Pen Cerrig Calch

[Rhys]

Rhys, the year it was shortened was way before that...mid 90's maybe? I know, coz I woz there! Also woz there at 2004 race...brilliant, loved it!

Well you said a "few years ago" not "over a decade ago" so I so I assumed you were referring to 2004!

I wasn't there in 2004 but do remember the day; landing at Birmingham airport after a snowboarding holiday. In those winds it was the most exciting landing ever. Scary in fact. The pilot got a round of applause if I remember rightly. Later in the day a window blew out of my brothers girlfriend's flat while we were there and branches were falling around us whilst walking through a park.

I was quite surprised when I heard it'd been shortened this year. I couldn't make it due to a prior engagement, however the weather at home in South Wales (at about 100m altitude) was unpleasant but didn't seem that bad. However, it's the organiser's call on the day.

Rhys

[Rodders rambler]

No question that the organiser is a great guy, and was in a no-win situation. I'm sure seeing the death of a competitor changes your decision-making process. It's a real shame if fear of a lawsuit plays a part in the decision but a sad fact of life nowadays. I think it is a worrying trend. However i still think the decision to shorten the race was wrong. The winds were only 30mph on the ridge, i've trained and raced in worse many times. I went up on the ridge half an hour before the race and i would have been happy to stand on the summit for an hour with the right gear on. If the athletes are going to take the race, the conditions and their own safety seriously, then i think it's only fair for the organisation to take the athletes seriously by providing a decent race, even if that meant 2 or 3 lower laps. This was a national championship race- it's not just as simple as going for a run afterwards!

Excellent post.Well put

[Grubby]

I did the '3 Peaks Trial' on the day of the race. There are usually about ten or twelve folk run it each year, although it's intended for walkers.There are several different courses - I elected for supposedly the toughest course of just over 17miles and 5000+ft.
My route had me on top of Cerrig Calch at about 10-30am, at which time visibility was good, a bit of breeze (didn't impede running) and a bit of light rain ocassionally.
Incidently, there is some shelter at the top of CC, in the form of a round enclosure. Not brilliant but enough to take the sting out of the elements if you're lying in a bivvybag holding a clip board.

By the time I got to the top of Sugar loaf nearly 50 mins later, the wind had picked up considerably.
I'm loathe to criticise organisers. However, had I felt inclined to keep folk off the top, I would have flagged a more interesting and technical course than apparently was done. Surely, for a Championship race, an Organiser will have a car boot full of flags for just such an occasion, and will have reccied a route for this eventuality ?

I'm in a bit of a whingey mood at the moment. My road running club has decided to have the Winter Sugarloaf race, as part of it's Club Championship series. You don't really need much in the way of fell running skills (as opposed to fitness) for that !

[Wheeze]

I'd previously mentioned that the learning point from this is that the WFRA probably needs to ensure that there is a foul weather alternative for any race selected for the championship. The problem with that is that it already stretches a very thin shoestring of willing volunteers even further....and we don't have the luxury of a very large pool of races from which to select.

I guess the ultimate response is that for all those who feel moved to complain, then they should try organising an event themselves. Granted Iain, you spent your professional life in the hills but that is very much the exception to the rule.

I chatted with the RO at Llanbedr Blaenavon and he mentioned that he had received several emails of apology from people who had been annoyed but, on reflection, accepted his predicament.

[IainR]

Fair enough, it does seem, from that one visit, and comments on here that south wales (Brecon) Fell running is less well supported than North Wales running, is that the case? I thought with more people living in the south it would be as well, if not better, supported. Up here ex/injured/resting runners, MRT's, runners relatives, even villagers etc seem to provide a nice stream of marshals and helpers.

BTW, our busines is very much part time unfortunately we both have full time jobs at the moment, hopefully as it grows we can cut down and put more time in the business. But at the moment there's a conflict between working at the weekends and racing.

[Longdogs]

What about some formalised system of decision-making about shortening races in bad weather? After all, with the amount of meteorological data we have at our fingertips there should be no need for subjectivity and emotional responses to supercede scientific rationale.

I do take the point about small fields and numbers of helpers, but if the infrastructure to put on a championship race doesn't exist, organisers can say no. Cutting short races unnecessarily is hardly likely to encourage turnout. At no time on PCC are you more than a mile from a road or dwelling!

For what it's worth i have helped organise races in the past, and would like to try and resurrect the Cribyn race for 2009...

[rocksteady]

Cribyn...one the best races in south wales