A Timely Reminder.

[Wheeze]

Its only a short 3.5 mile race.
Its totally on my doorstep and I train on the hill regularly and have done for over 15 years.
I know it like the back of my hand.
The weather was, well, interesting! 17 degrees in December?
But there had been slinging rain and dense mist shrouded the summit and the mid slopes to varying extent.

I was racing well. The ascent was hard but I felt great. The course was well marked. Hitting the descent, I took my time because it was treacherously slippy. I couldn't see any markers but viz was very low and, anyway, I knew where I was going. I had half a dozen followers coz they knew I was a local.

Except somehow I went 90 degrees too far east and ended up adding half a mile to the route by the time I corrected my error.
A comfortable midfield position slipped to a last quarter position.
In the circumstances the most I paid was embarrassment and loss of league points.
Had the temperature been zero (quite possible) the consequences could have been much worse.

Lessons: To me - always take a quick bearing in poor viz.
To the others - never follow someone. Take responsibility for your own route in poor viz!

The Skirrid Race - Fantastic!

[mr brightside]

It happened to me on Dale Head a few years ago, it's amazing how you can be caught out when there's no viz.

[Mossdog]

Its only a short 3.5 mile race.
Its totally on my doorstep and I train on the hill regularly and have done for over 15 years.
I know it like the back of my hand.
The weather was, well, interesting! 17 degrees in December?
But there had been slinging rain and dense mist shrouded the summit and the mid slopes to varying extent.

I was racing well. The ascent was hard but I felt great. The course was well marked. Hitting the descent, I took my time because it was treacherously slippy. I couldn't see any markers but viz was very low and, anyway, I knew where I was going. I had half a dozen followers coz they knew I was a local.

Except somehow I went 90 degrees too far east and ended up adding half a mile to the route by the time I corrected my error.
A comfortable midfield position slipped to a last quarter position.
In the circumstances the most I paid was embarrassment and loss of league points.
Had the temperature been zero (quite possible) the consequences could have been much worse.

Lessons: To me - always take a quick bearing in poor viz.
To the others - never follow someone. Take responsibility for your own route in poor viz!

The Skirrid Race - Fantastic!

Yeap, happened to me one night last week on a mid-week headtorcher in thick cloud while on the fell run from my back door that I've run 1000s of times. A lapse of concentration, mesmerised by the 'pretty patterns' on the bent in front of me, and i totally missed the turn and only realised when ended up in a v boggy gully on the wrong side of the ridge - bugger! Didn't get back home in time for the Archers - double bugger

[Ed D]

I lost my bearing completely up the Sugarloaf last week Wheeze, in spite of having run up there countless times. I only worked out where I was by recognising how the paths join and split up there. Had I been completely out in the sticks it would have been a bit scary!

[Wheeze]

Just to give some illustration to this horlicks.
Here is the race route run correctly. You come in at 1 o'clock over a stile on the north and run a clockwise loop, visiting the summit and then returning to the entry stile.
skirrid right.jpg

Here is my garmin trace from Saturday. As you can see, I ran almost due East off the summit and even then when I could see the boundary fence I still ploughed on South until I realised my error and had a long double-back to the stile!
skirrid wrong.jpg

Take a bearing!!!!