Fell runner James Gibson has become the first person to complete three of the UK’s classic mountain rounds in winter, solo and unsupported, and in under 24 hours each.
The 31-year-old from Rydal in Cumbria completed the Bob Graham Round in England on December 15 in 21 hours and 12 minutes. He set a new record.
He did the Paddy Buckley Round in Wales on February 6 to 7, 2023, in 23 hours and 2 minutes.
Most recently, James completed the Ramsay Round in Scotland in on February 25 in 23 hours, 9 minutes. He set another new record.
More about the 3 big rounds
The Bob Graham Round takes its name from a legendary fell runner. It is a 106km circuit that starts and finishes at Moot Hall, Keswick. Runners aim to reach the summit of 42 fells and ascend around 8200m in total.
James started at 5am on December 15 and set a new anti-clockwise solo and unsupported winter record of 21 hours, 12 minutes.
He then completed the winter Paddy Buckley Round on February 6. He ran clockwise from Capel Curig and starting at 6:30pm. The Paddy round is 98km over 47 summits in northern Snowdonia, with a total ascent of 9000m.
James completed the Ramsay Round in the Scottish Highlands on February 24 and 25 in an anti- clockwise direction and starting at 1pm. This circuit is almost 95km and around 9000m of ascent to reach 24 summits, of which 23 are Munros.
James was keen to complete the three rounds in winter because he likes the scenery and the challenges. He added: “Being out in winter, solo and unsupported, makes these challenges some of the hardest things I can achieve.
“Being the first person to finish a sub-24-hour solo and unsupported Ramsay’s round was also a real highlight.”
James is very happy with his record, although he says it was very tough. He added: “With six attempts and three successes, it has certainly felt hard, that’s for sure.”
James on his winter Bob Graham Round
James described the Bob Graham round as the great start to his challenge. He added: “It is also local to me and I thought the weather was perfect.”
While cold – it was -9 degrees in the valley – there was hardly any wind. James said: “Conditions underfoot were icy with a bit of snow. I did use my microspikes at times but it was beautiful conditions for running. It was a day to remember.”
James on his winter Paddy Buckley Round
James says the winter Paddy Buckley was “equally a really special day”. This was his third attempt this winter. He said: “the time I was successful, the conditions were so much better and I finally managed to achieve the speed over the ground that I wanted.
“The weather was a mix of two halves. First there was the long, lonely night, but with an inversion forecast, which meant that I was in the cloud all evening and I didn’t get above it until sunrise on Snowdon. That was about 12 hours.
“The sunrise was spectacular and I spent the rest of the day in lovely sunshine. The sunset on the final hill was absolutely amazing, too.”
James on his winter Ramsay round
James was most anxious about the Ramsay Round. He had a failed attempt in January when there was a lot more snow. He said: “I had thought that from reading the forecasts the snow would also be consolidated, but it unfortunately wasn’t.
“I was only just hitting the times on a 23 hour 40 minute schedule, so I just knew I couldn’t withstand the pace.
“Some of the early parts of the route on an anti-clockwise attempt are very thrilling in full winter conditions and I certainly felt this. I was very anxious about what lay ahead, so I made the decision to run back to Glen Nevis on An Gearannoch, around 25km in.
“If I had not made this decision at this point, I would have been a long way from anywhere, so it was wise and sensible.”
When James spotted another possible good weather window in late February he made his second and successful attempt. There was a forecast for a high pressure system over the northern part of the UK.
He said: “Prior to the high pressure, we had a good few weeks of warm weather, which had stripped out a good amount of snow, making it a bit easier to move over.
“There was still snow left on parts of the route but a highlight of this round was the weather and underfoot conditions.
“In addition, the winter season for these rounds technically finishes the last day in February.”
Highlights of the Ramsay Round for James
He describes many highlights:
- Enjoying a good sense of flow while moving over the Mamores with an amazing sunset near the end of the range.
- Everything going to plan and, at times, even better than I anticipated.
- Getting through the cold, snowy and windy night, which wasn’t forecast.
- Running across the Grey Corries with spikes on and having to use winter skills to move over some of the slopes.
- Having the sun reappear on Carn Mor Dearg and enjoying an amazing traverse of the CMD ridge on to Ben Nevis.
- Finishing on the Ben (final summit) with no one around.
Challenges of the Ramsay Round for James
He describes some of the tougher parts of the Ramsay Round:
- Having a cold, windy, snowy long night.
- Getting down into the Corrie after Binnein Mor, which was steep and solid snow and only having microspikes, I had to cut steps to get down.
- Being alone in some really remote hills in the Highlands.
- Making sure that the decisions that I was making on the hill were the right ones.
Who is James Gibson?
James is an outdoor instructor and works the occasional shift in the Climbers Shop in Ambleside, Cumbria. He got into fell running in 2017 through a good friend Joe Mann.
He says: “I work on the hills of the UK, taking people walking, climbing and mountaineering, so I quickly worked out that I had a good endurance base for fell running.”
He has achieved other fell running successes:
- The first winter Steve Parr Round. 188km and 12,972m elevation gain to reach all Lake District mountains over 2500ft.
- The first Winter Wainwright round.
- Fastest male (at the time) on the Wainwrights circuit.
He says: “I really enjoy the adventure and self-sufficiency of being in the hills for up to 24 hours, carrying all the necessary kit and food and being in your own thoughts and decisions for that length of time, too.
“It’s the hardest type of style to complete any form of round, but I feel it’s the most rewarding.
“I guess another thing I wanted to prove was after doing two supported Wainwright rounds last year, I wanted a challenge whereby I have to carry all the kit and food, which is something that so many people did for me last year.”