Introduction: the Bob Graham Round (BGR) is a classic running challenge that is situated entirely within the Lake District of northwest England. It has a long history, it is an exceptionally tough undertaking, it attracts runners from all over the world, and it is a wonderfully bonkers way to spend a day out on the fells of the Lake District. What’s not too like?

At base the BGR is a 106 km (66 miles) fell run, where each willing competitor attempts to hit 42 peaks in under 24 hours, with 8,200m of ascent being the tricky part. That and the crags and rocks you’ll be clambering over for a significant amount of time. It takes in most of the highest fells of the Lake District, such as Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, and Blencathra, it crosses numerous rivers and becks, and a good part of the run is done in the dark.

The sub-24 hour record was established in 1932 by Bob Graham but since then the times have tumbled. The men’s record time is presently held by Jack Kuenzie (12 hours 23 minutes) and was set in 2022, while the women’s record is held by Beth Pascall (14 hours 34 minutes) and was set in 2020. In addition to fell runners, slightly more sensible humans hike their way around the 42 peaks of the BGR, camping on the route and generally taking four, five, or six days to get back to the Moot Hall in Keswick, which marks the start and finish point for the challenge.

 What follows across this section of the website is a tour of the route of the Bob Graham Round with emphasis placed on:

(i)             guiding the novice runner around the expansive circuit

(ii)            an attempt to capture the aesthetic nature of the 106km round

(iii)           capturing images of runners out on the route

Once completed, all images will be uploaded to an Instagram account that will offer a photographic guide to those who might want to use these images out on the trail when carrying out a bit of reconnaissance of the route

History: On his forty-second birthday in June 1932, and under the influence of at least a couple of ales (presumably), a Keswick guest-house owner decided that it he would like to celebrate this non-landmark occasion with a truly landmark achievement. In a (probably) hazy state he decided that he would mark his birthday by running 42 fells, or small mountain peaks, in under 24 hours. What fun (although he was 43 by the time he actually completed the challenge)!

His name was Bob Graham and true to his word he set out to achieve the unthinkable. Starting and finishing at Keswick in the northern Lake District, Graham set out in the direction of Skiddaw to the north with the goal of taking in mighty peaks such as Blencathra, Helvellyn, Bowfell, Scafell Pike, Pillar, and Great Gable along the way. A serious business in any day or age and even more so given that he wasn’t running in shoes made by Inov8, Hoka, or Salomon, or using modern hip packs or fell running bags. He ran with pacers and a small support team and, by the skin of his teeth, Graham managed to make it back home in just under 24 hours.

By the end of his run Graham had completed 106 m or 66 miles of tough fell running, he had made around 8,200m of ascent (27,000 ft), and hit the summit of 42 fells. He did it in 23 hours and 39 minutes. It was a feat that no one would go on to repeat until 1960 when Alan Heaton knocked the time down to 22 hours and 18 minutes. Given that such a long period of time stands between Graham’s 1932 attempt and Heaton’s 1960 round, it seems that the name of the Bob Graham Round stuck, with his name being immortalised in the British fell running world. A pub, named The Round, now stands next to the Moot Hall in Keswick where successful runners will finish, and with the generous staff of the pub often bringing out a free pint for the incoming runner.

Today, in the 2020s, people come from all over the world to tackle this iconic challenge. Catalan athlete, Kilian Jornet, for example, took a swing at the route in 2018, breaking local runner Billy Bland’s impressive record that had stood since 1982. Bland had set the bar exceptionally high with a time of 13 hours 53 minutes, Jornet knocked this down to 12 hours 53 minutes. As noted above, American runner Jack Kuenzie reduced this even further by 30 minutes.

It is worth nothing however that although Bob Graham was a supremely impressive runner for his time, he did not invent this round or fell running in the Lake District. Far, far from it. As Peter McDonald notes in his excellent short work on the BGR A Tribute to the Round (2020), ‘Bob Graham was far from the first person to complete long rounds of Lakeland fells. When he set out from the Moot Hall in 1932, he was embarking on a challenge which had existed in some fashion for 100 years. He did not invent the Lake District 24-Hour Fell Record; he was trying to beat it’ (p. 3). Indeed, since at least 1832 runners had been pushing the boundaries of what was possible in a 24-hour period by running between mountain paths and lower trails of the Lake District, linking together some of the highest fell-tops in England.

