Borrowdale Fell Race 2014 – 17m 6500ft

Six NFR runners made it across for this Lakeland Classic. The weather forecast was for heavy rain, and it did not disappoint! There was rain, heavy downpours and torrential downpours for much of the race, with occasional glimpses of light (mostly late afternoon). The race was won by Ricky Lightfoot in 3hrs 3mins. I personally enjoyed a good battle with Scott Gibson and I think we both benefitted from pushing each other; both coming in under 4 hrs in 54^th and 57th. Considering the weather, minor navigation mishaps, and both running this race for the first time, we were both pleased with our result. This race turned out to be every bit as hard as I thought it would be, and the long slogs up Great Gable and Dale Head were painful. John Tollitt was next home for NFR, followed by Gary Clarkson, Andrew Calcott, and Gary Mason. 289 started. After the event it emerged that a runner from Otley had taken a fall on the corridor route and fell circa 30m. He was air lifted to the RVI, and injuries are not thought to be serious.