Ricky To Go for Record ?

[Yaks]

Interesting interview in the latest Trail Running magazine with both Ricky Lightfoot and Billy Bland - talking about Billy's BG record amongst other things.

Ricky hints that he may have a go at it this year "I'd like to have a go at a fast BG, if I happen to feel right. But I'll decide a few weeks before - if I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I've no set plan"

So, based on Ricky's results over the past couple of years, is he in with a chance of getting close or beating the record, or is he more suited to trail running than fell running ?

[djglover]

He is a great runner for sure, but he won't get close to that I'm sure

[Alan Lucker]

He is a great runner for sure, but he won't get close to that I'm sure

I think he has the class to go very close. His run at the Ennerdale trail race last year was pretty special.

[Bob]

Given how long Billy's record has stood for, as well as the size of the margin to the next quickest - basically an hour or 7%, it is quite different to most records where the next quickest time is only a few minutes or less than a single percent at most. If you applied that margin to the current world record for the marathon (2hrs03) then you'd get a time of 1hr54. It took from 1965 to 2012 to take 9 minutes off the world record.

Everything needs to go right on the day, so the weather has to be right for the individual - a little bit too cool or too warm or too humid and it can have a big effect over that length of time.

[Yaks]

The only comparative race time they gave in the article was Borrowdale - 2:34 to 2:49 in Billy's favour. Ricky 9.7% slower, but no idea if conditions were similar on both days ( 1982 vs 2012 )

Not being local to lakes I've no idea if that's a good indicator, or not. Are there any longer races that Ricky has got close to, or beaten Billy's time ?

Interesting that he agreed to the article, it will obviously raise expectations, and if he didn't think he would get close then you wouldn't have thought he would have agreed to it.

[noel]

Interesting that he agreed to the article, it will obviously raise expectations, and if he didn't think he would get close then you wouldn't have thought he would have agreed to it.

I think it's great PR for Salomon either way. He'll probably not do it, but it's got us all talking.

If I were a betting man, I'd give you 7-2 against Ricky beating Billy's record. As has been said, everything would have to go right.

[alwaysinjured]

There ought to be interesting stats here
It ought to be predictable from full gas leg times surely?
The question is what do you need in hand: 10% every time you double the distance is of the order on road PB

So maybe to have a shot at it you have to be able to do individual legs 20% quicker going full bore? Wonder what billy managed in training? Or is it the Billy B and Nicky S of this world just don't slow down like the rest.

Interesting question, but Id say if you can't do legs at least 10% quicker! not a cat in hells...

[Bob]

There ought to be interesting stats here
It ought to be predictable from full gas leg times surely?
The question is what do you need in hand: 10% every time you double the distance is of the order on road PB

So maybe to have a shot at it you have to be able to do individual legs 20% quicker going full bore? Wonder what billy managed in training? Or is it the Billy B and Nicky S of this world just don't slow down like the rest.

Interesting question, but Id say if you can't do legs at least 10% quicker! not a cat in hells...

I'd always thought that the faster rounds set off quick but didn't slow down as much over the later parts. However looking at the times for Billy and the three clustered around an hour slower it seems that this isn't the case. I looked at the times for each leg (rather than between each top which can be very variable) they do slow down at approximately the same rate.

In training for my round I could comfortably do individual legs at 17hr pace (i.e. not pushing at race pace) but there was no way I could maintain that for the full round.

[Hank]

It'd be great to see him have go, no doubt he's a top class runner on the fells.

But Billy's record is perhaps the crowning glory to arguably the best ever fell runner's career. It's going to take something extraordinary to beat it.

[fellgazelle]

I reckon he's as likely a candidate as anyone else at the moment and on the right day etc, he could get close. Would be interesting.