AMBLESIDE athlete Nicky Lavery completed her second Bob Graham Round at the weekend.

The 37-year-old mother-of-two, who lives on Bankfield Road, Kendal, completed the punishing 72-mile circuit of 42 Lake District peaks, which includes 26,000ft of ascent, in 22 hours and 45 minutes - 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

Supported by a posse of 17 pacers over the five sections, Nicky enjoyed the benefit of near perfect weather conditions although it was boggy underfoot. She also took a buffeting from strong winds which she encountered on the Helvellyn range between 10pm and midnight on Saturday.

Her path on the night sections was clearly illuminated by a full moon and she hardly had to use her head torch.

She set off from the Moot Hall, Keswick, in darkness at 6pm on Saturday and received a warm reception from family and friends as she returned shortly before 5pm on Sunday.

"I felt all right for the first 15 minutes after I had finished but after drinking some champagne and eating fish and chips, I felt quite ill," said Nicky, who is a Grange-based health visitor for the South Cumbria Health Authority.

The high spot of the run for Nicky was watching the sun rise from Great End as she approached Scafell Pike on the stamina-sapping section from Dunmail Raise to Wasdale.

"It was absolutely fantastic," she said, adding: "I was feeling tired at that point but it gave me a real lift."Nicky completed a summer Bob Graham Round ten years ago in 20 hours and 58 minutes.

"This time I did not put in as much training as I did last time," said Nicky, who has been running for about 15 years.

Her build up revolved around a three hour long run on a Sunday supplemented by six milers on every other day of the week. Over Christmas she suffered from a chest infection and needed antibiotics to clear it.

Road support was provided by her husband Mick Hoffe and Stephen Watson and she was joined on the last section by long distance fell running specialist Joss Naylor.

Her pacers were: Keswick to Threlkeld: Roger Bell and Joe Faulkner; Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise: Rick Stuart and Chris Speight; Dunmail Raise to Wasdale: Mike Walford, Chris Lumb, Phil Clarke, John Broxap and Keith Hutchinson; Wasdale to Honister: Graham Watson, Sue Hodgson, Brian Clough, Joss Naylor; Honister to Keswick: Mick Hoffe, Stephen Watson and a couple from Cockermouth.

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