Letter to the FRA Chairman

[david]

The present situation is that the fell running community within the British Isles has done this itself by fragmenting the sport and allowing numerous small organisations to proliferate.

Nonsense. The current situation has been created by the actions of UKA.

[XRunner]

Nonsense. The current situation has been created by the actions of UKA.

Rubbish!

The fell running community are responsible for managing its own affairs and cannot simply blame another organisation for the fragmentation of the sport.

[Stick]

Nonsense. The current situation has been created by the actions of UKA.

Rubbish!

The fell running community are responsible for managing its own affairs and cannot simply blame another organisation for the fragmentation of the sport.

Some good common ground here then

But in truth there is! and it seems to me that we're all agreed. Fellrunning should, must, and can only be run by Fellrunners. UKA have no place here as they're just not interested except in their own self-promotion. And I suspect that most fellrunners couldn't give a monkey's about our dear UKA.

So the sooner we disaffiliate and follow the lead the Welsh and Scottish fell runners have done (...cos it damn-well works there!) the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.

Then, and only then, we can maybe have a national federation again.

[Stick]

...and NIMRA. Sorry chaps and chapess's.

[XRunner]

So the sooner we disaffiliate and follow the lead the Welsh and Scottish fell runners have done (...cos it damn-well works there!) the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.

Then, and only then, we can maybe have a national federation again.

I doubt if that will result in a thriving fell running sport.

As I said earlier, if fell running cannot control and develop the sport while it is part of a larger organisation, then it is even less likely to be able to control the sport as an independent organisation.

Incidently you forgot to add BOFRA to your list of organisations responsible for fell running within the British Isle.

[Stick]

...Incidently you forgot to add BOFRA to your list of organisations responsible for fell running within the British Isle.

Yep, you're right XR, I did. And I'm a BOFRA member and run the races too

[Epocian]

XR - but fell running is thriving - we're seeing bigger fields in most races and a look at the calendar shows there are more races than ever before. Some of the long classics may not have the fields of yesteryears but many other races are getting record fields

[XRunner]

XR - but fell running is thriving - we're seeing bigger fields in most races and a look at the calendar shows there are more races than ever before. Some of the long classics may not have the fields of yesteryears but many other races are getting record fields

I agree, and its great to see fell running thriving despite the problems within the organisation of the sport.

The editorial in Athletics Weekly may offer a clue:

The fell fraternity is growing, both from within and also by drawing on the vast numbers of road and off-road endurance athletes who live in urban areas but increasingly fancy taking to the hills.

Will trail running eventually take over from the rather limited scope that fell runners use to define the sport?

[daz h]

I am so pleased to have the views of Daz who, to my mind represents the straightforward fell runner who has no vested interests other than a love of the sport.
In Wales we have about 250 members of WFRA. I can honestly say that for the first time in 20 years we have more clarity of purpose and kinship than at any time before. I love my my sport again.
Daz, lets meet up at a race soon. What events do you have planned over the next couple of months? I'd like to race in your neck of the woods.
I am a life member of FRA and would love to be reunited.

wheeze no doubt we will meet soon

[daz h]

regarding numbers

SHR 490
WFRA 250
FRA , im not sure is it about 6500
unattached - who knows???
coming from a non fell running background i was initially drawn to the sport through doing a local small derbyshire village fell race , paying my 3 quid to the organiser sitting in the back of his car. That was 4 years ago , it took me a few more races and familiar faces to find the FRA , fellrunner mag, forum etc etc.
I hadnt even heard of the WFRA until last year which i was annoyed about because obviously they like the scottish have lots to offer a runner like me.
My point is really that what a crying shame for fell running is that its not all under one roof , for outsiders like myself it takes a long time to find out information and stuff about the sport.being under one banner would be a dream for a person like me
I think it totally goes against our beliefs as fellrunners to have the sport organised by so many different organisations , at all fellraces i line up with runners from all different parts of the country, we set off and unite as one on the fell.
why cant we do it like this off the fell through one organisation
i hope we can
some of my running mates here have heard of the FRA but not the WFRA or SHR , this could be due to just numbers but i think fellrunning is depriving itself by not being united as one