Development of the Record: As the years passed by the number of summits hit within a full day consistently went up until it was settled on 42 in 24-hours when Bob Graham set the record and benchmark. The name and most of his original route remains today.

Who knows what the future holds for the round. The next mile stone for both the men and women’s round is the breaking of the next hour mark. Hence a sub-12 hour round for the men, which would be an astronomical achievement and twice as fast as the base requirement. For the women, who are rapidly getting closer the best men’s times, the sub-14 hour record is next up. This should tumble relatively soon.

Of course, among us mere mortals walk, well run, those blessed with legs, hearts, and lungs that shame us all, and since the 1960s (men) and 1970s (women) various runners have focused on breaking Bob Graham’s 1932 run in a different way. Keeping to the sub-24 hour requirement they have sought to increase the number of peaks they hit. At present, in summer of 2024, Andy Berry holds the record – a hilariously unreasonable figure of 78 peaks in a time of 23:23 set in 2023, with Fiona Pascall acting in a similarly godly fashion with a total of 68 peaks with a time of 23:26 set in 2022. Staggering!

Your Own Round: If you are looking to do your own Bob Graham Round, most of which are completed in late spring and into the summer months, given that bad weather and poor light can easily stop a round in its tracks, or mean significant detours across certain technical terrain (Halls Fell on Blencathra springs to mind), then three points of advice might be useful.

First, be sure to do a recce run of all five legs beforehand. It isn’t entirely necessary but it does help, and makes sure you’re not going to be lost on any particular part of the run. There’s little worst than running around, in the dark, looking for a pretty vague summit cairn.

Second, be sure to register your round with the Bob Graham 24 Hour Club (link to website). There is no requirement for you to do this per se, but it is an organised body that sets the rules and will recognise your achievement should you make it around the 42 peak route. Of particular note here is that each summit hit must be witnessed by one of your running companions with the time of that visit properly logged.

Finally, Facebook (yes, remember that thing) is your friend. There are a few groups that help to organise runs with local runners often volunteering help, guiding on recce-runs for specific legs, and support for your formal attempts. The fell running community is fantastic and complete strangers will often come out with you on the fells, or help with logistical support at the support stations (Threlkeld, Dunmail Raise, Wasdale Head, Honister Pass). Food, water, gels, dry shoes, and socks make all the difference at these and getting these organised is a major part of any successful round.

As a keen fell runner myself, I am happy to help out with recce runs and support for those on their attempts so please get in touch if you’re looking for some help.

Best of luck and see you on the crags!

Grey O’Dwyer

Fastest Men on the Standard 42 Peak Route

1960: Alan Heaton                                  22:18

1971: Peter Walkington                         20:43

1973: Bill Smith and Boyd Millen        20:38

1976: John North                                    19:48

1976: Billy Bland                                     18:50

1977: Mike Nicholson                             17:45

1982: Billy Bland                                     13:53

2018: Killian Jornet                                 12:52

2022: Jack Kuenzie                                12:23

Fastest Women on the Standard 42 Peak Route

1977: Jean Dawes                                   23:27

1978: Anne-Marie Grindley                   21:05

1979: Ros Coats                                       20:31

1988: Helene Diamantides                   20:17

1989: Helene Diamantides                   19:11

1991: Anne Stentiford                             18:49

2012: Nicky Spinks                                  18:12

2015: Nicky Spinks                                  18:06

2016: Jasmin Paris                                  15:24

2020: Beth Pascall                                  14:34

All images are subject to copyright and may not be used without permission. Please get in touch should you wish to buy a print or discuss using any of the images presented across the website.

This website and its content is copyright of greyodwyer.com © Grey O’Dwyer, 2024. All rights reserved.