Had a great run (and walk) round the classic at the Lake district mountain trial this year and last year. A really well designed course, brilliant atmosphere. I can't for the life of me work out why its not more popular. Surely people aren't put off by the navigation?
Because its hard and you have to use a map.
I wish they would let people run in pairs as I'd love to do it but my nav isn't that strong and I'd be worried if the weather was poor.
How popular do you think it should be? 150 odd competitors, over the three course admittedly, is pretty good i think. (Ennerdale 77, Wasdale 111, Borrowdale 290). I'm no expert (having just completed my first LDMT - medium) but it seems like the Classic could be the toughest race in the calender. Which other race does the winner (Rhys FR) take 4:40 to complete?
Anywho, in short I agree with this.
Originally Posted by No map, no compass
I think you've answered it yourself - people are put off by the navigation. You just have to look at some of the threads on here for races where the route is well known, with people worrying about route finding.
I won't name the race as I wouldn't want to embarrass anyone who might recognise themselves from this story... but I was at a race a couple of weeks ago... myself and the guy who had caught me up were unsure where to go, and he was obviously looking at me to lead him... he stood at the bottom of a steep climb and waited for me to see if it was the right way... like an idiot I shouted down to him that it was and he followed me up...
a couples of miles further on we were again lost in the heather... by this time another guy had latched onto us, and matching my every step they both followed my zig-zag 'shortcut' through the heather... I stopped, realising we were lost, and one guy said to me "get your map out then".... neither of them were carrying a map, or appeared to know how to read it (full kit required in this race incidentally)... they then followed me step by step as I got back on track... what's worse, they both burned me off on the run-in from the final checkpoint...
morals of the story... 1) not everyone carries kit, or knows how to use it, and 2) never help anyone...
I guess the navigation element puts a lot of people off and also not knowing where the course will go and (in most years) not publishing the start location until after entries have closed.
All of which is why I actually love it, albeit in the short or medium variety.
The LDMT I find offers more than a fell race - it is more of a personal challenge in that on the day you are only really racing against yourself. It is also not just about having good navigational skills but also good mountain craft - being able to interpret a good line on a map and convert that to something runnable on the ground given the conditions on the day. I guess if you are the type who likes to bomb round en masse along a set route year on year then that's really going to put you off. However, I am getting increasingly bored of the same old races and running out of new ones I would like to do and the LDMT has taken me to places I have not been to before in 35 years of exploring the lakes. I only wish there was more of its type - long may it continue!
I had a similar experience at Borrowdale this year. I was struggling coming off Great Gable and whilst going over Green Gable I noticed a small group of 2 or 3 runners had assembled behind me. As I slowed down going over Brandreth thinking I could still comfortably make the Honister cut-off, I noticed those behind also slowed. I then stopped - guess what? They stopped and then had to admit they hadn't a clue where they were going. I pointed them in the right direction and off they ran. I'm not sure if they had a map but I never cease to be amazed at the average fell runners tendency to just follow the bum in front.
With hindsight I should have jogged round in circles for a while before making a mad dash to Honister at 3:29pm!
Similarly, the weekend before saw the Capricorn in the Howgills. Five hour score event - great running and great navigation. Very well planned. Enough in the field to make it worth it but deserved more?
I suspect that not everyone is happy being on your own navigating, in places you may not be familiar with. Personally, I have always enjoyed navigating my way round the hills, and enjoy events like this - Saunders, LDMT, Capricorn, Kimm/OMM etc. I like getting to places I never knew existed- Control 3, what a boulder!I Control four, who knew that tarn existed?
Thought that this year's Mountain Trial was a well planned course, and certainly provided a good personal test - often heard it referred to as your "annual MOT" .
Efforts of all involved in putting this event on much appreciated.
Linda, you should give it ago. Ask for an early or mid start so then there will be many coming along behind you. I amnit suggesting you follow but there are only 3 courses and some controls are used by more than one course. You are unlikely to be totally alone and you know quite a bit of the Lakes well from races and other runs anyway.
I suggested to get more youngsters they advertised it as Extreme Mountain Long O and marketed it at the British O Champs and Jk.
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