JOSS NAYLOR LAKELAND CHALLENGE
Prior to August 2020, I knew Tim Laney by reputation only. With a vast amount of fell running experience including successful completions of the major rounds and numerous mountain marathons, it was a reputation of some stature and one which, having found myself in charge of the nav for the final leg of his JNC, I found myself if not intimidated by, then certainly in awe of. As a MV60 contender, Tim was more than 15 years my senior and I expected the pace on the last leg would present little difficulty. But then he was likely to be challenging the record and I knew any bad lines would be immediately obvious to a runner with his experience.
I ran in from Greendale, following the road to Wasdale Head and the taking the lower, grassy path to Styhead. I was early and spent an hour or so fielding the usual questions from walkers and tourists focused on the Pike: ‘Which way is it?’ - ‘Is it that one?’ - ‘Are you going to the top?’
Led by Ralph Baines and supported throughout by Barry Awan, another formidable force in long distance hill running, Tim dropped to Styhead looking fresh and determined, a steely glint in his eye that spoke of endless mountain days and adventures on the hill. We chatted on the climb of Gable, and I asked whether he wanted to take the scree or the path in descent. It turned out this descent had been looming in both Tim and Barry’s mind for much of the run. I was relieved to hit a line that both approved of, and with that, any remaining tension I felt, dissolved.
“Great Gable was another mountain I wasn’t looking forward to, but the path up made it an easy climb, and Will lead one of the best descending lines that I’ve ever taken off the mountain. It was only the crowd on top that offered any obstacle!”
Thereafter we hit the lines in text book fashion, Tim pushing harder as the end approached, finishing with fast drop from Middle Fell to be greeted and congratulated in time honoured fashion by Joss, and later as we chatted on the bridge, by Beth Pascall who had broken the Bob Graham record with a remarkable time of 14.34.26 a few days earlier.
As for Tim’s record, it was not to be, though he managed the third fastest completion for the MV60 category. You can read Tim’s account of the day here: Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge