Quote Originally Posted by DrPatrickBarry View Post
I don't think anybody is disagreeing with you. The consensus seems to be that the combination of speed and good route knowledge is required to be competitive in a race. Whatever exchanging of places lower down the field due to somebody using a GPX will be of less importance.

Where is the mountaincraft in following somebody you know is good (for instance Nicky Spinks) in The Trigger.
Does a lakes based runner have better mountaincraft than somebody from London, just becasue it is massively easier to get out reccing a route more?
I agree there's not much craft in following somebody good but they don't always get it right and I think the skill involves having the ability and confidence to make your own decisions and do something different if you think they might be wrong - or just take a different line to find out if it's any better. I've never been at the top end of the field but I've come in ahead of some good runners by making better navigational decisions.