Unity

[Yorkshire Thug]

we have no interest in re-unifying with the WA/SAL groups but only with EFRA.

Well, that’s one way of looking at it ... but a huge majority of runners seem to think otherwise.
Personally, I voted for disaffiliation in the ballot – largely because of the fact that our sport, although classed as part of the athletics family, is obviously a misfit, and the more it gets adjusted to fit in, the less attractive it becomes to the pure fellrunner.

This is a conundrum which I think the committee will have always had to do battle with, and, realistically, it would probably have arisen even had we disaffiliated.

Thinking as objectively as I can, it seems to me that the way forward for a healthy sport is to have a united body of runners. That way we present a strong organisation whether or not we remain as part of the athletics family. It is the only way to sort out the future of our sport while protecting the parts of it we cherish.

Saying that we cannot unite because of some third party body like UKA is not really helpful. We must unite and the sooner the better.

What does anybody else think?

[wkb21]

We must unite and the sooner the better.

I agree entirely with all YT's comments. The broad church which is UKA will always try to constrain us within its 160 pages of Rules, and screw it up because of their Byzantine complexity which is totally unnecessary for us. The last five years or so of the UKA Fell and Hill PST has not protected us from damage despite having our own representation on that body (why not?). Nor has UKA representation on our own committee. I still await this elusive evidence that all the confusion and lack of proper communication with UKA is now in the past. Progress needs careful scrutiny before the next FRA AGM.

An all-UK FRA is the way forward. That's made impossible within UKA; so it has to be without.

[XRunner]

That's made impossible within UKA

The various organisations that control fell/hill/mountain running within the UK can get together and form a single controlling body. This only requires the cooperation of UKA, EA, WA, SA and NIA.

I suspect that it will be the Celtic organisations that will prevent this happening however.

I look forward to Part 2 of Toffer's explaination for the split in the Welsh hill running community.

It may be interesting if somebody from the Scottish community can give an unbiased explaination for the situation in that part of the country.

[daz h]

only been a fellrunner for a few years now but i would love to see fellrunning united as one , i voted to disafilliate because i believe that the fra could certainly run fellrunning without the need for UKA to be involved , this im sure would have furthered the cause considerably for all the relevant organisations including the fiery celts to re unite, i looked at it from both a financial and administrative perspective and im certain it would work, fellrunning certainly has the individuals in itself to make it work, but we voted and here we are.

my opinion is that UKA and the running fraternity in general dont see fellraces as a serious sport in fact i would go as far as to say that lots of em dont even class it as running at all, ive had clubmates laugh at me when ive told them of some quirky named race ive been to. Ive even had someone say well cmon you just walk up the hill and trot back down again when are you going to do a mans race again
Im hopefull that UKA will change but its hard to see how it would benefit them, yeah they will prob say we want you on board felltypes but are they really that bothered.

[Yorkshire Thug]

An all-UK FRA is the way forward. That's made impossible within UKA; so it has to be without.

No, nay, never!

Of course it’s possible – and it would be possible with or without UKA. We just decide we’re going to do it ... and do it!

And if the WFRA and SHR factions feel the need to stay outside the UKA fold, that should not stop them from contributing and benefiting too.

It’s time we started talking more about progress and less about past problems.

[XRunner]

Im hopeful that UKA will change .

I think fell running will have to change and adapt a more modern approach to the sport.

In particular it will have to redefine the sport and encompass off-road running in all its different varieties.

If fell running wants to stay in the past and only encourage traditional races in a few select areas of the country, then other organisations will soon take over the sport.

It is the fell running community that has to sort out their sport, not some other organisation that has delegated control of the sport to the FRA in England.

If EA started to tell race organisers that old established events should be reclassified as trail races or even cross country, there would be a major outcry from the fell running community.

[Fellhound]

...the fact that our sport, although classed as part of the athletics family, is obviously a misfit, and the more it gets adjusted to fit in, the less attractive it becomes to the pure fellrunner.

Well, I'm flabbergasted! YT comes up with a description of the problem in a nutshell....

Never thought I'd say that

[Yorkshire Thug]

I think fell running will have to change and adapt a more modern approach to the sport.

But we cannot effectively introduce changes while we are currently split. If we do, then we will probably create further splits.

[david]

I think fell running will have to change and adapt a more modern approach to the sport.

In particular it will have to redefine the sport and encompass off-road running in all its different varieties.

If fell running wants to stay in the past and only encourage traditional races in a few select areas of the country, then other organisations will soon take over the sport.

It is the fell running community that has to sort out their sport, not some other organisation that has delegated control of the sport to the FRA in England.

If EA started to tell race organisers that old established events should be reclassified as trail races or even cross country, there would be a major outcry from the fell running community.

I really do struggle to follow your logic sometimes .

[Wheeze]

I agree. I'm worried by Xrunners fixation with 'control'. I don't want to control anything when I go fell running. I just want to run on the hills with people who feel the same way as me, to hell with the result (but its nice if you pull a good one out of the bag!), to hell with politics, committees, rules and regulations. Lets just worry about that big bugger up ahead, try to ignore that looming storm front and pray to Our Lady of Quadriceps for deliverance from DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness!!)
Oh, and first one home gets the round in! And don't forget, be nice to the marshals!!