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Crikey - what a moaning lot you are.......just turn up and enjoy it for what it is....an enjoyable, exciting team event. I am not bothered which month this is held in, just thankful that some people go to the huge effort to make sure this event goes ahead. Now we know it will always be in May teams/individuals can plan ahead!
:angry: for me its the end of a classic event for which i have great memories and was the highlight of the dark winter days i doudt i will it run it again after many many years running in it .i will be suprised if you get the same quality or quanties as the december date .
as for moaning we are just airing are views and i wish the orginisers good luck with it moving it forward at the end of the day its your race
i also think the un predictable weather was part of the event
"if it ain,t broke don,t fix it"
the calderdale way held in december always seemed to clash with one of the better cross country races down our way, that said the new date might clash with Cribyn, but for the organisers it must be much better having it in May, with conditions likely to be more favourable, especially for any marshalls stuck on a hill top in horrible weather. I'm surprised at all the moaning about the change of date, its' a great event whatever time of year its held.
Great event, thanks to the organisers for putting it on. I've done it for quite a few years in December, even one year with a broken arm. I missed it this year because it was in May and there's too many great races to do that weekend. I'll miss it next May too. Shame
RIP CWR
No good for me in May
By for now.
Surely this is a team event and therefore it's an opportunity for us runners (mostly in our solitary state) to put the team first? I appreciate that in December there were no clashes with other major races but surely individuals can ditch one weekend of racing elsewhere in May for the benefit of the team?
I don't think the change of date will have an effect on the number of teams, but the good thing about the Calderdale has always seemed to be that the more elite end of the spectrum within the clubs have always turned out because of lack of clashing fixtures etc. Asking around at my club (one of the staunest supporters on the list in the previous thread) it was the faster runners who felt that they wouldn't want to participate in May.
I suspect that this will be mirrored in other clubs and the standard, if not the sheer numbers, will be adversely affected.
Having said that, no doubt I'll still run, and hope the event carries on in whatever form.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duff
Pretty sure the organisers must be reading this thread - would be great to hear from them
I liked the way the CWR came after the other great relays in Oct/Nov (Ian H & britisih) as races were more team themed (felt like there was a season of team events) but if Hal harriers have there reasons then we should respect them and get used to it/accommodate...
I did my first CWR in 2009 and loved doing the first leg despite the early start. There was something about turning up at Halifax and registering in the pitch black and starting the leg in semi darkness that i liked and i volunteered for the first leg again last December. I didnt have the same enthusiasm for the new date last May but it didnt make any difference because instead of our usual 2 teams we couldnt even muster half a team.
CWR in December fitted in well with the other off season relays in autumn/winter. It would be interesting to hear the organisers comments regarding the positive feedback they received about the May date because there seems to be very little of it on here
We had 2 teams in this year, we normally have 7. All the faster lads and faster vets had other agendas, me included. I could pick from 4 or 5 races that weekend in May which are more my cup of tea than the calderdale relay. I compete in the Hodgson, Fra relays and PBR as they fit nicely round other races. As for the benefit of the team i don't really see your point. The relay team i normally run with would be fragmented, making it a bit pointlessQuote:
Originally Posted by Paulh
i think then i must be an exception to everyone else in suggesting that i'd put relays first ahead of other races! For the TEAM!
All the faster lads Stanners? That's something of a disservice to the team that finished 7th, including Brendan and Grant who smashed the field on leg 2. I understand your point regarding the Vets which is why we didn't have one in May but I think these comments on quality/availability are premature and a bit dismissive really!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanners
Having said that, the added spice of starting in darkness, battling against the elements etc seemed to define the CWR so the move is a shame.
I'll be up for running it though. Love the relays!
Personally i thought we could've done better than 7th, considering some of the quicker teams were'nt running. Brendan and Grant had a cracking run, even so the A team was under strength. They even had me in the A team until pulled out to do needed Paddy Buckley training. Now that's how desperate they were to fill the team.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSir
Bit dismissive my arse, i have my opinion you have yours. I do 50 to 60 races a year and have a right to chose what i want to do, just like you do. Enjoy your relays whoever you are. [/I]
Ye, Stanners. You probably went faster on your Paddy Buckley training than you would in the race! I know what you mean about the event date changing, but for those who organise the races we have to give them all the support we can. Look what's happened to our relay. Lefty and all those who worked so hard were let down by a few who couldn't close a gate.
Can't see the part where I've questioned your 'right to choose' as you've put it! And I will enjoy all the races I decide to enter be they fell, road or the relatively few relays on offer throughout the course of the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanners
Oh and I see you're being even more dismissive about being dismissive!
Nice to see you've come out of the closet to post on the forum pal, did we have stage fright?
