Fellsman

[DinoF]

Race organisers definately made the right decision -a very very hard decision indeed.

Are there any results anywhere - I suspect not just yet, cannot imagine trying to put all that into order!

I think I was among the first groups to be stopped at Park Rash, as the call was made at 1:41am and I was straight into a minibus and back in Threshfield by 2:30am.

I still felt good at the time we arrived at Park Rash, and was ready to join the procession of head torches I could see moving up Great Whernside. However, reading Nick Ham's account of the last 10 miles and speaking to others (like Twinkletoes), I realise there was still a long way to go through brutal conditions and I fully understand why the decision was made to stop the race then.

Look forward to coming back next year to do the job properly. I expect it to be 30 degrees all day, and for there to be lots of discussion about how people should have been prepared for handling the heat!

[Stolly]

I expect it to be 30 degrees all day, and for there to be lots of discussion about how people should have been prepared for handling the heat!

I think 2008 was supposed to be a boiler with runners dropping like flies due to heat stroke and dehydration

[DinoF]

I think 2008 was supposed to be a boiler with runners dropping like flies due to heat stroke and dehydration

You can wear your new Merino wool fleece then.

[caroleengel]

" If these people are not happy with it then why not run your own anytime challenge/route or even an event then come back and see if your veiw is the same !"

Yes, I have done that - 10 events to date, so i think I do have a right to express my personal opinion and I do realise the difficulties that can be encountered and the hard work that needs to be put in. I had hoped that fair criticism would be taken as a positive learning experience, not a gripe for the sake of it. We welcome positive criticism of our events and positively encourage it - how can you improve without knowing what you are doing wrong? I shall be forever grateful for the posts about hypothermia explaining what needs to be done in such a situation (as I certainly did not know) and also how to organise effective grouping in a mixed ability group (although i was aware of that one).

[dmd]

To my mind (feel free to disagree here) the Fellsman is primarily a running not a walking event; entrants are free to walk if they want to but will need to carry significantly warmer clothing.

I will certainly disagree there. For the majority of the years that the Fellsman has operated, it was the Fellsman Hike, and there were no runners. In recent years, a lot of runners have joined the happy band, and we are pleased that the event's popularity has increased because of this to a level where it is over-subscribed. The "Hike" part was dropped from the name as it no longer made sense given the amount of runners taking part, but old habits die hard and many of us are still struggling to remember not to refer to entrants as hikers. Walkers will always be welcome equally to runners. I will be very disappointed if this ever changes, because I hope some day to have another crack at it myself and I am not a runner. I have only tried it once, unsuccessfully, but it was enough to gain a very healthy respect for the challenge of the event.

So we don't call it a hike, or a race, and we don't say hiker. It's an event with entrants.

[Dog Breath]

The forum clique is closing ranks. How dare I have the audacity to even suggest that a respected forum member could have got things wrong. I should know my place. Sincere apologies. I will only say nice things in the future. :thumbup:

[old un]

" If these people are not happy with it then why not run your own anytime challenge/route or even an event then come back and see if your veiw is the same !"

Yes, I have done that - 10 events to date, so i think I do have a right to express my personal opinion and I do realise the difficulties that can be encountered and the hard work that needs to be put in. I had hoped that fair criticism would be taken as a positive learning experience, not a gripe for the sake of it. We welcome positive criticism of our events and positively encourage it - how can you improve without knowing what you are doing wrong? I shall be forever grateful for the posts about hypothermia explaining what needs to be done in such a situation (as I certainly did not know) and also how to organise effective grouping in a mixed ability group (although i was aware of that one).

Well if you've run 10 events then credit where its due, you do have a more informed opinion than me , however I still disagree with you and think cancelling was correct. Your right it wasn't raining but it was due and it came ! I was ok gear wise as I didn't skimp and agree on the point some were not fully prepared , there was a lot of thin montane style jackets and small packs but the marshells can't selectively pull people out , what if they made a wrong choice and a tradegy happend ? Like yourself many of us could handled worse but surley these sort of decsions are based on the most at risk members on the event. And I do see the point on having had previous events to get on these top end events like a 50m or a mm like some other events do.

[Stolly]

The forum clique is closing ranks. How dare I have the audacity to even suggest that a respected forum member could have got things wrong. I should know my place. Sincere apologies. I will only say nice things in the future. :thumbup:

I think I knew I'd got things wrong and readily admitted to exactly that. All you did was rub it in super smugly

[Dog Breath]

I think I knew I'd got things wrong and readily admitted to exactly that. All you did was rub it in super smugly

No not at all. Someone said it was bad luck, and responded by saying luck had nothing to do with it. I complimented you on making the right decision to retire by recognising your situation. You've acknowledged where you went wrong and will no doubt be back next year more prepared and be successful. I wasn't being smug, rather saying that my previous Fellsman experiences helped me get through. Cheers.

[Hes]

Dog Breath, I don't think the forum is closing ranks at all but just responding to two posts that you have made that I think have a judgemental tone. You imply in this post that Stolly doesn't take personal responsibility for himself when I would counter that pulling out when he knew he was struggling and recognising where he could have improved matters for himself is pretty responsible behaviour. Whereas moaning about a member of your group that you had to wait for for 30minutes when you were all supposed to be supporting each other and within sight of each other at all times was not a responsible attitude in my opinion. On that part of the event, it isn't just about taking personal responsibility but also being responsible for three other people and you could have used the wealth of your own experience to help that person instead of getting frustrated with them, that's all.

Sensible decision retiring, but it sounds as if bad luck had nothing to do with it. More like poor pace judgment, poor food intake (which I wrote about earlier but was largely ignored), and poor kit management amongst others. By taking personal responsibility and managing these factors I did not suffer any of Stolly's hardships and completed the event.