To be fair the fellsman especially, in its current format, isn't geared up for covid and I think them not being able to cover the cost of a late cancellation probably played a big part in their decision. Also the transportation logistics of an event that can take anything between 10 and 30 hours to complete and starts and finishes in different places

I reckon they might've adapted things though. For example were the fellsman to switch its start to really late in the day, rather than first thing, (11 pm or midnight Friday for instance, a bit like the HPM) it would be able to avoid most of the over night stayers (at Threshfield or Ingleton) and for many competitors compulsory grouping could be avoided (first night grouping could easily be dismissed with in these circumstances). Many more runners could then have arranged for daylight pick up in Threshfield at the finish, with perhaps some socially distanced coaches running at regular intervals back to Ingleton for those that couldn't. The overnight grouping thing is nowadays looking really dated so it could perhaps have been knocked on the head completely or done subject to tight rules only for second night over nighters?