‘Bob Graham Round’ Female Fastest Known Time – Beth Pascall

In the summer of 2020, ultra-runner Beth Pascall, at 33 years of age, took on one of the most difficult fell running challenges the Lake District has to offer. Not only completing the Bob Graham Round but owning it as she took the record for Fastest Known Time (FKT) along the route. Shaving a remarkable 50 minutes off the previous record, Beth talks with Ultrarunner Magazine about the incredible accomplishment!

Races like Lakeland and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) taught lessons that I still take with me today.  When you start racing you learn so much so quickly.  While at the beginning the learning curve is so steep, we also learn all the important things like nutrition, pacing, and how to train so it’s a continuous learning process.  The 3 to 4 month training block approaching the attempt is important for the physical fitness but really it’s an accumulation of everything you have done in your career really.

Excited and relieved to finally be at the start, I was ready! So much of my time, energy and focus had gone into the preparations for this record attempt, that I owed it to myself to be there. Further, I owed it to my husband, friends, and family and to all the people who had supported me along my journey, made sacrifices to be there for me.

Pretty much all of the preparation is behind the scenes and what happens on the day is by far the easiest part of the process.  I had been training specifically for the Bob Graham Round since March, focusing on training on rough terrain with the right amount of climbing.  It was all about the physical preparation and then about getting to know the route.  On the Bob Graham Round you take your own line between the fells so having an intimate knowledge of the route is important.

Putting together a schedule, getting supporters, preparing your kit and nutrition, it makes you realise how easy racing is in comparison where you just have to turn up with maybe one person to support you so there’s lots of other things to think about when taking on a Bob Graham Round.  We also only knew 24 hours beforehand and I intentionally kept it low key.