Fellsman

Some new rules / changes on the entry form:

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4. g) A minimum of three long sleeved tops (not cotton) to allow a layering system.

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Doesn't note if one of these can be a base layer or not...

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4. h) A warm hat and waterproof gloves or mittens.

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Emphasis mine.

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5. Equipment to be carried
f) ... OR 50th Anniversary Fellsman map...

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Pre marked checkpoints too!

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6. ENTRANTS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FOR:
Failing to maintain compact groups of entrants after these have been formed as per
rule 2d. Each member of the group must be within both sight and sound of all
members of that group. Failure to maintain groups will result in disqualification of
the WHOLE group;

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Lessons learned from last year.

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6. e) Losing their tally or damaging the RFID chip so that it is rendered unusable;

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Looks like they will be integrating some automation into the Felltrack system, hope it goes well for them. Probably only at roadside checkpoints mind.


Set the controls to excited.

In light of this year's conditions, that all sounds pretty reasonable to me and let's hope people actually do it!

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Originally Posted by thedatastream

Some new rules / changes on the entry form:


Doesn't note if one of these can be a base layer or not...


Emphasis mine.


Pre marked checkpoints too!


Lessons learned from last year.


Looks like they will be integrating some automation into the Felltrack system, hope it goes well for them. Probably only at roadside checkpoints mind.


Set the controls to excited.

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agree Hes, it certainly makes sense after what happened on this years little outing.

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Originally Posted by philt1

agree Hes, it certainly makes sense after what happened on this years little outing.

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Except it'll probably be 30 degrees this year and we'll all be missing sun cream.

entry filled in and in the post...

hopefully the weather will be good fingers crossed..

I saw that DT is applying for this year's fellman in QAH. Who else is going for it? I sent my application off last week :cool:.

Guided tours across Fleetmoss available at a reasonable cost ;)

I'll be sending off my entry this week.

3rd time on the bounce for me.

Hope mine has arrived safely - I left it with a friend to post as we were abroad skiing. will be 3rd one for me too!

I'll apply online on the 14th.

Mine entry went in the post yesterday.. Looking forward to it already. Will be my second time !!

Entry form sent off again.

I'm entered, unfinished business after being stopped at Park Rash last year!

Can't wait :D

Postal entry already in, I'm bloody well finishing it this year whatever the weather!

Posted my entry last Saturday. First time for me. Eek!

Entered online today.

I've entered too now

does anyone know when a list of entrants will be published? I entered by post but obviously have no certainty it arrived but do not want to enter on line and enter twice

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Originally Posted by karen nash

does anyone know when a list of entrants will be published? I entered by post but obviously have no certainty it arrived but do not want to enter on line and enter twice

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Thinking the same. Might email the organiser and ask them to confirm.

I'm in the same boat. Has a list of entrants been put up in previous years? I'm a first timer so don't know whether a list gets posted...

From the Fellsman facebook page on Wednesday:

"Online entries will open tomorrow evening (Thursday 10th Jan) at approximately 20:13 hours.... 100 places will initially be available, then we'll see how it goes. Its already filling up fast..."

(And yes it really did say 20:13 :) )

The fellsman website says something similar. They are therefore obviously keen to protect postal entries by keeping a handle on on-line entries and I'm sure everyone who's sent in an application to date is absolutely fine.

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Originally Posted by Hank

Thinking the same. Might email the organiser and ask them to confirm.

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Yeah, I sent my entry in before the official opening date and I have already emailed them to check that they have received it. The organisers are probably already pig-sick!
But I hope they reply!

I'm getting all excited already!

PS: What shoes should I wear?
Has anybody seen a weather forecast?

It all seems to be a little cake and arse to be honest IMO.

Postal entries open but according to the website -

"We are not able to publish a list of entrants prior to the event however in the first instance entry is confirmed once your cheque has been cashed and this will be followed subsequently by issue of a entrant number and handbook. In the interim we will endeavour to answer all enquiries by email as swiftly as possible although it make take up to a week for postal entries to enter the system".