Was it the same nervousness you had when you bottled the 3 peaks? I'd stick to racing within your limits mate with your little popsocks. The Rossy forum might be more your cup of tea mate, i personally wouldn't want you getting bogged down with fell running issues you may struggle to grasp.
:p:thumbup::wink:
Not got a problem personally with the change in date to May - think it's actually a good thing because it'll make Halifax's job much easier to organise the event.
However, and this is a big however, I would advocate that the ROs take account that some runners may also wish to run the Leeds and Sheffield Half marathons and avoid these dates - both are big city HMs which generally take place at the end of April/beginning of May (esp Leeds) - a lot of the clubs supporting the CWR will have runners in these races or will be supporting them with marshals etc...
And before someone comes back at me that fell runners will always want to run fell races ahead of everything else - this is an erroneous assumption that is actually probably only true for a minority of fell runners - I suspect quite a lot are happy to run a mixture of events. And even if they don't run, then I know at Abbey we provide a minimum of 20 marshals to do the start and finish for the Leeds HM, which will obviously also impact our CWR teams and other clubs in Leeds will similarly be affected.
[QUOTE=Stanners;420669]Nice to see you've come out of the closet to post on the forum pal, did we have stage fright?
Was it the same nervousness you had when you bottled the 3 peaks? I'd stick to racing within your limits mate with your little popsocks. The Rossy forum might be more your cup of tea mate, i personally wouldn't want you getting bogged down with fell running issues you may struggle to grasp.
You're right buddy; I'm not worthy :thunbdown:
I'll never be a 'Senior Member' :boohoo:
Can some of you lot stop using this forum for slagging each other off. Just PM each other please. I don't want to read all this rubbish. It's going to be difficult to avoid clashing with road and fell races in May. Halifax have picked a weekend that will be the same every year and I'm afraid if it's the same weekend as some big road marathons well so be it. This is the difficulty that the CW now faces with changing the relay to May. I don't think that there will be the same demand for teams now but I'm sure alot of clubs will still manage to get out there. We are lucky in that we only do fell and being local we will still be fielding a fair few teams but I'm not so sure quite as many as before. The relay will impact on other fell races on that same weekend. I have very mixed feeling about the change but in my heart of hearts I did prefer December. Although sitting in the sun with a beer at the end this year had a certain appeal
Welcome to Rossendale Harriers, been a member for, lets see 23years? cant remember a time when there wasn't some squabble or other going on. Lets face it running basically an individual pastime, but why not join a club then we can have a right good bicker:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wee Beastie
In a club that can't be ar*ed with bickering. More interested in running to be bothered mate.
I apologise if i upset you, i was only having a crack with a mate hiding behind his PC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wee Beastie
Early on in this thread, there was mention of contacting the race organiser to put views forward, in attempt to have the committee reconsider.
Has anyone actualy done this, or are you just moaning with no real intention of doing anything about it!
If not, shut up and put up is the only way forward!
Just putting our views across pal, freedom of speech and all that. Get on it mate
What is the point of putting your view across to people who can't do a damned thing about. You might as well bang your head against a brick wall! If you want to make a differance you need to tell the people who make the decisions.
As webmaster of the Halifax Harriers website it was me that posted the question on our site asking for feedback about the date. This was on the home page alongside the results. Of the 27 responses we got before our meeting only 3 favoured December. This surprised me as much as anyone as I was also in favour of keeping December. The CWR committee is made up of very experienced fell runners including founders and current and past directors of the relay so the decision was not taken lightly because although only 3 respondents wanted to keep December the reasons were compelling and can be found over and over in this thread. As far as I know no one has actually contacted the club to complain. It's a bold move but it might also turn out to be a smart one, that will depend on how much people love the CWR or whether other events in May are more appealling. We will find out...
When you go down to the pub for a pint with your mates, do you chew the cud on the issues of the day, or stare in to a corner whistling to yourself? Just wondering as this is a forum for debate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightless Bird
I for one wouldn't have known there was a chance to make comments through your club website and would have thought one of those experienced fell runners may have suggested that you tabled some views on the forum, or at least directed the runners to the Halifax website via the forum.Quote:
Originally Posted by Runrigg
We haven't done the CWR before, but we have considered it as we have had some great days at the PBR.
I fully sympathise with the organisers. They are volunteers and all the time and effort that goes in to a race only to lose it to some snow or ice is not only frustrating, but can be costly to a small volunteer organisation such as an athletics club.
We went through that this year with the RV10K and I can tell you the time and effort, emotional energy, and the stick that you get really make you wonder why you do it in the first place.
We actually put the Red Rose XC on at Witton this year in December on a snowy day and got criticised.
A RO really are often damned if they do and damned if they don't.
But I do query the date they have picked. I appreciate that it is difficult to find a date in an overcrowded calendar.
