Skiddaw Race

[The Great Wanderer]

How many people missed the flagged section ? (The Great Wanderer seems to be making a habbit of going the wrong way ;-) hehe)

Wanderers don't stay to the prescribed route N'gale, they take the path less trod (read 'wrong path by accident'). Could have been worse, could have done a Rodders and ended up doing the grisedale grind or something by accident. Maybe they have fell races with buffer strips beside the route like they do at bowling alleys for people that throw like monkeys. I'm gonna look out for them, maybe they should be coded especially in the FRA book.

Really enjoyed the run and the conditions, proper English summer weather after all this dreadful sunshine. Good to see ya there N'gale. See you in the Shire fellas.

[daz h]

Very wet race for sure. Conditions seemed fine. Whinskill had his eye protection on at the start. At the gate it was pretty bad but It seemed fine for me. Vest and shorts. I think bracing was the word. I wouldnt of fancied being the marshall on top in that so a wise decision.

[Fellhound]

Very wet race for sure. Conditions seemed fine. ... At the gate it was pretty bad but It seemed fine for me. Vest and shorts. I think bracing was the word. I wouldnt of fancied being the marshall on top in that so a wise decision.

The weather on Sunday was wet and windy but certainly not extreme. Of course, we all have to consider the marshalls, standing out in that weather but fell races have been run for years in severe weather and I don’t remember the marshalls opting out of the summits on those days. If the weather is not too severe for the runners (and it wasn’t on Sunday) then the full race should be run – even if that means having unmanned (eg SportIdent) checkpoints.

The Skiddaw race is often held in hot weather, which is a nightmare for some runners (like me). Sunday’s conditions are my only chance of doing a good run (in fact my PB for the race was set on a similar day). If I had been running yesterday I would have been very disappointed to be turned round before the summit.

Is fellrunning going soft in its old age….?

PS – before the smart-Alecs pipe up about ‘how do you know what it was like on the top if you didn’t run etc..’ I was on the tops during the time of the race and only returned to Keswick to watch the last few runners finish.

[GeoffB]

Very wet race for sure. Conditions seemed fine. Whinskill had his eye protection on at the start. At the gate it was pretty bad but It seemed fine for me. Vest and shorts. I think bracing was the word. I wouldnt of fancied being the marshall on top in that so a wise decision.

Nice one Daz - glad to see you made that Winskill chappie eat dirt!!

[bestathlete]

I agree, I would have liked to run to the summit. The weather was worst before you went through the 2nd to top gate wherupon you then got a lot of shelter. it would obviously have been really bad again if we had been allowed to venture beyond the top gate.
However I am grateful for the RO and marshals for giving up their free time on a weekend and am not one to complain about whatever decision they take.
Besides, for the first time in 4 years I am not in agony following this race so those 12 missing minutes must be where the damage is usually done.

[stevenh]

Just a word regarding being turned at the gate rather than up on the summit. I respect anyone else who would have been happy to run on beyond the gate and are happy that they would be confident with finding their way thereafter, however I cant say I agree that conditions were meerly 'bracing' -I was clad in shorts and vest and on reaching the most exposed section on Jenkin Hill was fumbling for my hat because my head was getting cold.

Visibility was really poor and it wouldn't have been hard for one of the 140 runners to go astray on what is a fairly featureless top. What's meerly 'uncomfortable' in shorts and vest could become a nasty situation if some muppet ran off in the wrong direction for 5 minutes before realising their mistake, or worse still took a bad fall.

Without being able to fully vet all the entrants I'd have been uncomfortable as a marshall to make any other decision than that made yesterday.

[IainR]

Visibility was really poor and it wouldn't have been hard for one of the 140 runners to go astray on what is a fairly featureless top. What's meerly 'uncomfortable' in shorts and vest could become a nasty situation if some muppet ran off in the wrong direction for 5 minutes before realising their mistake, or worse still took a bad fall. .

If people can't find their way in a bit of clag, should they be up there?

I understand the argument for shortening in very bad weather, don't always agree, but I understand it, but navigation should never be IMO. That's shifting the emphasis of responsibility even further towards the RO. i.e. if the full race route is ran than nav will be simple..

I await the 'self righteous' insults with interest...

[Rodders rambler]

" if some muppet ran off in the wrong direction for 5 minutes "

Come on man,give a man a break !! :-)

[Runway]

Cannot believe that you are debating a volunteer marshalls decision to shorton the race.
Remember, we would have no races at all if we had no volunteers !!

I applaud the decision, I for one would not like to hang about on the top of Skiddaw for to long in those conditions. Even tho it did clear later in the day.
Great race and well organised, be back next year.
Thanks

[bestathlete]

Remember, we would have no races at all if we had no volunteers !!
Thanks

Absolutely.
I always make apoint of trying to thank marshals as I pass them.
I do sometimes worry they think I'm taking the mick though - its not always so easy to get out the full sentence ' Thanks for turning out to help - we couldnt race without you' when you are either running towards them at 15mph downhill or struggling for breath at 200 heartbeats per minute uphill