Go Mountain Goats

I talk to Natalie Hawkrigg about a number of Swim - Run challenges she has completed. Based in the North Lakes, Natalie is the female record holder for the Frog Graham Round, a 40 mile run with four lake swims around the Lake District. She was also the first female to complete the Frog Graham in winter, and went on to do the Welsh Puddle Buckley challenge as well. In May 2023, Natalie became the second ever finisher of The Ring of Stirling, a 35 mile round starting and finishing in Shieldaig, Torridon, which includes 5 swims (one of which is tidal), 10 summits and traverses some remote and beautiful corners of Torridon. The round was conceived by Chris Waters as a tribute to his late friend Chris Stirling who loved the hills of Torridon and has won the Celtman triathlon previously. For her Stirling Round, Natalie had one failed attempt which finished at the frigid waters of Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair (Beinn Eighe) but then returned the very next weekend to complete her round in 26 hours and 28 minutes. She talks through the process and gives her insights into this fascinating merger of hill running and open water swimming. In the introduction I mention the "It's Up to Us" campaign, a joint venture from Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland which launched earlier this year and aims to raise awareness of the need for investment in the repair and maintenance of Scottish upland paths. Go to ⁠www.savemountainpaths.scot⁠ for more info and to donate. For details of the Ring of Stirling go to: ⁠https://ringofstirling.wordpress.com/⁠ And the Frog Graham info is at: ⁠https://www.froggrahamround.co.uk/ FrogMan (Full Bob Graham run plus swims): https://thefrogmanround.square.site/ Futher info/ corrections: 1. Lancaster bomber crash on Beinn Eighe 1951 - further info here: https://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/2021/03/13/38412/ (my grandfather John Hinde was not involved in this RAF mountain rescue search, I got the stories muddled) 2. Biodiversity precautions on the Frog Graham Round: In recent years, the threat posed by Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) has increased hugely and sadly, Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater have been compromised for some time, completely upsetting the lakes’ delicate ecology and causing significant problems for lake users.  Crummock Water has also succumbed and is now infected with NZ pygmyweed. Only Buttermere remains untouched and the park authorities and WCRT are making strenuous efforts to ensure it remains that way. The Frog Graham Round Club is committed to supporting their initiatives. Please read the details on the biosecurity section of the Frog Graham website before attempting the round. https://www.froggrahamround.co.uk/biosecurity

3. Natalie realised she got a fact wrong at the end of the chat: "I said that Chris Waters had not completed the Ring Of Stirling - that is not true. He has completed it in time of 22hrs 42, it was the Puddle Buckley he has not completed - he devised the Puddle and recced it but never did the final version."  4. Finlay says Ring of Steall when he means Ring of Stirling, near the end

In October 2022 Victoria Thompson and Janie Oates came First in the Female category of the Elite OMM, and were the only female team to finish in this category since 2016. The OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) is a 2 day test of navigation and mountain craft held in late October each year, typically in harsh weather conditions. It was first held in 1968 and occurs in a different geographic area each year, with competitors having to carry all food and equipment such as tent and stove, navigating through a series of checkpoints to a midway camp, then doing it all again on Day 2 after a suboptimal sleep. There are various distance courses (Elite, A, B), as well as Score courses (3 distances - these courses are about choosing checkpoints to collect in a given time).

We talk about what made them want to take on this challenge, the preparation and the wet event weekend itself, as well as getting into some of the potential barriers to women in this type of event, and hill running in general.

This chat was inspired by an interview of Janie and Victoria at Kendal Mountain Festival 2022 by Becky Vale.

I caught up with Dingwall-based climber Murdoch Jamieson to hear about everything North West climbing. A true allrounder, Murdoch has made first ascents and repeats of hard routes on some of the most inspiring cliffs in the region. From Carnmore to Beinn Eighe, Beinn Bhan and An Teallach we hear about why these big, remote and imposing mountains have and continue to inspire him. 

We delve into a bit more detail on some specific climbs such as:

'One Hundred Years of Solitude', Carnmore Crag - first ascent team, led directly after Iain Small - E8 6c (2014)

'Root of All Evil', Beinn Eighe - first winter ascent with John Orr - IX, 8 (2014)

'Godzilla', Beinn Bhan - second ascent with Iain Small and Andy Inglis - IX, 8 (2015)

Godzilla was first climbed by Guy Robertson, Pete Benson and Nick Bullock (2011) and is a direct start to The Godfather

Photo credit: Uisdean Hawthorn. Murdoch on 'Heavy Flak', Beinn Eighe - first winter ascent - VIII, 8 (2019)

I finally caught up with Jasmin Paris on the Isle of Jura the day before the eponymous race to chat about some of her more recent achievements. We start off with the iconic Isle of Jura Fell Race and what it means to her, before moving on to talk about The Green Runners. This is a new group set up with the aim of connecting runners concerned about the Climate Crisis, and helping to give them a united voice to try and foster change within running culture (in terms of reducing personal footprints of travel, kit and food) and the wider world (by speaking out and political change).  