So you have no idea that you are in, until they present your cheque to the bank, by which time it could be too late to enter online or even worse, the event is full.

Entry and cheque was sent 10 days ago but not cashed so god knows what is happening..........?

Easy for an armchair critic but if they spent more time sorting useful things out for the people who want to enter the event rather than new web sites etc, it could save the organisers a lot of time.

It's a boy scout ramble; not life or death :closed:

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

It's a boy scout ramble; not life or death :closed:

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A boy scout ramble you have yet to complete DT?

Having completed 10 Fellsmans, i am sorry to say that the organisers appear to live on a different planet. It can up to 3 months to receive anything back from them but eventually you will. Response to emails is often slow or never. Don't forget you lot, its a tough, high level, exposed, often rough event - the kit list is there for a reason - your safety. Last year the event (for the first time in 50 years) was cancelled mid-event due to several cases of hypothermia - i believe the majority were runners. It wasn't even drizzling. Many of the walkers, who were well kitted out, were forcibly retired as a result - 4 months of training wasted in my case - gutted is an understatement.

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Originally Posted by caroleengel

Having completed 10 Fellsmans, i am sorry to say that the organisers appear to live on a different planet. It can up to 3 months to receive anything back from them but eventually you will. Response to emails is often slow or never. Don't forget you lot, its a tough, high level, exposed, often rough event - the kit list is there for a reason - your safety. Last year the event (for the first time in 50 years) was cancelled mid-event due to several cases of hypothermia - i believe the majority were runners. It wasn't even drizzling. Many of the walkers, who were well kitted out, were forcibly retired as a result - 4 months of training wasted in my case - gutted is an understatement.

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It's good that you're not bitter though.

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Originally Posted by Steampig

A boy scout ramble you have yet to complete DT?

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Correct Steamy. Are you having a run out this time?

I was one of many that go told it was cancelled due to weather and like many thought the conditions were not 'that bad', but what we were told it was about the marshals, not soley about runners/walkers, i was angry and upset and know I could have got round as I have run in far worse, but I also would not want the responsibility of the event and safety on my shoulders. So I will be back, unfinished buisness....

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

It's a boy scout ramble; not life or death :closed:

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Like asny challenge it depends wether you have a bunch of mates to lead you round or not I suppose.

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Originally Posted by sore legs

So you have no idea that you are in, until they present your cheque to the bank, by which time it could be too late to enter online or even worse, the event is full.

Entry and cheque was sent 10 days ago but not cashed so god knows what is happening..........?

Easy for an armchair critic but if they spent more time sorting useful things out for the people who want to enter the event rather than new web sites etc, it could save the organisers a lot of time.

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Originally Posted by carolengel

i am sorry to say that the organisers appear to live on a different planet. It can up to 3 months to receive anything back from them but eventually you will. Response to emails is often slow or never.

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I got a very prompt and concise response to my query. I'm in.
Excellent. The Fellsman is one of the main events for me this year. I'm hoping to do a sub something somethingorother...inaudible mumble...

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Originally Posted by MarkL

PS: What shoes should I wear?

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I'd reccommebd a good trail shoe with a substantial tread, I wore walshes on my first one and ended up with a stress fracture in my tibia, I've also run it in montrail highlanders and adidas kanadias with no issues.

After last years event, they requested feed back on a few points, which I thought that I would take the effort to do. I emailed them the suggestion that an 'acceptable' list of shoes/trainers would be a good idea as there is always lots of discussion along the lines of ... 'are xxx make/model of trainers acceptable as trail shoes?' (accepted that condition of shoes can not be judged without viewing). Considering there is actually a list of acceptable footwear it would be a simple task.

I dont know why I bothered as I never got a response to the email, so in my view it was an empty request for feed back.

