Kong Mountain Marathon

Fran Blackett

  • Arran, Scotland
  • August 2022

This was the first two day mountain marathon organised by the team that have been behind the ‘mini mountain marathon’ series for the past ten years or so and the first mountain marathon held in Scotland since the final LAMM in 2018. When the location was announced, it seemed rude not to go and support this new venture.

For Andy and I this event came at the end of a month long van/cycle touring family adventure along the length of the Outer Hebrides and then back down through mainland Scotland. Our participation in the event was only possible thanks to the dedication of my mum who drove up from Durham, and met us on the Arran to take over childcare duties for two days whilst we went and destroyed ourselves in the mountains.

As a result of all this, we were probably the least prepared running wise that we have ever been going into one of these events. However, this did mean that I was probably the most relaxed. The pressure was off. If I was rubbish then I had 5 weeks of little to no running to blame! The weather was set fair and as we took the short ferry ride from Ardrossan to Brodick and the mountains of Arran came into view then I felt really excited for the weekend ahead.

We were not the only Durham Fell Runners to have made the journey. Steve Lumb and Tom Carter were taking on the A course (running with separate partners), Digby Harris was on the long score course and Meghan and Rory were running together on the C course. Here is my account our Arran adventure.

Day 1 – 30km, 1541m ascent

The weather was incredible and as we set off we were in high spirits. The first few checkpoints were relatively straight forward and there were plenty of cheerful and friendly exchanges with fellow teams on the hill. Our first decision came as we looked at our route from CP 4 to 5. Andy was very taken with a route that went over an inviting and attractive looking ridge. I was more keen on a riskier route that descended below the ridge and contoured through a bog. As we mulled over ‘midge or ridge’ neither of us were keen to budge. In the end we went midge and I was relieved that it was a good line! Then from CP 5 – 6 the fun really started. It looked relatively straight forward on the map. What the map didn’t tell us was just how horrific the terrain was: tussocks, reeds, tree saplings for four long kilometres. The cheery exchanges with fellow teams were now grumblings and mutterings about how slow and grim the terrain was.

Battling our way through this sapped our enthusiasm for the game!

After finally reaching CP 6 we were heading inbound to mid camp. Although there was still a long way to go, it felt good to be heading in the right direction. One more decent climb ( I am sure it was steeper than it appears in this photo. It certainly felt it!) and then everything else was pretty straight forward until our final route choice to the final CP of the day.

Grovelling my way up this climb to a summit checkpoint

Andy was keen on the direct line. I had spotted a slightly longer route that got us off the rough ground more quickly and joined a path along to the CP which was on the path/stream junction. I was tired. I wanted to be off the hill. It seemed a safe option. Andy didn’t feel strongly about his route and so we took my line. And we were glad that we did. The direct route down off the hill to the CP went through what was marked as ‘mixed woodland’ on the map. In reality this was impenetrable rhododendrons, trees and gorse. Many teams lost a lot of time negotiating this. Finally the finish was in sight. We were very relieved to have made it.

Midcamp: As we made our way towards the camping fields we saw a guy eating his meal in the middle of the road. ‘Are the midge that bad?’ ‘Yep’. He was not wrong. The midge situation was desperate.

This picture here shows me blowing up my Neoair through my midge net. Yep. It was that grim.

A respite from the midge was provided by a Ceilidh (with bar) that had been arranged by the organisers. A room full of sweaty runners all in their hill gear giving their all to some excellent dancing must have been quite the sight.

Day 2 – 27km, 1576m ascent

I am not sure how to give an account of day 2 without it being a massive whinge but I will give it a go! This was the hardest day I have ever had on a mountain marathon. Maybe the hardest day in the mountains I have ever had! The lack of fitness played a part. My base fitness was good enough for one tough mountain day. When I asked my body to go again the next day, it did not have a lot to give.

After a glorious 400m along a path, the day got going with our first climb. Up through wet grassy tussocks which made my legs (cut to ribbons by the previous day’s fun) sting like crazy and then deteriorating into loose, grumbly rock that just came away in your hand. It’s 745am.

Me: Is it too early to lose my sense of humour?

Andy: Yes

The first climb of day 2.

CP 1 was successfully located and we tried to rally ourselves. It was another clear and beautiful day. The sight of runners silhouetted against the skyline struck me. This is a pretty crazy game to play but there are these incredible moments of peace and calm among the stress.

A brief moment of calm

We were taking each CP one at time, trying to remember to eat and taking turns to boost moral when low moments became too much. And then we reached a rising contour into a hanging valley across rough boulder and heather covered ground. This was the lowest of the low points. As we approached the ridge line to a checkpoint ‘cross on a hill’ (I think I will always remember this one) it was all too much. 

Me: I just can’t do it any more

Andy: Well I’m not going back down through that **** ground

Me: I don’t want to go back down there either

Andy: Well then you’ll have to keep going up

Me: I don’t think I can

Andy: What do you want to do then?

Me: Call for help

Andy: Fran, I am not calling Mountain Rescue

Upon reflection. I think Andy was right. To call for help was not the best course of action. He let me sit down for a few minutes, gave me a gel and we regrouped for the final push because as it had taken us so long to get to this point we were now in a race against the clock to beat the 4pm cut off. Miss the cut off and we would DNF the whole weekend. Brutal. The next checkpoint was the summit of Goatfell and then it was a long and painful descent down to the finish line. It was tight but we made it with just 10 minutes to spare. The sight of my mum and the boys at the finish line was such a joyous feeling (although they had spent so long waiting they were more interested in their snack they’d just been given!) and there was so much relief at having made it.

