A TEAM of fell runners honoured a man who provided support for many long distance mountain endeavours before his death.

The athletes paid their respects to the late Fred Rogerson, of Windermere, by escorting his ashes around the Bob Graham Round - a 72-mile fell run visiting 42 of the Lake District’s highest peaks in under 24 hours. They ran in relay, starting and finishing at Keswick’s Moot Hall with change overs at Threlkeld, Dunmail, Wasdale and Honister.

Mr Rogerson’s ashes were carried in a pocket watch case presented by Bob Graham to his pacer Phil Davison in 1927.

Although Mr Rogerson, who died in November last year at the age of 89, never completed the round himself, he was instrumental in the foundation of the Bob Graham Club in 1971 and a regular supporter of runners who set out to complete the gruelling round.

The athletes completed the round in 22 hours and 40 minutes. The pace slowed to a walk at Portinscale where the runners were joined by a dozen members of Mr Rogerson’s family and some fell running notables.

Among them was 83-year-old Alan Heaton, the first person to repeat Bob Graham’s 42 peaks back in 1960, and later pushed the 24 hour fell record up to 60 peaks. Also paying his respects was Bill Smith, writer of the iconic ‘Stud Marks On The Summits’ who himself ran a 55 peak round in 1976. He travelled to Honister from his Liverpool home entirely by public transport although well over 70.