well, what now ?

My Bob Graham adventure finished in the bar of the Shap Wells on Saturday night at about 12.30 about 3 years after it started and what a fine adventure it has been. Meet some cracking people, got fitter than I would ever have imagined and have learned a huge amount about mountains and myself.

The picture above is of Jim Mann and I post presentation with our certificates. We had our 1st attempt at the BGR together in September 2010, Jim finished in 22 hours, I needed 2 more tries. Jim then set the winter record in Feburary 2011, so you could say we are at other ends of the distance running ability spectrum. No matter, Jim has given me a humbling level of support and encouragement, as did Penrith Stu, Mark Smith, Dave Almond, Dave Swift, Dave Hindly and many, many others. That is what was so great about the Bob Graham Round reunion dinner, we were a cohort who helped each other and is special in ways I can not begin to describe. It was nice to be told by a few people that I was the one they thought would not complete it, at least I think it was!

The evening was everything I wanted it to be and I spent a lot of it in quiet amazement that I had managed to get there legitimately. I was the 2nd last to be presented with a certificate in the evening (Graham was slow getting the forms in, but finished 30 minutes ahead of me), so I was the last to complete in 2011 I think.

During the day I did the Langdale Horseshoe, a cracking race, nice and hard covering some of the BGR ground and some new ground. Got lost for about 10 minutes coming off the last peak and 3:44 is not a great time, but I enjoyed the race and even the conditions which included going up to my waste in a bog. Bob Graham Round is great training for the round, but it leaves you a bit slow for a short race ! like this. Certainly one I want to come back and do.