Its a good question though. The real value of any navigational device is can it save you when to poo hits the fan? I'd hate to be without map and compass then. But in a race, if you get to that stage, the race is lost and its all about safety.
For racing, a pre-programmed route with audible prompts would help with any nadgery navigational choices without having to slow down to faff with map and compass. Is that 'cheating'?
Simon Blease
Monmouth
No more than a caffeine hit or something a bit more potent maybe. oops I will step aside from the fanOriginally Posted by Wheeze
The older I get the Faster I was
Instructions for the OMM last year said GPS was allowed providing it wasn't used as a navigation aid. So recording your run on your watch was fine, using it as a navigation tool was not. I imagine most races would be in line with this, it seems the most pragmatic solution given that 90% of runners will want to use some such device.
It's worth considering that the mapping on watches is fairly/totally crap, so unless you have a preprogrammed gpx file of your route the watches gps would be of limited use. The only time I ever asked mine for my coordinates it told me what I already knew: you're in the middle of those woods.
I use an ambit and like to look at my route afterwards, see where I went, consider options for next time and so on but I would never contemplate using it to navigate in a race as I think navigation is as much a part of fell running ability as any other skill, like descending or crossing rough ground. If you aren't much good at either of those you can do them more slowly, practice till you get better or navigate an alternate route - you don't expect the RO to build steps or pave a way across a boulder field. Lets face it, using a GPS to navigate makes it easier therefore it inevitably reduces the level of skill/ability required to negotiate a route, therefore it detracts from the quality of the event. I've likened it before to golfers wanting bigger holes nearer to the tee or tennis players wanting bigger bats.
Where I do think a GPS would be worth having in races is that in bad weather you often know where you are going but not perhaps exactly where you are and if in those circumstances you come across an injured runner it would be very helpful to be able to get an accurate GR to pass on.
I agree Mark...thing is, how do you make sure no-one uses GPS to navigate?
Lets say a Brit Champ decider is run in foul whether over challenging navigational terrain. Runner A relies on his acquired skill and careful use of map and compass to make the right nav choices. Runner B has pre-programmed a route with nav alerts on his GPS watch and just plows on through the murk, turning whenever the watch pings an alert. A and B were neck and neck in the champs but B romps home 5 mins ahead of A and is crowned champ. Has A been robbed by a cheat?
Simon Blease
Monmouth
The following is more applicable to orienteering and Mountain Marathon events but I have seen criticism of the use of GPS watches for distance estimation in events.
Pacing onto a control from an attack point is a skill that needs practice and an understanding that you will have a different pace count on different aspects and terrain. This is harder than glancing at your wrist to see that you have travelled the 250 metres you needed to.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote