{"id":4771,"date":"2026-06-08T12:17:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totleyac.org.uk\/2021_wp\/?p=4771"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:08:01","slug":"bob-graham-round-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totleyac.org.uk\/2021_wp\/2026\/06\/08\/bob-graham-round-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Graham Round"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Matt Burden<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Finish time 22 hours 47 minutes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It has been one week since I did the Bob Graham Round and whilst its still fresh in my mind I am writing a report on the best and hardest challenge I have ever done. Considering I was out for nearly 23 hours I can remember it all so vividly and I want to share the highs and lows of this epic journey I\u2019ve been on. It\u2019s a very long read so I apologise!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is the Bob Graham Round (BG)?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Starting and finishing in Keswick you have 24 hours to summit 42 specific peaks in the Lake District. It\u2019s roughly 65 miles and 26000 feet of climb which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest from sea level. There are five legs on the route that finish\/start at road crossings where you can meet a support team and have some food, change clothes, or shoes if needed. Most people have two support runners on each leg to run the route with you; navigate, carry your food, water, and other supplies you need. Only around 3000 people have ever completed the Bob Graham and only around 1 in 3 people that attempt it complete in time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Training for the BG<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I was confident of running the distance having done a 100 mile ultra last year, so my main focus was on training for climbing steep hills, getting to know the route and how to navigate it, and getting stronger with weight training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get used to the steep climbs I did lots of long runs in the peak district that often included hill reps up Parkin Clough to Winn Hill. Another brilliant route for hill training was the Kinder Dozen around the Kinder plateau. But there isn\u2019t anything in the Peak district as big as the Lake district climbs so it was essential for me to go there and practice on the route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t able to get up the lakes as often as I would have liked but I had some lovely weekends up there and I was able to recce all of the legs. Some of the recces were in driving rain and almost zero visibility. In fact I did a recce of leg 4 with Kev Walker and we didn\u2019t see a thing. Kev had previously supported three other people on that leg and not seen any of it! During my training I supported someone on leg three of his BG attempt which was a great experience and also part of the BG ethos to support others in their attempt. I would definitely recommend going up and doing each leg, it gave me a lot of confidence and made it all seem a lot smaller on the day. It helps you with navigation and you get to see some spectacular views and get used to the climbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight training was probably the least consistent part of my training. I did a lot of heavy weight specific kettlebell exercises at home, but this got less frequent as the weeks went on. I had the aim of getting stronger to help prevent injury when training and I should have kept it up. However with one month to go I pulled my calf muscle during a gentle run. I honestly thought I wouldn\u2019t recover in time for the BG, but with rest and a sports massage from Felipe it somehow recovered in time. I overstretched it on a run with two weeks to go and I had sharp pain walking up the stairs that evening and I thought it was game over. But I just rested up and hoped for the best. The day before my BG I wasn\u2019t 100% sure my calf would hold up during the BG but I was happy to give it a go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leg 1: Keswick to Threlkeld.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support runners: Colin Osborne and Ruth Canton<\/strong>
Time: 3 hours 28 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decided to set off at 2am so I could have two hours of dark at the start of my BG and run the \u2018easy\u2019 last leg in the dark and do the rest in daylight. The weather forecast was ideal with sunny weather and not too hot compared to the heatwave we just had. The forecast also suggested the cloud levels would be so high that we would have clear visibility all the way round. I gave my support team a schedule of 22 hours and 45 minutes to follow, which had split times for each summit, but in all honesty I had no idea how long I would take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I set off with excitement and hoped that I wouldn\u2019t get injured again. We decided to set off very slowly so I could ease my way into it. We came out of the field before the first climb and had a little navigational wobble and went back and forth 50 metres a couple of times on a path, which would be the only navigation error all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We walked and chatted the long climb up to Skiddaw very steadily and we reached the summit 5 minutes behind schedule. I was actually very happy to be behind schedule at this stage and that would be the last time behind schedule until leg 5. I ran along the \u2018flat\u2019 and downhill sections and slowly walked the big climbs. The sunrise was beautiful and my calf felt fine although I slightly twinged it going up to Blencathra. Ruth showed me a great route down Hawes fell which went slightly to the right of the ridge and it helped me avoid the slow scramble down the first 20 metres. I reckon this saved me a good 5 minutes and I ended up getting to the end of leg one 20 minutes up on my schedule and feeling ecstatic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leg 2: Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support Runners: Aidan Linskill and Chris Lawson<\/strong>
