The Fell Racing Ethic

[spidershankes]

Language is a devil isn't it.

When I read the thread, I took "having a laugh" to mean; turning up to a race with the sole goal for your race to be having a nice enjoyable time of it. Approaching the race in full acknowledgement of the seriousness of the undertaking and the prevailing/forecast weather. To enjoy the challenge of the whole undertaking but coast round at say 80% effort, have a bit of chat/banter with fellow runners and slow down (possibly stop!) to enjoy any particularly special views. Not really caring about where you place positionwise in the race. Doing the race because sometimes it is nice to do something as a shared experience.

That is in contrast to "racing" which would be as above, but instead of coasting it, going as hard as possible all the way. Storming the descents over rough ground to try and gain a place or two and finishing in a sweaty, broken heap on the floor. Arguably I'm "safer" when "having a laugh" than "racing", as everything is done in a more considered way.

I can see how some people might understand "having a laugh" to mean a couple of mates in the pub, after having 5 pints thinking, hey that fell race tomorrow is meant to be well 'ard, let's have a crack, it'll be a larf, don't worry about that compass getting lost will make for a bigger tale to tell afterwards. With that understanding of "having a laugh", I agree with WP.

Very well put, yes! I think that's the kind of distinction I was looking for.

[spidershankes]

Well done on writing it all down. I started reading it but......I guess I have the modern malaise of short attention span! But I get the gist of where you are going with your views.
I guess each of us will have our own personal reasons for adding fell running and racing to our portfolio of physical endeavour. So each of us could pick holes in someone elses explanation of why run on the fells.
Me? I transitioned from rugby to road running in my late 20's. Was an respectable if unspectacular club level road runner. But a running colleague did a couple of fell races and raved about them. So I did one with him. I could not get close to him on the road but I gave him a run for his money on that first race together. As a lover of mountains, I was immediately hooked and seduced by the mystique, individuality and camaraderie of the sport. I threw myself in 100%. I raced as hard as I could but also took time to revel in the environment. I loved it rough, terrain and weather. It spoke to me in a way that nothing else ever could. As a rugby player, I took pride in having a good engine and throwing myself at insurmountable odds. Fell running and racing gave me the same sense of personal achievement. And yes, I liked the fact that it was unusual and , dare I say it, elitist?
Now I can't do it anymore, I miss it terribly. But I have a massive store of wonderful memories. I don't think a career in any other type of running would have left the same gift. One could worry that the ethos of the sport would change with the influx of new runners but in actual fact, if the articles in the Fellrunner are anything to go by, the sport seems to be in good hands. The restriction of newer tools like GPS and poles seems critical to preserving the ethos that I loved.

Thanks Wheeze,

Yes, people come into fell running for all kinds of reasons. Certainly, racing is only one of them, and probably not the biggest either. Although I love racing, if I had to choose between only running alone or only racing forever, I would choose the former. I certainly didn't intend the article to be an exhaustive list of reasons to run, just a detailed look at why fell races are a distinct and precious thing from other run-racing events. it sounds as though you definitely got a lot from racing, like so many others!

I agree that the ethos (which I tried to describe) is still strong, even with many newcomers. I'm still fairly young myself, and I don't see that ethos as 'old-school' - in fact, I plan on helping to carry it forward for many more decades of racing to come!

Cheers,

Bobby

[Travs]

Thanks Wheeze,

Yes, people come into fell running for all kinds of reasons. Certainly, racing is only one of them, and probably not the biggest either. Although I love racing, if I had to choose between only running alone or only racing forever, I would choose the former. I certainly didn't intend the article to be an exhaustive list of reasons to run, just a detailed look at why fell races are a distinct and precious thing from other run-racing events. it sounds as though you definitely got a lot from racing, like so many others!

I agree that the ethos (which I tried to describe) is still strong, even with many newcomers. I'm still fairly young myself, and I don't see that ethos as 'old-school' - in fact, I plan on helping to carry it forward for many more decades of racing to come!

