Tut, tut, eating tined peas, a man with your horticultural talents, shame on you.Quote:
Originally Posted by invalidpassword
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Tut, tut, eating tined peas, a man with your horticultural talents, shame on you.Quote:
Originally Posted by invalidpassword
A shame, it sort of takes some of the gloss off their editorial which saysQuote:
Originally Posted by Tufty
"Extreme sports like this inevitably see health and safety officers clutching for their clipboards, but it is a testament to the preparedness and judgment of the runners that they are all safe.
Indeed, the weekend serves as a useful reminder that when individuals are relied upon to be responsible, they tend to rise to the challenge"
The two best articles on this event that have appeared in the national press were in the editorial section of The Telegraph and a report by a competitor who wrote in The Independent.
For comedy effort, I enjoyed The Daily Mail - apparently we all set off at 10am and paired up with a partner once the race began. The elite runners headed up to the hills whilst the others headed for the Borrowdale Road! The implied route was near enough direct from Seatoller to Gatesgarth, which from their map was only about 5 miles.
http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/racer...rticle_id=5441
for those of you have not seen it this is a brilliant report and gives a true report unlike the rest of the drivel being published in the press
Another post from Sleepmonster.....
http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/forum...816&forum_id=2
:D
Even the Guardian got things wrong. They have a map with silly labelling, they quote a 9am start and assume that competitors rely on instructions en route hence blame the banning of mobile phones. Mind you, I cannot blame the paper entirely when they quote a participant (name in paper) saying that he eventually "got to the camp at the north end of Buttrmere lake".
The paper also quotes another runner (named) saying "I don't think it should have ever gone ahead". It makes one question his judgement for setting off!
Yiannis
I've never quoted myself before BUT I've just read this on www.sleepmonsters.co.uk; "According to Mike Parsons the condition of the mid-camp was really the tipping point for the decision to call the race off – rather than the weather conditions on the hill."Quote:
Originally Posted by theNoor
This is what I wanted to hear, because I genuinely didn't think those weather conditions should have been reason to call off the event.
Tut, tut, eating tined peas, a man with your horticultural talents, shame on you.
Well it was a tin of peas or the pub.
...and another thing. My messiah or "expert" as the papers call him is calling for a 'mountain centre' where we can all be taught about "geography, weather hazards and how to survive if caught out in difficult conditions AND what preparations those on the fells need to take".
I can feel myself being called.
I wonder where he thinks this 'national mountain centre for England' should be then?[/B]."[/I][/QUOTE]
As he says on his web site, the mine is in the center of the lake district, I wonder if he's thought of having it anywhere near his mine, that would be a good idea wouldn't it. Think of all the extra income it would generate for him. Surely that never crossed his mind.
Entirely agree with Noor - The sleepmonsters aricle by Ron Howard sums up the distorted media stories superbly. Worth a quick read.Quote:
Originally Posted by theNoor
The event will become stronger from this experience - There seems to be just too much sensitivity in the Lake District these days..?
What a great article. Should be sent to all the media to put them straight!Quote:
Originally Posted by dylan
You MUST follow a calling, from the great and mighty MW. ALL hail MWQuote:
Originally Posted by invalidpassword
After reading all these reports I'm really disappointed with the organisers :mad:
If the mid-camp was flooded they should have told you all to find somewhere else to doss for the night and be back at the start next morning for day 2 :rolleyes:
It was only a lal bit of rain :D
Forgive me for being a half-wit who can't read a map, but did Seatoller get washed down the Honister Pass??Quote:
Originally Posted by ydt
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...NNERS_2710.gif
The Guardian did get it badly wrong, worse than most (which isnt saying much!). I'm particularly disappointed, I would have expected better of it.
As some light relief, at least Market Rasen Today had a decent riposte:
http://www.marketrasenmail.co.uk/new...ake.4633172.jp
Maybe Harry knew it was St Crispin's Day and time for all Harries to stand up and be counted??
(Henry V speaks:
"This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"
Just arrived back tonight and am still amazed at the chat going on about this weekend, not just here but on a number of forums.
I thought the conditions were tough but bearable. We only pulled out early on the Saturday because I was suffering the first symptoms of hypothermia (it's happens quite often, hence my forum name) and we didn't fancy the idea of pushing to Buttermere only to find our tent on a round the lake cruise in the morning....
