UKC

Tom Hollins (former Spine race, back when you could be supported if you wanted) is currently on the Wainwrights and has been since Sunday morning.

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/tow2021/

He's currently about a leg down on Paul Tierney's record as he heads into the Northern Fells, though he may well be pacing it or a fast finish so worth keeping an eye on, though I think he's probably a bit too far behind, but still on for a decent time and I can't imagine the last 20h or so have been much fun.

Despite me feeling completely out of the Fell Running loop now, I've also heard of another attempt starting around now. I'll only share details if I find it public anywhere - it's not my place to release other peoples' plan.

Open Tracking posted the following link on Facebook this morning to Carol Morgan's attempt, so I assume she OK'd them to do that :

http://live.opentracking.co.uk/cmw2021/

There's also a couple of guys out there doing unsupported rounds loaded up with 10 days or more of food !!

I'm attempting to complete them all before I die. Over halfway through and only taken 40 years or so. 

Carol's gone 'backwards', so she and Tom should cross tracks some point overnight I think

I've got 38 left, mainly outliers and tiddlers, though also quite a lot around Patterdale oddly. I did get a lot when I helped Steve Birkenshaw's round in 2014 - I got up 50+ hills with him, including some of the less often visited ones over in the East which was a big help. I don't count visiting them in a race as counting, I have to actually go up there for the sake of it.

In 2014 I set myself the target of doing all the Wainwrights in the 5 years before I hit 60 (I'd done about a third of them years ago but didn't count those ascents). Managed it ok (*) but the problem with doing the Wainwrights is that you realise that it's a very weird collection - many hills that are mere blips on a ridge are included as complete chapters yet other significant hills omitted.

Then you discover all the other lists and if you're a bit nerdy with Excel (like me) you discover the Database of British and Irish Hills and all of a sudden there are loads more summits to do in the Lakes - I have a composite list of about 700 which I'm only about 60% through so still loads to do which will also mean revisiting some favourite areas where I totally missed some blip that I didn't even previously know about. Currently concentrating on Wainwright's Outlying Fells.

(*) - I live in N Manchester so access to the Lakes with a car is pretty easy - mostly daytrips. Obviously if you live further away then it's much trickier to do.

Assuming the other attempt is what I think it was, it has now been made public that Nicky Spinks is going to try and reclaim the Lakeland 24 Hour Women's record. She's adding Knott and Bowscale.

Should be about 21:04 tonight I reckon.

Make that 21:10

Just about to pass each other below Carl Side. A hill I would otherwise never have known existed. So learnt something else new today.

Tom Hollins still plugging away, looks like he's almost on the last bit, some nasty ups to do though.

Carol bailed out last night around lonscale, from my friend supporting her the weather was 'sh1te'

Carol's was the attempt I knew about but didn't mention.

Only found out about Nicky's attempt when I got the Dunmail Raise this morning and bumped into her support crew. No idea on tracker link. 

Nikki's bailed unfortunately, according to her tracker.

http://live.opentracking.co.uk/ns24h21/

Tom is just walking down the final fell as I type this, according to his tracker. A valient attempt.

All done and off for a shower and a day off I would expect. Nice one Tom respect to you sir.

Under 7 days by a few hours, very impressive considering the crap weather.

I see Sabrina is out again and flying around in this fine weather. Good look to her this time.

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/sowjune2021/

She really does want this doesn't she! 

given what's coming later this year needs done now.

Qué?

John Kelly is potentially going for it

He and Damian Hall do seem to be hoovering them all up. I suppose things like Paddy Buckley, Ramsey & Bob Graham are all a bit "sprinty" for them - hence JK's "Grand Tour" challenge.

So at the beginning of yesterday Sabs was 13+h up on schedule. Now she's 8h up. Extra sleep banked or the start of a decline - again, this is part of the 'fun' of these things!

Even just observing the plot you can feel it's getting hard now.  

Four hours rest last evening at Borrowdale was well earned, but still a lot do do.  Just 5 miles short of Fell Barrow as I type.  That has to be a good feeling turning South again from there.  Lost another hour to her schedule over the course of today, Still seven hours in hand at present.  Take another rest stop out of that and she still has to maintain her incredible pace right through to the finish to beat the record by an hour or two.

So routing for her to succeed now. 

Still moving! Dare I say she has about 24 hrs to go? GO SABRINA!!!

About to hit the scafells, 4.75h up on her schedule, which is apparently 1h up on PT's record. Any finishing time before 1308 on Thursday will be a record (according to the Bob Graham Club who know about these things).

Banked a bit of rest early this morning. Hard to tell off the first couple of splits of the day what the trend is but looked OK between Whin and Illgill.

One last 'sprint' round Upper Eskdale, Duddon, Coniston and Little Langdale!  

Sabrina seemed to be a little ahead of her schedule for the climb up to Sca Fell.  Another 3 hours in hand at Duddon rd.  Perhaps, after the stop at Eskdale, she is hoping to go straight through there and push on to the finish.   Still a long hard route ahead. Fingers crossed for no issues during her final day. Totally inspiring to watch/track her progress. via our modern tech.  

Pushing on and trying to break six days by the he look of it.  Wow just wow.  Such drive and stamina.  Going to be touch and go for the 07:03 finish.  

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/sowjune2021/
 

around half an hour to go. Remarkable.

Has the signal gone as she comes off Lingmell?

Looks like under 6 days is on but the tracker's not moved for 10 minutes which makes me nervous.

Phew, finished with 10 minutes to spare. The FKT starts with a 5 now; awesome.

Under six days.   A brilliant new record. Dedication determination, hard work  and great support.

Amazing stuff. Wainwrights seems to have grasped a lot of people's attention this year with multiple attempts in different styles. 4 attempts for Sabs, shows that she knew she could do it, but also the ability to recover from 1 full round (last year) and getting to day 4 a few weeks ago - when you consider how broken it left Steve and Paul, her powers of recovery are astonishing.

From Steve Birkinshaw:

Sabrina's Wainwright record stats:
total=144hr, moving=129hr, resting=15hr (~6 hours sleep)
Paul T (previous record):
total=150hr, moving=113hr, resting=37hr.
Sabs has the amazing physical and mental toughness to keep moving with very little sleep/rest.

Brilliant. Made it to the front page of the Guardian news app:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/17/sabrina-verjee-sets-record-fo...

I didn't notice any obvious errors in that report. Bit unusual for any mountain/climbing related journalism to actually get it right 😁

I think it's Adharanand Finn's influence even though he's not on the staff any more.