Well done Simon.Originally Posted by simon cox
1 supporter per section is about perfect but I think your "return to traditional values" is laudable but slightly askew as it was once traditional to to anti-clockwise, starting after breakfast on Saturday to finish in time for breakfast on Sunday. Nevertheless I can see the appeal of last orders in the Kings Arms. :-)
Agreed, but I'd like to see BGRs done with the one supporter per leg doing no navigating whatsover, just following the aspirant, and only carrying his own personal hill kit.
That would be the purest way of doing it and would mean that runners attempting the round would need to learn the route, to navigate in darkenss and foul weather, if need be, and to manage their own self sufficiency.
This would give them a very rewarding round with an extra degree of appreciation of the countryside through which the round passes. I do not believe that some of the "heads-down", "please get me out of here" types you often see getting dragged around by groups of hard-working supporters realise exactly where they are, or what they are missing!
A purist approach such as this surely is what the round is be all about, and any move by the BG club to specially recognise such rounds should be welcomed.
Old Mother Riley went to Bierley on a Bierley bus. The bus bumped ...
To quote Tilman.. "Why not just let them get on with it"..rules rules rules..what ever happened to running for the joy of running and taking what you want out of it.
The main thing for me is to refuse to acknowledge speed or age of those completers under the age of 18. They should do such long runs because they want to (personally I think we should attempt to dissuade but certainly not go as far as banning attempts by under 16's at least), at that age it's potentially dangerous so I don't think any organisation should look to reward efforts. They may well be good honest self driven efforts but the potential dangers are obvious and so the current approach to 'under age' attempts seems valid (if I understand it correctly.
There has to be a balance between encouraging participation and letting endeavour flourish and the obvious risks involved.
Iain - where did I mention rules?
I was simly talking about style, and I don't believe that any particular sort of style should be forced upon anybody. (I certainly don't think that there should be ANY rules for personal challenges such as the BGR!)
But I do think that somebody who did a BG in the style I recommended would be far away more likely to be "running for the joy of running", as you say, than somebody who is simply being lead around by the nose.
[And, while you may have a point in the under-age rule which you are suggesting, I do think it would be a shame to dissuade any self-motivated 14 or 15 year old from doing this simply because they were outside your arbitrary age lmits.]
Old Mother Riley went to Bierley on a Bierley bus. The bus bumped ...
Fair enough, I still think you should at least let them know there are risks involved with running such distances at a young age. Maybe dissuade is too harsh a word, but certainly inform. But its great that they are involved in the sport and looking at challenges.
What is the problem?
Everyone knows that the way top runners do the BGR is one thing and the way overweight, mediocre, navigationally challenged runners who only just get round in the time on their third attempt with half their club in support is quite another.
Who is bothered?
Quite often 'top runners' have as much support as the 'overweight, mediocre, navigationally challenged runners' as you condescendingly characterise the majority of mortals.
Yiannis
Hum.....where did all these pedestals come from? I thought the fell running community were such a nice bunch of folks. Takes all sorts I guess :closed:
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There's condesENDing people in all communities Stef, to use his/her's? words...........who is bothered. Anonymous posts by people who'll never introduce themselves in person. It's easy to post on here and have a dig at someone and frankly a bit cowardly but these things happen.
Hills and Guinness!
Interestingly, I wasn't bothered by the end post...I didn't take it as an insult but as support for the non elite, just using the terms previously used but not necessarily agreeing with them...but then I assumed those terms rather than elite status to also apply to end! Just goes to show how different an interpretation can be.
Society is bound to have the odd nob....end and ar$eman thrown in for good measure!
Meanwhile we're also lucky enough to have a few merry chaps too :thumbup:
Keep on keeping on
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