John Kelly Wainwrights

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 Nic Barber 04 May 2022

2 days in for dot watchers. SUrprised not to see a thread for this yet: https://live.opentracking.co.uk/jkw2022/

 Tom Briggs 04 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Maybe everyone is a bit bored of all the FKTs?! I understood the interest during the pandemic when there wasn’t any racing, but it feels like every week someone’s setting off on the Wainrights! JK should get a fast time, not necessarily because he’s a superior athlete, but because it hasn’t rained in ages and it’s not hot (yet). They should race it.

18
 greg_may_ 04 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

I've been watching with interest. Weather window is good for the next few days as well.

Interesting to see Kelly opting for a different line to others from Hartsop Dodd to Grey Cragg. Adds distance but avoids a brutal up and down!  Smart. 

 dread-i 04 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Good effort there. The training and planning that went into this must be huge.

Looking at the list and order peaks, there has been some serious scanning of the OS maps. For us mortals, one could take any dozen or so and have an grand day out in good style, taking the optimal route between them.

 Michael Hood 05 May 2022
In reply to dread-i:

I think the route that is usually followed was devised by Steve Birkinshaw after a lot of work to sort out the optimal route.

I believe he's local to the Lakes and has rather a lot of fell experience.

Post edited at 08:09
OP Nic Barber 05 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Correct. Their have been a few tweaks but Steve's 2014 round is still the blueprint.

I agree that the Wainwrights is getting a bit, dare I say it, passé? Of course it's a mega physical (and logistical) challenge but in 2014 Steve was the first time anyone had attempted it in 30-odd years so there was novelty. Then in 2019 Paul Tierney was the answer to 'is anyone else daft enough to have a go at this?', especially given Steve's well publicised chronic fatigue. Since then there have been a lot of attempts. Sabs was interesting as she went without sleep so much more than the previous attempts, but she also had quite a lot of goes at it. James Gibson's winter round was interesting given the weather, but I'll be honest my interest levels in these things have tanked in recent years - I think it's because I spent my 20s helping out on these things (did a lot on Steve's; a few 24h record attempts) and now I'm sitting behind a computer screen I'm just not as interested in dot watching. 

In the (even fairly recent) past these super-long challenges were definitely a 'one-and-done' attempt. Now people seem to keep coming back quicker than ever. Physical freaks or future health worries?

 CathS 05 May 2022
In reply to greg_may_:

I think Sabrina also took the same line as JK has between Hartsop Dodd and Gray Crag. The gradients if you follow Birkinshaw's 'optimised' direct route marked on Open Tracker are insane!

 CathS 05 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

If JK keeps up anything like his current pace, and isn't hindered by tomorrow's blip in the otherwise very favourable weather, he will absolutely smash the record.

I am certainly not finding it boring anyway.  Having just about completed my 2nd round of the Wainwrights (which has taken me over 4 years) I am finding it all quite exciting.  Perhaps being able to visualise the terrain and appreciate the absolute enormity of the challenge makes it more compelling to watch.

And I don't think I'll ever find the Wainwrights passé.   Once a bagger, always a bagger

Post edited at 22:43
 Michael Hood 05 May 2022
In reply to CathS:

But have you done the Birketts and the Synge's and the Lakes HUMPs and sub-HUMPs, etc, etc 😁

 BuzyG 06 May 2022
In reply to dread-i:

I can relate to that. I walked the Patterdale loop up around Grisedale tarn over Helvellyn and back down a few months back. So it has been interesting this evening dropping in for a few brief dot checks as John has covered the same ground. Took him 5 1/2 hours. Took me longer fresh out the box LoL.

 Michael Hood 06 May 2022
In reply to BuzyG:

As with all these ultra-long challenges, the pace is good but actually not that fast.

It's the way they keep on going at that pace, and going and going and going, relentlessly and with hardly any sleep - that's what's mind-bogglingly impressive.

