by Ali Hall
Whether you have your sights on the 50-mile or the 100-mile race, the Montane Lakeland Races are not for the faint-hearted. With a notoriously high dropout rate (up to 50%), Lakeland is not just a test of physical strength and fitness but also of mental fortitude and the ability to endure the pain cave.
With close to 2,500 racers congregating around the festival-like hub in Coniston, it’s hard to believe that the debut race, 16 years ago, featured a lonely 60 runners. The success and growth of this race is testimony to the exceptional organisation and fun, festival-style vibe.
Six Pyllon athletes started Lakeland, and six Pyllon athletes finished, all with smiles on their faces, memories in their souls, and stories on their tongues.
Let’s take a quick sneak peek at what they have to say.
Lakeland flag
Introducing the Pyllon athletes at Lakeland 2023
Gillian McGale
Gillian started running in 2012, infact, she can remember the exact date! Motivated to make a difference in society following the loss of her first husband to suicide, a decade earlier, Gillian found solace in raising money for SAMH through her early running endeavours. Her plan to store her trainers back in the cupboard never quite happened.
Having completed WHWR in 2022 Gillian is no stranger to putting in the graft. She is as planned and prepared as they come, and that may be her trump card; you know what they say: “fail to prepare, prepare to fail,” and let’s be honest, Gillian is absolutely no failure!
Gillian taking a moments comtemplation
Chiara Franzosi
Chiara started running as a means to connect with nature and find a moment's peace before commuting to her job in Milan. Upon making the courageous move to Edinburgh eight years ago, knowing no one and with little grasp of English, she found a social connection through running. As the running distances increased, so did Chiara’s passion for the running scene, and she built her life around running and the outdoors.
Chiara is no stranger to a race podium, although of late, she finds herself drawn to personal adventures in the Scottish mountains, accompanied by her K9 soulmate, Miles, and good friends.
“Running takes me to incredible places and introduces me to inspiring people.” - Chiara
Ross Beveridge
Ross started running 11 years ago while on his honeymoon. His wife jokes that he’s been running away ever since they got married! In reference to his running habit.
Ross combines his love of dogs and the outdoors in his dog walking business in East Lothian. To Ross, running means freedom. It makes him more relaxed and able to deal with the stresses of everyday life. He completed Lakeland 50 in 2021 and was all set to tackle the 100 in 2022 but the small matter of foot break two weeks before race day put an end to that. So this year was a long time coming for Ross.
“There’s rarely a day that passes that I’m not doing it, thinking about it, talking about it, reading about it or watching it.” - Ross
Ally Kerr
If you followed our WHWR stories, you might remember Ally as “tall and bald with sparrow legs” - his wife's and friends’ words, not mine. Quietly determined, focused, and with a dry wit, Ally didn’t have massive expectations of his performance at Lakeland, given he was coming into the race on WHWR legs. Sometimes low expectations yield epic results.
As someone who has endured uncertainty through a significant career change, Ally embraces new challenges. A 2017 completion of the Mourne Marathon led him to stumble upon the Highland Fling, and that was it, hooked. As it is for many of us, Ally describes running as his happy place.
“I can feel a sense of connection with the environment when out on the trails. Running is definitely when I am most present and I enjoy the meditative aspect a long run can bring.” - Ally
Lynsey Parker
Lynsey has now been running for more than half her life. Starting on the road with the usual 10ks, she has built her distance and passion up to completing the WHWR and other challenging ultras. The world of ultras has shown Lynsey that anything is possible. Although perhaps the opposite of Gillian, Lynsey describes her race strategy as “winging it” and seeks a little more order for the future. But hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Lynsey balances a stressful job as a social worker with raising her children and still finds time and space to train for ultras. Those who have met Lynsey can feel the passion for running emanating from her. When asked why she runs, Lynsey gave an answer that many will resonate with.
“Running makes me feel alive, not merely existing.” - Lynsey
Stuart looking fresh after 100 miles
A shout out to Pyllon athlete Stuart McNeish, who claimed his buckle for completing Lakeland 100 and wanted to share his experiences, but life took over, and time escaped him.
How did Lakeland go for our athletes?
Gillian’s meticulous organisation paid off. Not only did she recce the full route in advance, but she had a card of her timings, and arriving at each checkpoint ahead of time kept her calm and motivated to press on. Gripping onto each pole, she put her head down and trudged up every hill threatening to steal her mojo. Gillian ate Lakeland up for breakfast.
Lakeland winner 2014 Debbie Martin-Consani is Gillian’s coach. In tough times, Gillian’s go-to pep talk to herself is ‘What would Debbie do?’”
Finishing an incredible 45 minutes ahead of her best predicted time, Gillian is still riding the waves of Lakeland.
“I think everyone should get to Coniston once in their running ‘careers!” - Gillian
Chiara on cruise control
Chiara has been battling a hip issue for the last few months. With this spanner in the works, she was forced to reassess her goals for Lakeland and accept that her perception of a perfectly executed race would look very different from what she could achieve had she been fighting fit.
Struggling with pain and discomfort in the first half, she was close to dropping out, but realising she would be cold and miserable sitting in her tent, she opted to be cold and miserable on the move. Once this decision was made, her acceptance of the circumstances pulled her out of her misery, and her discomfort subsided.
Chiara powered up the hills and graciously accepted runners overtaking her on the downs. Time and position were irrelevant for Chiara; her finish was exceptional.
“A test of attrition and resilience, 100% worth it despite the ups and downs in training, proud to have finished strong.” - Chiara
Ross experienced the opposite of Chiara. He ran a textbook race for his first 60 miles, and then the wheels came off when the tendons in his foot wreaked havoc, causing him to walk it in for the remainder of the race.
