Time for a change?

[Yorkshire Thug]

Now that the dust has settled, let’s have a look at just what went on at the Edale Skyline race last Sunday.

Despite pre-entry and Dark Peak’s generous allowance of substitution within club, one fifth of the pre-entries failed to show. I’m sure that there are some good excuses amongst these, but 20% is a lot of no-shows in anybody’s book.

On top of this, one quarter of the starters didn’t even manage to finish the race, either because they were too slow and were timed out, or they couldn’t hack it and dropped out. I understand that the local rescue teams are setting up as mini cabs in preparation for the next race.

And, incredibly, only 30% managed to complete the course in under four hours!

Anybody taking more than four and a half (and there were a lot) should seriously consider whether they should really have been there at all.

This is supposed to be an English championship event and yet the vast majority of the runners obviously thought it was a fun run. Four hours? It’s not even a hilly race, for heaven’s sake. I think runners should think about what they are capable of before they rush to enter. And having entered, they should actively train for the event so that they can justify their entry.

I understand that some runners were even bragging on the start line that this was their first ever long fell race. Well maybe it was your last, eh? If you think that was bad, wait until you see the Duddon!

This is not to detract from the front runners who showed what was possible, and gave the race the levels of respect, commitment and determination it deserved.

The crying shame is that while the majority of the skyline runners significantly lowered the standard of English fellrunning generally and the English Championships in particular, there were serious contenders who could have given the event the effort deserving of a national race, but were blocked by these lightweights.

As a serious sport, we can do better than this. The FRA needs to look into ways of ensuring that the championships (British as well as English) are openly available to all our best runners, and that they are worth entering in terms of both race quality and competition quality.

[invisible]

Is it April 1st already?

[detritus21]

I'm a runner who didn't get an entry as I was unsure whether or not I'd be fit so left it till January to find out all the entries had gone. I'm not a top runner but would like ot think if I ran well I might be in the hunt for a point or two. If I enter a race I'll turn up unless I'm really unwell. Instead of the skyline I ran a marathon in cyprus and came third which showed me I was in pretty good shape. Edale would have been my first AL but no way was I going to take it lightly hence waiting to be sure I'd be fit enough. I ended up replacing Edale with the Marathon and shall be doing the three peaks I got my entry off for this one. Made sure I did my entry for Duddon too I'll be there and I'll finish it.

It is a shame when people who pre enter don't turn up I'm sure people had valid reasons for it. Fair enough the weather was bad hence the number of drop outs but at the end of the day you shoul dbe prepared for such adverse conditions. March is a bugger for throwing up weather like that.

I think what Yorkshire Thug has said is all fair comment really

[IainR]

Mixed views.

Re the drop out rate that's inevitable when people enter so early in the year.

I think the Snowdon Race last year had around 20% not turn up. The way to get around that is either charge more for the races, to make people think about are they really going to race, or open entries later.

Re timing, I disagree, I think fell running should remain unelitist, I'd even advocate increasing the cut off times, but that's up to the Marshalls as they are the ones out in the fells.

I heard somewhere that a runner could not be turned down for a chamionship race? Is this not true then?

I do agree though that Edale is an 'easy' race. Lets face it, its pretty flat, with good trails for most of the race. I've ran the route a few times when I lived back that way, and you can plod around and have an enjoyable day and get home not that tired. Do the Peris, even as a steady training run and you drop into Llanberis dead on your feet.

The championship events attract the crowds, but people also clamour fo the edale race as its a nice route, easily accessible for literally millions of people. It will always be busy.

[No Snow]

I don't agree with a lot of what is being said. I think if your not fit enough to do it then you shouldn't enter. Most of the top runners appear to be in the results, and some of the top runners got a dnf, should they be excluded next year?

Our club made sure that they were aware of any spare entries and they substituted people at the last minute. Im sure other clubs also did the same. You are always going to get a high drop out on any pre entry race, especially now that you have to enter months in advance for any major race.

[marty mcfly]

Depends on what you want from fell running doesn't it?