But the beauty of races such as PBR and CWR is that they :-
1. Draw non fell runners in to events that aren't really fell, but are fell - like.
2. They allow younger runners to do the short legs, with often 16/17s covering them and getting a taste of the team relay.
3. The local XC leagues tend to avoid them, meaning there's not usually any compromise with other event options and athletes that wouldn't normally be available can be involved.
The new date is not only congested with other fell races and some important road races, but I am pretty sure this is County Champs Track and Field weekend.
Some of the younger athletes will be involved and perhaps even some seniors, that means some of their parents, officials and coaches will also be tied up. These people are often potential runners and certainly are a significant number in our club.
So certainly for our club it will now be difficult for us to come and get involved.
I imagine that the event will still thrive, because it is a great event, but I think you will find the nature of the runners and clubs that are involved will change quite a bit.
Now let me see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Runrigg
When last run in December 2009 you had 117 teams so around 1400 runners turned out.
24 v 1400?
Those 24 sure have influence.
Oh dear. I seem to have put my view across. Strange that I am being chastised by someone for doing exactly what they say this forum is for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Witton Park
Have u not just contradicted yourself? LolQuote:
Originally Posted by Flightless Bird
I see that as a question rather than a ticking off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightless Bird
As a RO I certainly look at feedback on forums. I look at quite a variety of them as often they do give honest feedback on the event.
Might be worth us asking our respective clubs to provide some collective feedback to the organisers; Having discussed the new date with many club mates (CVFR) most seem to be dissappointed by the change. That said, everyone understands the pressures of organising the relay and would still want to support the event and respect the organiser's perogative to plan the race as they see fit.
I am guessing that the majority would love to see the race back on its traditional date if the organisers still felt able to review their decison; It might be more useful to the organisers to recieve focused/balanced feedback from the clubs rather than a series of complaints/comments from many individuals.
I suspect most clubs would give the same feedback.
If after taking this feedback there is no change to the new date then we should all accept the change and get used to the new format.
If you think many of your clubmates share this view it might be worthwhile speaking to your club chair/captain about gathering some feedback.
Once again I must stress I think think the CWR is a great event, my favourite race of the year, run by an exceptional bunch of ROs, and I will run it on any date.
Thanks for the clarification Runrig, at least we can now understand where the largely positive feedback came from.Quote:
Originally Posted by Runrigg
Unfortunately in the interest of balance, it is mainly those who participated in the May event who would have stumbled upon the request for feedback as they visited the Halifax Harriers web site for the results.
Individuals may participate, but it's clubs who submit entries and put teams together, so how about polling the views of clubs? I will put this suggestion to the event organisers.
As for the snow and ice risk, a few years ago one of the notes to team captains was always "In the event of adverse weather you will be informed by telephone by 6pm on the Saturday evening before, and the race will be run the following Sunday." I'm not sure when this rule ceased to be, but it seemed quite a sensible compromise, and possibly would have suited more of the clubs, team captains, and athletes originally lined up to take part in the December 2010 event.
Just got back from holiday to find my favourite "winter race" gone. Now I've read all the comments. Firstly, its up to Halifax as the hard pressed organiser to put the race on when they want to, nobody else!
Second and last its up to the individual whether or not he or she enters (i.e. puts their name forward for the TEAM).
With reference to the comment saying enter for the good of the team:- unfortunately it would be a team of maybe's, sorry can't make it, no reply etc. etc.
As for the comment about moaning, well if the argument about not wishing to change or not wanting to do the race in May is a moan, then so be it!
I am from a club that entered six full teams last December with several reserves lined up. After cancellation we barely made two teams and whilst they did well, even they will concede that many of our "stars" were otherwise engaged.
Sure some of the comments are positive and say they will do the race whenever it is put on.
Are those people also away competing abroad, representing their Country or perhaps on holiday with their families or perhaps competing in a time honoured race that they do not wish to miss? I doubt it.
As for not wanting to run in wintery conditions, come off it, get serious. That was and is the best part of Calder. (Except for the hard pressed Marshalls who do a very worthy but uncomfortable job in conditions that are often just above or below freezing. They are in fact the only valid reason, as I see it, to change the date) As for it leaving it open to cancellation well I may be wrong but that is the first since 1996 when I started doing it, that it was cancelled. (A difficult decision which I would not wish on anyone, as it was "damned if you do and damned if you don't" time. )
I remember feeling the loss of the original Rossendale relay (The Mary Townsley Loop doesn't do it for me). Now I must bow out of Calder. R.I.P. and will be sadly missed.
Best wishes to Halifax .
P.S. I would rather you made the decision on logistics rather than state that a poll of 27 runners, from a minimum 1440 runners, not counting the many club teams who did not get an entry due to over subscription, was a reason for change.
Does anyone know when the entries for this year race open?
I'll try to find out for you this evening.
Anyione know the team entry fee for this year? It is back on.