Challenge Stu

Let's be clear from the start - the Three Peaks Yacht Race is a bizarre event. Many aspects of it just would be very different if you designed the race today, but then you probably wouldn't do that anyway. It's a wonderful event, run by a group of really dedicated and hardworking organisers, but it's a serious undertaking: It's a long way, there isn't much sleep to be had, and if you're not standing on the walls and hanging on while using the toilet, you're going slowly. And if you're going slowly, you're about to be rowing. That all makes it sound like it's not fun, but that isn't true: It's amazing fun! This year I was racing with skipper Paul Jackson (father in law), navigator Nick Ridgeway, sailor Craig Williamson, and running with Dave Robinette. This was the team assembled for the 2020 race which finally took place last week. We were racing as many times before on Wild Spirit. WS is a very solid and pretty heavy boat and really ...

It's been over a year since the Double BG , and the world looks unimaginably different in many ways! Not only for the obvious reason, but because I've visited Africa (Charlie said it would change me) and moved to Cornwall. Anyway, after recovering from the double it was soon time to start thinking about the Fellsman again. In about February I realised I really needed to ramp up my long runs and get back out there! I recall one particularly lovely long run out to Stanage and the Peak, including a chance meeting with Dan Shrimpton (and his new puppy) who I'd not seen for years, but after not very many long runs,  the Fellsman was cancelled and it was time for a rethink. One last shot from the glorious double weekend As tough as it would've been, I was really sad to miss the chance to defend my Fellsman title. I took part in the online event put on by the organisers but my heart wasn't in it, I didn't really understand and I'm pretty sure I finished last. It t...

Right, here we go then. Apologies if this all gets a bit deep and meaningful. What do you write about winning a race you've dreamed of winning since you started running? The first time I finished the Fellsman was in 2008. It took over 18 hours. I'd retired the year before - my only memory of that is four of us sitting around a Camping Gaz lantern in a stinking wet tent and whining pathetically as we tried to get warm, then eventually being taken to the finish in a Land Rover. My first completion was with Wil Spain in completely different weather and was more successful, but still felt pretty tough. It broke me for weeks and was the hardest thing I'd done. Wil chasing a sheep. Screenshot from a video (that I'm not giving you a link to). After finishing in the middle of the night we slept in a little tent in the car park till about lunchtime, then nearly pulled it down when we tried to stand up and get out. 2008 was actually a notable year in Fellsman history, b...