Foundry Culture
Ian conquers Lakeland 50
On Saturday 26th July Ian took part in one of the greatest ultra trail challenges in Europe…
The Montane Lakeland 50 isn’t for the fainthearted. It might only be half of the 100-mile course but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The event organisers say, “that’s the first and worst error you could possibly make.”
Starting out from the Northern end of Ullswater elite fell runners and experienced walkers have 24 hours to push themselves through the night, passing through six compulsory check points, before reaching the finish line at Coniston.
Weaving its way through beautiful Lake District fells, along undulating rugged paths and uneven terrain, the route is so tough it’s abandoned by high number of participants. So we’re even prouder to say Ian completed it in an amazing 14 hours 59 minutes and 58 seconds.
Everything about the event was really well managed, from the marshals on the course to the volunteers keeping everyone happy, hydrated and refueled along the way.
Ian said, “What really stood out was the sense of oneness out on the course. It felt like everyone was there for each other, keeping each other motivated and moving forward. We all had our reasons for being there, our own challenges - but sharing a few stories along way really helped.”
Having put in hours of training for the event with his good friend Mike, and being a seasoned fell runner, Ian was prepared for anything the landscape could throw at him.
His only setback was leaving his phone at one of the checkpoints at Mardale Head which added another 1km onto his journey.
Nevertheless, Ian managed to finish 2 seconds under his 15-hour target and below the qualification time of 16 hours for the Lakeland100! Without the ‘phone incident’ and the hours spent drinking tea and eating M&Ms at the checkpoints, his time could have been better – all learnings to roll over into next year’s event.
We’re always interested in getting involved in events that encourage us to stay active, challenge our fitness to the limits, and support good causes. If you’re feeling brave and fancy joining Ian for next year’s Lakeland 50, or maybe even the 100-mile event, you can find out more about it and sign up here.