Jesus Ankle.
Billed as ‘a 3-day mountain journey with two nights camping and a variety of courses to choose from’, the GL3D 2025 did not disappoint. Excellent weather provided glorious vistas, quality courses led us through interesting and varied terrain, and top-notch craic maintained a positive vibe as always!
Being relatively new to running—and definitely a newbie to organised race events—the past 3 years have been a thoroughly enjoyable and educational introduction into multi-day mountain running. With varied length courses on offer and the freedom to choose your route ad-hoc, there’s less pressure to meet cut-off times.
The formula is simple: on registration you’re issued the weekend’s course map, an electronic ‘dibber’, and an emergency GPS tracker. The course map reveals the secret overnight camp location.
Day 1 starts at the event centre. Complete your chosen route within generous allotted times and finish at the overnight camp, greeted with smiles and a complimentary beer! After making camp and food, there are various evening activities including talks, films, a pub quiz, and even massages for those sore legs.
Day 2 offers circular routes finishing back at the same camp—rewarded with free cake on completion.
Day 3 heads back to the original event centre, with reduced mileage and elevation to ensure a timely finish.
My Course: The Wainwright
I chose the ‘Wainwright’ course, averaging 27km and 1800m elevation per day—personally achievable without stress, while still considering the conditions over three days. My goal was a fun, fulfilling weekend rather than chasing PBs.
Day 1
A beautiful circumnavigation of Blencathra: Bannerdale Crags, up the valley to Skiddaw House, over Lonscale Fell and Latrigg, then on to Castlerigg before reaching the overnight camp below Great Dodd. Superb conditions, well-defined paths, steady elevation, and good open fell for navigation made this a highly enjoyable opener.
However, below Mungrisdale Common, following the River Caldew towards Skiddaw House, I had a moment of complacency—a rolled ankle! It crunched but was still weight-bearing, so after a quick food break I pressed on with caution.
Day 2
A stunning loop over Helvellyn, down Grisedale to Glenridding, and back via various Dodds to camp. Huge thanks to the incredible medical team who strapped my ankle and made sure I had an exit plan if the injury worsened.
I reassessed at lunchtime by Grisedale Tarn. Everything felt good, conditions were again perfect, so I kept going. Little did I know that in the next few hours, a trail apparition would appear—an image of Jesus Christ, no less, worthy of comparison to the Turin Shroud!
Day 3
The finale focused on Blencathra (Saddleback), an iconic Lakeland fell with a formidable ascent from any direction. The weather held up—cool breezes at altitude helped regulate temperature. The route: a slow, steady ascent via Blease Fell, then a technical descent via Doddick Fell ridge, ending with a warm-down along the River Glenderamackin back to the event centre. A five-star finish!
Final Thoughts
The GL3D is a brilliantly run event catering to all experience levels. Whether you’re looking to build confidence, practice mountain navigation, or simply enjoy running in the fells with solid logistical support, I thoroughly recommend it.
This event is a fantastic opportunity to explore and appreciate some of our most beautiful upland areas. A must-do for any trail enthusiast!
Dougal Stewart
