Iron Man Joss enjoys the run of his life
Published at 11:11, Thursday, 07 June 2012
CUMBRIA’S most famous fell runner ran the run of his life over England’s highest mountains on Saturday.
At the age of 76, at an age when many men could not even break into a trot, Joss Naylor marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in his own inimitable way.
In beating the bounds of Wasdale parish, this chairman of the parish council defied the spirit of ageing with a phenomenal run. He reckons it is approaching 35 miles in length and climbs over 11,000ft.
Never have the words of the late Chris Brasher sounded more apt. This former Olympic gold medallist and founder of the London Marathon said: “There is no finer athlete the length of Britain than iron man Joss Naylor.”
“I have thought about this beating the bounds of Wasdale parish run for years,” said Mr Naylor, who admitted he was glad he’d had his porridge and cod liver oil for breakfast. “Partly why this challenge has not been done before is because the boundaries have changed in recent years.”
His route began at the maypole in Netherwasdale then climbed out up over remote Caw Fell, Haycock, Scoat Fell, Pillar and over the tops to the Scafells.”
He says the toughest section by far was from the top of Kirkfell. From there and over Great Gable, Great End and the Scafell skyline which includes Ill Crag and Broad Crag and the notch of Mickledore is completely all stone with barely a blade of grass.
“There’s a lot of rough ground on that long section,” he says. “You have to concentrate hard.”
He found he was flagging at this point and was glad to lean on his trusty pair of hazel sticks (no swishy trekking poles for this MBE).
But he recovered on the final traverse over Wastwater Screes where turf covered the ground once more.
People could guess how long it would take him to complete the run for £1 – all proceeds going to community funds and towards buying a Victorian-style lamppost to be installed in Netherwasdale village.
The finishing time? Four minutes under 10 hours.
Sorted Joss. Incredible.
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk
Email alerts
More News
- Pregnant smokers on increase in Cumbria (6 comments)
- Miners FC Football Tournament
- Women Out West Festival
- Lamplugh Children's Sports And Fun Day
- Provisional trial date set for Millom double murder accused
- Extra crowd control for McFly gig
- Controversial turbine will go ahead (1 comment)
- Young people 'priced out' of Copeland housing (6 comments)
- Childhood obesity ‘at crisis point’
- New warning over your bins (8 comments)
- Cold blooded killer who holed up in Lake District before killing cops told he will die in prison (9 comments)
- 230 new jobs at Sellafield (12 comments)
- New warning over your bins (8 comments)
- Pregnant smokers on increase in Cumbria (6 comments)
- Is Sellafield handover under threat? (8 comments)
- Sellafield fined £700,000 for dumping radioactive waste
- Fears over benefits led to tragedy (28 comments)
- Young people 'priced out' of Copeland housing (6 comments)
- Women Out West Festival
- Sellafield workers offered new deal (12 comments)
- New warning over your bins (8 comments)
- 230 new jobs at Sellafield (12 comments)
- Young people 'priced out' of Copeland housing (6 comments)
- Sellafield fined £700,000 for dumping radioactive waste
- Extra crowd control for McFly gig
- Controversial turbine will go ahead (1 comment)
- ‘Don’t weight for me’ says Denise!
- Women Out West Festival
- More heavy rain due today in Cumbria
- Cumbrian tyre firm fined after worker falls 15 feet onto concrete floor
