Yahoo Finance 73-year-old fell runner breaks record for one of Britain’s toughest endurance challenges
A seasoned hill runner from Rossendale has broken the record age group time for the Joss Naylor Lakeland challenge.
Ken Taylor, 73, covered the notoriously difficult Cumbria course of 30 summits over 48 miles in just 14 hours and 22 minutes.
This is a drastic improvement on the previous over 70s record of 18 hours and 15 minutes, which was set by Rainer Burchett in 2009.
The committed athlete, who is also a survivor of stomach cancer, commenced the challenge of climbing over 17,000ft at 3am on August 23rd, alongside a mandated team of supporters.
The experience was wrought with endless obstacles, including damp terrain and murky weather.
'You couldn’t see anything and it was pure navigation. For over half the route the rocks were so slippy and the footpaths became rivers,' he told LancsLive.
Despite the poor conditions and repeated trips, Taylor revealed he had no doubts he would finish.
'I must have fallen half a dozen times, but I don’t think there was any stage where I didn’t think I would complete it,' he said.
Having overcome cancer ten years ago, Taylor now adapts his training regime to ensure he is fuelled adequately for his adventures. His stomach was removed following the diagnosis, which prevents him from loading up on running food staples like pasta and bread. He relies heavily on alternatives like thin soup, porridge and flapjacks to meet his high carbohydrate needs, and stocks up on energy drinks to keep him going on the trail.
Taylor also took on the challenge to raise money for North West Air Ambulance, a life-saving service with which his wife has volunteered in the past. Donations to the fundraiser, which has already collected over £1,000, can be made here.
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