Inter-Counties

[Paul]

Some photos (not just Yorkshire, but all teams) taken by Dave & Eileen on the Woodentops site here http://www.woodentops.org.uk/index.p...ounties%202008

Dave Woodhead advises "the black ribbons worn by Yorkshire runners were in memory of Frank Gledhill, 'Mr. Yorkshire' who recently passed away. Frank was a staunch Yorkshireman who loved his county and served athletics for many years as a coach, organiser, and committee man."

Victoria Victorious ...

[Paul]

Last year's photos from Dave & Eileen too, here ...
http://www.woodentops.org.uk/index.p...ounties%202007

[OnceWasRunner]

Oncewasrunner, do you have any more photos of the event? Was a cracking day out, just wish i'd not been ill so i could have enjoyed it a bit more.

I have about 75 photos. If you send me a private message with contact details and details of who you are looking for, I'll see what I can do.

At the moment I cannot do albums for sharing.

[Zlod]

I think someone should look at the IC and how it can be made bigger and more appealling. Someone suggested running it withi a champs race. Would this work, or would fields just be too big and would there then be those silly people who sign up for it because its going to be a big race?

I think this Intercounties Championship is a well worthwhile event. I feel the event would be worse if it were combined with another championship. You'd get those really big fields of people that dwarf the intercounties aspect of the race. In a way I'd prefer it if the race was just the intercounties championship: it's difficult to tell in the current intercounties format whether it matters if you overtake that runner ahead or not.

I've seen the individual and club results. Does anyone know where the intercounties results are?

[saz]

You could combine it with the trail of the European Championship team - which would give a smallish race on a sort of set date, but it would then be more of a mountain race (flagged, paths etc) up and down one year, up the next, and the mens and womens courses would be different

[Mike Half-Goat Duxbury]

As the Gloucestershire team manager I thought I clarify how the Inter-Counties works currently (I reckon most managers outside the top counties are similar):

* In about January/February a pack is sent to each of the county associations inviting them to enter a men's and ladies team to the Inter-Counties fell race.
* Most of the counties would love to be represented but most of them don't know who to turn to enter a team
(if you're not in the counties who regularly submit teams i.e. Lancs, Yorks, Derbys, Chesshire, G Manchester, Merseyside, Glouces or Essex, then contact your association - contacts on the UKA site - and offer to organise a team)
* Once I have the details (and most managers are probably pretty similar) I email all the clubs in the county advising them of the details, rough selection criteria, selection date and (most importantly) inviting runners who are interested to contact me. I also email the fell runners I know about and those who have run before directly.
(if you're not in a club within your county most managers will not realise either you are eligible or how to contact you - so either contact your association or contact Alan Barlow at the FRA and ask if he knows who normally organises the team)
* I try and find out if the course is suitable for fell-running novices or should be strictly mountain goats only, and then select the team.
* I've found from experience that the strong trail runners, i.e. non-fell runners, have a habit of getting cold feet at the last minute so tend to stick to the known fell runners.
(if you offer to travel up to the race as a reserve then, guess what, when someone drops out I will ask the reserve to step in rather than ringing 20 people who all can't do it at the last minute)
* The more counties that enter the race the better, the more people you have to compete against. The arrival of the Scottish counties has made a massive difference. There's even agenuine competition to be first southern county home.

We could improve the system, the Fellrunner could have a section where the cuonty managers are able to list their names and contact details. But I wuld urge runners who fancy representing their counties to follow some of the suggestions above in the meantime.

Mike

[Roadrunner]

This is how it worked on Gm this year.

Two weeks before the event Alan Barlow e-mails me and askes if we are putting a team in. I say 'I dont know mate'. I then take it upon myself to sort a team out. have a discussion with GM athletics who inform me that we never enter it!!! I had to point out that I had won it for the last two years to this year and that Team GM had won it for the past two years as well!!! (Nice to see those people in charge at GM athletics follow the events!) Told the women I would sort the mens team out and asked about the entry fee. I paid it and then got it refunded. Think I will write to them later to let them know how the four lads got on and that they retained their team title.

[FellMonster]

This is how it worked on Gm this year.

Two weeks before the event Alan Barlow e-mails me and askes if we are putting a team in. I say 'I dont know mate'. I then take it upon myself to sort a team out. have a discussion with GM athletics who inform me that we never enter it!!! I had to point out that I had won it for the last two years to this year and that Team GM had won it for the past two years as well!!! (Nice to see those people in charge at GM athletics follow the events!) Told the women I would sort the mens team out and asked about the entry fee. I paid it and then got it refunded. Think I will write to them later to let them know how the four lads got on and that they retained their team title.

Kinda says it all though Andi doesn't it, with regards to regional bodies attitudes to fell-running.........they don't know, and they don't care..........and people wonder why I begrudge having to affiliate!
Still, you can see why they don't bother when they can make a fortune from their local city 10km......how much was the great manchester 10k this year? £32 was the figure that hit my ears, but I'm hoping that was a joke

[FellMonster]

Fellmonster - what do you class as your county? lancs, manc or NI? because the current manc. team manager has just posted and i know that one of the lancs team managers goes on here, she even messaged me on here the other day! if you're lancs, i'll be sure to put your name forward if we ever struggle to get guys out like last year.
The lancs team is pretty good this year. i heard the manc team is strong this year, good job andi, and there is always cumbria/yorkshire/derbyshire to make it a good battle for the team medals. i think the event is a grower, i said in another thread its really like a single day national champs, though most out and out fell guys dont see it that way. if you look at the guys in the inter-counties in the last few years you see quality guys like andi, john brown and alister brownlee running who can't prioritise the british or english champ races.

Lancs in future Tom! Well run last night by the ways.