At 9am on Friday 1st April 2022, James Gibson (30) of Rydal, Cumbria, set off from Moot Hall in Keswick in his attempt to break the 214-peak "Summer" Wainwright Record.
Yes - that's all of them. How long is the 214-Peak Wainwright route? It's 325 miles, 214 different peaks and 36,000m of Elevation gain (4x the height of Everest)....
and for James - with the added complication of not-so summery weather and snow this April.
The current record is held by the incredible Sabrina Verjee, of 5 days, 23 hours, 49 minutes.
June 2021
James managed to set a new Winter Wainwright record in December 2021, in a time of 8 Days, 6 Hours and 44 Minutes. Just months after successfully completing the Winter Round, James had this to say:
"..a seed was planted in my mind. As I recovered from that epic, I've found myself fitter than ever and with a window of opportunity before my work season really ramps up. Some of my times on legs in December were also a testament to how well I was moving, and so I knew that with some additional training I would have the potential of putting in a time similar to that of the quickest attempts made to date. There's only one way to find out."
We're proud to be James' official Nutrition Support and we're following him every step of the way, you can too on the live tracking link below.
The Summer Wainwright Roundup
214 Wainwrights, 318 miles and 36,000m of ascent (4x Everest) - Twice!
James was subject to some absolutely brutal conditions on the Lake District fells with winds of up to 65mph, snow and rain. So much for a "summer" round... Despite this, James maintained his resolve and battled through.
Becoming the only human being ever to complete a Wainwright Round in two seasons - Winter 2021 and Spring 2022, only 4 months apart. James finished his round in the second fastest recorded time and as the fastest male athlete.
James Reflects on his attempt:
"My main goal for the whole attempt was always to give it my best, with the hopeful intention of getting the record.
"What I found harder this time around than in winter, was the stress of continuously moving with limited rest. Essentially having very limited time to rest up from doing one leg to another, and then getting straight out the door again having had minimal sleep - which I had last time but this time was next level. Then on the back of that, the last 3 days were pretty brutal to be honest. Wet and windy, 65mph winds at times. It made it really hard going. That probably in turn slowed me down as well.
"We were on the top of Grisedale Pike last night, probably in the peak of the wind, we got to the summit and we were literally crawling on our knees to get a bit lower. It was pretty full on.
"I gave it my all, which is what I went out to do, and I am happy with that. And to come away with the second fastest time, I am really happy, especially in those conditions. It was pretty brutal, pretty rough, especially the last 24 hours."
Our take...
The Strava map really puts things into perspective.
Our home, The Lake District, presents some of the most challenging terrain around. The perfect playground for fell runners (otherwise known as trail running/ ultras/ skyline) and for KMC ambassadors like James Gibson to etch their name in history alongside other legends like Sabrina Verjee and Joss Naylor.
The 214 peak, 318 mile and 36,000m of ascent (4x Everest), Wainwright Round is arguably the most challenging of them all.
We're in awe James, congratulations.
This is what KMC is all about, challenging yourself to go beyond your limits and conquer your own 'Everest'.
How & When did you fuel you Wainwright round?
We spoke to James not long after completing his round (disturbing his much needed rest) to find out how and when he fuelled this insane challenge...
"I've been using the KMC products for some time now. Over 3 years ago I used the KMC ISO MIX as our primary source of electrolytes on the Cape Wrath Trail. It has a nice refreshing taste, I find a lot of the other products on the market are too sweet, fizzy or don't provide ant carbohydrate. It worked great, I had no cramps and felt strong throughout so it was a no-brainer."
The products I had in my Kit bag for each leg of the challenge were:
3x 500ml Soft Flasks - One filled with KMC ISO MIX, one with juice and the other with just cordial - On the bigger legs I added two ISO MIX serves to my flask for some extra cab and electrolytes. (37g Carb, 4 Essential electrolytes)
1x 200ml KMC PRO MIX Recovery Mix - In-between each leg, I made sure to take at least one serve, 21g of Whey Protein with my meals to aid my recovery process, ready for the next leg. (21g Protein, 13.3g Carb)
2x 150ml Refillable Energy Gel Flasks - Mostly filled with Raspberry Gel (my personal favourite). I mixed my Energy Gel consumption with eating solid whole food. (54g Carb/ Flask, 108g Carb total, 4 Essential Electrolytes, and 4 B Vitamins)
2 x Natural Superfood Bars - which I mixed in with the consumption of other nutrition for a source of energy, fibre and protein. (40g Carbohydrate, 6g Protein, 4g Fibre)
Lastly, I also took the White Chocolate KMC bars as more of a treat, they just taste delicious..."