Joss and Kenny cheering us in to the finish
Day 2 finish – a low key end to an epic 2 days

In the end we finished 26th of 29 finishers. 14 teams DNFd so I like to count these and say that we finished 26th of 43 starters. Meghan and Rory finished 5th in the Short Score. Digby Harris finished 9th in the Long Score. Tom Carter did not finish a brutal A course. Steve Lumb’s partner was injured during day 1 on the A course so they did not complete. He ran with a new partner on day 2 (as her partner was also injured) and so completed with A course with an *!

Hexhamshire Hobble

Running for DFR today: Meghan McCarthy (30th), Marie-Louise Ridley (47th) Jim Clapp (53rd), Fran Blackett (71st) 

We had a good turnout of runners for DFR at the Hexham Hobble today. Given the events and challenges of the last week I think that we were all feeling extra grateful to the organisers and marshals for getting this race put on. The Hexham Hobble is a great route of about 16km with roughly 400m ascent. It is always incredibly well marshalled and, at points, flagged making it an excellent introduction to fell racing if you have never done one before. In fact, it was my very first fell race back in 2013. I ran it again in 2014 but then hadn’t returned until today. When I entered on a whim a few weeks ago I was imagining a lovely, crisp winter morning with all bogs and puddles frozen over. I should have known better. Andy always bets his left testicle that there will be snow at the Hobble. Although the weather was pretty kind (just a bit of an icy headwind on the second half…), the conditions underfoot were pretty horrific: wet, slippy mud; icy patches; soft snow (not the nice frozen kind that you can run along); slushy, FREEZING cold puddles and bogs. I was full of regret at deciding not to wear waterproof socks. The first climb is the worst, steep up the road out of Allendale and then it levels off as you turn off the road onto tracks and trods across the fell. Then it is undulating until you hit a middle road section with a steep down and then up back onto the fell before a final road section as you descend back into Allendale and the finish. As per the race organisers instructions everyone dispersed quickly at the finish so I can only assume that everyone had a great time! And the ladies managed to scoop the team prize so that was an exciting bonus! 


Thanks to Tom Bentley for the photos.

Club Champs Update

Denise at the socially distanced Langstrath start

It has been a great start to the 2021 club championship, and such a welcome relief to be racing over the fells again. As things stand, all of the remaining nominated races are still going ahead, but as with so may things over the last 18 months or so, I’ll continue to monitor them and endeavour to keep everyone up to date with any changes.

The championship kicked off with the short BOFRA Coniston Gullies race late in May. In previous years I’ve tried to keep the races accessible as possible, so I can understand a lot of folk not wanting to make the long journey over to Cumbria for a race that is over and done with in little over a mile (hopefully 2022 will see more local races back in the calendar). Denise Tunstall and Andy Blackett were rewarded for making the trip by picking up maximum points in the Ladies and Men’s competitions.

Next was the first long race, Ennerdale on a glorious mid-June Saturday. The FRA took the wise decision to leverage the race’s inclusion in the DFR championship and include it as a counter race in this year’s English Championship! There was a healthy turn-out of DFR folk; myself, Max Wilkinson and Andy Blackett toeing the line for the men, whilst Dawn Hosking and Kate Fogelberg lined-up for the ladies, setting off slightly before the men.

Once again, Andy Blackett took maximum points in the men’s competition with a fine run in under 5 and a quarter hours, followed by me 12 minutes later, and Max in just over 5 hours 40 minutes. Dawn had a great run to finish in 5 hours 43 minutes and take the maximum points in the lady’s competition, with Kate ensuring all DFR runners finished within an hour of each other, returning in just over 6 hours.

Only 4 days later, myself and Andy Blackett were once again westward bound on the A66, this time to Borrowdale, for the second short race in our championship, Langstrath. There we joined Dougie Nisbet and Denise Tunstall to make up the DFR foursome. Yet again, I proved no match for Andy Blackett as he made it round this tough, steep (and this year, entirely midge infested) route in just over 45 minutes, whilst I stumbled back 5 minutes behind. Dougie rounded off a pleasant stay in the Langstrath valley, by finishing a few minutes later. Denise was not far behind Dougie and once again claimed maximum points in the lady’s competition.

There’s some great races coming up in July and August (Inglebrough, Old Crown Round and Turner Landscape), please see https://www.durhamfellrunners.org/club-champs/ for more details and the current championship standings.

If there’s anything you need to know about the club championship or the included races, please just catch me at training or you can drop me an email on captain@durhamfellrunners.org

Cowshed backyard ultra

James Osborn writes about winning the Greener Miles Running Cowshed backyard ultra:

I am very happy I entered the Greener Miles Running cowshed backyard ultra and not the Suffolk one! My little jog out seems a bit insignificant in comparison. But, a week on and recovering well. I wasn’t sure at the time but I think I can now say that it was enjoyable (type 2) and I am already looking forward to doing another one.

I was a bit nervous at the beginning. Wasn’t like any start I had ever been in – no elbows out and just shuffled over the line. Stayed mid-pack for most of the duration, only led the last two laps. This is a bit different for me – my usual mode is to go off like a rocket and then cling on. Almost every lap was between 46 and 48 minutes, only a couple of exceptions at the beginning due to traffic and at the end when I was speeding up to get a bit more time at base. I did ping my knee on Saturday evening so had to manage that for the rest of the event, apart from that energy levels were good and no other problems. 29 yards and not out. Looking forward to seeing how far I can go next time!

Thanks to everyone for their support: All the runners for being a great and friendly bunch of athletes, I look forward to running with many of them again, a special mention to Paul Brunger for pushing on, even if he did lie to me! To the organisers for putting on a great event, even if the course was a bit challenging! And to all the supporters – especially my big sister Emma Benson who stayed up all night to keep my energy and motivation up. I award the Greener Miles Running cowshed backyard ultra 5* – see you next year!