If you're advocating 'serious' races for 'serious' people, then give every point scorer from last season's championship the option of pre-advance entry (advance advance entry?!)

But...
If people who want to take the championship seriously can't get organised and put an envelope in the post, how serious are they really?!

I wanted to enter this, but decided that since it was a championship race I didn't want to take a 'proper' runner's place, so I'm saving it for next year.

[Mr1470]

This is supposed to be an English championship event and yet the vast majority of the runners obviously thought it was a fun run. Four hours? It’s not even a hilly race, for heaven’s sake. I think runners should think about what they are capable of before they rush to enter. And having entered, they should actively train for the event so that they can justify their entry.

I understand that some runners were even bragging on the start line that this was their first ever long fell race. Well maybe it was your last, eh? If you think that was bad, wait until you see the Duddon!

A fun run? I don't think so. I imagine nearly ALL of the runners regarded it as a serious run and trained as best they could for the race.

I'm presuming that you, Yorkshire Thug, have some ability on the fells and therefore regard sub-4 hours as being easy. That is NOT to say that the person next to you is the same.

Running is a mixture of natural ability AND hard work. The person next to you may not have that ability but may well be working JUST AS HARD as you. They are no less deserving of the chance to race at Edale.

And as for "bragging", I doubt it was that. Stating the fact maybe? And, if this is, as you state, a reasonably easy Long race...what better place to start on AL races?

The crying shame is that while the majority of the skyline runners significantly lowered the standard of English fellrunning generally and the English Championships in particular, there were serious contenders who could have given the event the effort deserving of a national race, but were blocked by these lightweights.

Who exactly are you to call anyone "lightweights"?!? If you're referring to "no-shows", then I would hope that the majority would have valid reasons beyond "the weather isn't looking great" and, anyway, I've always understood that race numbers allow for a certain % of drop-outs.

If you're referring to the slower runners as "lightweights", that is about as insulting and ignorant as you can get. See my comments above, they may be putting in as much effort as you but not have the natural ability.

As I understand it, all "good" runners had the chance to enter Edale. Entries were not full on the first available day. If they waited too long and missed out...well who is at fault there?

Rarely do I get so wound up as to put down such a post....but as IainR says, fellrunning should be uneliteist and inclusive...and attitudes like yours put off people who are just as entitled as you to be out there racing at their pace.

[bill]

Put my hand up ... I was one of the 20% who didn't run on the day. Had every intention of running until I picked up a cold a few days before. Know a couple of others who'd entered but weren't running because of injuries acquired in the week or two prior to the race.

A relatively high drop out is kind of inevitable I would suggest, given pressure to get your entry in, on the basis of a (self-fulfilling) rumour that the race is "filling up quickly". I entered way back, prior to Christmas I think - trained well, had a warm-up race at Noon Stone ... only to go down with a virus a few days before the race.

How about adopting standard entry criteria for champs races: e.g. got to have done at least one AL race in the 12 months prior to a champsionship AL. Entry form for Peris asked for your last two (or was it three?) results from AL races.

[Mr1470]

How about adopting standard entry criteria for champs races: e.g. got to have done at least one AL race in the 12 months prior to a champsionship AL. Entry form for Peris asked for your last two (or was it three?) results from AL races.

I think the first part of your suggestion is good one....if you want to enter a Champ AL, got to have done a non-Champ AL. That'd be fair.

As for other races that ask for previous experience....well you HAVE to start somewhere! I think SOME races can realistically ask for experience (eg wasdale etc) because of the ultra-serious nature of them...but there must be AL races open to those who haven't done ALs before.

[Yorkshire Thug]

Elitist?

Champions are, by definition, elitist. If you don’t like this, tell the FRA to do away with Championships.

But the Champion fell runner should be just that – the fastest runner over the series. Not the fastest stamp licker, or keyboard clacker.

What other sport allows a championship where you can just get lucky and win the national championship because the fastest runner in the country happened to be abroad during the one week when entries were available?

I know you have to be reasonable, and draw the line somewhere, but if our championship is going to be meaningful, we have to do better than this.

Fun run it should not be!!