Quote Originally Posted by andy k View Post
If weight is the issue then why not make everybody carry a minimum weight bum bag ?
say 1kg. within that they will ba able to accommodate the necessary safety kit, they just then need to add some ballast.
Simply place a set of scales at the start and finish to weigh people in and out and you are sorted.
But then heavier and stronger people will find it easier to carry this relative to small slight ladies. Also, a small windproof would weigh less than a large one.

So, I propose a very simple system where all entrants are weighed and then they receive an allowance that their packed bag needs to exceed (for example 1/100th of their weight). Obviously, if this is done at the end of the race, you'd need to apply a simple calculation to account for the amount of mud that they are carrying. This again could be standardised, based on conditions and the course.

I can't see any drawbacks with this system, other than the difference in weight between equal volumes of fat or muscle. Fatter people should carry enough to cover them, but will weight less than an equal size muscly person. So, we need some sort of pool to immerse people in, to work out their volume. This would also be a handy way to test full body waterproof cover. If they come out wet, they're disqualified.

Can anyone think of any improvements on this?