Oh dear I've gone and done it now I've returned my races(s) registration form for next year as I suspect have most other race Organisers, this despite Als assumption that we are all doomed. Fear not I predict little change in next years calendar.
Oh dear I've gone and done it now I've returned my races(s) registration form for next year as I suspect have most other race Organisers, this despite Als assumption that we are all doomed. Fear not I predict little change in next years calendar.
You might well be correct in many respects but I remember deliberating for several years before entering my first AL (Edale) as I didn't think I had the necessary experience. Now I know I don't have the required fitness but thats another story.Originally Posted by Witton Park
we all had you down as one of the numpties
Will it? I seem to remember that a chunk of Ilkley Moor is council owned, but the rest is private. I'd be interested to know how much racing actually takes place on public land? (What's your definition btw?)
I'm involved in marshalling duties for four races, and they are all on private land.
Lefty - I really am disappointed by sarcasm, though from other posting it no longer surprises me.
I can only comment that as a fellrunner, and as someone experienced at reading "safetyese" and "legalese" languages all their own, that the rules are unclear to me and ill defined, and that is a problem all by itself: but the parts that are clear should be worrying any RO, but few seem to be worried. I hope nobody gets to find out the hard way that "no hazards in compulsory areas" is almost certainly more wide ranging and onerous in legal definition than the committee or you intend or believe, but if push comes to shove it will assuredly be that legal meaning that will prevail in any judgement. I hope for your sake it is not in a negligence claim.
If ROs prove to be so apathetic in assessing the risk they are taking themselves, you are probably right about the calendar, but then that attitude to assessment of risk, does not bode well for the race risk either.
All I can do, indeed all I intended , is higlight a problem and ask powers that be to consider it, and take it under advice.
As an RO what you do about it, is clearly up to you. I only hope the apparent arrogance shown generally on this thread does not lead to a catastrophe from which fell running never recovers.
Such events are unlikely. But as statistics tell you, getting the worst out come on a dice, does not reduce the chance one iota that it will happen again on the very next throw. And again the following day. But this time it happens you will have less legal wriggle room. These rules could be the rope that hangs you: you will certainly be judged by compliance to them. I hope it never comes to that.
Last edited by alwaysinjured; 08-10-2013 at 11:13 PM.
When I said public land I meant land that we are free to run on, such as Ilkley Moor or the majority of the countryside in other places. I'm not sure if you saw my original post but I was discussing the rule which says that if a race is cancelled then people should not run the route unofficially. I was merely enquiring that, unless someone is specifically trespassing or running 'out of bounds', then how could they be disciplined for going for a run after the race is cancelled, if that run happens to cover some or all of the race route?
Does this mean that recces are no longer allowed?
Don't be daft. If the land is open access you can run on it when ever you like.
Yes that's what I thought, but not after a race has been cancelled according to the new rules.
isn't this simply a case of the RO, in the event of a group of people running the route after a race has been cancelled, being able to say "nothing to do with me: it breaches the Rules"? Especially important, I'd have thought, in protecting the RO from liability if said group then gets into trouble......
That might be a belt and braces rule - for example were the race cancelled because the landowner had withdrawn access permission, the race organiser wouldn't I guess want a bunch of fell runners going round anyway as if they were flaunting things. Land owner permission is required for all races as I understand it but, if the land's open access, individuals can run on it when ever they like. Some race organisers respectfully ask runners not to recce certain stretches of a route pre-race, often where they're trying to keep on the good side of the landowner, but if its open access people can technically run on it if they want. I haven't done the 3 peaks fell race for yonks but probably run the route one way round or the other 5 or 6 times a year and I wouldn't like to feel that I was some way restricted from doing so, due to the rules of a race I don't even run in
I had to drop out of the Edale Skyline the weekend before last because I had nobody to cover for my border collie Harry. I asked if I could race with Harry but, in order to hold the race, the RO had to agree with the land owners (the National Trust?) that no dogs would be involved. He also asked me not to run round such that it might appear I was in the race which again was fair do's so I just ran a reverse half skyline with Harry going the other way and meeting the race coming the other way at Mam Nick. If the race had been cancelled I'm certain I could have run the whole route anyway; its not as if totally unrelated walkers or runners have to abide by such a rule is it?
Last edited by Stolly; 09-10-2013 at 02:47 PM.
Ha, you said the exact same point as me but miles more concisely Dave
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