On Friday 23rd
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.
