Keri Page in training on the Fairfield horseshoe in the Lake District
An outdoors enthusiast will tackle three fellrunning challenge routes – at a walking pace.
Lochaber-based Keri Page aims to climb almost three times the height of Everest in completing the classic rounds back to back to raise cash for charity.
Keri’s goal is to complete the Bob Graham Round, the Paddy Buckley Round and the Ramsay Round over 11 days in May.
The three rounds are traditionally run each in under 24 hours, but Keri, herself a fellrunner, hillwalker and climber, will travel at a more sedate pace in a bid to raise £1,000 each for the John Muir Trust and WaterAid.
The Lochaber Athletics Club member said: “Overall, the challenge totals 187 miles, 113 summits and 83,000ft [25,300m] of ascent.
“I will be walking all the rounds myself whatever the weather from 16 to 28th May. It averages out at 17 miles, 10 mountains and 2,300m a day for 11 days – 13 including travel. I will be walking during the day only, spending nights at local supporting accommodation and in bothies.”
The business development manager added: “This challenge has never been done before, unbelievably. There are obviously several amazing fellrunning records for the UK Big 3, such as Mike Hartley completing them all consecutively in 3 days 14hrs 20mins or Helen Diamantides completing all three in one season, but I can’t find any records at all of anyone walking the big three in one big push.
“Each round in the UK Big 3 is an ultra-distance classic in its own right, rich in history and interesting characters. The three rounds are famous as 24-hour fellrunning challenges, not as walks. Nevertheless, attempting all three back-to-back as one long endurance walk is still a huge undertaking. This is especially true for someone of average ability who has not traversed any of these three rounds before.”
The Bob Graham Round involves 42 Lake District summits and is 106km (66 miles) in length, with 8,230m (27,000ft) of ascent.
The Paddy Buckley Round traverses 47 north Wales summits over 98km (61 miles) and involves 8,534m (28,000ft) of ascent and the Ramsay Round in Lochaber again has 8,534m of ascent over 24 summits and 97km (60 miles).
Outdoor stores Joe Brown’s, Nevisport, Outside Edge and The Epicentre are providing kit and support.
Keri added: “I live and work on the west coast of Scotland so that I can spend as much time as possible in the mountains. I am a keen climber, hillwalker and fellrunner, with an appetite for adventure.
“I enjoy competing in endurance running and navigation events, such as mountain marathons and fell races, for Lochaber Athletic Club. Over the last five years I have climbed more than 50 munros, including those along the Cuillin ridge and have explored much of Snowdonia and the Lake District, but I have never attempted any of the classic UK rounds.”
Anyone wishing to sponsor Ms Page can click on justgiving links on her blog pages.
