That was a lovely day out in the Peaks It was great to meet Duff and Derby Tup, thanks for your company. Some photos:
Happy runners on the way to Druid's Stone, above Edale.
On reaching the checkpoint near Ladybower we were devastated to discover that the ice cream van had gone home early.
Into the pretty woods just after Padley Gorge (I thought it was just my vision that was blurred at this point, turns out I'd sweated into the camera).
The home stretch, looking down on Bradwell. Hope cement works has never looked so attractive.
Hmm, a lot of missed checkpoints, by people finishing quite high up as well.
I'm not saying this for personal gain, as is wasn't a race I'd targetted, I entered last minute when Safety Pin started this thread having forgotten all about it. My aim was a nice long day out in the countryside I love, where I do most of my fell running and walking, not for time or position, and I had the grand day out I wanted.
But, if I'd been doing the Vasque series this year I think I'd be a little irritated since time in relation to the winner counts. Looking at the splits and talking to others at the end, a lot of people (including the winners - and me) missed the checkpoint before the final climb onto Stanage Edge and retraced their steps - there's splits around 30 minutes instead of about 20.
I know it's supposed to be a running event rather than orienteering, and I'm sure everyone went along that track and passed within a few metres of it and didn't intentionally miss it, but the fact is some people decided to go back to get it, others didn't and gained an advantage. A few other checkpoints, there's a similar story, that tree by the tunnel for instance, some people will have spent longer looking that others.
Having been on the receiving end of a disqualification before for missing a dibber point on another event, I do think that would have been unnecessarily harsh. But maybe a time penalty should have been added?
Or am I just being a misery?
A bike ride out to watch the Newark Half Marathon this morning was a bit of a contrast to yesterday
I do a lot of LDWA challenge events and don't think 18 dibber points fitted into the format well tbh. Not so bad when running at 'social pace' in a group I suppose but must have been a bit fraught at the sharp end
Poacher turned game-keeper
The sharp end was a social group to Lose Hill at least It just got smaller and smaller afterwards.
18 was a lot, and they weren't all as obvious as I'd have liked. Putting them on gates/stiles you have to pass through is fine. Putting them on fence posts when you are running up a road didn't feel right. Or reaching over a bridge - fun to do with a load of bemused walkers watching you, but it didn't seem to fit with what I'm used to for an ultra.