Fell junior - as ever with this forum there are sometimes extreme views, some genuine and others often deliberately provocative. However these are also the same sorts of discussions that spectators/parents have at training sessions and races.

What I'm raising, as are some others, is a question about whether the existing regulations should be reviewed for 16 and 17 year olds. Given that there have been breaches possibly by athletes, parents, coaches and clubs then some people clearly agree. My personal view is that many 16 and 17 year olds are quite capable of racing further than 6 miles but depending on the race. For instance my son can't run tomorrow at Stanbury Splash but really enjoyed the Auld Lang Syne (legally). However I wouldn't dream of entering him in some Lakeland races of similar length and, like WP, wouldn't want an 18 year in something as long as the three peaks. My suggestion was that we seek some scientific evidence to support any changes.

I do speak from some experience being a fell runner, parent of 3 fell running kids, level 2 endurance coach and club chairman.