This was only my 4th OMM/KIMM, so can't lean on years of experience with these events, but the decisions to start the event and to eventually abandon the event at the end of day 1 was correct. However, I would question the decisions whether the event should have proceeded regarding the car parking and the other facilities considering the LDMT was cancelled this year. As a (cold, wet )competitor, my needs are to get food in, get dry clothes on and get back to the B&B for a hot shower, more food and drink. I was fortunate, but if my car was stuck in the flood waters, I wouldn't be very happy at all.
I would also question why our dibber wasn't downloaded into the system straigtaway when we handed it in. It was just thrown into a box with a number of other dibbers.
Finished off the weekend with a trek up Skiddaw and back. Still took the MM rucksacks with us just to keep up the MM experience.
Still a great weekend. Will be back next year. Shame it will be somewhere else as this year's course looked a cracker. Big thanks to all the organisers, marshals and helpers. No thanks to the media and the mine owning supermuppet. :D
I was involved in the Wasdale incident on the Saturday, when we found a lady who had been washed down Spouthead Gill for about 100m. Her partner saw her disappear and she went for assistance- found some walkers (what were they doing there?!) who had a phone. They called MRT.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grouse
We (my running partner and her father and sister who were also competing as a sepearate team (and what are the odds on them being there ?!))managed to get to the lady (stuck on a narrow island mid torrent) and stabilise her, get her into a tent and sort of safe. However, the river was still rising ....
About 3 hrs later Wasdale MRT turned up with white water technicians (who had just been about to go kayaking, so were all kitted up!).
With ropes 2 MRT members reached us. A helicopter had been called but seemed unlikely to be able to fly in the conditions, but amazingly did. It winched all 7 of us from the now threatened island.
The casualty had suspected pelvic/ femur injuries and was hypothermic. Sister and Dad also very cold. All were flown to Whitehaven hospital.
All praise to RAF Valley and Wasdale MRT
So it was some walkers who called the MRT! (And thank *%$£ they did!)
Tim
time for a little light hearted perspective
give us today our Daily Mash
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/...-200810271353/
Hypo,
Just to come back quickly on one of your points, the dibbers will have had your competitor number on them. All the finish officials will have been concerned to do, in the circumstances, is to record the fact that you have returned. There will have been no need to download the information on the dibber.
OK - glad you are all well Tim.
From your icons it looks like your saying it tongue-in-cheek, but really, why not? Our team would have deffo been up for that. OK so everyone would have got differing night's sleep (I spent 14 hours, albeit warm and dry, sitting upright in the drivers seat of a mates car), but at least we'd get wor moneys worth!Quote:
Originally Posted by Baggins
interesting thoughts from everyone. Now I know the guy who runs the slate mine has been and will for ever more be vilivied by the fell running crowd for his comments on the weekends events, and people maybe right or wrong for doing this, but I just listened to the Jeremy Vine show clip, and I thought he made a valid point somewhere amongst everything he said (if indeed its true). Why if all the competitors were happy and prepared to be out in the wilds fending for themselves, was his establishment overrun with competitors seeking shelter and warmth? According to him hundreds of people were given somekind of shelter and help from him and his team, and it seems this must have been before the majority of these people knew the event had been called off, so these 'hundreds' of people must have felt in some kind of trouble out on the fells or they wouldn't have sought out salvage in the slate mine.
So just a thought from the other side of the fence, but for everyrunner who thought it was still ok to go ahead with the event and that they were competant and well enough equipped to 'get through it', it seems they must have been a large number who thought otherwise ?
I'm going to duck behind the couch now to escape the missiles being launched in my direction :cool: :)
A good dose of sanity in The Times this morning
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle5026162.ece
Come out from behind the sofa Reverand. It's a fair question and deserves an answer. How many of those people at his establishment needed assistance to get to his establishment? It's a requirement of the event that you judge your own ability against the prevailing conditions and in this case many decided that the conditions were more than they were happy with and got themselves safely off the hill. An obvious exit point would have been Honister Pass and if the cafe's open then who is going to turn down the opportunity of a bit of shelter and a cup ot tea before continuing down into the valley?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReverand
Sanity from the Times Eh!!
