The Three Peaks

 

On Friday 23^rd of September, I ran the Three Peaks of Yorkshire to raise some money for Ukranian refugee children. First of all, a big thank you to all the people who sponsored me: your generosity was overwhelming and the fund now stands at £1300. A number of people have asked me why did I do it, especially at my age. The answer is two-fold: I love fell running and I wanted to do something to help the Ukrainian refugees. So why not combine the two?

The weather could not have been better. Blue skies, very little wind and not too hot: ideal running conditions with the bonus of outstanding views. Roger and Eleri arrived at my house at 9am, and Paul drove us to Dalehead for the start. Pen y Ghent was straightforward and we were ahead of schedule when we arrived in Horton, to be met by Anne and Gordon, and flasks of tea. I should explain that I am physically incapable of going for more than a couple of hours without black tea.

 Eleri had to leave us at this point as she was going away for the weekend, but Gordon replaced her so we were still a gang of three. The ascent of Ingleborough is long and at times tedious, but it was enlivened by discussions on an eclectic mix of topics from the Royal family to Brentford FC. The descent proved problematical. I have known Gordon for well over 30 years and he is a top bloke (he had driven up from Horwich to join my run) but he is not a good descender. So Roger and I got ahead going down the first steep bit, and after running along the ridge we realised that Gordon was not behind us. We surmised that he must have taken the tourist route instead so we carried on to the Hill Inn where Anne, Peter and Shelagh were waiting with food and more tea. After 10 minutes anxious wait, Gordon appeared having taken the tourist route as we had guessed.

At this stage I was feeling a little tired and decided to press on, telling the other two (mere youths in their 60s) to catch me up. The ascent of Whernside was a slog: the sun came out and it was very warm. In addition, there was a charity walk going the other way which led to some awkward manoeuvres on the steps. Eventually I reached the ridge where things became much better. I soon reached the summit to be joined by Roger, and then Gordon. The descent was straightforward, although we had to be wary of tripping, easily done with tired legs on rough ground. Down past the viaduct and the finish was in sight. The support crew were there with the finish tape, and more importantly, more tea. We then went to the Station Inn for some well earned food and drink.

It was a very enjoyable day and my especial thanks go to my support team and my fellow runners, without whom none of this would have been possible.