Mandatory Kit

[nightingale]

Me and my big mouth....

Second half is easy to recce as each quarter forms nice horseshoes, drop us a line if your down and I'll show you around.

I knew you couldn't be all bad I will take you up on the offer soon . I'll PM you in the week and we can negotiate .

Thanks
John

[ZootHornRollo]

To be fair I did that this year at the Ben. I turned up having opted not to race because of the UTMB and the up coming 100k. At the time of entering I was not selected for the 100k or had entered the UTMB. Anyway I entered because I'd paid the fee and last year we got free buffs.

My view was the Ben is excellently organised. You get given tags. At the start you place the tags in the bin then you give one in at the summit. So if you don't hand one in at the start you haven't started. That's the system.

Unfortunately they didn't count the tags before thinking i was a lost runner. TBH I should have told them I wasn't racing but I think my wife had picked up my number whilst I parked and it just got forgotten but I did know that not dropping off the tag meant I wasn't starting. The organiser had a bit of a go at me, but TBH why have the tag system if it wasn't even checked.

Once they realised I hadn't finished, surely the first port of call was to check whether I had started and that is done by checking the start tags.

I'm hoping I'm not banned from the race in future but we'll see when I enter next year..we did offer our apologies, I do accept we should have told them but I also feel they should have accepted fault in their system.

Now Iain, I think given your pretty high-and-mighty stance on many issues around this forum, this is pretty staggering.

He that casts the first stone ...

[IainR]

Brilliant, as long as I can give you a momentary feeling of superiority I'm happy!

Thinking about this, how is high and mighty saying don't disqualify, just talk to them about the importance?

If high and mighty is saying runners should be responsible for their actions and be able to navigate themselves around a course, then **** me what a scary world we live.

[whynotwhy]

Now Iain, I think given your pretty high-and-mighty stance on many issues around this forum, this is pretty staggering.

He that casts the first stone ...

What amuses, but does not surprise, is how Ian manages to blame the organisers for not checking 500 tags rather than himself for not opening his mouth of which there is only one.

[IainR]

Eh, which part of the 'I do accept' bit did you misread and "TBH I should have told them I wasn't racing".

One of the committee did later say they should have checked the tags. I was off running in the mamores so didn't really think about it to be honest. As said I did apologise and went to find the organisers that night to personally offer my apologies. Not sure what else I can do there?

Still good to bitch isn't it..

[bigfella]

To pick 4 races in the Peak:

Castleton AM 6m 1500ft (on the boundary could be AS or BM)
Exterminator AL 16m 4050ft (51ft off a BL)
Edale Skyline AL 21m 4500ft (technically a BL)
Tankys Trog BL 21.5m 3750ft

The first 2 require full kit as per the FRA regulations as does Edale although technically not an A race. Now it seems obvious that no one would do either of the last 2 even as training runs without carrying kit and they rightly have rigerous full kit checks at the start. The first 2 cover much easier terain and could both be 're-measured' so as not to require full kit.

Is there an argument to include the kit requirement in the calendar alongside ER/LK/NS/PM(/KIT) rather than tying it somewhat arbitrarily to the race statistics. (I know this won't be popular the calendar team)

[nearlyhopeless]

The following is perhaps a reminder of why having a rule on compulsory kit is a good idea rather than leaving it to the individual to decide...

A trial began this week involving the organiser of the 2008 Zugspitzelauf, a mountain race up Germany's highest mountain. The organiser is facing charges relating to two deaths which occured as a result of a blizzard which hit the race (it was run in July). The court case is headline news in Germany.

There were no rules relating to compulsory kit at the race so it was down to the competitors to make their own judgement on what kit to wear/carry. The organiser warned of a bad weather forecast and advised competitors to carry/wear suitable kit. Looking at the photos of the race, many chose to run in just t-shirt & shorts and carried no extra kit. Perhaps the temperature on the startline (16C) and the feeling of being part of a big race enduced a false sense of safety. A blizzard (more severe than predicted) hit the race higher up the mountain with tragic consequences.

Had the competitors been forced to carry kit as per FRA rules then perhaps the tragedy would have been avoided. At the very least the risk of hypothermia/death would've been reduced.

[bigfella]

Don't get me wrong, I am in total agreement with mandatory kit at many races. It's just the definition of these as being AL/AM which a) makes kit mandatory at some races where its arguably not really necessary and b) excludes some races where it certainly is necessary.

[Man from Del Monte]

The camaradere towards the back of the field is much much different to where you and I are.
Ive witnessed this a few times

i witness this every race lol

[XRunner]

A trial began this week involving the organiser of the 2008 Zugspitzelauf, a mountain race up Germany's highest mountain. The organiser is facing charges relating to two deaths which occured as a result of a blizzard which hit the race (it was run in July).

Some photographs showing how the conditions deteriorated.