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I must have been pretty much next to you then as that's when I passed Joss too.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteS
I had a look at the routegadget but haven't uploaded mine yet, I'll try and do it in a moment if possible. We ran all the way over to Fairfield and dropped straight down the scree shoot...didn't work because it was miles too far over but like you said, we had fun and that's was our only aim!
Come on Darren, we're all waiting for your race report.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tindersticks
Apart from anything else we're keen to know where you went. 25.6 miles is about 41km isn't it? My partner reckons she did about 33km on the Classic course. (About 24.5km for me, walking round the Medium.)
Haha...it's been a hectic week of working nights. I'm that tired at the moment I don't know mi arse from mi elbow....night, nightQuote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
No worries, happy to wait another couple of days! Sleep tight...Quote:
Originally Posted by Tindersticks
Stool End Farm Langdale for 2019.... fantastic location!
Entries open...
3 in the Classic so far.... guaranteed podium place...
It will be medium or short for me again. My aging bones see me struggling on the longer distances these days and even the short was 4 hours for me last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
I'm going to see how I go at Coniston and Ras Y Gader and make a decision based on that.
What a venue though... anywhere from there is going to be up into big hills... (hopefully we can stay away from Blea Rigg this year...!!)
Indeed - this year we could really end up anywhere. I have a week planned at the end of May to familiarise myself (and the dog) with some fells I've not visited for many years. Just booked campsite for then and September and looking forward to both immensely.
Just out of interest, what is the view of the LDMT/fell runners on embargoing the area before the race?
For orienteering events and mountain marathons the rules explicitly state that you are not allowed to visit the competition area in advance of the race with the aim of gaining a competitive advantage. Obviously this varies as e.g. with a mountain marathon, if you know the general area (e.g. northern fells) only it might be ok to go walking in the area staying on footpaths only, but not with the explicit aim of familiarisation in mind and certainly not when you know the exact location. (For orienteering with a much smaller area it can be much stricter, e.g. the sprint orienteering world champs are to be held in Edinburgh in 2022 and at one point there was talk that several top orienteers who attend the university might delay their course or not visit certain buildings so as not to gain an advantage!)
Obviously with the current trend in MMs of releasing the locations ridiculously early, avoiding the area is much harder. If you live in Langdale are you just not meant to go training in your local area? (If you knew it was in the Lakes but didn't know the specific location until 3 days before it would be much easier and could run guilt-free!) The mountain trial is technically run under FRA rules and reccying for normal fell races is most definitely allowed... but I would still feel uneasy about specifically running round with the aim of familiarisation. Just wondered what other people's thoughts were.
I quite liked it when they released the venue near to the date.
I suspect that they decided to release the venue early in an attempt to help boost entries, as some people need to organise travel and accommodation.
Not sure it could be enforced really. After all, Stool End Farm gives an absolute plethora of possible routes. Last year's Classic Course ranged from High Raise (west), Dove Crag Fairfield (east), and from Blea Rigg to Dunmail south-north... how do you put an area like that (approx. 20 sq miles?) out of bounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fellwanderer94
The potential area from Stool End Farm is also potentially much larger than last year, as really could go in any direction north, west or south.
It did give an air of anticipation about it all but was a pain if you needed to book accommodation etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew B
As you say, I think it put more people off the event rather than it attracted hence the decision to release the start location earlier. I don't think it has adversely effected the nature of the event - it will still be a best guess as to where you end up. I for one did not anticipate last year's event heading east of the main road for example.
Absolutely. An embargo would be unenforceable and as stated, this is really a FRA race with a emphasis on navigation and mountain craft rather than a pure "O" event. The sheer scale of the potential area that could be included is not practical to recce in any detail unlike a smaller orienteering course.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
That said, I will be up in the Lakes in a few weeks and will definitely be having a run out around upper Eskdale, Moasdale and the like! ;)
Agreed; the first mountain trials were pretty much all a test of local knowledge! If they were to try to enforce an embargo I guess it would have to be on honesty (I think Shane Ohly was discussing this issue in his race director's report after the Marmot Dark Mountains), but like you said, it gets harder as the area gets bigger. Anyway the Kong Mini MM is from Chapel Stile in Langdale this Sunday, and I'm not going to not race that because of the mountain trial! But it would be much simpler if I just didn't know where the mountain trial was going to be. Ignorance is bliss :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteS
Likewise... i'm in Wasdale & Keswick next week, and although primarily there to bag some Wainwrights (and a couple of races thrown in for good measure!), i'll hopefully get a bit of a look around.
Aside from gaining a better overall familiarity with the general race area, i'm not sure what more there is to gain for the regular LDMT types... i get the feeling that most of them can picture a great deal of the Lake District in their heads anyway. I know i certainly would feel reasonably happy in most areas of the Lakes without a map (although i always carry one), and i'm an absolute rookie in LDMT terms...
Me too. I think of the last few LDMTs I have seldom looked at the map other than to remind where the next CP is!Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Didn't Joss run his first from memory as he knew the area so well?
