Pennine Barrier Ultra and Jura Fell race

Planning my adventures for 2026, I decided it was time to try a 50 mile race, stepping up from my longest of just over 30 miles. GB Ultra’s Pennine Barrier Ultra covered hills that had been on my radar for a while. Soon after I’d signed up, ESTR shared the pre-entry details for the Isle of Jura Fell race. Hmm, only 3 weeks after PB Ultra, but no harm in applying, probably won’t be accepted anyway…I was wrong!
The PB Ultra would be my main focus. Everyone who knew Jura mentioned the cut-off times, so this one I would simply aim to finish. Orran set me off on the training plan, a mixture of the ESTR group hill rep sessions (love these!), weekly speed sessions, and gradually building distance on the trails.

The Pennine Barrier Ultra goes from Malham, along the Pennine way, around the Yorkshire three peaks circuit and back. Race day started chilly and misty but quickly warmed up. A chest infection had eaten into my training schedule and I’d realised the cut-offs were not generous compared to other 50 milers, so with low confidence I placed myself near the back of the pack of over 600 starters. Big mistake – less than a km in we are brought to a complete standstill at a gate and several stiles. Fifteen minutes to admire the amazing rock formations of Malham cove and make friends. Then finally moving, probably too fast now in compensation. An odd out and back road section (apparently to make the distance up to 50 miles) then over Fountains Fell to CP1 at 12 miles. No food provided here so I’m fuelling on my own supplies – tailwind, jelly babies, peanut m&ms, PBJ sandwich, cereal bars, cheese. Every long race is a continuous mobile picnic for me and eating isn’t a problem, good job because gels make me gag.

Finally onto the 3 peaks, Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and then Ingleborough. Some rocky slightly scrambly ascents and long broken rock descents. Here my hill-trained legs come into their own. I’m passing people even on the ascents and pack my poles away to have fun going down. On the flatter sections between the peaks the people I’ve passed get their revenge. At checkpoints after every peak I top up tailwind and fill pockets from the huge array of snacks, some of which I didn’t know existed. From CP4 at 34 miles I’m into unknown territory of how I feel when racing. No blisters or niggles but my glutes and leg muscles feel stiff and sore – normal for me after 20 miles or so. But the big revelation was that it didn’t get any worse over the next 30 miles! Back over Fountains Fell and a short detour past the beautiful Janets Foss and there’s just a couple of flat miles to the finish. I’m running well and pick up a friend from the earlier queues, we push each other on and cross the line together. Fifty miles and 2600m of ascent in 13 hours 37 minutes was way better than expected, as was my position just over half the way down the pack and 61/131 women. Chuffed to bits.

Three weeks and a lot of rest later I’m on the little boat from Tayvallich to Jura with a huge pack of camping and running gear. The Paps dominate the view as you approach the island, to quote the Pete Bland race map ‘Nothing has you calling for Mammy quite like your first view of the Paps.’ These three hills are improbable convex piles of scree rising to nearly 800m above the sea. A tourist on the boat muses that they must be impossible to climb. I pitch the tent and immediately set out to prove him wrong. Two days to recce then a rest day. Even in clear weather the recce is scary at times. Super steep up and down with lots of loose rock to scramble over or slide down with. Paths were often invisible with some exposed sections next to big drops. I was glad of the recce GPX file that Orran had provided, confirming the map and compass bearings that I’d prepared for the race. Ticks, angry adders and hidden red deer added extra spice. With not one person seen on the Paps in two days I was reassured to know that hubby Chris was monitoring me from afar on my Garmin InReach. But the views and wildlife were out of this world and at the end of the recce I felt I could go home happy no matter what happened in the race.

Race day was blessed with perfect weather. I took the offered half hour early start but was still worrying about those cut-offs, given how slow I felt on the scree. Orran had guided me to the pace calculator on the ESTR website which gave estimated time over each checkpoint section based on elevation, gradient and distance, so I had a clear idea of what I had to do. I pushed through the first three CPs on the lower ‘pips’ gradually banking 15 minutes clear of the cut-offs even without the extra half hour. Now I could relax and enjoy.
As we climbed Beinn a' Chaolais a sudden mass yelling of ‘ROCKS!’ above us, as a boulder the size of a microwave bounced towards me down the racing line, gathering frightening speed and height. With a couple of dozen other runners, I scurried out of its path, thankfully no-one was hit. Wobbly-kneed with adrenaline I continued the plod to the summit and another scree slide down.
The recce had prepared me mentally for the ridge of Beinn an Oir and in no time I seemed to be at the summit of the final pap, Beinn Shiantaidh. At this point a wonderful pair of experienced Jura race women I’d been chatting with fully adopted me, leading me down a fantastic line to avoid the worst scree of the race. Legs feeling great, nothing left to do but chat to these stars and enjoy the final pip, then, as members of their family join in, the last 3 miles of flat road to the finish.

The Isle of Jura Fell race is very special. A real classic which like the Manx Mountain Marathon was initiated in the 1970’s by the Gaelic scholar George Broderick. It is much tougher than its 28km and 2,400m of climb suggest, but a big softee when it come to the race atmosphere. Many runners come back year after year, often with families for the junior races, with three generations running in some cases. Most camp at the pub and there is a party atmosphere with post-race Ceilidh and friendly support from locals.
So, May was fun and one really key thing I’ve learned – stay confident about what is achievable and keep setting myself challenging goals. No need yet to put myself right at the back or to stress too much about those cut-offs!