 DaveHK 06 May 2022
In reply to Tom Briggs:

> Maybe everyone is a bit bored of all the FKTs?! 

It's become a bit of an odd thing. My understanding is that it started as the term used where times hadn't been kept historically so it was impossible to say something was a definitive record. However, it's now become a bit like Strava KOMs. The rules on the FKT website must also be a bit strange, the current FKT on the Great Glen Way isn't actually the fastest known time as faster times have been done in the race!

Post edited at 07:04
 CathS 06 May 2022
In reply to Michael Hood:

> But have you done the Birketts and the Synge's and the Lakes HUMPs and sub-HUMPs, etc, etc 😁

No.  I tried a Birkett and found it rather dull.  So when I finished my first Wainwright round, I started on a second (the next day!).  I have actually enjoyed it even more than the first, as I explored different and less travelled routes up some of the hills, and did many on my own (often in bad weather) during periods of semi-freedom between lockdowns over the last couple of years.  

There is something nice about becoming very closely acquainted with a certain set of hills, walking routes and the surrounding landscapes, and I expect I'll embark on a third round when I finish the current one.   I won't start doing anything daft like trying to do them all in alphabetical order though 😁

OP Nic Barber 06 May 2022
In reply to DaveHK:

I shy away from 'FKT' - I mean 'Record' already implies that it's the fastest of all the 'recorded' times. But then again I'm a 75 year old trapped in a 33 year old's body (and not in the Rod Stewart way).

 Justaname 06 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

I think that FKT is no longer appropriate for some of these rounds, especially this one as there's been some pretty high profile, well supported rounds the last couple of years. Surely every attempt faster than Steve's attempt should count as a record now, if anyone had done it faster they've had plenty of opportunity to come forward and stake their claim. FKT is probably still appropriate for the less well travelled routes.

Of course that all depends how important all these are, to most people they're incredible feats, but what's of more significance is how close to a given time you can achieve yourself for one of these rounds. I know I'll never come close to setting any records, but if I can complete a PB in 22 hours as opposed to 24 I'd be incredibly happy. The fact that someone else could then do it 5+ hours faster than me is incredible, but doesn't enthrall me in the same way that it does others.

Post edited at 14:49
 Michael Hood 06 May 2022
In reply to CathS:

When I'd got more than half way through the Wainwrights I became aware of 2 things:

  1. The Wainwrights are a weird list, including some "hills" as complete chapters when they're basically a little bump on a ridge, and missing other much more obvious hills/mountains. I reckon it would look a bit different if AW had done it a second time.
  2. That there were other lists and that you could download an Excel spreadsheet of all hills in the British Isles. Being a bit geeky this was possibly not a great thing for me and I am now "trapped" into doing all (*) the "hills" in Cumbria. Some of these I could have easily walked over when doing the "early" Wainwrights ☹

But, the great thing is, I get to see lots of bits of the Lakes without the crowds. Although they may not be as spectacular as the honeypot locations, there's still a lot of worthwhile stuff out there.

(*) - everything over 300m + (below 300m) HUMPs, sub-HUMPs and Wainwright's Outlying Fells + a few oddities

 BuzyG 07 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Looking good for John to take the record this evening.

 greg_may_ 07 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Smashing it!

 climbingpixie 07 May 2022
In reply to greg_may_:

Pretty much done now - just Catbells and then back to Keswick for tea and medals.

 Michael Hood 07 May 2022
In reply to climbingpixie:

Done - looking at the tracker, in just under 132h 15mins

That's over 11hrs off the record - pretty incredible

Post edited at 22:17
 Andy Hardy 07 May 2022
In reply to CathS:

What about in order of increasing height? 😉

 BuzyG 07 May 2022
In reply to Nic Barber:

Watched the Keswick webcam for the last few yards onto the high street. nice to see folk coming out the pub to watch. Quite a crowd in the square by the look of it. Amazing time. Made the best of all that hard work and good conditions.


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