Adidas Swoops re-soled with LSA 10mm studs; so much grip my knees are still hurting now
Adidas Swoops re-soled with LSA 10mm studs; so much grip my knees are still hurting now
Thanks topofahill. It is very kind of you to share them.
I too think its fair enough to have the race as pre-entry only and to expect a reasonable number of non-starters. No need or point to naming and shaming. I trust however that the vast majority of these non-starters did try and pass their entry on to someone else.
Where I do think pre-entries and non-starters becomes a real problem is in the case of races like Ben Nevis, which allow people to enter up to a year in advance and which dont (so far as I know) allow any substitutions at all. I'd be interested to know what others think of the pre-entry issue, but I thought for Scoffer (who did a magnificent job in all respects, by the way) to set an earliest entry date of 31 May - 2 months before the race - was quite acceptable.
Does Pete Balnd re - sole walshes?
Given there were less Borrowdale starters in 2008 than in 2004, is fellrunning now over the hill?
ONCE again, this just adds more weight behind my argument that Championships should a one off race (as they are on the road, xc, and in all the big sports).......there should be no entry limit, and given that its a one off race organisers should be able to acrue the correct number of marshalls etc to make the event run smoothly......like they do every year with the fell relays............if it was pre-entry it would give them a good idea of the numbers they have to cater for.....if they were brave or bold they could go for entry on the day as well.............Originally Posted by MICKEYFINN
Did i hear my ears right or was announced that there were around 100 Non Starters at this years race!!. If this is correct then the culprits should be named and shamed. I totaly understand that injuries occur, familey commitments change ect, but come on please think before you enter a race!
To combat the other side of the coin.....have a LONG DISTANCE championship held in April time, and have a SHORT / MEDIUM championship held in August time ..............this will give runners the opportunity to prepare suitably for both if they wish. The short / medium race could be alternated yearly eg- 5 miles short race one year, a 9 mile medium race the next.....and so on.
Furthermore, in terms of the British FELL CHAMPIONSHIPS.......hold one of the 2 championship races in England every year, and the other alternating yearly between SCOTLAND, NORTHERN IRELAND and WALES..........
As its a one-off championship races, numbers from the celtic countries SHOULD be up (most people would be prepared to travel for a 1 off race), and likewise ENGLISH runners should be prepared to travel to the celtic countries for a 1 off championship race......
You could potentially do something similar with the relays though its perhaps less practical......to further boost numbers however, you could have a TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP decided on points accrued from both the LONG DISTANCE championship in April and the SHORT / MEDIUM championship in August.......
Those who favour the current format ie- 6 races with 4 to count, could retain that in the form of a FELLRUNNER OF THE YEAR award......working on a grand prix system..............
DAMN, I TALK SENSE.....SOMEONE STICK ME ON A COMMITTEE AND GIVE ME SOME POWER
Not really.
DAMN, I TALK SENSE.....SOMEONE STICK ME ON A COMMITTEE AND GIVE ME SOME POWER
Fell running takes place across a sensitive environment. Your idea is OK for a trudge up the Llanberis path up Snowdon with all age groups sexes starting separately, but not for a route like borrowdale.
That has to be the primary concern when organising a race, the disruption caused to the local people, landowners, and environment.
I can't see how else Scoffer et al could organise this race any better:
1. Numbers have to be limited for a race like Borrowdale for environmental reasons.
2. For safety reasons the race has to be pre-entry so a runner's credentials can be, if not actually checked, at least specified on the entry form.
3. A substitution system was in place - I missed out on a place, but managed to substitute with someone who couldn't run (Thanks Goldie.)
There are lots of reasons why people can't run: injury, illness, work commitments, car problems etc... There were a few in my club that didn't run for a variety of reasons, but they all tried to find substitutes. I don't think there's any point in "naming and shaming."
In my view the organisation of the race was spot on. To get 460 at the start with a limit of 500 is doing very well.
The question I have is how many people didn't get to run who really wanted to? There were places being offered on here in the week up to the race, and that's how I got mine without too much difficulty (thanks). If I had got a place back in June and couldn't run, then I'd have offered my place to someone else. In my view this works much better than the excess entries and no transfer policy operated at say the Flora London Marathon, and it's much more in keeping with the spirit of fellrunning.
Last edited by FenlandFellrunner; 06-08-2008 at 01:19 PM.
I have a distinct problem with your argument IAIN.
Number 1- On a race like Borrowdale - over 17 miles and a vast number of mountains- people will inevitably take a wide variety of racing lines if you would......so the its not like the same ground will be battered by all the runners....
Number 2- If someone has deemed it fit for the Borrowdale route to take 500, then in reality what is the difference between 700 wandering over the route in comparison with 500? In real terms, its gonna make little difference to be perfectly honest - limits in races, as much as anything, are usually imposed for safety reasons for both competitors and marshalls.
Number 3- Impose an extra £1 on the entry fee which will be given back to the area for conservation issues or concerns- £700 is a reasonable amount of money.
Number 4- Races like Borrowdale, Snowdon (Since you chose to mention it) do attract a little tourism and inevitably money into these local areas for shops and hotels- it's usually (tho not always) to the benefit of these areas also..........that could not be said for your average fell race
Number 5 - You mention that my idea is "OK" for the llanberis path if everyone starts separately.......is that how the SNOWDON race is run??? I think not sir. I fear your comments about primary concern being disruption to landowners, local community, erosion etc while holding some weight (and I do grant that environmental impact is rightly a concern) is as much pandering to the masses on the forum so that you may be hailed as a conscientious messiah and protector of the environment. Your average fell runner, rightly or wrongly, probably doesnt give a monkeys about the environment WITHIN GOOD REASON....they just want to run the hills and most (but not all - see this years duddon thread and last years pendle race) are thankfully happy to take their rubbish with them
Yours ballbaggedly,
FellMonster
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