That’s a wrap… 3 days of epic running on the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day 2022
It’s been a memorable weekend for our participants at the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day 2022.
An epic three days of running, socialising and exploring, with runners covering a huge amount of ground in the beautiful Lake District fells, with an overnight camp in Buttermere before returning to the event centre in Braithwaite for the finish.
Many runners enjoyed the fast descents © Steve Ashworth
The weather was the biggest challenge on Day 2
Day 2 of the 2022 event was certainly the wettest, with participants having to contend with some challenging weather conditions, particularly on the higher up fells. However, even the rain didn’t put a dampener on people’s moods as our hardy participants headed out into the fells to chase the checkpoints.
Out for another day of adventure © Steve Ashworth
More people did the Café course on day 2, with many people tired from their long day out on the fells the day before. Café course participants visited the Kirkstile Inn Pub, a traditional Lake District pub in the picturesque surroundings of Loweswater, and many also chose to stop in a café in the village of Buttermere. Lots of runners enjoyed the opportunity to stop for a beer and a bowl of chips here.
The Wainwright Short course gave participants some excellent views of the wild and remote Ennerdale Valley, as they visited Brandreth, Caw Fell, Red Pike (near Buttermere) and High Crag.
The Wainwright Long course went even further afield, involving the steep climb up Fleetwith Pike before going onto explore Red Pike (near Wasdale), Crag Fell, Great Borne and High Crag.
Those who ran the Expert course had an epic of a day, with checkpoints on Red Pike (near Wasdale), Middle Fell, Lank Rigg, Hen Comb and then all the way round to Robinson. The descent from Robinson back to the Overnight Camp is a very direct, steep line, which many people found particularly tricky at the end of such a long day.
Enjoying the rocky ground © Steve Ashworth
Ariane Wilhelm, who had flown all the way from Switzerland to participate, was one of the phenomenal runners tackling the Expert course. An experienced orienteer, Ariane found it particularly difficult to navigate in the inclement weather.
“It was really hard,” she told us. “We went to Pillar and it was good, then after Pillar I made all my mistakes. The fog was the worst part. In fog you can’t see anything. I’m used to running to a smaller scale on the map so it’s hard to see on my map.”
Despite finding the navigation difficult, Ariane had the third fastest time on the Expert course that day, and was having a great time exploring the Lake District fells.
Tom Hill was another participant who had braved the Expert Course. Although the course was supposedly 47km long, Tom managed to cover 55km of ground. He said: “Making some of those route choices was pretty tricky. I definitely didn’t get it all right.”
Many people really appreciated the flexibility of being able to switch between courses.
Ali Woodard, who had signed up with a group of friends including her identical twin sister, was particularly grateful for this flexibility.
“I tore my calf, so I dropped down to the café class. Having that option has allowed me to actually participate.”
“The ability to change has been awesome. There’s seven of us and we’ve got one guy out on the Wainwright Long, a couple on the Wainwright Short and everyone else is on the Café course. We’ve been able to have a bit of a laugh and it’s been possible to accommodate everybody. I don’t know of any other event that allows you to do that.”
Even in wet weather the views are fantastic © Steve Ashworth
The atmosphere at the overnight camp was a highlight
Back at camp, the wild, wet weather of the morning had subsided, making way for a beautiful sunset. As the sun slid behind Mellbreak, many participants sat outside admiring the view of the pink sky reflected in Buttermere. Many of our participants had opted to take a dip in the lake earlier in the day, keen to refresh themselves after a hard day’s running.
By now, many new friendships had formed amongst the participants, and the fire pits, brand new for 2022, were the place to be, with many people drinking a beer and chatting.
Participants Fay Preene and Sarah Gerrish, were enjoying the laidback atmosphere after a great day out on the Wainwright Long course.
“We’ve had an amazing day, it’s a really really good route. The weather was more difficult today than yesterday,” Fay said.
They were enjoying the social aspect of the event. “We’ve made loads of friends,” Sarah said.
