Could not care less to be honest. It is a commercial event, so they have as much right as anybody.
Could not care less to be honest. It is a commercial event, so they have as much right as anybody.
Definitely not Travs.
It seems to me that there is a trend that to take part in a larger event it has to be for a charitable cause. I think that the executives of, especially the larger charities, see running events as an easy way to keep the money rolling in and therefore protect their generous salaries and, oh yes I must not forget, give 2, 3 or 4 per cent to the beneficiaries of the charity.
In addition there is a growing number of individuals/companies putting on events for profit, some with a charity/good cause headline, which I do not have any problem with other than the profit element is either never mentioned or hidden away in the small print.
As for small local races including most fell races, usually any surplus goes the way of club funds, a village hall, local school or a cause close to the organisers heart, and that information is well advertised, which is fantastic and long may it continue.
As for donating to a charity in recognition of someones achievement that again a great idea and a personal choice.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
It s a subject quite close to my heart. I was very involved in a martial arts gym (teaching and fighting), and they were seduced by the lure of money from the Ultra White Collar Boxing craze (you know it.... get 8 weeks training, then fight on a fancy event, all for charity).
Suddenly those of us who turned up every day for years, were 2nd priority, and people with absolutely no respect for the gym were taking over for 8 weeks and then replaced by another load. Eventually all my training partners disappeared to other gyms, and i was one of the last few left. Final straw for me came when i was accused of 'disrespecting the gym' (despite giving up my own time, and training opportunities, to teach/referee/organise for them, for free), and i moved on.
Now the White Collar Boxing craze has inevitably moved on from that gym, it is sad to see how it is now, when 5 years ago it was in the top 10 Muay Thai gyms in the UK with several champions.
I would hate anything remotely similar to happen to any type of fell/mountain running event. Credit to Montane... yes they are a commercial company, but their organisation and promotion of events such as the Spine, Cheviot Goat, Yukon Arctic Ultra, always seems to be spot on.
Maybe?
John never intended doing the event for charity; that came about after completing the Spine, when he realised just how many local people were interested in "dot watching" his feat of endurance and those same people asking if they could donate.
The two charities are local to John, and like I said in my post - we may all require the services of such charities at some point in our lives.
So perhaps you may like to make a donation and help such worthy causes to keep going...
Upper Wharfedale Mountain Rescue... https://www.justgiving.com/fundraisi...5cH-guqa8xFqbQ
Pendleside Hospice... https://www.justgiving.com/fundraisi...A4WXFQvi4PDrhY
Thank you.
Last edited by wharfeego; 22-01-2019 at 04:52 PM.
No problem Wharfeego… and i am always keen to donate to MR.
As i was keen to point out, it certainly wasn't a point directed at your mate. As far as i'm concerned, if he comes 8th in the Spine race he's earned the right to do whatever he likes!
Was more a general point about what could potentially happen in the future if the 'mainstream' were to get involved...
There was certainly more coverage this year on the Spine 'tv episodes' directed towards those further back in the field, doing it to get round, or in memory/charity of someone/something. Seems to have been a popular direction for them to go in... i remember last year there were a few complaints/comments that they focussed too much on the leaders, so they obviously reacted to that (i personally disagreed with those complaints).
Pete
I don't see the problem. Pre-entry requirements ensure that people running it have at least got the kind of experience that mean they have a chance of finishing and, in my experience, most people also raising money for charity do so because the average human being thinks this kind of event is completely incomprehensible and so you're more likely to get sponsorship for something that you feel strongly about. The second placed woman raised over £22,000 for CALM, a charity close to her heart due to her own personal circumstances. That's a heck of a lot of money for a cause that needs more support. I don't see what it wrong with that.
I honestly don't think that someone wanting to raise money for charity will think 'oh, why don't I have a crack at the Spine' its more likely that anyone already doing something like the spine will have had so many comments from work colleagues and family about how crazy they are and how can they possibly do it that they'll think they may as well raise some money for something good along the way. Just my thoughts.
'The birds are the keepers of our secrets'