Cheers,

Bobby

I've got to disagree on this point.

Certainly when just out running on the fells i see a vaguely equal split between people who look like they're training and those who look like they're just out for a pleasant run.

However, there's a reason why the English Championship races get the biggest fields, and its not just because people want to be part of a big social event.... its because right down the field and age categories, people want to compete.

[Graham Breeze]

I've got to disagree on this point.



However, there's a reason why the English Championship races get the biggest fields, and its not just because people want to be part of a big social event.... its because right down the field and age categories, people want to compete.

True.

In every English Champs counter there are more medal winners running than the total field in some smaller fell races. Some people might think winning, say, the English Bronze V70 medal doesn't matter much but I would advise such people never to stand on the racing line on a down hill section balking the, say, half a dozen old men to whom it matters very much indeed.

[mr brightside]

I remember at the XOTF when we remembered Daz h at the top of a mountain near Buttermere somewhere, amex read a piece from a source i can't recall. It described a runner descending to the finish line of a race with utter commitment, showing no mercy to either himself nor people whom he knew he could have. Having raced hard like his very life depended upon, he took the time to congratulate and shake the hands of those who he had just done battle with, in order that the bond of sport and camaraderie remain. Whatever it was, this was probably the best description of the fell running ethos i've ever heard.

[spidershankes]

Seems like there is a general idea here that I have pitched a 'it's all a bit of fun' and you want to remind me that racing is actually very competitive, but I feel that I very much included the competitiveness at the core, while trying to point out that the competitiveness is actually a part of the fun. I reckon one of the nice things about fell racing is that even the best of the best recognise that trying very hard and not taking yourself too seriously can go hand in hand, rather than be at odds with one another.

[spidershankes]

I've got to disagree on this point.

Certainly when just out running on the fells i see a vaguely equal split between people who look like they're training and those who look like they're just out for a pleasant run.

Curious how you are making that assessment? Can training runs not be pleasant!? Are all runs not training of some sort, even if they are at an easy pace!? Can you only look like you are trying hard on a run if you are training for a race!?

I know many people who run on the fells and have little interest in racing at all. Certainly most people who enter races intend to 'race' them, but that is not the same as saying most poeple who run enter races.

[Travs]

Curious how you are making that assessment? Can training runs not be pleasant!? Are all runs not training of some sort, even if they are at an easy pace!? Can you only look like you are trying hard on a run if you are training for a race!?

I know many people who run on the fells and have little interest in racing at all. Certainly most people who enter races intend to 'race' them, but that is not the same as saying most poeple who run enter races.

Generally i'll chat to people i see out running.... sometimes more easily done than other times though!

I'd say of the people i speak to, a relatively level split between those who are using the run as a recce of a race, or are preparing for a particular race, etc.... and then those who as you rightly say, just like going out running in the hills and have no interest in racing.

[Travs]

Seems like there is a general idea here that I have pitched a 'it's all a bit of fun' and you want to remind me that racing is actually very competitive, but I feel that I very much included the competitiveness at the core, while trying to point out that the competitiveness is actually a part of the fun. I reckon one of the nice things about fell racing is that even the best of the best recognise that trying very hard and not taking yourself too seriously can go hand in hand, rather than be at odds with one another.

I think for me, i was slightly "taking the hump" at the assertion that this is vastly different from other forms of racing.... fell racing is my passion, but i compete on the track, cross country and a little on the roads as well.... i've never got the impression that any of these disciplines take themselves too seriously, or are unfriendly in any way....

Yes sometimes there is "more on the line" in these races, but i've always found even the top runners from all disciplines very approachable (i had a very nice chat with Emile Cairess just a week after his 2:08 London Marathon).

I think all types of running/racing generally give people a good grounding and appreciation of hard work, and the vast majority are pretty respectful of each other whatever their level and choice of venue.

Don't get me started about triathletes though....

[Marco]

This thread is called 'The Fell Racing Ethic', so it seems only normal to discuss fell racing and not training and social running.