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A 400 m walk restored blood circulation to the legs before getting on the bikes. Alan, James and Sean set off along the country lanes and gentle gradients, the weather having changed to showers, which became progressively torrential. Wry Nose and Hard Knott passes loomed; James actually managed to cycle up the 1 in 3 gradient of Wry Nose. Not to be out-done, Alan decided to cycle down. Unfortunately, the combination of water, debris and slick tyres meant that the rear end of his bike went faster than the front, and the inevitable happened, resulting in a leg and bike injury, but he was fortunate to be able to carry on. Nearing the end of this wet 26 mile section, a puncture saw Sean delayed, but the three crossed the line at Wasdale Head 3 hours 28 minutes after starting. Fortunately, this was slower than the support driver who had to get to Wasdale Head by a route avoiding the passes, which took more than two hours on the narrow Lake District roads. Stress of a different nature…
At the start of the mountain section, it was decided that Sean’s Achilles’ tendon injury, sustained during training, was too much to attempt Scafell Pike, and David substituted for the final section. Alan, the mountain goat, was held back by the cycling leg injury but managed a commendable pace in the circumstances. By now, the rain had abated, but visibility was very poor, and the summit was reached rather unexpectedly after 2 miles. With a 6½ mile downward trek, the team completed the mountain section in 4 hours 41 minutes and arrived at the Langdale finish line 11 hours 11 minutes after the start. Our overall timed position was 25th.
The team felt a great sense of achievement and relief at finishing the challenge in the company of some serious athletes. Our average age of 42 seemed higher than the average team, and from the moment we assembled, the objective of finishing seemed more realistic than winning. However, we had fun. A unique feature of our team was that we were the only ones to be seen in the pub on the night before - to the amazement of the assembled marshals, all of whom felt we should be tucked up in bed.
We should like to thank our sponsors for supporting this event. We raised approximately £4,500 for the Wooden Spoon, Rugby Union’s charity supporting disadvantaged children. The event raised a total of £173,000.
We should also like to thank Mike Baker, our fifth team member, who kept in training until the bitter end, but was unfortunately unable to compete because of the four-man rule.
Please read A Personal Diary by Alan Green
For more information on The Wooden Spoon Society, please visit
Wooden Spoon Website
Thank You!
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