Time: 3 hours 52 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was definitely my best leg, I felt fresh, I realised my calf would be fine and I also did it 31 minutes faster than my schedule. I scoffed a bowl of porridge and raisons and set off roughly a minute after I got to Threlkeld. As we slowly ambled up the steep climb to Clough Head we looked to our left and saw about 20 hot air balloons taking off into the sky. It really made me feel like the stars were aligning and it was my destiny to complete the BG. The small error on this leg was going to the wrong summit on Great Dodd, but we quickly realised our mistake and had to go back to the higher summit which probably cost us a couple of minutes. The hours passed so fast on this leg as we chatted away about trivial things and we also had some classic Brexit and politics grumbles! The leg was very runnable and we ran the flat sections, walked slowly up the climbs and ran the descents. I felt so strong on this leg and I ran away from Aidan and Chris on the descents and they would catch me up on the climbs. I bombed down the final descent from Seat Sandal to the end of leg and got 9:20am nearly 1 hour ahead of schedule. The main regret on this leg was that we didn\u2019t take enough water and I felt very dehydrated when I got to the support team at Dunmail Raise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leg 3: Dunmail Raise to Wasdale car park.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support Runners: Tom Hughes and Jake Lane.<\/strong>
Time: 6 hours two minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After guzzling about three pints of water, flat Coke and some pasta I set off on the longest and toughest leg of the BG. I was looking forward to the beauty of this leg and in particular the legendary scramble up lords rake to Scafell which is like something from Lord of the Rings. The start of the leg is a very steep climb up to Steel fell which you  have to take slowly and grind it out. I was relieved to get that bit done and then there was some runnable sections. It was also a relief for clear visibility because I had recced this leg three times and it was low cloud each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was starting to struggle with eating on this leg and the rice crispy cakes and tail wind wasn\u2019t as palatable at this stage and I was surviving on Maurten gels for the second half of the leg. The toughest part of my BG was scrambling diagonally up the hill to Bowfell, it was very hot at this point and there was no wind. Tom gave me a cookie to eat on the way up to Bowfell and it was the change in food that I needed. It powered me up the hill and it energised me to jog the next few peaks with walking on any climbs. I was however sick on the way to Esk Pike and still struggling to eat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second half of leg three is very rocky and slow going but I just enjoyed the views and kept plugging away. Tom gave me a time check when we reached Scafell Pike and to my surprise we were still one hour ahead of schedule. This was the massive boost I needed at this stage as I was finding the going tough. We just had Scafell to go and it was so much fun going up Lords Rake and the West Wall Traverse. There was one near miss when Jake was ahead of me a dislodged a brick sized rock and it tumbled down and I opened my legs in time for it to roll in between them! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long descent to Wasdale was great fun, we went down a steep slope full of loose scree and I didn\u2019t have to lift my legs and just let the scree take me down which was so fast and quite thrilling! I finished the leg shattered but 47 minutes ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leg 4: Wasdale to Honister Pass<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support runners: Kevin Walker and Mark Jacobi<\/strong>
Time: 5 hours 14 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took a bit longer than planned at the end of leg three so I could change my socks and T Shirt. I also made sure I ate all my tinned beans and sausages and drank a lot of water and flat coke. I decided that I had time in hand so I should try and get some food inside me ready for some big climbs on leg 4. I also cleaned my teeth here which was really needed because my teeth felt awful after all the sugary food I\u2019d eaten. There were a few giggles at the state of my appearance because I looked so tired and a bit pale at this stage! But I was still smiling and enjoying the day and ready to climb Yewbarrow aka \u2018Yewbastard\u2019! