runners (me included) end up running through the second night in order to finish by 10 am on Sunday (the final cut-off).
I travelled over with Emma on the Friday afternoon. She was running the Lakeland 50 race which starts on Saturday morning from Dalemain estate and takes in the second half of the L100 course. The traffic was horrendous and the drive took twice as long as it should meaning that we arrived shortly before the L100 registration and kit-check closed at 4 pm. Luckily kit check and registration was very efficient and I had enough time to get my rucksack repacked and eat something before the start. I felt the familiar goose-bumps and excitement as the traditional rendition of Nessun Dorma (‘None Shall Sleep’) was sung immediately before the start, and then we were off running through Coniston with loads of spectators lining the street and cheering. The atmosphere was brilliant.
The weather on Friday evening was scorching and this continued through the weekend making for challenging conditions, but that also meant that the scenery was clear and the views spectacular. This year the dry weather in the lead-up to the race meant that it was generally relatively dry underfoot which really helped, but the rough rocky terrain still batters your feet. Even though I had completed the race twice before it never seems to get any easier. The heat this year meant that I developed some stomach ‘issues’ during the race but I was able to manage them ok, helped by salt tablets and the selection of food and drink at the checkpoints. I was also expecting the usual hallucinations due to sleep deprivation on the second night but this year they never came which was a welcome change! I finished in 38:04 which was a PB for me by 40 minutes. I was happy with that but even more so as Emma finished the L50 as well in 20:45, a fantastic achievement given that she had never done a marathon before.
I love the L100. It is very challenging and always takes me out of my comfort zone but is fantastically well organised, the atmosphere is brilliant and the scenery wonderful. It’s never a given but hopefully I will be back again.