Originally Posted by
ydt
"Following a GPS track would have been easier but not in the spirit.." Many things have changed and improved since Bob Graham completed the ROUND: the footware, the clothes and other gear, the quality of the paths, the local knowledge possessed by the navigators. The only thing that always stays constant is the amount of effort required from the contender to cover the distance and climb within 24 hours. Many (if not most) contenders rely on navigators for accurate route finding which can improve their chance of success. The method used by the navigator to find the best way, i.e. good local knowledge, skilful map reading or GPS navigation does not lessen the effort required by the contender to complete the challenge; it just helps prevent doing distance and climb over and above what is required. A GPS track is nothing more than a map track, it is just easier to follow, especially in bad conditions. Events where navigation skills are an essential part of the challenge, are quite different from the BGR and use of GPS in those would be cheating.