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yewbarrow is a very long steep slog up the hill and I was able to eat a banana up there which was the last time I ate something really substantial! It started to rain which was nice relief from the heat to be honest and the raincoat came on and stayed on. I was really enjoying the views on this leg and it was great for Kev to finally see what leg 4 looks like! The navigation was spot on I was running well on the flats and downhill bits despite really struggling to eat. Only Maurten gels were going down but even they were getting harder to stomach. Just before Kirk fell I was sick again but I wasn\u2019t worried because I was still moving well and I have been sick on every ultra I have done. We took a great line up red gully which Kev plotted out and was so much faster getting up there than our recce which went a bit wrong! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after Kirk fell a rainbow came out and it was another wow moment that felt like the Bob was meant to be for me. I had Great Gable to come and that was always the summit that would fee like the Bob was in the bag because it is the last tough climb. I drank Mark\u2019s electrolyte drink to give me energy for the climb, however after the summit I was being sick a lot and Mark had to turn me around to stop the vomit blowing into me! I was definitely getting a lot of brain fade and getting a bit slower at this point. But I still had a healthy lead on my schedule. I ticked off the last few summits and the run down to Honister was my slowest descent so far but I was delighted to get to Honister knowing the Bob was in the bag. I finished leg four 46 minutes ahead of my schedule and had taken 19 hours 1 minute in total. So I had just under 5 hours to do leg 5 which was more enough time to coast in to Keswick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Leg 5: Honister pass to Keswick High Street<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Support runners: Susie Wall and Jenny Hall<\/strong>
Time: 3 hours 46 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the BG everyone who saw me slumped on my camp chair at Honister Pass said my demeanour was noticeably worse than at the Wasdale stop. I was struggling to even get crisps inside my mouth and I can\u2019t actually remember what I ate at Honister, possibly a banana but I\u2019m really not sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got up and Susie and Jenny led the way up the long slog up to Dale Head. I was delighted that we had an hour extra of day light than expected and I just plodded up the hill to the summit. They asked me how I was feeling and to their surprise I said I felt in a similar way to how I used to feel at 4am when I got home after I went clubbing in my early 20\u2019s having indulged too much! Those days are long gone now! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Head was done and we just had Hindscarth and Robinson to go, hats and gloves came on and we jogged slowly when I could. Headtorch\u2019s came on up to Robinson and it was a brilliant feeling to reach the final summit. Susie and Jenny looked after me very well and got me to eat two cookies and made me drink so much water. So much so that I had about 5 wees in about 30 minutes! Coming down from Robinson to the path on lower ground took absolutely ages as my quads had finally given up! I ambled very slowly down a rocky path and then slid on my bottom down a steep grassy slope to the path in the valley with 10km to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We saw two headtorch lights coming towards us and it was Kev and Mark which was a great boost. We all jogged down the gentle path to the road were I met all the support team to run with me on the 5 miles of road back to Keswick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I want to say a big thanks to Joel Paisley and my uni friend James had shared the driving all day to drop the support runners off at each leg. They also made my food at the end of legs. I met them again at the road where they provided me with my road shoes and nearly all my support runners to run with. Ruth helped me put my road shoes on and then we had a lovely Totley AC 5 mile road run to Keswick. It was a really nice way to finish the BG and it made the final miles tick over quickly. With 2 miles to go Jenny said I might get there in 23 hours and this spurred me to go faster and with half a mile left I put a final sprint finish on. In hindsight I started it a bit early and had to slow a bit before I got to Keswick and then I really went for it as I flew up the high street to Moot Hall at 12:47am. What a feeling as I finished and was cheerfully greeted by two lads on a night out offering me a pint!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was over the moon to finish it in 22:47 and it was special to have shared the experience with a great team of Totley AC friends. I hadn\u2019t drunk any alcohol since February and I was given a bottle of Wainright at the finish on my request by my team. I managed about 2 sips and it nearly came back up again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am so thankful for my team, they really got me round. I purposefully had someone on each leg who had done that leg before so they could help navigate for me which really helped as my brain faded in the latter stages. The training and all the recce\u2019s were vital for helping me to visualize it and it really did make it seem less daunting on the day. I also have to say that the great weather conditions and clear visibility was a massive bonus and probably made it a lot easier conditions than most people have on their BG attempts. Playing to my strengths of going fast on the flat and down hills gained me a lot of time so I could go really steady on the climbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What next? Sleep and recover!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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