Untitled - Fell Runners Association

- 56 -record-holder Alan Heaton had last year come dangerouslyclose to cracking the 63 peaks record established by Jossin 1972 = Alan had completed a round of 64 summits but hadtaken slightly longer than 24- hours.Joss made his attempt on Sunday and Monday, June 22nd/23rd, in gruelling heatwave conditions and succeed in‘'bagging 1 ' a fantastic 72 peaks in 23 hours 11 minutes.He set off from Lairthwaite Road End, Keswick, at 07.07hours on Sunday morning and reached his first summit,Lonscale Fall 37 minutes later. Skidda' Little Man andSkidda' followed in quick succession, then five peaks inthe lonely !, Back O’ Skidda'"country, including four nottouched in previous 24 hour circuits - Little Calva,Great Sea Fell, Knott and Coombe Height. The fifthpeak was, of course, Great Calva, while the other onein this section was Blencathra, from whose summit cairnJoss made a fast descent down Hall's Fell ridge toThrelkeld, where he arrived at 10.08 hrs.The next section was that normally traversed on the"Bob Graham Round" with the addition of two more "new"peaks, Hart Crag and Greatrigg Man, though the latterhad in fact been one of the 56 peaks traversed by EricBeard in 1963 and had also formed part of Peter Dawes'52 peaks circuit in 1974. Joss arrived at Dunmail at13.30 hrs. and after a 4 minute break set off up thesteep, grassy slopes of Steel Fell. This is usually afairly easy section, terminating on 42-plus circuits witha refreshment break outside the 0DG in Langdale. Joss hadother ideas on this occasion, however, for instead ofdropping into the valley from Loft Crag, he followed theBob Graham course from Pike O' Stickle across Stake Passto Rossett Pike, one of the less important of the original42 peaks, which Beard, Heaton and Naylor had excluded fromtheir own 42 plus circuits.He had a 7 minute break at the top of Rossett Gillbefore heading for Bowfell, Red Howe, Cold Pike and thelong rocky traverse of the Crinkles and Scafells. Hecame off Lingmell to Wasdale Head at 20.37 hrs. and restedfor 12 minutes while gathering his strength for thegruelling ascent of Yewbarrow. ,; I always reckon I'mhalfway round when I get to the top of Yewbarrow", AlanHeaton once joked to Harry Griffin during a record attemptstarting from Wasdale Head - "Its the first one you doand the worst, and I generally go up in a sort of daze."