In a whirlwind weekend, Tom Randall and Will Birkett were rushing around the Lakes attempting to beat each other's records for the Classic Rock Round. Not content with his previous time due to wet conditions slowing him down, Tom returned on Friday and beat Will's recent record (11 hours 50 minutes) with a time of 11 hours 10 minutes. The following day, Will set out to beat Tom's time and clocked a staggering 10 hours 41 minutes.
The round combines 34 miles of running between 15 multipitch Classic Rock routes, involving 70 pitches up to VS and 4,300m of ascent.
On Saturday morning, Tom wrote on Instagram:
'This time things (kind of) went smoother and I got a time that I felt was more reflective of my fitness levels.... still a bit of a slog though!!' He added:
'Much that it's cool to have had a big day out, I'm WAY more psyched to have got a message from Will at 4.30am this morning saying he's going to try and break my record again today!! Haha, no rest for the wicked.'
Describing his 'Take 3' on the challenge, Will wrote on Facebook:
'Tom made one hell of move last Friday, shattering my previous time by a good 40 minutes. They say the best defence is a good offence, or that's certainly what I'm thinking, as Dow appears into view, dusk jealously loosening its grip, light scratching at Lakeland pinnacles on the cool Saturday morning.'
Reflecting on his previous record attempt, Will realised that he required more sustenance and better hydration. he was also aware that cooler, dryer conditions would be easier and safer. He wrote on Facebook:
'The last attempt was nothing short of a shit show, no water, little food, basically crawled my way along on stubborn ideals alone, this time I'd come prepared laden with flapjack and Belvita bars. Purposely setting off without a schedule was part of the gambit. Building walls for a living rarely leaves you feeling rested at the weekends, the plan was go balls to the wall until walking ceases to be a viable option or I reach the end, no distractions.
'Running past Randall at Wrynose pass who eagerly shouts encouragement, it was appreciated, but he also stokes the fire simmering in my stomach, blowing down to Langdale then Gimmer like a Hebridean gale, call me the breeze. Climbing Bowfell Buttress brings a pleasant surprise, Al Jones and partner planted upon the halfway ledge, there's little time for actual communication, whooping and high-fiving says far more in these circumstances.'
Will saved around 15 minutes on Scafell, which was in perfect, dry condition. Feeling more spritely than on the previous attempt, he sailed through the remaining routes in high spirits. Will explained:
'Surprisingly, my legs - far from packing in - seem to be getting springy. Merrily skipping over to Gillercombe after completing the Pillar routes was magic, just to be out on such an awesome day was a blast. Black Crag packed with climbers took some negotiating then onto Shepherd's where my father was already waiting, clocked it, 10:4.'
Victory was bittersweet, however. Despite their rivalry, it seems that Will felt a little guilty for making Tom's record so short-lived. He wrote:
'5 minutes later Tom Randall popped over, he was psyched, but at the same time looked like he wanted to hit me. Because he probably only had the record for about 24 hours this time, also gave me a lift back to my van, thanks again!'
The pair have now set five records between them this year:
Will Birkett & Callum Coldwell-Storry (May 2020) | 12 hours 54 mins |
Tom Randall (Aug 2020) | 12 hours 2 mins |
Will Birkett (Aug 2020) | 11 hours 50 mins |
Tom Randall (Sept 2020) | 11 hours 10 mins |
Will Birkett (Sept 2020) | 10 hours 41 mins |
Tom wrote on Instagram: 'It's been an absolute pleasure having such a great fellsman to compete and motivate with on this. I'm pretty sure things would still be at the 13hr mark if we'd not got a good rivalry going!'
When asked whether he would attempt to take back the record, Tom told UKC:
'Ha, no! I had already put something on my Insta which said if my 11 hour 10 time got beaten then I didn't think I could beat that. His time is WAY out there. It's very hard to explain how good this is!'
Will was equally psyched to have squeezed in a record between his very physical work as a drystone waller. He told UKC:
'I was also pretty psyched that I managed to fit it in between work and only take half a day off that Friday.'
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