by TONY GREENBANK

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.

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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