His disappointment of being a DNS the previous year propelled him forward despite the painful setback. Control the controllables is something we talk regularly about here at Pyllon Ultra, and Ross did just that. He relaxed into his circumstances, reset his goals, and set himself on a mission to chase cut-off times at each checkpoint.
Ross tells us that he isn’t the strongest or quickest of runners, but he has a mental fortitude to rival any athlete. For 19 hours, Ross gutted it out. His determination and courage are his secret weapons.
Ross in his happy place
Having completed Lakeland 50 twice already, Ally was going into his race with the advantage of experience but the disadvantage of WHWR legs. That said, following an efficient and effective recovery period, he was quietly excited at what he might achieve.
Despite some stomach issues and an inability to take in nutrition from mile 33, Ally found himself further along the course at corresponding times than his previous best year, delaying the need for his head torch and giving him a huge motivational boost. In his final descent into Coniston, he revved up the turbo and allowed his strengths to propel him toward the finish. He flew down the hill, overtaking many runners who overtook him on the way up.
Ally claimed a significant PB of 2 hours and 26 minutes!
Lynsey got her place for Lakeland through the second release of places which incurred a small charity donation. She considers this the best £100 she’s spent! She was prepared for the challenge physically and mentally and still reiterated that this was not a normal 50-mile race.
Breaking the route down to checkpoints pulled Lynsey along. The regular checkpoints throughout the race gave Lynsey a morale boost along the way, and despite struggling with food, she managed to devour a quarter of a toastie while climbing out of one checkpoint. A heads up about checkpoints and hills.
Seeing friends, old and new, pop up at various points of the race helped carry her along; although it took her a while to realise it was her boyfriend who was running with her at the end, she thought some random was behind her.
A heads up about checkpoints and hills…
“Whenever there’s a checkpoint, be prepared for a climb” - Lynsey
What tips do our athletes have for training and preparation?
It will come as no surprise that getting out in the hills is an essential part of training in preparation for Lakeland. All the athletes speak of the importance of this.
But sometimes, our best-made plans need to be tweaked and adapted depending on the limitations of our bodies or available time. Chiara was forced to switch out speed sessions in favour of mountain walking, which she found helped settle her aggravated hip.
Doing what we can, when we can, and being as consistent and honest with ourselves as possible is essential in optimising our training and maximising progress.
Ross was limited by the lack of hills in his training sphere, but he more than made up for this by focusing on gaining fitness, executing long hard tempo sessions, and turning his Training Peaks green.
The kit list for Lakeland is fairly extensive, meaning your pack may be heavier than you are used to. Lynsey suggests getting out for several long runs with your full kit, including poles.
“Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” - Lynsey
Lakeland specific kit
Love or loathe them, the benefit of using running poles is tangible; with an elevation of 6300m and 3100m, respectively, for the 100-mile and 50-mile routes, running poles will take the impact off your legs. Just remember to practice with them in advance.
The weather in the lakes is notoriously unpredictable and changeable; expect it to be wet. Montane jackets of various models were given a special mention by our athletes.
Footwear that is comfortable enough to endure the distance and robust enough to tackle the terrain is another must. Personal preference comes into play here.
The Lakeland organisers put on epic aid stations equipped with a mouth-watering spread. From cheese toasties to quiche, athletes don’t go hungry.
Our athletes carried their own choice of gels and hydration with active root, chia charge, and maurten gels being given a special shout-out. Oh, and not to mention crustless jam sandwiches (apparently, crustless bread is 90p cheaper - thanks for the tip Gillian).
Buckle smiles from Lynsey
What inspires our athletes?
Sometimes it isn’t specific people who inspire us; rather, it is the spark within the core of many people.
Chiara talks openly about her battle with comparison and the detrimental effect this can have on her mental health. She has learned to be inspired by the passion within individuals instead of specific race times or positions.
Similarly, Ally says that all runners inspire him - just seeing the variety and diversity of runners out there, pushing themselves to better themselves. Ally gives a special mention to Parkrun for exemplifying this.
Lynsey agrees and suggests that anyone getting out and pushing themselves beyond their perceived limitations inspires her. We are all on individual journeys, and each and every one of us is doing remarkable things.
Ally flying his way to an enormous PB
Advice fresh from the course
Our athletes are unanimous in their advice to anyone wanting to do either of the Lakeland races - recceing the route is the number one necessity, especially since the races are unmarked.
If you get a place in 2024, be reassured that Lakeland puts on formal recce weekends. Even if you have knowledge of the route, it is still advisable to have access to a GPX file of the route, especially for those tricky night time sections.
Second to route recceing comes the need for a robust waterproof jacket and a tenacious attitude. You will be at war with the elements and your mind! A decent jacket may alleviate the suffering, even just a small amount.
For those looking to tackle Lakeland 50, Gillians says:
“You have to believe that it is achievable and keep moving forward with purpose.”
If you have your sights on Lakeland 100, Ross says:
“The 100 course isn’t just about being physically able to cover the distance. There’s a lot of emphasis on being in the right headspace for it and being able to just stay in the moment. You need to really want to finish. You have the added mental test of the 50 mile runners chasing you down and passing you in the second half of the race so you need to stay in your own lane and not let that get you down.”
A huge well done to all the athletes braving Lakeland this year and the best of luck to everyone in future Lakeland races.
We’ll leave you with the inspiring words running legend Adrian Stott from Runners Are Smilers gifted to Gillian.
“If you want something, you’ll find a way.”
For anyone inspired to try their legs at Lakeland next year, the ballot opens on 1st September, you can find out more about the entry criteria here. Good luck!
Learn more about the history of Montane Lakeland 50 & 100 here.
The official Lakeland images have been used with the kind permission of Marc from Lakeland.
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