Anyone else wondering why darwen gala/coiners are still in the calendar?
Anyone else wondering why darwen gala/coiners are still in the calendar?
Darwen Gala shouldnt be I agree its to traily (ive reccied the course) and its on a weekend with loads of classic races....why not make Grasmere instead or Burnsall. I dont mind Coiners its pretty good.Originally Posted by FellRunner1
Anyone else wondering why darwen gala/coiners are still in the calendar?
However Coiners is a shite race for a trial...the trial should be seperate. Unless Bashir wants a load of xc and track runners in his team which luckily didnt work out like that. I know its a lesser standard but at least the welsh trials are comparable to some of the stuff on the continent
Last edited by TurboTom; 21-03-2010 at 11:30 PM.
Trying to plod up hills every day slightly faster than the day before
I agree look at the pictures of Darwen half the runners are in bloody road shoes, Coiners is not a very steep course or to demanding but the terrain its on makes it energy sapping its just the xc style 2 laps of the moor that annoy me as it atracts lots of xc and track runners. Why on earth did the race at Ambleside get scrapped most probably because the xc and track runners complained it was to steep yes thats right it was a proper fell course, i would like to see high rigg be brought back !!
I ran and ran until my Muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid, ....And then i ran some more.
The current policy for selecting junior championship races was stated by Lecky in the Spring 2009 edition of The Fellrunner magazine: (paraphrased)
"A rolling 5 year schedule, so that organisers will know they have their race for a fixed number of years (probably 3) before being replaced. This allows them the chance to develop their races". I believe Ambleside was withdrawn for 'non-fell' reasons.
As I have stated before, junior races are reliant on effort from organisers, hospitality of venues, permissions from land owners, car parking capacity and so on. I'm sure old favourites will return to the championship at some stage.
The senior Burnsall race is only 1.5 miles; the last junior championship race held there proved unsatisfactory for several reasons (imho) - short distances, terrain (in the fields below the fell gate), number of visitors to the gala obstructing the course (pedestrians and cars!). Not the fault of the organisers, simply the constraints of what is available.
Definition 2 of the FRA Rules for Competition contains the only descriptions of what constitutes a senior fell race. I don't have a problem with any of the venues. They require a variety of abilities and skills, so that the eventual champion will not be a specialist i.e. climber or descender, outright speed etc..
The objective of trials is to select the best team, regardless of background. If you get beaten by a runner from another discipline - train harder!
Some years ago a trial was heavily criticised as not being a fell race, due to the course going up a series of stone steps. The subsequent international race took place ........ up a series of steps.
Ultimately, these and other races are for you, so your input is important. If you have constructive comments regarding junior fell running, why not contact the FRA junior committee or the international selection committee? Details on the website and in the FRA Handbook.
Last edited by FellJunior; 22-03-2010 at 11:40 AM.
Going downhill fast - until I fell over
can we not have an open vote then on fra junior races perhaps from a pool for each different county
Trying to plod up hills every day slightly faster than the day before
cant you understand it is not as simply as a vote. as fell junior has said many times it is more to do with which organisers are willing to put junior races on. we should be grateful of those that do rather than moaning that they aren't 'fell like' enough.
get out and train rather than find bad excuses for being beaten by 'xc' or 'track' runners. if they are quicker than u on the day deal with it
A cracking suggestion there TurboTom, maybe we should even have a democratic debate on it. Keep up the good ideas
Marc???
Well say there was a pool of 3 races from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria (2), Derbyshire and Northumbria say with willing organisers then why not let the juniors decide....Fell not trail or xc
Trying to plod up hills every day slightly faster than the day before
im sorry but i cant see a junior vote ever working. how would you arrange it??!! would you let every junior vote, meaning U8s would be voting on something they know nothing about or just limit it to U18s meaning that its still not democratic? organisers need to know when they are putting on races long in advance yet this would make that very difficult.
fell racing needs to move forward, just running a constant loop of old 'classics' means the opportunity is lost to run in new areas and on different terrain.
i understand we dont want to turn this into just some version of road running but surely running a mix of races that test a range of abilities in different skills of fell running will ultimately make for a better championship.
As for Coiners for those who dont like the route and I have noted the criticisms dont bother coming.
I'll be interested to look on from my rocking chair in years to come at just exactly how many of the ill informed outspoken juniors (TT excepted) who are putting on races and giving back to the sport they are so happy to take from.
"Moors are a stage for the performance of heaven"
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