How do you choose?

[marty mcfly]

How do you choose which races to do?

- Do you do local races?
- Do you try to do as many different races as poss?
- Do you 'streak' races?
- How do you choose a 'classic'?

I do plenty of local races and I tend to pick a couple of 'classics' each year. I don't really have much interest in repeating races and would rather do lots of different ones.

I'm starting to think about next year and am overwhelmed with choice!

[IainR]

Same here. I prefer the big races. But I'll do the Brits and normally one other championship depending on how they fit around ultras.

There's a few I repeat (Jura, the Ben, Peris etc) but I try not to repeat too much. My view is I want to stay in North Wales but I think doing the same races against the same people for the next 30 odd years (or however long I run for) would bore me, so I probably only do half of my races locally, in fact probably less.

[ZootHornRollo]

because I normally have to travel a fair way and stay overnight, I have gone for longer races - just seems more worthwhile

[southernsoftie]

Whichever I get permission from the Better Half for!

[Antisocial]

I check which forumites (coincidently the forum spellcheck on this word gave me the alternative of sodomites?) I have upset lately, where they live and then race elsewhere, got a nice race coming up in Venezuela

[DazTheSlug]

How do you choose which races to do?

- Do you do local races?
- Do you try to do as many different races as poss?
- Do you 'streak' races?
- How do you choose a 'classic'?

I do plenty of local races and I tend to pick a couple of 'classics' each year. I don't really have much interest in repeating races and would rather do lots of different ones.

I'm starting to think about next year and am overwhelmed with choice!

all of the above!
seriously, don't get me started on choosing races
I usually identify one "deffo" race per month, one "like to do that as well" race, and then sprinkle in as many others as I can swing pass-outs for - so roughly one every other week, plus a few more in the middle of the year with evening races.
I tend to go more for races I haven't done before, with only a few that I will re-visit regularly - although that's getting harder with more and more brill races encountered that I'd like to go back to.
Area-wise it's quite groovy living in Manchester as I can class "local" as being Peak District, North Wales, West & South Pennines
I usually identify one big Welsh race and one big Lakes race as "major" targets - last year it was Cader Idris and Three Shires, next year it's going to be Duddon and Rhinog Horseshoe.
There are more factors invloved (training, kids hols, road PB attempts, long distance stuff, recces), but that's basically it

[JohnK]

I live and train in the Lakes but run very few local races, as i like running off road Ultra`s i also like to pick events i have not run before and go into them as new ground, so that i can often have the need for map and compass.

I also like to make a long weekend away in the area of the race and often walk parts of the route after the race with my wife, and races that i particulary enjoy i am happy to go back to in future years until i figure i have got my best result for it, e.g Fellsman i love that event and happily go back as i know one day i will get FLEET MOSS right

Main criteria for me Is 25 mile +, mostly off road, loads of ascent/ descent, night sections (not mm over night style camps, but rather moving and naving through the night), in a location that has a good campsite to park up for the weekend, seems to work for me and we travel all over the place.

[Mark G]

Living just outside the Lakes I am able to apply a rule of thumb that I try not to do races that take longer to travel to than they do to run - That might be a bit lazy but when I can be at Blencathra in twenty minutes I dont have a lot of incentive to drive for hours to do a short race somewhere else. But I do make a few exceptions, Jura, Ben Nevis etc, and even a few at the south end of Cumbria (Dunnerdale, and Black Combe for example, but I always try to make these in to part of a longer trip (eg setting off early for Jura and spending a few days cycling and camping on the way, or doing the Ben on the way home from a longer holiday in the area)

[ukhursty]

I chose the races I can afford to do really, they are generally local.

As of 2010, I'm hoping to do some in the Lakes and Scotland, not really arsed which ones yet, I'll probably only know if I can do some a few days before the event.

[Ady In Accy]

Fit 'em in round shifts and injury so whatever happens to be on when I'm off and able............