“Everyone’s been a bit more spread out today, but when they’ve got together, everyone’s actually stuck together a little bit. There’s been lots of friendly faces round camp,” Fay added.
One couple we spoke to were actually here on their honeymoon. Amy and Andy were sat outside enjoying some champagne and soaking up the sunset when we caught up with them.
“We’re quite outdoorsy,” Amy said, “and it just so happened that this was on just after the wedding, so thought it would be a great mini-moon.”
Accompanying them was their young collie, Oakley, who was out in the hills for the first time. “I’ve been taking him on a reduced course,” Amy told us.
The pair were having a great time running over the beautiful Lake District fells, but were also enjoying the other perks of the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day. “The cake is amazing,” Amy laughed as she sipped her champagne.
Our canine participants were also enjoying the fire pits © Steve Ashworth
The final day was shorter but still challenging
The final day of the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day is always the shortest to give participants time to enjoy their finisher’s meal before heading back home to their everyday lives, hopefully with new stories to tell and happy memories they can treasure for years to come. However, though it may not be the longest day, day 3 still takes in some incredible fells and challenging climbs.
Running down to the finish © Steve Ashworth
The Café course on the final day took in just 3 checkpoints: Robinson, Little Town café and Barrow. With it being a dry morning, many participants made the most of their time out on course to sneak in an ice cream in Little Town, a recurring theme of the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day it would seem.
The Wainwright Short course visited Rannerdale Knotts, well-known for its iconic bluebells, followed by a long slog up Grasmoor and a gloriously runnable route over Outerside and Barrow.
The bluebells near Buttermere were a sight to behold © Steve Ashworth
Those doing the Wainwright Long course tackled the steep climb up Robinson, before dropping to Little Town, then going over Barrow, Outerside and Hopegill Head.
The Expert course was still tough, despite it being the shortest day, requiring participants to go all the way to the top of High Stile, before coming straight back down and running up Grasmoor on the other side of Buttermere, then heading to the event centre in Braithwaite via Grisedale Pike and Outerside.
There were lots of tired but satisfied faces at the finish line
Happy participants came streaming into Braithwaite from midday onwards, and everyone seemed thrilled to have completed their three days of running. Their finisher’s meal, a bowl of chilli followed by some sticky toffee pudding, felt very well-deserved.
As participants relaxed and enjoyed their meals, we spoke to some of them about their experiences.
Michelle Heatherington and Maddie Robinson are mother and daughter, and for them, events like this are the perfect excuse for a get together.
Michelle said: “We do quite a few mountain marathons together. It’s just a way of getting a good catch up. I now live near Edinburgh and Maddie lives near Portsmouth so it’s a good way of getting together really.”
Our participants made the most of the catering options on offer © Steve Ashworth
Matt Girvan is an ultra-runner from New Zealand whose amazing film, Dawn till Dusk, about running the 864km Scottish National Trail, was one of those shown in the cinema on Friday night. He had some wonderful memories from running the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day.
He said: “My favourite bit was probably the campsite at Buttermere. I’ve been around the lakes a little bit but hadn’t been down in that particular valley. I walked down to the lake after yesterday’s run and was skimming stones across Buttermere with some other lads. To have your tent and a bunch of cool people nearby was pretty special.”
He said: “I was really glad to have done the short course today which got to run alongside the lake and a little bit of trail before going up into the hills.”
It’s been a magical three days for all our participants, whether they were running the Café course or the Expert. The participants have battled the elements, tested their navigation skills, but most importantly, they’ve enjoyed the cake and camaraderie along the way.
Matt summed up his experience perfectly: “It’s running in the hills, but with cake and beer. Perfect combo.”
It’s been a brilliant finish to three glorious days of running © Steve Ashworth
Feeling inspired for your own SILVA great lakeland adventure?
Entries are open now for the 2023 edition of the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day. Join us from 29th April - 1st May 2023 for a fabulous weekend of running in the fells. Remember, the location of the event centre and overnight camp changes each year, so why not sign up and find out where the adventure will take you in 2023?