Jack Scott sets new 100+ mile Lakes, Meres & Waters winter record

INOV8 ambassador Jack Scott has set a new winter record time (24hrs 31mins) for the 100+ mile Lakes, Meres & Waters ultra running challenge. He completed it over the weekend of December 11/12 amid tough – at times abysmal – conditions.

The challenge involves visiting all 26 Lakes, Meres & Waters in the Lake District, UK. Jack started from Loweswater at 6am on Saturday and reached the finish at Over Water at 6:31am on Sunday, after a gruelling 103-mile adventure that included 21,000ft of ascent over fell, trail and road.

He beat Rob Allen’s previous winter record by almost 5 hours and clocked the 2^nd fastest time overall (behind Joss Naylor’s incredible 19hrs 14mins set in 1983).

We caught up with Jack to talk about his epic run through the Lake District.

How are you feeling, now your achievement has sunk in a bit?
It was a brilliant 24 hours on the fells with friends, and an opportunity visit areas of the Lake District that are a little obscure! The route is a lesser known one, but I like its quirkiness and how it incorporates some high mountain tops, as well as the element of physically touching the 26 bodies of water. I wanted a winter adventure, and I got one! The record time was a nice bonus, but really it was about doing something a little bit different and ending the year on a high.

How tough was it? Tougher than you expected?

When you decide to do a run of this length over the hills in December you’ve got to have an open mind to the sort of weather that you could be up against, and I was prepared for whatever came my way.

There was more snow of the summits than I thought there would be - High Street and The Old Man of Coniston were particularly difficult. It was often the case that one foot would land lovely and then the next would see you sink into 4ft of snow drift! There was also a lot of ducking and diving around fallen trees that had come down in the recent Storm Arwen.

It rained for around 13 hours and turned the trail into stream, which took its toll on my feet. I’d prepared for this and made sure foot care was a priority. Taking the time at road crossings to dry my feet and change socks was worth it.

What were the standout highs and lows?

On the shores of Windermere I picked up three pacers who live in my hometown of Stone, Staffordshire. We were heading into a toughsection, and I purposely put Huw & James together to get me through that Saturday night. Huw's brother, Tom, also made a surprise appearance as we headed up the hill, in what were abysmal conditions. We were probably the only people out on the fells at that time in that rain and it just felt right. I was moving well and moral was high. It was a tough seven-hoursection, but I thoroughly enjoyed it with some close friends beside me.

The route finishes with 14 miles of road through Keswick and out towards Over Water. This was hard. I was well inside the winter record time but getting frustrated with my speed and I couldn’t quite get the rhythm I wanted. This was a low point, but a few hours later it was all done and dusted. Those frustrations were forgotten and the challenge was complete!

Throughout the run I had BRBS written on my hand. It stood for Be Ruthless. Be Strong. It helped me when things got difficult.

How important were your pacers and support crew in helping you achieve the record?

I built a really solid team of people I know, all of whom are class acts on the hill. They are all people with a wealth of experience and whom I look up to. Kim Collison did the first 40 miles with me over some high fells and we moved exceptionally well. It was great to run with an athlete like that and learn on the job!

The men who held it all together were Glen Davies and my father-in-law Stuart Wood. They supported me from the road and should take huge credit for the job they did. Both put in a 24-hour shift and held the same enthusiasm and energy from start to finish. I’ve done a few of these long-distance challenges now and we are all learning and progressing to get a good balance within my ‘team’. This weekend’s exploits are another tick in the box.

Did everything go to plan? Would you do anything differently if you did it again?

Apart from leaving my maps and schedules in a pub on the Friday evening when we had dinner, yes everything went smoothly! I was briefing my support team to such a degree – explaining how many times I like my Pot Noodles stirring – when I realised my maps were 40 miles away in Coniston! I rang the pub and someone had handed them in thankfully, so my road support team picked them up on Saturday morning. Phew!

The run itself – and the logistics too – all ran pretty much perfectly, and I wouldn’t do anything different if I went again. I had the right faces in the right places which enabled me to preform to my best.

What shoes did you use and how did they help you?

The route is varied and the terrain changes quickly from steep off-piste climbs to smooth roadsections within a few miles, so I identified a variety of shoes which were versatile enough to cope with the changing underfoot conditions.

The X-TALON ULTRA 260 V2 stood out. I’d hardly done any miles in them at all, but my feet took to these shoes really well. When the terrain was at its worst around Skeggles Water they kept me moving forward. Descending Sticks Pass in the snow, they gave me the confidence to trust every step.

I used the TRAILFLY G 270 early on, and then for the 14-mile roadsection to finish I benefited from the cushioning of the TRAILFLY ULTRA G 300 MAX. They were excellent on the road and for when I needed to nip off and head down a trail to touch the last few waters. They coped well with the muddy shorelines.

A quick mention for the RACE ULTRA PRO 5 VEST as well. I struggle with skin irritations and even more so in cold, wet conditions. This pack suits me and I kept it on for the duration of my run. I’d planned to take it off and lighten my load at around 60 miles, but it was comfortable and unnoticeable, so it stayed on. I packed a few bars and a bottle of water into it, so I wasn’t pestering my support runners to hand me something every five minutes. It is a brilliant pack.

What would be your advice for anyone considering the Lakes, Meres & Waters round?

Go and spend some time of the route. Learn how it flows and how the terrain varies fromsection tosection. As long as the bodies of water are physically touched you can choose your own route or lines between each. I enjoyed studying the maps and tweaking the route to put my own stamp on it.

What next? Plans for 2022?

I have a wedding around the corner so running will take a back seat for a little while now, then it’s full focus on UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) next August. There will be a few long escapades before that, I’m sure.

*All photos by Sam Hill @hill_adventures

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