Tour de Helvellyn

[IWCharters]

I was on the route that ran parallel with the road at a gate. I had been a quarter of a mile into the route but when it became apparent that runners (not all of them) were taking the more direct line but then having to retrace their steps (not all of them, some were crossing the beck) I decided to try and guide them to the safer route. Many thanked me for doing so.
I had been advised by my wife who was up the fellside that the beck was in flood and runners were having to retrace their steps so they could cross.
Sportsunday wear hi vis as a safety measure, we dont want anyone running into us because they could not see us. Not only do we not want to be hurt but we dont want anyone else hurt either. Sorry if this basic common sense safty measure offends.
As for pretending to be a marshall, give me a break. Too suggest I was trying to divert runners just so I could photograph them is comtemptable.
Our stance is that we do not own the fells and and anyone is entitled to go and do as the feel, all we would ask (and did) is the chance to do our job and earn our living. We were as I said asked to cover this by the RO.

Clearly I misunderstood your intentions at Dunmail and for that I apologise. My confusion arose because there is no need to cross the beck at all and many took more direct lines avoiding the beck altogether so there was no reason for anyone to be trying to direct runners back down to the road.

Being asked by a RO to cover a race does not give you exclusive rights to photograph it and neither does it give you the right to ask anyone to take down their pictures - I was wrong about your intentions at Dunmail and I apologise, you were wrong to ask Stu to take down his photos and .........

[Stolly]

In reply to all the one sided comments on http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2572280
We had contacted Nav4 and had their expressed invitation to attend and photograph this event.
When we saw that stustod had placed quite a number of pics on fliker we asked (not snottly) if he would take them down to give us a chance to earn our living to which he kindly agreed.

I think thats incredible that you bullied somebody into not doing what they liked with their own property. You have absolutely no right to do this. We all have to work for a living and would probably all have an easier time if others didn't try and do what we did better/more cheaply or yes just for fun. If your product is good enough people will pay for it. I for one though will now think twice before buying pictures from sportsunday again.

[Graeme78]

In reply to all the one sided comments on http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2572280
We had contacted Nav4 and had their expressed invitation to attend and photograph this event.
When we saw that stustod had placed quite a number of pics on fliker we asked (not snottly) if he would take them down to give us a chance to earn our living to which he kindly agreed.
It appears that what has upset people mostly is that sustod received a "snotty" messagefrom us, I can assure you that Laura has never written a "snotty" message in her life.

The problem is you have asked someone to remove their pictures from the Web, when really you had no right to do so. You may find that rather than helping you, this poor publicity will only harm you in the future. I like many others will not be buying any pictures from you in the future.

[Oliblom]

I think its time to get back onto the running side of things and offer congrats to Kim C who won for a second year and in doing so broke the course record!!
I think the first lady was Tom Gibbs wife.

Indeed, another great run for Mr Collison.

And continuing on with the race................out of interest, who after the Swirls Car Park checkpoint ran the whole of the Forest Track to Birkside Gill and who took the Permissive Path (it vias off to the left from Forest Track after about a mile and returns you to the Forest Track with about a mile of the Forest Track to go)???

Merry Christmas one and all!

[Toreador]

I think its time to get back onto the running side of things

Interesting report from James Thurlow http://www.howfast.org/blog/2012/12/tour-de-helvellyn/

[Toreador]

And continuing on with the race................out of interest, who after the Swirls Car Park checkpoint ran the whole of the Forest Track to Birkside Gill and who took the Permissive Path (it vias off to the left from Forest Track after about a mile and returns you to the Forest Track with about a mile of the Forest Track to go)???

Hopefully everyone took the permissive path, as the route description says "Then follow forest trails and the permissive path to Checkpoint 6 at Birkside Gill Footbridge (327 124) – unmanned, no drinks. You must stay on the way-marked route and not use the forest road."

[Hank]

Anyway...

Another great event from Joe and his team... thanks to all involved. I had a good day until the last hour when I blew up big time. Much to my surprise it looked like I was going to make it round in comfortably under 8 hours, but after Howtown it all went a bit wrong. Scraped in in 7.59.29 feeling pretty rough. Nice soup at the end.

Thought the conditions were pretty tough and got very cold going round by Grisedale Tarn... think it was the cumulative effects of wind, rain and fatigue setting in and I was glad to drop back down towards Patterdale.

[Hank]

Hopefully everyone took the permissive path, as the route description says "Then follow forest trails and the permissive path to Checkpoint 6 at Birkside Gill Footbridge (327 124) – unmanned, no drinks. You must stay on the way-marked route and not use the forest road."

I went that way... but both this year and last I saw people who didn't as I emerged back on to the forrest track. I agree that people shouldn't do it as it's described clearly in the route description, but I think a lot fewer would do it if the point where you leave the forrest track were marked up clearly on the ground (i.e. a big sign).

[Toreador]

I think a lot fewer would do it if the point where you leave the forrest track were marked up clearly on the ground (i.e. a big sign).

Agreed - I nearly missed it last year, even though I was looking out for it.

[Mark L]

You have absolutely no right to ask anyone to take their pics down...ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER!
I've never heard a bigger bunch of excuses (with plenty of spelling mistakes to boot!).
'appy Christmas!

My fairly simplistic thinking is that anyone has the right to ask anyone else anything they want.


Hank - I too bonked just before Patterdale. I reckon I burned up a load of carbs going up (and down) Sticks Pass like a madman. That'll teach me!