Borrowdale Fell Race

I brought my empty gel packets back but I did notice quite a few discarded ones on the way round - I feel a bit guilty about this, I suppose I should have picked them up, and so should however many of the 460 starters who came after whoever dropped them. I know whoever it was shouldn't have done it in the first place but I suppose those packets are still up there now (and will be for quite some time) and any of us who came after could have prevented that. I also know that its not anyones job to pick up litter during a race but I think I will from now on - if we all do the same it might save us from some adverse publicity from other hill users. Better still lets not drop them in the first place. (I think part of the problem is that they can be very messy and sticky and nobody wants them messing up all the kit inside their bumbags. I carry my first one inside a very thin plastic bag which it goes back inside, rolled up, after use, and later ones go in the same bag - no mess, no problem)

I just put used gel sachets in my lycra: works fine and only takes a second !:)

I'd make sure I suck up every last bit of a gel (feel I need it all ;)) and then put the packet back in my bum bag. It's not hard & it doesn't take any time at all. No excuses.

I saw just one bit of litter that may have been dropped by a runner: a Lucozade packet just at the start of the climb up Gable. By the time I'd registered its presence I was a stride or two beyond it & to go back down to pick up someone else's rubbish takes more will power than I had at the time.

Cripes! Over and out.

I deleted a message that was a bit too harsh, and not in the spirit of a forum.
What I meant to say was that the race was run very well, just like most fell and road races. The race organizers and volunteers for the Borrowdale deserve praise.
All races are limited by the supporting infrastructure (for Borrowdale this would be car parking and erosion issues) I can’t think of any that wouldn’t be. The litter problem is one that we all have to work at to eradicate. Either by being more careful whilst eating on the hoof, or by picking up after someone else. I’m sure that these litter drops are mistakenly done whilst fumbling about in bum bags / rucksacks.
As for this years race, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am looking forward to next years. Sub 4 hours next time.

did anyone find my washing machine,looks like someone may have had it,I left an old mattress halfway down the descent route off gable so shouldn't get lost next time

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Originally Posted by Fleeter

did anyone find my washing machine,looks like someone may have had it,I left an old mattress halfway down the descent route off gable so shouldn't get lost next time

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Not another bloody mattress....have you been bed-wetting again?:cool:

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Originally Posted by GrahamB

But hey! Why bother with facts when one has opinions?
Yes, opinions! and clearly there's nothing wrong with having opinions and repeatedly sharing them eg- your constant praising of Sarah Rowell's woefully underrated book!

Scoffer is one of the greatest guys in fellrunning and I was chatting to him only yesterday about Borrowdale and as far as I am concerned Borrowdale is his race and he can do what he likes with it...and best of all he never reads the Forum!

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I don't think any single poster on this thread bar the person that started it was or is in dispute with this fact.

What's all this "easy money for the organisers" thing. These guys aren't in it to make a profit and surely the whole point of this thread is that there were people who might have done it and entered on the day if the rules had been the same as previous years.

But I agree that non-starting is something that happens in all races for various reasons and that we shouldn't start blaming people who perhaps took a very sensible but difficult decision to not run due to injury etc

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Originally Posted by Fleeter

did anyone find my washing machine,looks like someone may have had it,I left an old mattress halfway down the descent route off gable so shouldn't get lost next time

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nah found your washing though, well we could smell it 10 miles away.. :o