Thats more than can be said for a lot of the comments on this thread.
Think before you print (oh shit done it again!!)
Never mind I' got a bigger couch than the Reverend.
Hope the OMM survives this onslaught and you all get to run in the quiet autumn sunshine of October 2009.
Good article in the Telegraph today by Tarquin Cooper on why we do MMs
- might enlighten a few folk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/327...-run-here.html
A Sense of Perspective
There is a cliche about today's newspapers wrapping tomorrow's fish 'n' chips and in the media the 2008 OMM is already fading into the distance.
Yes, the Daily Telegraph had a supportive editorial on Monday but it also allocated a full page spread over two halves of pages 2 and 3 under a "morgue" headline with lots of colour pictures.
But 24 hours later it is another day and how is that space allocated in today's newspaper?
Well six main stories including on page 3:
You cannot be serious-McEnroe was right all along.
Elephants learn to fear roads.
Solomon's mines found in Jordan.
Welcome to the Sistine Chapel of crystals.
All, dare I suggest, ephemeral, trivial stuff.
So all those who fear for the future of the OMM etc should take heart that the media circus has already moved on and the only people who will be talking about the OMM in a week, never mind a year, will be fell runners who think the OMM matters more in the real world than "A council held a £35,000 conference for more than 100 teachers.." which makes page 2 of today's Daily Telegraph.
Yes, there is a follow up "think piece" by Tarquin Cooper (who writes this kind of thing) but that is on page 21 under a much bigger article about a new £100 cookery book.
£100 Cookery book eh? Much more important!
Only semi tongue-in-cheek. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by theNoor
When you're out camping on your own high up in similar conditions you have no option but to get on with it especially if its in the middle of winter rather than a mild wet day in October :rolleyes:
The media really have no idea what we do and are trying to make a crysis out of nothing.
900 runners still "missing" on Sunday? I was running round the Ennerdale Horseshoe then.
T*****s (The press as if it needs clarification)
Does anyone have any good photographs from the weekend they could send me????
Email or pm please! Would need them this morning though...:rolleyes:
Thank You,
Britta
I think given the race had been called off, of course people preferred to kip the night under a shelter, with lots of other runners, as apposed to by themselves in a tent. It doesn't mean they couldn't have done if needed though.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReverand
I too wondered about this. One of Rob Howard's reports suggests that Mr Weir was telling runners not to descend to Borrowdale because of the flooding.
Richard Askwith article
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/g...ns-975372.html
Some friends of mine had their tent up at Gatesgarth, got told to head back to Seathwaite, so put their wet kit back on, headed off only to get to the top of Honister and be turned back! They spent a fairly miserable night in the Gatesgarth Barn & would have been much better off in their car at the event centre.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudolph Hooker
We waded back into Seathwaite from the top of Honister. Waded out again a bit later & scrounged a lift back to Stair. It was driving uphill through a river going up Honister. But incredibly over-hyped in the media... it was a slow news weekend with nothing else to report on. I wonde if the BBC news reporter saw it as his big break on national news & over-did it somewhat.
Sad to hear that the Seathwaite farmer lost a few sheep to drowning because he was busy helping competitors.
Very well put, it certainly won't put me off. That was my first mountain marathon and I finished the first day of the elite course, just sad I couldn't tackle the second. Would be interested in seeing the second day map though. Would make a good weekend on a "nice weekend"Quote:
Originally Posted by martin
that's a great article, sensible.
Good shout Martin. That tells the story as it actually was.Quote:
Originally Posted by martin
I know because I was there and no one was 'lost'.
The only issue was that the overnight camp was under 2 feet of water so they had to cancel the event because the barn that I slept in would only house about 800 of us.
I asked at event HQ and they said we would all get Day 2 map posted to us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Donkarlo
Anyone got a free Sunday and we can continue 'unfinished business'? :)
Yes excellent article even if Richard was egging it a bit (washing in a stream after the first day can't have been that bad then)Quote:
Originally Posted by martin
I like the example of the 1962 mountain trial when only George Brass finished thats how it should be, pitting yourself against whatever the weather throws at you.
Duh:rolleyes: That's why we go there. Stick to the roads Reverand if in fact you are any kind of runner at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReverand