Three Peaks Fell Race

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Originally Posted by Ginge Whinge

.....what a relief to see again the annual PPP discussion point re footwear. Now I know that all is well with the world.
Oh....Trail shoes......

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Like the sun going down & the moon rising, in this unpredictable & hazardous world the perennial debate about footwear at the 3P's is reassuringly soothing. :thumbup:

......thirty places to go........

....... in fact it is now full - 971 registered - limit is 999 so presumably it has something to do with overseas and reserved places. A friend had for some reason decided to leave it until the last minute - but he was too late, despite 28 places apparently being available.

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

What Jebby wears is immaterial. He'd win it in Crocs :cool:

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not just jebb
there are loads of others when the course is bone dry

jebb has only won it once in the last three years
whether he was in crocs ugg boots or high heels i dont know

I agree that in the nowadays usual bone dry late April conditions running in bog standard running shoes will be fine but last year, something like 2 or 3 weeks before the race, me and Rachel from this here forum went round in monsoon like conditions; so much so that the beck at the bottom of the Whernside ascent (Little Dale beck) was a raging white water rapid and totally impassable. Even when wet though the race route (annoyingly) follows main well used paths - the first part of the descent off of Pen y Ghent though can be dodgy in wet weather and normal running shoes here would be dangerous. Ditto if the race route isn't flagged onto the frigging boulder strewn path coming off Whernside, the fast line off the mountain definitely favours fell/trail shoes.

Ran in f-lite230 last year (first ever PPP); absolutely spot on for the conditions (dry and warm). Absolutely hammered down off Whernside (stuck to the path like a good boy) and passed loads!

Plenty were wearing road shoes and seemed to be doing ok. At worst a light trail shoe would be fine.

Can't see fell shoes ever being a sensible choice in april; there's only the one decent grassy descent and it's not very steep anyway. I'd rather take it steady on a short section than have to lumber round all that trail and tarmac in fell shoes. I appreciate it probably looks different at the moment but the race isn't on now is it?

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Originally Posted by alfa_scud

Yea I'm in two minds about this one too. It was my first 3P last year, & on the recces had taken to the soft stuff, easier on the knees doncha know!

However on race day the path was taped most of the way down, so in theory you had to stick to it really. I did see a couple of people dropping off to the left just coming off the top, avoiding the path completely, but I don't really know the line there.

As Geronimo says, it is open access land so in theory you can do what the hell you like, but it does make sense to adhere to the organiser's wishes if they state such things & put tape up.

The caveat I would add to this though, is that if such "requests" are made as part of condition of entry, the said points should be marshalled & ANYONE transgressing should be penalised accordingly. Sounds a bit babylike I know but how fair is it to make me, a shit runner, knacker my knees even more plodding down an 'orrible path, when "others" can take the line they like with impunity?

Level playing field & all that (now a run round one of them sounds easier :D)

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The 'racing line' off of Whernside is miles faster than the boulder strewn path - a truly fun descent too. But I'm fairly sure the race route will force runners to stay on the track. As for level playing fields, fell running has always been about knowing the route and the quick lines :D

I know we've done shoes, but has anyone mentioned its a trail race yet and questioned why its an AL?

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

I know we've done shoes, but has anyone mentioned its a trail race yet and questioned why its an AL?

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Trail race has been done but not the why its an AL :). Although I think someone has mentioned it's like 3 seperate fell races with a 6 mile sprint between the first two hills and a 5 mile chug after the third.

I don't understand why this race is an AL