The FRA and the Media

[zephr]

Sad.

One side effect of this kind of thing is to drive the sport more underground. Not literally (!) but there are already a number of shady hush hush events going on.....

I dunno... a cross between fellrunning and caving... that might be a goer.
How long dyou give it before there is a "specific" shoe for such an activity?!

[MarkL]

I think that's a great article. Sock it to 'em. All seems to make perfect sense.

Reassuring to know someone with this attitude is at the helm.

Yep, I agree too. Wholeheartedly.
Cheers Graham.

[Mark G]

What, like change from imperial to metric for example?

Much as us old codgers might moan about metrication I think most of us agree that ultimately it doesn't really change anything - I'm more worried about things like drinks/food stations, marked courses, higher entry fees to pay for 'goody' bags, organisers feeling obliged to drop to bad weather courses at a lower threshold because of the inexperience of some entrants (who they allow to enter because they want the entry fees) etc. I dont have anything against these kinds of events for those who want to do them but they dont necessarily fit with what most of us regard as fell running. At the moment most fell races are about running in the fells - whether or not you are up there with the best or plodding round somewhere in the pack. The organisers cover their costs in most cases, perhaps with a small surplus for the club or for charity, often a local one (eg donations from Jura to local causes). I think that if we are not careful there is a danger they will become (and some will argue that some already have become) commercial events with profit for the organiser being the prime motivator. Thats fine for some other events, triathlons, trail races perhaps (and a series of these is in our calendar) but its not fell running as we know it.

[DrPatrickBarry]

Not the FRA but IMRA - a report from the Irish Times covering the Irish Championship race up the highest mountain in Ireland. Well probably just as much a bit of information about hill running as well.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...317685432.html

[Erich K]

I know it's a draft but I think Graham's piece is a very well-balanced piece of writing and sets out all the key issues.

Fellrunning needs to be welcoming to newbies but it doesn't need to shout from the rooftops, so wariness of the media is a good thing. I just feel a huge sense of gratitude in being able to 'take part'. For me, one of the most reassuring aspects of the sport is the emphasis on personal responsibility - yes you need to abide by the FRA rules but ultimately it's YOU that has to assess the weather and conditions before going out, make sure you've got the right kit, judge your own fitness level, be alert to any impending injury, choose which line of route to take on a course, and even where to place your next footfall. This is freedom! We don't get quite so much of this in our day-to-day lives...

[Wheeze]

Spot on Erich.

[IainR]

Does it grow in Wales? Fell running in Wales, outside of the short races, doesn't seem to be overly healthy, barely sustainable seems more accurate..
I don't think its the odd race, its the inverse the odd race does OK (short evening races seem to be as popular as any), but the longs and many should be (Foel Fras, Hebog, Carneddau, Garn, Peris etc) classics struggle for numbers and quality..

This year their struggling to field a welsh female team by all accounts...

[Witton Park]

Does it grow in Wales? Fell running in Wales, outside of the short races, doesn't seem to be overly healthy, barely sustainable seems more accurate..
I don't think its the odd race, its the inverse the odd race does OK (short evening races seem to be as popular as any), but the longs and many should be (Foel Fras, Hebog, Carneddau, Garn, Peris etc) classics struggle for numbers and quality..

This year their struggling to field a welsh female team by all accounts...

Perhaps this is linked in to the debate over the Inters Iain.

I think the issue in some counties and nations is that if the top few aren't available then why bother. My position would be that it is important to have a team in there to support the event or the event might not be there when you have a team with a medal opportunity.

So if you have to go down the pecking order a little, just do it.

[DrPatrickBarry]

Iain, Is it just a case of the small population. In Ireland (with a bigger population than wales) outside of the summer Leinster League that gets 150 odd per race - 40 runners would be a pretty typical turnout. It is the norm over there and they just accept it.

[IainR]

Perhaps this is linked in to the debate over the Inters Iain.

I think the issue in some counties and nations is that if the top few aren't available then why bother. My position would be that it is important to have a team in there to support the event or the event might not be there when you have a team with a medal opportunity.

So if you have to go down the pecking order a little, just do it.

I think it may be time for the GB approach.. be selective..

If that means some years not sending a full team so be it. You need to be realistic, Wales is a small country so we can't expect to be automatic medal contenders but we should at least be in the main field, we've done that in the 100k team and I think it made the team raise their game as they realised they were no longer automatically selected..

I do sort of agree we should always field a team, but you don't want to give away vests cheaply.. we'll could have and probably still will have one the strongest blokes team for the best part of a decade this year, so its hardly unhealthy on that side. In the 100k we had people turning up not in shape to run, it makes it a bit of a joke IMO.. international should be elite, or as close to as reasonably possible..