The 44th Three Peaks Yacht Race

The Challenge of Scafell Pike

Rob Howard / 11.07.2022

Monday in Whitehaven is often a busy day with boats and runners coming and going, but this year most of the race boats were slow to arrive thanks to the calm conditions.

Given that they could motor, it was the two Challenge boats which came into the Marina first, and they had to wait outside the harbour walls overnight and through the early hours of the morning.  It wasn’t until 06.45 that there was enough water for them to get in, coming through the lock gate together.

At least the runners were well rested and had a full day ahead for the toughest leg of the race, with no night time riding or running required.

Sedbergh School were first to set off, and they were in a hurry.  They were putting their best runners up and the target was to try and get back in time to leave on the next tide.  It was a very ambitious bid, as getting under 7 hours has only been done a couple of times, but they were going for it.

Their runners, Sam and Joseph were accompanied by teacher Florencia Zappulla, and quickly left on the bikes to ride to Ennnerdale. Both Sam and Florencia had run Snowdon already and Joseph was leading the way and the team motivator.  They completed the 20 mile ride up Ennderdale to Black Sail Youth Hostel (where they left their bikes) and the run across Black Sail Pass to the Wasdale Head Inn in 2 hours 44 minutes, a really fast start. 

On arrival the marshals told them there was a 5 minute welfare time out, and Joseph responded, “Do we have to stop!”  The answer was yes.

They kept the fast pace up on the ascent and descent of Scafell Pike, taking just 1 hour 57 minutes to go up and down from Wasdale Head, but did slow down a little on the return to Whitehaven.

They arrived back at Whitehaven at 14.17, having taken 7 hours 21 minutes for the stage, a time the race teams will struggle to beat, but it wasn’t quite fast enough.  The boat couldn’t get out of the lock as the tide had fallen too far.  The two boys looked disappointed, but their teacher Oliver Barnes told them, “You’ve nothing to be disappointed about, that was a brilliant run.”

Their skipper, Ashley Field, was a little rueful, explaining; “We lost 30 minutes coming in this morning, as a fishing boat went ahead of us, but even then it would have been tight to get out and probably not possible.”

At least now the runners could shower and rest, and get some food.  Sam headed off to Subway.

Shrewsbury School had a different plan, sending up 6 people, and taking their time, accepting they had 12 hours to get back (two tides).  The kit check before they left was the biggest and most complicated in the race’s history!

The 6 included father and son, Sam and Hamish Griffiths, and their back up is Lloyd Griffiths (dad and granddad), who did the race in 1980 (and set up the Scottish Islands Peaks Race).  So, there are 3 generations of 3 peaks racers in this team.

By the time they reached the Wasdale Head Inn, the Sedbergh team had passed back through and were on their way back to Whitehaven.

The Shrewsbury team had the option to leave any tired runners there to be collected on the way back, but everyone wanted to get the summit and all 6 set off together up Scafell Pike.

Later, the team leader Sam Griffiths said, “I think we were all pretty tired when we set off up Scafell Pike, but we knew we had plenty of time.”

The team moved more slowly as the stage went on, stopping for refuelling when they got back down to the Wasdale Head Inn (pub lunch).  They were worried they would not make it back for the tide, but pushed on and got back to Whitehaven Marina at 19.09, 12 hours and a minute after leaving.

Oscar Dickens, a school old boy who is with the team, said, “It was a full day out in the sunshine in the mountains, what more could you want!”

Griffiths said, as he climbed back on the boat, “It was an odyssey!”  The pupils looked tired and happy with their day, and within 45 minutes the boat was on its way.  They left only an hour and 20 minutes after Sedbergh and with one less aboard as Anna Booker had to leave for an officer training assessment course, starting tomorrow.

So, both school teams have now completed the toughest mountain stage, and they have just one more to go.