O embargos (especially sprint O) are to stop over familiarity or testing of route choices as well as getting to know the mapper's style. With MT/MMs covering such wide ground and the area limits not defined beforehand it would be a job to get to know the area so well beforehand and those racing have much better things to be doing. Getting to know an MM/MT area through running over it doesn't imo offer much more than map nerding at home. Apart from where undergrowth is concerned...
Just entered again for this year. Another "short" one though I may up this to medium if I suddenly make a miraculous return to form.
Hi all
Just a quick reminder that entries are now open at Sportident. So far we have about 50 signed up. The LDMTA committee has a vacancy for a general secretary at the moment so if anyone's interested in the job get in touch by PM
Just a quick reminder that entries close on Mon 26th August. So far we have 65 on Classic, 31 on Medium and 63 on Short. Event this year is based at Stool End Farm in Great Langdale.
Courses are:
Classic 27Km with 2150m climb.
Medium 19Km with 1500m climb.
Short 13Km with 1190m climb.
The area is mostly runnable and the courses pose a good navigational challenge.
There is the option to run as a pair on the short course so a good introduction to the event if you don't navigate but have a mate who does
Today (Monday 26th) is the final day for entries.Quote:
Originally Posted by mykind
Mike, I have assumed that there is camping the night before, but can’t find any mention of that on the website. Have I just imagined that? Entry will be in shortly!
I have a text from a fellow competitor (and occasional forumite) telling me there’s camping at Stool End (water and toilets only).
Great. Working on the last bit of permits from the management committee and I’m in on the classic.
Looking forward to my annual MOT! Managed to get my daughter to come along in a support role this year. She now runs regularly though not done a fell race yet. I'm secretly hoping she likes the look of it and considers entering the short with me as a pair next year. :)
Start times are up.
https://www.sientries.co.uk/list.php...=5610&id=10660
Oh, that's interesting. I'm starting a minute before my wife. I'll be walking around the Medium course while she does the Classic. I wonder who'll be back first!Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteS
It's good to see so many parent/child pairs on the Short course.
I’ve posted in car sharing...but feel it might be missed; is anyone driving from Derby/E Mids either on Saturday pm or Sunday (my start is 9.03). I can give fuel money and nice cake, though not guaranteeing intelligent conversation!
We'll be heading up from New Mills some time on Saturday afternoon, camping at Stool End Farm if that's any help.Quote:
Originally Posted by felltrumpet
Err, are you sure about your start time? That means you're either me or Ben Abdelnoor!
3 minutes to, got it wrong in my head; thanks for questioning, I’m 8.57!Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
Thank you for the offer, much appreciated. I do have a car but it would be good for the wife and 3 littles to use at home, just looking at other options.
Twins separated at birth....
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
8-34 for me on the classic.
A perusal of the archives gives a detailed account of checkpoints and various routes taken on the 1996 race from the same venue... makes grim reading and plotting!
Whilst last year was very tough, and the weather at the start only added to this... I did think that the route choices really only provided a couple of obvious options for each leg (not a criticism in any way, this was more than enough challenge for me). But looking at 1996 and the potential from this venue, each leg could have multiple choices, all tough and complex.
Please be clear weather!
I note map pick up is 150m from the start, which I reckon a short way up the Band... probably to give an option directly up the Band or a traverse... which points to cp1 possibly being either generally north-west or south-west....? doesn’t help much!
All points to a good job I’m starting so early!
Yep, that's a tough course! My guess is this year we'll be largely west and south of Langdale as north and east is straying in to ground covered in the last two years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Well you'll be off and running before I even get there so I'll say good luck now as I doubt I'll see you. I start at 10.08 and I'm also betting on going west and south. Definitely hoping for clear weather as there's plenty of opportunity for walkabout over that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Cheers Pete... at least I’ll (hopefully) be back for the presentation so I may see you if still around!Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteS
And of course good luck to yourself and all forumites...
Actually I say “bring it on”.... let’s face it, you don’t do this race if you don’t want a challenge... I want to see the map with a checkpoint on Lank Rigg....!
Ha! Be careful what you wish for!Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
And yes, good luck all other forumites too.
First time for me, really looking forward to it but also wondering how i will get on...i suppose you have to start somewhere. if you find me wandering around aimlessly in the clag, then it has gone badly. Good luck everyone.
Good luck Tim... I had all the same feelings last year... jumped straight in with the Classic, weather was awful and it was certainly intimidating heading up into the storm to the map point, and then spending the next hour completely alone, but glad I did it...
Since then had mixed fortunes... at the Mercia Trial I spent a considerable amount of time a couple of grid squares off the map for a reason best known to myself... then in the South Wales Trial had a great run and got into the top 6 (obviously it wasn’t the depth of quality of the LDMT!).
Best thing for me was to go onto the LDMT website archive section, click on the results tab for races in the last 8-10 years, click the RouteGadget tab and you can bring up the maps that were issued for each trial, then have a go at plotting routes, then bring up the routes people took on the day... really gives you an idea of some of the challenges you might face...
Thanks Pete will have a look at this. And hope for good weather!