It's been a british and/or english championship 4 times... the only time it got silly was 2006 when there were problems with clashes for the other medium races....Originally Posted by Yorkshire Thug
It's been a british and/or english championship 4 times... the only time it got silly was 2006 when there were problems with clashes for the other medium races....
Wynn,
Have you read any of my posts at all?
I never said that your race was overcrowded. I never said that your race caused environmental damage. I never got annoyed by the traffic jams you cause in the valleys - but others do, and I pass that information on to you because you should be aware of this.
What I did say was that your race cannot take unlimited numbers. No race can. Anybody with a brain can understand that. The irresponsibility lies in publicly declaring that you don't need to limit numbers.
If you can't see the problem with that, then it's no wonder you have problems getting races off the ground. It's no wonder you have to live with a 75 man limit on your new race.
When I read that there was no limit for the race, I assumed it wasn't going to be a big field and there was no chance of it getting to the size where it would need to be limited. I don't think it was intended to mean 'even if 000's of poeple enter it will still be ok'. These things need to be reassessed constantly. As for traffic, the less the better. Cars and traffic jams are just so intrusive and insenstive to anything they pass through. There will be at least one contestant to the race arriving by bus and cycling up the valley to the start. By the sounds of it, they will be passing lots of cars en route.
I'm a race organiser. The vast % of the local residents around Witton are very amenable to the events that we stage there.
I think we demonstrate our respect for the residents as we leaflet them in advance to warn them of potential disruption on days such as the Northerns.
They actually have a problem with the 10 Day Easter Fair and regular Circus that comes as they take up the Car Park, and no other Parking is provided, ensuring that the main road is double parked for the duration.
Often in the evenings the visiting public are what you might call pond life as well
We adopt a simlar stance around Edisford Bridge when we have the roads closed for a couple of hours for the RV10K at Xmas.
That doesn't mean to say that 100% will ever be satisfied. You always have the nimbies.
I get the impression that Wynn has a good relationship with the locals, and as has been mentioned, the race brings valuable income to the Valley and once a year I am sure that the vast % of the locals are in support or at the very least tolerant.
We have a Race Limit at RV10K - it's a permitted Road Race and we have been able to raise the limit in the last few years since we went traffic free.
The main issue with raising it further is Car Parking.
We have to have a limit due to the permit - but in reality it could have been without a published limit as we have never reached our limit.
The Cross Country events do not have a limit.
Wynn did not say unlimited - merely that there was no limit.
That is in line with many races on Fell and Cross Country - and the main reason that they do not have a limit, is because they have not reached a point where they have had a problem.
If they do have a problem in the future, which is more likely to come from traffic management issues than anything else, then they will have to reassess this in their risk assessment and perhaps publish a limit.
Thank you WP. At last a reasonable (and responsible) answer.
All you've done is moan Thug.
A straight talking Yorkshire woman eh..yet unable to post without hiding behind a name..
Many overplay the rights of locals in nationally important places. Our National Parks are for all to enjoy. If you live in such a place you just have to accept tourists who want to share that area with you.
It's no big hardship, afterall its only for a few months a year and their income, whether at hotels, pubs, races, helps the council maintain the services for the locals all year round.
There's times when our roads closed, I have to park away from the house, the pubs packed and I can't get a seat; its just a small price to pay for living in a stunning area,, and the tourists have positives and negatives.
Err ... no.
If you're having difficulty reading what I wrote, ask Whitton Park, he understood what I meant and responded with a perfectly reasonable answer.
You seem to be very good at hiding behind your false name .... come on tell us who you really are..... or are you too chicken!!!!
it's easy to pop at things when theres no comeback...
as for the Teenager - we did it properly, consulting landowners, the NT and locals, planning and re planning the route to cause the least amount of impact.
We are also one of the few races that are licenced to race over national trust land (including a payment for the licence), all this takes time and yes the limit is 75 because we felt that was enough for a new race.....
But let me guess how many races you organise.... ahhh, the same numbers as the fingers on a boxing glove...
My email is not a thumbs up for what you've had to say I'm afraid. Your point was valid, but I would say a little abrasively expressed.
That's quite easily done in forums / emails and we've perhaps all done it from time to time.
I am trying to outline that organising races is a huge task that most of us take very seriously wther Fell, Road, XC or even track.
Not just in terms of athletes, but the area and the local population as well, as bad organisation / planning and disregard for others will most likely lead to a race being stopped.
Wynn will have, I'm sure, gone through exactly these considerations and more to arrive at the current arrangement, but it is a constantly changing scene for all race organisers.
Look at Rivington Pike, one of the oldest and most famous on the racing map - they now have to pay for the road closure (a cost which will only increase) and this may put the future of the race in jeopadry eventually.
Hopefully plenty will support the race this year - it probably needs at least 250 to cover the costs.
Last year I teamed up with the Dashers to bring the FRA Junior Champs to the Darwen Gala Race.
One of the few complaints we had was there wasn't enough "fell" terrain. One parent would prefer that we left the recognised moorland tracks and trods and tore across the open moorland
Thankfully the race will remain on the beaten track, which might make it a little less challenging, but does prevent damage to the countryside whilst still providing a suitable climbing challenge for Juniors in an AS Category Race.
Think about all the potential juniors or parents of juniors who after a cross country season are contmplating trying fell this summer. See this is the first race and read the thread. Petty arguments like this will damage the image and ultimately ruin both the young and senior talent coming into the sport. Stop being idiots and talk about the race instead of logistics, have people in the Newlands valley ever complained??? I suspect the farmers have made a nice bit of cash put of it as have the campsites. Fees are paid to NT. So can we please talk about something else
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