Sabrina Verjee takes on Wainwright Round a second time
After setting the women’s record for a supported Wainwright Round last year, Sabrina Verjee is back for another go.
She set off from outside her home in Langdale early this Friday morning and her aim is to finish the round in under six days. The current record is 6 days, 6 hours and 5 minutes.
“I’ve been planning to repeat it ever since, but in even better style.”
Sabrina says her main motivation is to complete the 214 peak round faster and better than her last attempt, which was disrupted and delayed by lockdown. During the round, she also became injured and was literally supported on some descents, when she was no longer able to bend her knee.
“Despite the injury, last year’s journey around the Wainwrights was a wonderful experience and I’ve been planning to repeat it ever since, but in even better style,” says Sabrina. “My aim is to complete my round in under six days, or at the very least, faster than last time. I have a very special team of close friends willing me along and it’s that element that means the most to me.
“Running is an amazing sport for mental health – for me it’s not actually about setting a record at all, but about the enjoyment, the camaraderie and the support team. This is a team effort – like football with one person scoring the goal, but the whole team wanting the same thing. Our fingers are crossed that the weather will be kind and that my body behaves!”
Sabrina Verjee is one of the UK’s leading ultra-runners, having completed the five-day Dragon’s Back Race in Wales on three occasions, finishing second place in the women’s race in 2017 and 2019. In 2019, she won the women’s category in the Spine Race along the Pennine Way, finishing fifth overall, and last year she set a fastest known time for a female athlete completing the entire length of the Pennine Way from north to south. She is a veterinary surgeon and lives in Cumbria.
Like last year, Sabrina is asking members of the public to not join her at any time on the fells or at the finish. Her progress will be tracked live online by Open Tracking, and the round is being filmed and photographed, thanks to support from La Sportiva, Berghaus and Right Lines Communications. All three companies will share updates on social media throughout the run, including the latest footage and photography as Sabrina makes progress around her route.