New Moel Famau night race

[wheezing donkey]

[QUOTE=IainR;471191]Unfortunately its getting pricey.. over here in the states £80-130 isn't uncommon and there's very few races under $30...

Its a joke.. I don't mind £30 for a marathon or the odd major race but this price is just incredible.. Compare that with races like the Trunce

The only way to stop it is not support them and support the value for money races. I've done a few I thought were too expensive so won't do again. For example £5 to run 4 laps of the cricket pitches at that deeside grand prix.. an absolute classic of a race...

I don't see how a race is someone's turf though... The more race organisers the more sustainable a sport will be.[/QUOTE]

Dear All,
It was purely a jovial dig, an acknowledgement that Martin, as much if not more so than anyone else, appears to have raised the profile of hill / offroad running in the Clwydians ( directly outside his own back door) with many excellent routes at knock-down prices .... something that might be heeded by these new venturers!

[RhosgadMath]

It's a piss take.

You'd run all 10 of the Eryri tuesday night races for less than that price - £15.

Plus at 1830 it won't even be that dark.

Hopefully no one turns up - though I'm sure some numpty will decide to do it in place of spending 50p to do one of the Dash in the Darks!

[Mark Smith]

Dear All,
It was purely a jovial dig, an acknowledgement that Martin, as much if not more so than anyone else, appears to have raised the profile of hill / offroad running in the Clwydians ( directly outside his own back door) with many excellent routes at knock-down prices .... something that might be heeded by these new venturers!

Agreed, he's a legend in these parts and ought to be the go to person for anyone wishing to organise a race in these great little hills.

I'm naturally nosey and intrigued as to what this new race entails, so will go and take a look. It's my money so will take a hit, in the name of research! I am hoping to talk to the RO/s to see where they are coming from. I think I'll form a view after that. I believe that it's always best to deal in knowledge, rather than opinion - which i don't think makes me a numpty

Will gladly feed back what I find!

[downhillracer]

I've done a few I thought were too expensive so won't do again. For example £5 to run 4 laps of the cricket pitches at that deeside grand prix.. an absolute classic of a race... .

Forgive me if I've got the wrong end of the stick, Iain, but £4 per race pre-entry or £12 for the four-race series this year - hardly breaks the bank?! I suspect a wilful shortening of the route in your course description too - I seem to remember not only fast running on fields, but also hard tracks and woods. Undeniably flat, yes, but fast and competitive - good summer cross-country training (and no, I'm not a Deestrider...)

[Usually at the back]

Feedback will be good, the same organisation are also putting on a 10k route in Anglesey in May

[IainR]

Forgive me if I've got the wrong end of the stick, Iain, but £4 per race pre-entry or £12 for the four-race series this year - hardly breaks the bank?! I suspect a wilful shortening of the route in your course description too - I seem to remember not only fast running on fields, but also hard tracks and woods. Undeniably flat, yes, but fast and competitive - good summer cross-country training (and no, I'm not a Deestrider...)

Er,mm not sure..

Anyway I'm not against professional race organisers... What I am against is not getting value for money...

Look at the ultra scene.. huge fees, comparable to the UTMB but the UTMB is worth the money for me. I don't think many of the others aren't.

We make money out of running, doing the guiding work, but we have no complaints.. well as far as I know.. we charge comparable rates to climbing guides, have a regular client base etc.. so its hypocritical to criticise people wanting to make money...

I just don't think many of these races charging big money are providing comparable value for money to the European even US races. But i also think too many inexperienced runners are realising their is a quick buck to me made and stepping across, so haven't raced enough to realise what value for money is and how races in other parts of the world are organised.

[(notsomuchofa)Fellrunner]

Did you go along Mark? Any feedback?

I noticed lots of mine tape & route signs this morning.

[Mark Smith]

I did turn up and run - it was very interesting!

There's two questions really - 1) was the race any good? and 2) was it worth £15?.

The race was actually really good. The route was interesting, and despite the many twists and turns in the route, i never wondered whether I was on the right route. Given that it was dark, it was necessary that the route be well signed, and the small, reflective arrows worked well. It meant that this was a marked trail run rather than a fell race, but it wasn't marketed as a fell race. I enjoyed the run, and the important things (safety, clarity and certainty of route, interesting route) were done well. If it was half the price, it would have been perfect for me as a fellrunner - and there's the rub.

This is not an event designed for fell runners. It;s not aimed at them. What I found when I arrived was a lot of branding (own event and sponsors such as High5, Buf etc), music blaring out and lots of families. The adults race was preceded by a kids race which was, if anything, the main event. The kids loved it and in these days of health and safety, it was good to see them charging about the woods and trails with head torches glaring out. The music irritated me, but the atmosphere did not. It looked like a lot of fun. I asked the RO about what they were about and they are a company that are trying to work with schools to gets kids into the outdoors and adventure racing. They are trying to fill the same space as Scouting, but working more directly with schools - this is their stock in trade. Trail races are a way of growing their brand. There were also links to local charities, which accounted for some of the entry fee.

I'm glad I found out more, because my instinctive view is that this was a bit 'commercial' for me, and it remains so (I prefer Martin's classics but that's because I'm a fellrunner). If this was an attempt to get into a fell running market, then I;d say it was wide of the mark. But this, to me, was a well organised and well run event that was part of a wider offering which might end up doing some good if they can work with schools to get more people outdoors and active.

As a running experience, the darkness aspect was great and they got the racing bits bang on. As an event, it appealed more to the adventure racing/hellrunner types (most of the runners were from those sports/followings). The field was a few dozen and not the highest standard (I was third for crying out loud!). But it was exhilarating to tear down a rough track in the dark trying to catch someone. Knowing what you can get for £4, £15 seemed steep, despite all of the above.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is a well run event, a good race and an interesting experience. But it's not a fell race.

[wheezing donkey]

Mark, That comes across as a very even-handed praesis of the event. Although I was not present, I feel that I'm getting a very real grasp of the occasion. You are virtually writing what I was thinking but no doubt expressed very badly, in Post #2 of this thread.

Ian.

[wheezing donkey]

Did you go along Mark? Any feedback?

I noticed lots of mine tape & route signs this morning.

Just out of interest, (nsmo)FR, what time were you out there this morning? I would have thought that a slick, professional organising team might have gathered the signage in directly after the event?