Round 4 English Championships - Borrowdale

The boulder strewn route to Scafell Pike pic from  http://www.thelakedistrictmountains.org/

"It's fierce in my dreams, It sees in my guts, 

It fills me with dread,
So consumed, it swims in my eyes by the bed
I pour myself over it, room spinning
And I wake up and I still have to run on Saturday....."

Amy Winehouse must have been thinking about the Borrowdale when she wrote that......But maybe there are a few other runners out there who feel like our little fellrunning journalist tasked with doing the race, just to bring you the news this Saturday?

But those at the top of the tables (and entered in the race) will no doubt be like the Team GB Beach Volleyball pair - Raring to Go!

High Fives down at Horse Guards Parade - pic by Metro

The Race

At 16miles and 6500ft, the record was set in 1982 by local man (and greatest fell runner ever) Billy Bland in 2:34:38. 

It starts off with a feisty run along a farm track with runners jostling for position, as if it matters. 

The first climb arrives (it's just after where Billy will be giving you a "Go on lad!") at Bessy Boot, followed by a flat and runnable stretch across to Esk Hause. 

Next is a boulder strewn steady climb to Scafell Pike, down a scree chute and keeping the momentum going, down the corridor route to Sty Head. 

Then a charge up Great Gable, which clever men will know exactly the best route off, then some fast running over to Honister. 

Feeling the length of the race a bit now, it's just one more climb up Dale Head, to find the best way down to the quarries, on legs that are getting too tired to run down hill strongly now, and last task, find the finish field.

Ben Abdelnoor winner of Borrowdale last year - pic by Andy Holden Borrowdale 2011

This year Borrowdale is a Long Counter in the English Championships which means the caliber of the front runners and therefore the racing, will be better than usual (and Borrowdale always attracts a high standard anyway). Let's have a look at the situation in the English Championships before the race.

English Championships - How they stand after Round 3

1 Ben Abdelnoor Ambleside - 144
2 Lloyd Taggart Dark Peak Fell Runners - 141
3 Graham Pearce Pudsey & Bramley AC - 118
4 Kim Collison Eden Runners - 117
5 Karl Gray Calder Valley Fell Runners - 114
6 Carl Bell Howgill Harriers - 108
7 Tom Addison Helm Hill Runners - 106
8 Morgan Donnelly Borrowdale Fell Runners (no long counter yet) 98
9 Simon Bailey Mercia Fell Runners (no medium counter yet) - 96
10 Ben Bardsley Borrowdale Fell Runners  (no short counter yet)- 91
11 Rob Baker Dark Peak Fell Runners  (no long counter yet) - 90
12= Rob Jebb Bingley Harriers & AC - (no short counter yet) - 89
12= Martin Mikkelsen-Barron Borrowdale Fell Runners - 89
14 Rhys Findlay-Robinson Dark Peak Fell Runners - (no short counter yet) - 81
15 Mark Addison Helm Hill Runners  (no long counter yet)  80
16 Mark Roberts Borrowdale Fell Runners - 76
17 Rob Hope Pudsey & Bramley AC  (no long counter yet)  74
18= Darren Kay Pudsey & Bramley AC . (no long counter yet)  73
18= Tom Brunt Holmfirth Harriers AC - 73
20 Gavin Bland Borrowdale Fell Runners - 72

Ladies standings are here and you can find out all the standings here.

Who's running on Saturday?

Here's the entry list (thanks Livi) and it's great to see Ben Abdelnoor right at the top (being an A). He'll be wanting to defend his win no doubt, remember he won the Great Lakes Race too.

So if you are running, we hope you are feeling fit, fresh and ready to inspire others. If you're like our journalist and feeling a little uncertain about it all, how about a bit of motivational high five-ing or mini hugs at every check point between runners, just like our Team GB Volleyball players.

A mini hug - photo from google images

Or if the possibility of 'high fives' won't get you round, perhaps this picture will.............

 Home of the post race reward - picture from http://www.lakedistrictwalkingexperience.co.uk

The Lake District Walking Experience perhaps puts it into perspective for us -

"The Borrowdale Fell race finishes at the Riverside Bar in the Scafell Hotel, in the bar there is a roll of honour board on the wall alongside a map of the route which leaves you tired just having looked at it!"

See you on Saturday, and for those of you we don't see, we'll let you know the results as soon as we can. Race starts at 11am Saturday morning.