To be fair I suspect that the poor old organisers were up to their necks in "feedback" following all their troubles with the weather last year. For those that weren't there it was a bitterly cold day with a strong biting wind blowing all day without respite. Although most of the walkers were fine, and wearing sufficient gear, increasing numbers of runners starting pulling out later in the day due largely to the cold and potential hypothermia.

This meant that, after humungous efforts on the organisers parts, their support staff became so overstretched that they had to make the difficult call to end the race for those not past Park Rash(?) at about midnight(?). This in turn unfortunately meant that an awful lot of those effected (the less speedy runners and the walkers, virtually all of whom said they'd been coping well) were the completely undeserving losers in the equation. That said the organisers didn't cancel the event so much because of the weather but more so because they no longer felt able to provide the required amount of safety support. Probably the right call in the circumstances but tough doings for those effected.

Added to that, at the grouping up stage, a few runners in a sorry condition, rather than doing the sensible thing and retiring, forged on and nobbled their groups by becoming huge liabilities to everyone's safety, including their own. This in turn led to a couple examples of teams becoming split up, despite the rule to absolutely stay together, which is obviously both unforgiveable but at the same time understandable in the circumstances.

I was absolutely frigid by Cray and thought I was hypothermic (my eyes were glazed and my speech was heavily slurred) so I did call it a day there and then. And the support they gave me and everyone else at Cray was truly fantastic. Mind you the thing that had worried me most, my blurred vision, which I put down to hypothermia, was actually probably just down to the constant buffeting of my eyes in the wind - after the event almost everyone I spoke to said they'd suffered with blurred vision. Maybe I should have bashed on but there again if I had would I have cocked things up for the group I joined? I did the right thing for sure :)

I wore INOV8 roclite 315s last year and they were excellent. They coped with being up to my knees in bog, slippy grass, stony trails, ice and snow and I didn't have any blisters just a black toenail which was probably the result of not cutting it short enough.:)

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Originally Posted by Donkarlo

I'd reccommebd a good trail shoe with a substantial tread, I wore walshes on my first one and ended up with a stress fracture in my tibia, I've also run it in montrail highlanders and adidas kanadias with no issues.

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Like you Mark, I emailed and got a response within a few days. I'm in
It would probably save them lots of enquiries if they could publish a list of who is in (especially as they said they may not cash cheques for upto a fortnight) but they are all volunteers, with families etc
As to the shoes I suspect it is not necessarily a named brand but more the amount of sole / stud left that they question

Thanks for all the shoe advice, but I wasn't being 100% serious.
In fact I was being 100% facetious.
I'm obviously too subtle for my own good.....

But seriously though - we expect a lot from these race organisers. The bottom line is: they put the event on for us, and we should be happy that they have.

Hey - remember when you had to put 50p in an envelope to get your results posted to you?

ha ha, I never read the rest of the thread or your original comment so I'm sorry for missing the irony! Just dipped in and saw someone talking about shoes and thought I'd throw in my two pennorth! Am still so amazed that I completed the Fellsman last year that I am looking for reasons why I was successful...can only imagine it was my shoes:wink:

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Originally Posted by MarkL

Thanks for all the shoe advice, but I wasn't being 100% serious.
In fact I was being 100% facetious.
I'm obviously too subtle for my own good.....

But seriously though - we expect a lot from these race organisers. The bottom line is: they put the event on for us, and we should be happy that they have.

Hey - remember when you had to put 50p in an envelope to get your results posted to you?

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Originally Posted by Hes

ha ha, I never read the rest of the thread or your original comment so I'm sorry for missing the irony! Just dipped in and saw someone talking about shoes and thought I'd throw in my two pennorth! Am still so amazed that I completed the Fellsman last year that I am looking for reasons why I was successful...can only imagine it was my shoes:wink:

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Nah. Shoes 5%; person in 'em 95%.

Ha Ha sorry Mark, obviously way too subtle.