Two of the UK’s leading ultra runners have set a phenomenal new fastest time for the 23 before Tea challenge from Elterwater Hostel in the Lakes.
Hugh Chatfield and Keith Wigley sliced more than half an hour off the record held by Ambleside AC’s Gavin Dale, covering the circuit of 23 Wainwright summits in 5 hours 16 minutes.
And for the first time of any of the efforts on the Elterwater Hostel leaderboard, Hugh and Keith ran the route anti-clockwise.
The challenge was first tackled in 2019 by Elterwater Hostel’s Adrian Thomas, and the route streamlined by Little Dave Cumins and James Harris, and it has since gripped the imagination of leading fell and ultra runners. The aim is to complete any 23 Wainwright tops starting and finishing at the hostel gate, but over the years the route has been refined so that there’s now a fairly established list and order of summits.
Hugh told the hostel team that he and Keith had been planning their attempt for some time. “We’ve had our eyes on Gavin’s record for a long time. He’s a good friend. We’ve been plotting how we could beat that.”
They decided to run anti-clockwise “because the terrain over the Fairfield loop is much quicker than the Langdale section, so we thought we could make hay while we were still fresh.
“We went off really hard. It was cold and wet at first and pretty miserable over Dove Crag, but the weather did improve.”
Hugh is a British fell, trail and mountain marathon runner who got into ultra distances as a new way to challenge himself from a base in long-distance triathlon.
He works for a charity supporting people facing barriers to employment into work. Although living in the relatively flat South-East, he spends his weekends in the Peak District, Lake District and Snowdonia training. He recently qualified as a mountain leader and is a member of the Elite Trail Team.
Hugh has a strong, but diverse track record of success including everything from shorter fell races, navigation and orienteering races to an emphatic win at the 2023 Dragon’s Back, racing the length of Wales over six days in a heatwave. A few weeks ago in the Lakes he won the classic Ennerdale Horseshoe fell race.
He also won the Tour de Helvellyn in 2022 and 2023 (setting a new course record in 2023), and placed 3rd at the Elite OMM last year, paired with Keith Wigley.
Keith is also a member of the Elite Trail Team, tackling trails, fells and ultra runs. He enjoys testing himself across a variety of distances, from short fell races to the 215-mile coast-to-coast trail across Scotland.
He played many team sports growing up but came to running only a few years ago. He has since gone on to podium at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia, the British Trail Running Championships and the Elite OMM.
Originally from Scotland, Keith has adopted the Yorkshire Dales as his second home, where he has just finished a career in the military and now teaches maths in a secondary school. He’s won the Ultra Scotland 50 miles, the Kielder Ultra 50k, and the Wharfedale Skyline Trail Race 35 miles, and earlier this year he won the Swaledale marathon.
The pair will be heading out to the Alps later this summer where Keith will run in the 100 mile Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc, and Hugh is entered for the CCC 100k race.
The 23 before Tea route isn’t prescribed; you can chart your own path and choose your own 23 tops but they must be tops which are in the Wainwright guides. That said, an established route has emerged and this is what the last few record holders have followed: Silver How, Blea Rigg, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Pike of Stickle, Thunacar Knott, High Raise, Sergeant Man, Tarn Crag, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott, Helm Crag, Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike, Low Pike and Loughrigg. Or in the latest record-breaking run, that list in reverse!
See here for more details.