Jasmin's running CV has a depth to rival the deepest Jura bogs (!) so I've tried to focus on a few of her more recent feats, namely The Spine Race and the Barkley Marathons. The Spine Race crosses a humungous 268 miles along the Pennine Way in mid winter, and in 2019 Jasmin bagged the overall record of just over 83 hours. There was rightly a massive media interest in this globally, celebrating Jasmin the mum as well as Jasmin the ultrarunner. I try to get into her process a bit; what gives her the grit and determination that she clearly has in bundles. We also discuss what it means to be a top woman in sport and how she balances running with family life. We finish by talking though some of the highs and lows of the Barkley Marathons ultra that Jasmin completed the 'Fun Run' 3 lap version of in March this year. This event has developed a reputation as a gruelling and esoteric 100mile+ event that only 15 people have every completed the full 5 laps version of in its 27 year history. With bush wacking in the dark, snowstorms and difficult navigation it's a full psychological assault, and we examine what resilience tools and tricks Jasmin employed. 

Photo by Howie Stern / inov-8 (taken at the Barkley)

On 28th August I completed the second fastest Bob Graham Round ever, touching the steps of the Moot Hall in Keswick in just under 13 hours - less than 7 minutes slower than record holder and all round megastar Kilian Jornet's time. I had an incredible support team who helped me to push myself further than ever before, forging memories that will last a lifetime. I'm delighted that endurance running godfather Martin Stone offered to interview me about my run.

On 2nd September 2020 Donnie Campbell completed his human-powered Munro Round in a record time of 31 days, 23 hours and 2 minutes. He completed all 282 Munros by running, biking and kayaking between them, starting on Ben More on Mull and finishing atop Ben Hope in the Far North. This improved on Stephen Pyke's 2010 record of 39 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes which itself knocked a significant chunk off the previous record before it.

I talk to Donnie and Stephen (Spyke) about all things Munro Round on a Zoom call for the Fort William Mountain Festival. I found it really interesting to get into the scale of the challenge, logistics, and highs and lows with these two - who both clearly had incredibly memorable experiences on these journeys.

In this episode I speak to Roger Wild - my father - about (some of) the history of ski touring in Scotland before moving on to describe our 2010 'Scottish Haute Route'. This 7 day journey from Ben Nevis to Gairnshiel near Ballater was around 155km in length with 10,000m of ascent. We pre-placed food caches, stayed in bothies, and skied on Nordic free-heel skis carrying our overnight gear with us. The route linked up the high ground through Lochaber to the Cairngorms, ascending numerous Munros and Corbetts along the way. 

Roger is a retired British Mountain Guide and a former Royal Marines Commando. 

Notes: 

1. We talk about grip wax which goes on the ski under your foot on nordic skis to allow grip when that foot is weighted - not to be confused with the wax used to improve glide on downhill skis (and tips/tails of nordic skis)

2. Dr Adam Watson (1930-2019) was 85 when we met him near Banchory in 2016

3. For some reason I said I was a student in Aberdeen in 2010 - I'm not that young and was in fact a junior doctor then

4. We mention skimo race skis a lot but don’t acknowledge that of course modern standard touring setups have gotten way lighter too - most people seem to like something in the ‘light standard‘ range rather than full race skis - which are harder to ski in some conditions, less stable, more expensive and less durable. For long journeys obviously low weight is key.

I talk to Robbie Simpson about his progression from junior hill runner through some European highlights such as Sierre-Zinal and Jungfrau Marathon, to road marathon and his 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal. We talk about having season goals and specific training, as well as his entry onto the ultra racing scene in recent years. Bringing it back to the Scottish mountains, we touch on the Lairig Ghru race (which  he won in 2020) and Cairngorms running.

Robbie is sponsored by Adidas Terrex

On 31st August I ran Charlie Ramsay's Round in 14hrs 42mins to break Es Tresidder's 2019 record. 

This run was the culmination of my 2020 season and has been a goal for many years. I ran solo and unsupported and enjoyed a tough but incredibly memorable mountain experience.

Es interviews me about the process of breaking the record - from my buildup through shorter distance records earlier this year, through planning and prep, to conditions and tactics on the day.