Mission accomplished! INOV8 athlete James Gibson has set an incredible winter ultra running record by achieving solo and unsupported sub-24 hour completions of the Bob Graham Round (Lake District, England), Paddy Buckley Round (Snowdonia, Wales) and Charlie Ramsay Round (Highlands, Scotland).
He battled deep snow, treacherous ice and brutal blizzards to become the first person to achieve solo and unsupported sub-24 hour completions of all three iconic mountain rounds in one winter season.
TWO-AND-A-HALF TIMES THE HEIGHT OF MOUNT EVEREST
After ticking off the 66-mile, 42-peak Bob Graham in December last year (21hrs 12mins), James then completed the 61-mile, 47-peak Paddy Buckley in early February (23hrs 02mins).
His amazing ‘Big Three’ project was completed this past weekend when he ran the 58-mile, 24-peak Ramsay Round (23hrs 09mins).
That totals 185 winter mountain miles in 67hrs 23mins, with a total ascent of 75,000ft (two-and-a-half times the equivalent height of Mount Everest). During the three rounds, James also bagged the highest peaks in England (Scafell Pike), Wales (Snowdon) and Scotland (Ben Nevis).
SIX ATTEMPTS. THREE SUCCESSES. A WINTER OF ADVENTURE
Lake District based James said: “I’m psyched to finally complete my project for the season. It took some perseverance and effort to keep coming back and trying, but I’m glad I did. In total, I made six attempts (one at the Bob Graham, three at the Paddy Buckley and two at the Ramsay Round) with three successes and three weather-beaten failures between December 10th and February 25th. What an adventure it has been!”
James’s times for the Bob Graham and Ramsay Round are solo and unsupported winter records in themselves.
EXCITING – AND HAIR-RAISING – MOMENTS ON THE RAMSAY
Speaking about the Ramsay Round, his third run of the brilliant trilogy, James, who used an ice axe and micro spikes amid winter mountain conditions, added: “It’s certainly been the round I’ve been most anxious about due to its serious mountain terrain and conditions, but with a good weather window I was treated to an amazing experience. It was such an incredible adventure with many exciting – and hair-raising – moments, but a very fitting way to finish the winter season.”
Those hair-raising moments included “falling on steep snow heading off Stob Corie Sgriodain, things getting very serious crossing the Grey Corries when traversing steep hard snow, and getting cold in the wind between the hills behind Loch Treig and Annoch Mor.”
24-HOUR CHALLENGE HISTORY
The Bob Graham, Paddy Buckley and Ramsay Round are all 24-hour challenges undertaken by strong ultra runners throughout the year, with the summer months being particularly popular. It’s a monumental effort to successfully complete all three in the space of one year, let alone one season. Most runners hoping to do all three will spread them out over several years. Each can be tackled in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction and with differing levels of support as chosen by the runner.
The most popular of the three is the Bob Graham Round in the English Lake District. At the end of last year, the number of people to have completed the Bob Graham and be in the ‘Bob Graham Club’ was 2,713. The record time is an incredible 12hrs 23mins, set by Jack Kuenzle in September 2022.
Each challenge is officially named after those who first devised the routes. Learn more on these websites: Bob Graham Round | Paddy Buckley Round | Charlie Ramsay Round
ALL PHOTOS: Taken by James himself during his successful Ramsay Round.
To learn more about James, check out his website.
