Fellsman

[Dixie]

Sent the Fellsman folk a quick email I changed my mind and suggested a late April doo. Next year is the 50th and their has been talk of a party as well.:thumbup:

[are we nearly there yet?]

Sent the Fellsman folk a quick email I changed my mind and suggested a late April doo. Next year is the 50th and their has been talk of a party as well.:thumbup:

late April is hopefully not going to clash with the 3 Peaks on 28th, the front runners on that one may well clash at some point with slower Fellsman entrants coming off Ingleborough or up Whernside? not ideal to say the least!

[chesterblue]

Anyone have an update on likely dates? The website seems to be down?

[dmd]

Anyone have an update on likely dates? The website seems to be down?

Website problem is being fixed and it should be back later today.

There is still no official decision on the date. The only thing certain is that it can't be in May or June.

[dmd]

It's a bit counter-productive though, saying not to go 'cos it's private land when it obviously isn't, in the sense that you do have a right to be there. If it's about nesting birds why not say so, and give out general areas which it would be appreciated that we avoid; after all, wanting to protect the birds is every bit as valid a reason (as saying it's 'private land') to avoid certain areas.

It all boils down to safeguarding the event. Much of it is privately owned, and the right to roam does not apply to organised events. If there is obviously a huge influx of walkers/runners practicing for the event, it might cause certain landowners to withdraw permission. On the whole, the farmers and other landowners are an amenable bunch, but there are one or two who might be classed as awkward buggers. The Fellsman committee members make a point of visiting every farmer every year to ask for permission and check for any concerns or issues. The usual response is "Aye lad, yer'll be right" but it's important to maintain the goodwill in order that we can have a 50th, 60th and so on.

The nesting birds issue is now becoming a concern, hence the proposed date change next year. Who knows what other problems this could cause?

[dmd]

Why did they alter the start time - I assume it was to allow the fastest of the runners to get through the distance without being grouped?

It's many years since the start was at 12.

Another part of the reason is the time that the last few hikers hobble in. This is usually around 1pm so with a midday start they wouldn't be back until around 4pm. The checkpoint teams have had a long night and there is a lot to do at HQ to return the school to normal order.

[plodding bear]

If nesting birds is the issue, it'll probably have to go to later in the year. At the back end of April, the same concerns will apply to birds as they do the 2nd week of May. If we are causing a problem to the birds, then I don't mind the date being moved!

[Toreador]

If we are causing a problem to the birds, then I don't mind the date being moved!

Presumably the same birds might cause a problem later in the year, when they are being blasted out of the sky by men with guns...

[plodding bear]

I think the keepers would have something to say if the curlews, dotterel, golden plovers etc were shot at with the same merry abandon that the poor old grouse come in for!

[AndyA]

Apologies if I've started a new Fellsman thread but I couldn't find an old one for 2011.

Their website seems to be playing up and I just need to know if they've announced a 2012 date yet; anyone know?

Also, intrigued as to why there's no thread on this race yet lots of wittering about everything else, is there something I should know?

Do real fellrunners (not sure I count myself in this category, never really got the beard to look convincing enough) shun the Fellsman for some reason?