While we're at it can we disqualify those really, really scrawny, 10 stone fit bastards that make up at least 30% of the field in every flipping fell race. If thats not cheating I don't know what is - no wonder I'm so crap, lugging an extra 2 stone round those fricking hills!
Depends on whether the club has more than three fell runners?Originally Posted by not mad enough
Hmm, I think that is the crux of my original point. I used to run for Dark Peak. Geographically they have a very wide members base. Influencing and advising members of a club in terms of how they should be complying with the rules is great and should be encouraged, but you can only directly influence those that you come into direct contact with. DPFR have over 400 members according to Gavin the last time I spoke with him. But they don't get 400 turning up on training evenings, internal races etc. So whilst I agree in theory with what NotMadEnough says, in practice it is not always so straightforward to apply that logic. Pressure on clubs? Fair enough. But clubs pressuring members, well, I think that might prove difficult for some.
How can a club overcome this natural hurdle? Sure, they could furnish all their members with info on what they expect from them in terms of rule compliance and kit etc, and they could threaten to throw anybody out that doesn't stick with their own rules. But how will the respective powers that be ever know who is breaking the rules and when? Particularly in the absence of any directive or system coming from above, ie, the FRA.
NME - As a personal observation, I've noticed that Glossopdale seem to be a very cohesive unit. Well organised, well run, members seem generally familiar with each other etc. I know a few of you lot (and obviously have had the pleasure of meeting your good self a couple of times) and it seems a great club, although I have no idea how large your membership is. That sense of 'throwing yourself in with a community' though seems to ring true at Glossopdale. Oh, and I like your vest. But not all clubs have the same 'tightness' that I perceive you to have. Dark Peak was great, I made some good friends, but in my opinion (everybody kindly note that before I get slaughtered!), too big. After a while it must become very difficult to effectively administer a massive widespread group. On the flipside we now have about 40 active and localised runners in Porter Valley and to be honest it's (usually) a piece of cake making our own rules and regs clear. It's small and it's manageable. And you're right, new members do ask advice. When I take a group to a fell race, they are all really keen to ensure that they are fulfilling kit requirements etc because I've made an issue of it. But I'm only really able to do that because it's a small and manageable group.
Sorry to waffle. Hot topic for me as it was one of the main reasons I left DPFR. I'm essentially saying that I agree with NME but unfortunately think that it is impractical in a lot of cases, as Dominion pointed out. Have I dragged this too far off topic? Is it another thread in it's own right?! See this is what happens when I'm injured - too much time on the forum and not enough time in the hills...
Last edited by simgreen78; 25-08-2011 at 05:34 PM.
Be Humble. Sit Down.
and people seen practising! Not British if you ask me.
Last edited by Henry Porter; 25-08-2011 at 09:17 PM.
Ban em from training and let the fatties catch up!
Lack of training is what makes me fat:-(
Hills and Guinness!
Nowt to do with all the black stuff you drink then???
The less said about the amount of black stuff consumed last weekend at stepson's wedding, the better. Although it did make me climb trees in the beer garden, embarassing Dad
Hills and Guinness!
Right!
Name and shame!
Fully agree with you!
Mr Anonymous?
You d be left with no elite runners!
Why not have a basic kit check when collecting numbers? It wouldn't be that hard to implement, and that way people would still have a chance to sort their kit out if they didn't have the right stuff as well. I heard (only gossip) there were some random kit checks at the three peaks on the line where people who didn't have all the kit were told they could race anyway. Equally, if people showed the kit on collecting the number and then didn't have it later on, they clearly would be cheating rather than just getting the kit wrong so it would be easy to dq them.
@Hill_Runner on twitter
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