Mercia Hill Trial

[jtinnion]

Sunday 20/1/2012 from Church Stretton Social Club, Essex Avenue, Church Stretton. Similar format to and good warm up for the Kinder Trial: visit all the checkpoints in any order and return to base ASAP. Solo for those with some orienteering / mountain marathon / similar experience (bring along a result print out please), pairs for novices to nav events, we can pair you on the day. Entry available on the day, but please PM me to let me know if possible before hand so I can get the number of maps, tallies, rolls and soups about right!

More info on the pdf linked here.

Look forward to seeing you
Jim

[Chris]

Well done Jim and the rest of the Mercia team, what a cracking event. Great organisation, enough route choice to be interesting but without being too challenging. The weather added to the enjoyment and it was beautiful up on the Mynd today. Please make it a regular event as my wife wants us to do it as a pair next time.

[jtinnion]

Thanks for the great review, Chris.

The 2014 Mercia Hill Trial is now in the calendar, route planning done, just a few detailed checkpoint locations to scout now.

It's on Sunday 19th January with registration from 09:30 and starts from 10:00 to 11:00. This year we're primarily operating on pre-entries (£8), there may be a few entries available on the day (£10) but the only way to guarantee a run is to get over to SI entries and pre-enter:

http://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php...&event_id=1203


More details at the SI Entries link above, on the Races section of the FRA site in the next day or two, or on the Mercia website at:

http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2229

Full kit, and you will need to provide details of at least one event involving navigation you have done in the past (e.g. mountain marathons, orienteering, other Hill Trials like LDMT, Kinder, Gritstone Tryal etc.). If you don't have experience you can run in a pair with a friend who has or we MAY be able to pair you up - PM me.

Hope to see lots of you on the 19th January!

[jtinnion]

Should have said, a spot prize for the first solo entry is still up for grabs.

[jtinnion]

Final call for entries for the 2015 Mercia Hill Trial on Sunday 22nd February - details and entries at:

https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.ph...&event_id=1795

We've got a couple of really good courses planned, maps are going to print this weekend, and it's all set for another classic. If you've done the Longmynd Valleys race, you know (roughly) what to expect on the long course, but fear not, the second half doesn't bite as hard as the first!

[helix]

Heads up! According to the Mercia Fell Runners website there is no Hill Trial this year; absolutely gutted. I expect that there is a good reason for this. It's back on in 2019 though!

[Dave_Mole]

but according to the FRA callendar it's on:
http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=5923

will check with the RO.

[Dave_Mole]

just checked: it HAS been cancelled this year.

see here:
http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/3005

[helix]

Just goes to show that without the dedication of ROs taking time out of their own lives' to put events on; we'd have no races to enter.

I hope all goes well with the cottage renovations.

[Travs]

My first attempt at this on sunday.

Doing the long course, which is vaguely similar in stats to the LDMT short course.

Despite the Long Mynd being my closest area of fell-running country, and probably having done more races here than anywhere else, i don't feel like i really know these hills. Sure i know the race routes and the lie of the land, but not like in the Lake District where i can happily piece together routes in my head.

Could be a tough day.