No sooner had the trail of destruction begun, there was everybody sharing the events and calling for people to help by showing their love – as this image from Andy McKay perfectly sums up.

pic by Andy McKay

Independent businesses & community spirit
Cumbria is home to so many small independent businesses. Their ethos is embodied with inherent community spirit. Think of the amazing eateries, artisan bakers, craft breweries, running communities, art shops, book shops, small hotels, chocolatiers, b&b… so so much. I make no apologies for the cliché that they always pull together in adversity. That’s just one of the reasons why I’d one day love to live in the Lakes.

Below are just a very small selection of the destruction around Ullswater alone.

pic by Catstycam

pic by beyond imagination

pic by catstycam

This video from Catstycam gives a small indication of the damage to Pooley Bridge.

While this from David Jackson shows the sheer force of the water coming through Glenridding.

What Can You Do?
Simply show your support however you want That might be sending a message via Twitter, visiting for the day or booking an event for 2016. Me? Well I was already booked on the UT55 next July. I’ve also booked on Lakeland Trails Hawkshead and Kentmere. But what I also intend to do is buy more from the Cumbrian organisations online. And to encourage more friends to try out this magnificent part of the world. Also to stay over more when I do visit. And I’ll definitely book my very favourite trail run: Keswick 15k. As you can see below, it’s very likely the route will be different due to bridge damage – what we can guarantee is a truly special day for all participants and those involved

pics courtesy Lakeland Trails (top) and Tara Vallante (bottom)

Here’s to more amazing adventures on the trails 2016! And I’ll be sailing on one of these beautiful Ullswater Steamers come Nov 2016

2 pics immediately above by Ullswater Steamers

Leaving Ullswater, heading to Howtown

All the best!

Jeff

For the first time I was being regarded as a #trailrunning veteran – what with Ben having done Hawkshead only – and it being virgin territory for Dan and Simon. By coincidence, Helvellyn had been my first ever trail run and had got me well and truly hooked!

Ben and I had sincerely promised each other we’d jog and walk around due to serious hip concern and ITB injury respectively. The night before, our Facebook feeds showed many friends who know us well were convinced we’d end up legging it around. Giving into adrenaline etc. Part of me wanted to do that but knew it would mean risking longer-term injury.

Weather on the drive up had been well and truly awful. Bucketing down so badly there were times when road visibility was quite dangerous. I quickly caught up with Event Director, Graham Patten, Pete Lashley and Mark M-H aka GBStick11.  And just before the start the sun broke through, to make what was to be a cracking day even brighter

At the sound of the klaxon, we soon headed out of Glenridding. Ensuring we did actually trot out it felt great to be looking forward to a run to simply take in the scenery and not for one second worry about pace or time.  This was Ben’s swansong after all so we wanted to embrace it (if not each other!). A muddy, mucky affair it was difficult to keep our feet.  At times we were practically surfing downhill! Fantastic stuff!

We let Dan stride off effortlessly into the distance – he was in good nick so myself and Ben were only holding him back. Simon on the other hand was really struggling due to the rain and relatively mild weather – his glasses becoming useless in the conditions, so making foot placement very dodgy! We waited for him near the switchback before the bog. The marshal kindly took this pic of us having a rest

To me the whole day really embodied the joys of running socially. We helped bring Simon to the finish and thoroughly enjoyed chatting throughout. The weather didn’t once dampen the atmosphere of another great day on the trails. Afterwards it was a case of grabbing some fab fuel food from the stall holders, before retiring to a warm Glenridding pub to enjoy a soft drink…

Finally, a quick thank you…

The number of people who took a moment to introduce themselves to me and complement me on this blog was a lovely surprise. It’s a real bonus and does mean a lot that fellow runners find your blog writing and interviews informative, entertaining and really interesting. I’m honestly very grateful

Dan is now really keen on more Lakeland Trails events for 2016. I’ll defo be joining him! But maybe competing next time  

All pics by Ben Keegan, except official course photography.