Karen Green, Joss Naylor and  Angela Brand-Barker are joined on the summit by Wasdale MRT members Dave Kennedy, Ian Winn, Nick West, Paul Cook, Rob Scott and Chris Cripps

Karen Green, Joss Naylor and Angela Brand-Barker are joined on the summit by Wasdale MRT members Dave Kennedy, Ian Winn, Nick West, Paul Cook, Rob Scott and Chris Cripps

Three Olympic relay representatives have taken their torches to a new high.

Fellrunning legend Joss Naylor was one of three torchbearers to make the ascent of England’s highest mountain Scafell Pike.

He was joined by Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team doctor Karen Greene, former mountain racer Angela Brand-Barker and other Wasdale team members on the 978m (3,209ft) mountain peak with the famous Olympic torches.

The trio carried their torches through the Cumbrian village of Flimby last month.

Richard Warren, chairman of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, said: “Karen, Joss and Angela thought it would be good to celebrate the forthcoming Olympics in their own special way and raise the profile of mountain rescue by taking the spirit of Olympic challenge to a much higher level.

“The weather was typical for the summer: cold, windy and shrouded in cloud.

Sir Chris Bonington raises the Olympic flag, with Jos Naylor and runner Laura Park, on the summit of Scafell Pike in 2008

Sir Chris Bonington raises the Olympic flag, with Jos Naylor and runner Laura Park, on the summit of Scafell Pike in 2008

“There were more than 200 people on the Pike that day, and hopefully the profile of the mountain rescue team was raised by the event.”

Joss Naylor, a Wasdale shepherd and champion fellrunner, is also chairman of the Wasdale Village Meeting. He overcame a back injury in his youth and has won every fellrunning event in Lakeland and competed and won as far afield as America.

Athlete Chris Brasher wrote that if fellrunning had been an Olympic sport Joss could have beaten Czech athlete Emil Zatapek. To celebrate his 60th birthday Mr Naylor ran the 60 highest peaks in Lakeland. He still runs on the Lakeland mountains most days.

In 2008 he made the ascent of Scafell Pike with mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington to raise the Olympic flag on the summit to mark the UK’s taking over the stewardship of the Games.

The trio was, of course, following mountain rescuers’ advice always to carry a torch when venturing on to the mountains.

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