The FRA facebook page seems to be awash with with people selling Shoes ect ,as fell running becomes more main stream will the commercialisation of the sport be it's downfall ?
More and more races are becoming oversubscribed and difficult to gain late entry especially when managing injury ,the effect of our sports impact on small local communities will be ever greater,
as will the effect on the environment ,as the sport continues to grow will we see more race routes changed to trail runs ...
You may have a point about the current series of posts being 'commercial'. However most fell races aren't going up in price to the commercial level seen in Trail and other events, even though I've increased Whittle Pike to £4 next year. Whilst some races have always been oversubscribed I'm not sure if numbers in races are going up everywhere; the number of fell races in England has leveled off and the number of FRA members ditto. However you are right that there is a commercialisation of off road running. Whilst some of us were running Cilcain the other week there was a non WFRA event on the same hill at three times the entry fee and less challenging terrain.
Nick Harris Do these "other events" pay a levy/fee to the land owner in the same way as I believe the Windgather Race was charged by the Forestry commission to use their land ?
Did the recent Hell of a Hill marathon - Bolton Hill Marathon on Winterhill take place after paying a fee?
Will these big commercial events affect the staging of our less Commercially lucrative (to land owners)races, after all there is only so much pressure these environments can tolerate...
Do you want to publicize this? Most fell races do not pay.Originally Posted by B.Bill.
This will be the norm.. probably understandably.. and will drive races to be commercial.
Its the way in the US, small low key races struggle for this reason.
But as farmers are hit by grazing limits they will look to use their land for other uses, be it wind farms, solar farms, mass events.. free events using their land will get hit.
It will hit the people who guide. You can understand it in many ways but it will squeeze a few areas which will struggle.
Hi, All FRA members will have seen in the FR articles on Access and issues around gaining landowner permission. Chris Jones the FRA Access lead is in active discussions with a number of agencies on this. There are a number of reasons for this. The big Commercial agencies have money, big money, compared with fell races; landowners, both business and not for profit, need/want cash; Natural England are busy protecting bird nesting and other areas which has led to the loss of some races. This is not new. The British orienteering federation have an agreement with the Forestry Commission going back to 2012. We have an agreement with UU, which all race organisers will know about, from about the same time. However we still have the same number of FRA races as last year and, as Iain says, most do not pay. This is a tricky issue and worthy of debate.
isnt this a good thing?
Provide marked trail racers for people who want to race off road and not on the fells?
However the general increase in people wanting to be outside and active SHOULD only be a good thing. Yes it will bring challenges but we will have a more aware active fit population. A population more sensitive to the environment, a population having less of a reliance on healthcare...
I think trail races are the future, they shouldnt threaten fell racing, they should be seen as a welcome additional sport. The issue comes when those suitable to marked trails try to race fell races.
The increase in numbers "SHOULD" be a good thing �� Not for the extra congestion in sensitive areas ,not for reducing traffic pollution,plenty of parks in urban areas for people to run Iain,I have no objections to anybody using the countryside...not sure why you feel the need to push onto people...lots of damage to the environment is down to overuse...What does it say in the FRA statement about protecting the environment....thought the policy was to discourage ��
So we have millions of people with no respect for the environment...
Look at NZ? An environmentally aware public.
We can have your way. Very few have access to the countryside, discourage.. (which it isnt), and then what? keep polluting.. be fat unfit, we pay high taxes?
We can easily sustain more people in the enviornment and infact probably need to if our rural communities are to have an industry. One thing pisses me off is people in cities on good wages saying there should be no commercial races.
Look at how much races like Always Aim High bring into Snowdonia? Areas like llanberis and llandudno or Betws have lost the traditional tourism, Adventure tourism is their future. Farming is dying, quarrying is dying. You may ot like it but an increasing income and jobs for the locals comes from the mountain biking, the climbing, the gorges, the kayaking, the zip wires.. the mass participation events.
If not what will happen?
Huge areas of the UK left unused? Or would we use them for wind farms? after all if noone is using them who will protest against them being used up for wind farms?
I think your alternative is a bit stark. We could get these areas populated by home workers and local small businesses. Those who value living away from large towns and cities. And those who want to enjoy the hills.
This is probably happening already. So it's not an alternative of mining/farming or tourism or unemployment.
Iain Do you think very few have access to the countryside at the moment ?
For inner city people to have greater access will involve a greater cost to the environment..plenty of green spaces in city's! Controling some of the dogs and their owners would encourage more people to run.
Turning the great outdoors into a theme park for the fat and lazy , not a great idea to me .
Green spaces are already disappearing for the common man ..Golf courses / Grouse Moors ect.
Climbing has already been destroyed in lots of areas by selfish commercial providers overusing crags making it difficult for other users to access them.
The erosion on a lot of the routes on these Honeypot Crags has totally destroyed them .
This has been caused by overuse and innappropiate absailing down actual routes.
The great outdoorsis there for ALL to enjoy ..let them find it themselves
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