Calderdale Way Relay

[john doe]

Can some of you lot stop using this forum for slagging each other off.l

Welcome to Rossendale Harriers, been a member for, lets see 23years? cant remember a time when there wasn't some squabble or other going on. Lets face it running basically an individual pastime, but why not join a club then we can have a right good bicker

[Wee Beastie]

In a club that can't be ar*ed with bickering. More interested in running to be bothered mate.

[Stanners]

Can some of you lot stop using this forum for slagging each other off. Just PM each other please. I don't want to read all this rubbish. It's going to be difficult to avoid clashing with road and fell races in May. Halifax have picked a weekend that will be the same every year and I'm afraid if it's the same weekend as some big road marathons well so be it. This is the difficulty that the CW now faces with changing the relay to May. I don't think that there will be the same demand for teams now but I'm sure alot of clubs will still manage to get out there. We are lucky in that we only do fell and being local we will still be fielding a fair few teams but I'm not so sure quite as many as before. The relay will impact on other fell races on that same weekend. I have very mixed feeling about the change but in my heart of hearts I did prefer December. Although sitting in the sun with a beer at the end this year had a certain appeal

I apologise if i upset you, i was only having a crack with a mate hiding behind his PC.

[Flightless Bird]

Early on in this thread, there was mention of contacting the race organiser to put views forward, in attempt to have the committee reconsider.

Has anyone actualy done this, or are you just moaning with no real intention of doing anything about it!
If not, shut up and put up is the only way forward!

[Stanners]

Just putting our views across pal, freedom of speech and all that. Get on it mate

[Flightless Bird]

What is the point of putting your view across to people who can't do a damned thing about. You might as well bang your head against a brick wall! If you want to make a differance you need to tell the people who make the decisions.

[Runrigg]

As webmaster of the Halifax Harriers website it was me that posted the question on our site asking for feedback about the date. This was on the home page alongside the results. Of the 27 responses we got before our meeting only 3 favoured December. This surprised me as much as anyone as I was also in favour of keeping December. The CWR committee is made up of very experienced fell runners including founders and current and past directors of the relay so the decision was not taken lightly because although only 3 respondents wanted to keep December the reasons were compelling and can be found over and over in this thread. As far as I know no one has actually contacted the club to complain. It's a bold move but it might also turn out to be a smart one, that will depend on how much people love the CWR or whether other events in May are more appealling. We will find out...

[Witton Park]

What is the point of putting your view across to people who can't do a damned thing about. You might as well bang your head against a brick wall! If you want to make a differance you need to tell the people who make the decisions.

When you go down to the pub for a pint with your mates, do you chew the cud on the issues of the day, or stare in to a corner whistling to yourself? Just wondering as this is a forum for debate.

[Witton Park]

As webmaster of the Halifax Harriers website it was me that posted the question on our site asking for feedback about the date. This was on the home page alongside the results. Of the 27 responses we got before our meeting only 3 favoured December. This surprised me as much as anyone as I was also in favour of keeping December. The CWR committee is made up of very experienced fell runners including founders and current and past directors of the relay so the decision was not taken lightly because although only 3 respondents wanted to keep December the reasons were compelling and can be found over and over in this thread. As far as I know no one has actually contacted the club to complain. It's a bold move but it might also turn out to be a smart one, that will depend on how much people love the CWR or whether other events in May are more appealling. We will find out...

I for one wouldn't have known there was a chance to make comments through your club website and would have thought one of those experienced fell runners may have suggested that you tabled some views on the forum, or at least directed the runners to the Halifax website via the forum.

[Witton Park]

We haven't done the CWR before, but we have considered it as we have had some great days at the PBR.

I fully sympathise with the organisers. They are volunteers and all the time and effort that goes in to a race only to lose it to some snow or ice is not only frustrating, but can be costly to a small volunteer organisation such as an athletics club.
We went through that this year with the RV10K and I can tell you the time and effort, emotional energy, and the stick that you get really make you wonder why you do it in the first place.

We actually put the Red Rose XC on at Witton this year in December on a snowy day and got criticised.
A RO really are often damned if they do and damned if they don't.

But I do query the date they have picked. I appreciate that it is difficult to find a date in an overcrowded calendar.
But the beauty of races such as PBR and CWR is that they :-
1. Draw non fell runners in to events that aren't really fell, but are fell - like.
2. They allow younger runners to do the short legs, with often 16/17s covering them and getting a taste of the team relay.
3. The local XC leagues tend to avoid them, meaning there's not usually any compromise with other event options and athletes that wouldn't normally be available can be involved.

The new date is not only congested with other fell races and some important road races, but I am pretty sure this is County Champs Track and Field weekend.
Some of the younger athletes will be involved and perhaps even some seniors, that means some of their parents, officials and coaches will also be tied up. These people are often potential runners and certainly are a significant number in our club.

So certainly for our club it will now be difficult for us to come and get involved.

I imagine that the event will still thrive, because it is a great event, but I think you will find the nature of the runners and clubs that are involved will change quite a bit.