What a day! On a day like yesterday, the Bay Limestone Round has to be up there with the best as one of the most picturesque distance running challenges going. 

I have to say a massive thanks to all that donated to my Gofundme for Re:Act disaster response. I want to say an even bigger thank you to my support crew:

To Ben for joining me on the Crooklands to Burton section, to Al and her parents for providing such a brilliant aid station in Burton,  to my awesome brother Philip (Pip) who not only supported leg 1 and 4 but also kept me motivated by singing a mixture of Chris de Burgh and ‘Bravely bold Sir Robin…’ , my sister Laura for being there despite a rough week AND a huge thanks to Amy and my gorgeous boys who not only provided much needed aid stations but did a whole load of ferrying throughout the day to support.

I don’t think I could have chosen a better day to do the round, sunny, cool and with a gentle breeze throughout. Doing the round in early spring is stunning, daffodils lining the trails and lambs in every field, it really felt like the valleys were waking up from the winter. 

We started the day slightly later than scheduled just after seven and after navigating a fairly boggy Humphrey Head we made our way up through Allithwaite to climb Hampsfell. The views at the start of the day were of a golden sunrise and mist hanging low in the valleys. As we descended Hampsfell towards High Newton, running felt light and easy and conversation helped the miles tick away. It wasn’t long before we were crossing through Witherslack and heading up the steep rocky trail to ascend Whitbarrow Scar and reach Lords Seat. From there it was a short descent to the Lyth Valley. 

Aid station one with Amy and the boys and I suddenly realised I had started my round- the signs of support spurring myself on to enjoy the day and get round with a smile. A quick rice pudding, top up of Mountain Fuel and a change of socks and I was on my way.

The next section was my first solo section and I had made a last minute decision to move the second aid station from Helsington Church to Levens Hall to give a longer stretch. This section winding through the Lyth Valley before climbing first Cunswick and then Scout Scar, I was enjoying the running but the distance suddenly started to become real. There is something about the inconvenience of turning left to take in Cunswick that adds to the challenge psychologically at this point. The descent of Scout scar was stunning and seeing the rest of the round in front of me was a motivation at this point. It was a relatively warm day and, despite having taken plenty of fluids on throughout the day, as I dropped in to Levens, the idea of a chilled can of coke started to become really appealing. As I reached Levens Hall and met Amy at the second aid station, I was warm and desperate for liquid. I downed a cup of like warm tea, a bottle of water and some extra Mountain Fuel. I was struggling to eat any food but managed another rice pudding and some Soreen. 

I set off on leg 3 feeling a bit queezy and slightly sluggish. Heversham Head seemed to be over in a flash but at this point Farleton seemed a long way off….and it was, the stretch of Canal that took me to Crooklands and around to the foot of Farleton was long and uncomfortable. Thankfully at Crooklands Ben came alongside me and gave me plenty of encouragement to keep on moving. Although I was feeling the miles I was still running and decided that keeping eating little and often at this stage was my best move. I felt that I moved well over Farleton and Hutton Roof and perhaps made up some of the time I had lost earlier in the day. This might have been down to the decent ground underfoot (on previous recce runs the descent of Hutton Roof had been a quagmire)  but also could have been down to the fact that Ben was running 100 yards ahead most of the way. Soon we were descending in to Burton and to Als parents where a feast of Pizza, Coca Cola and ginger shots awaited. My sister was with Al and her parents chilling in their garden. After a quick fuel, it wasn’t too long before Phil joined for the final leg.

Off we went, legs felt tired and the balls of my feet were sore but nothing that would hold me back with just 12 miles to go until the finish line.

Arguably the worst stretch of the whole round is immediately after Burton, crossing muddy fields with the noise of the M6 just yards away. Can’t have it all being too perfect, it needs to have a dose of reality to it I guess. It wasn’t too long before we had crossed the A6 and were heading up for the strangest of the climbs, Cringlebarrow. Tucked away at the end of a trail and up in ancient woodland, this limestone step is perhaps a little underwhelming compared to its bigger brothers and sisters, but adds variety to the mix. We kept on moving on here and progressed well to Warton, which for me was a bit of a psychological milestone. Turning from here meant a turn to the finish line so I was determined to get to the peak. I felt strong heading up through the woodlands of Warton Crag and we were soon overlooking the bay from the top with the sun starting to descend towards the bay. 

From here we made our way up from Jenny Browns Point and up to Heald Brow. No matter how many times I recce this one finding may way to and from the cairn for this one, without getting torn to shreds by thorns and brambles, alludes me. Confusion wasn’t helped by the fact that a huge horse charged us ‘playfully’ as we were hunting down the cairn. As we descended through Silverdale I started to get excited and my legs came back a little with the anticipation of the finish. As we reached King William’s Hill I suddenly realised I was nearly at the finish line, feeling good and roughly to the target time I had hoped for. 

One last push. Descending through Holgates caravan park and down towards Arnside Tower, the final climb stood above us- and at this stage it looked steep. As we started to climb it did feel as steep as it looks. The great thing about Arnside Knott, however, is that despite it looking severe from the bottom, it is actually over much quicker than expected. A few more strides and we were on the top, I did feel a little emotional as I tapped this final trig point alongside my brother. With his motivational soundtrack of Chris de Burgh and ‘Bravely bold Sir Robin…’ still resonating.

I gingerly descended down from the Knott and on to the road before turning a sharp left down a path to the shore. Once I hit the shore and could see the viaduct I got a sudden burst of energy and picked up pace for the finish line. 

As we passed the Albion towards the pier I could see Amy, the boys and our dogs playing on the shore with Ronnie (our Lurcher) spotting us first and sprinting towards us to join the finish. Those last few yards down the pier were spectacular. The sunset was stunning and the achievement felt palpable. 

Stood there on the pier, a massive hug from my brother, Amy and my boys I felt relief and pride swelling up. What an achievement, what a a day and what a privilege. 

The pint at the Albion joined by my sister, her husband and her boys, with a stunning sunset and a smile on my face was a memory I won’t ever forget. 

Thank you all that wished me well and supported me in whatever way.