Quote Originally Posted by Witton Park View Post
I personally think there should be more places allocated to the trial and less discretion with the wild cards, but there are also relevant reasons why this isn't done.
I think so too. The problem with these mountain running events is much of our fell running season can be overlooked as irrelevant so the selectors are in a difficult situation of having to compare runners from quite different disciplines who would very rarely race each other.

The obvious way to do it is just to be strict, use the US way and just put it all or 90% on the trial. Obviously it's harsh on those who may have an off day but I think that's what competing is all about. You need to be able to perform under pressure. Don't run the trial don't get selected. As long as the Trial dates are provided early enough then there's few excuses for missing them. As long as it's very clear and well communicated I think more people would do the trials. At the moment if you are unsure if you'll win or come in the top 2 but have a good record at other events it's probably worth not running and asking for an exemption.