101 uses for a mobile!

[AJF]

Or people without a mobile phone should be made to carry change to use in a phone box

Ain't seen many of them on top of kinder?

Think if you are stuck on top with bone sticking out of ankle the problem would be getting help (or to a phone box). I know they have that provision in the dark and white MMM who say mobile phone or change for phone box but I have not quite understood the change rule apart from summoning help for a fellow contestant once you finally find a phone box.

Is GPS allowed at the Edale Skyline? I only ask as my phone has built in GPS and therefore not allowed at many races where I also have to bring a phone? Oh what it a techno geek to do?

I have to admit I understand the organisers decision. Not sure or even bothered to think if I agree or not. He is putting on the race for our benefit so we should abide by the decision. If someone asked you to take your shoes off at the door would you do it (and stick to their house rules) or scream nanny state?

Scurries off to put his really small thin lightweight phone in kit box(yes I have more than one)

[amadablam]

Organisers of fell races take responsibilty and make decisions concerning the welfare of those who take part in their events.
I have made it perfecly clear above my reasoning behind this move.

One other decision I have made is that you/xrunner and anyone else who do not like this decision are not welcome at the skyline.

Does that mean you are going to reject entries of runners who do not like your decision?

[runningfool]

If it is the case that emergency calls don't work across networks then I suggest that carrying a mobile phone in a race will be of dubious value for many of us, unless race organisers are going to start specifying which mobile network we must be using for their particular race .

I think that any organiser who asks runners to carry mobile phones should make reasonable efforts to advise runners of network coverage. This already happens with the WHW race but as you might expect, due to it's length, continuous coverage from any network is always going to be in doubt.

There's absolutely no point in being required to carry a phone for which there's no network coverage.

(Another thread on the 999/112 myth here: http://tinyurl.com/2kznug)

[novice]

[QUOTE=AJF;91699]Ain't seen many of them on top of kinder?

Think if you are stuck on top with bone sticking out of ankle the problem would be getting help (or to a phone box). I know they have that provision in the dark and white MMM who say mobile phone or change for phone box but I have not quite understood the change rule apart from summoning help for a fellow contestant once you finally find a phone box.



I said it tounge in cheek based on dark and white. I haven't done the MMM but they say when you do the mountain bike trailquests you should have change for the phone box. I always imagined myself crawling miles with a broken leg to find the phone box and then it would be vandilised!

So I always carried a mobile phone and can't see what the problem is

[daz h]

Very true Daz, but no-one in any position in any walk of life should be, or even think they should be, above criticism.

thats a fair point but if andy feels its right i think we should back him , i think its unacceptable that a person who has took it upon himself to step up and organise something thats rewards so many people should be criticised, its a bloody phone for gods sake, sorry getting a bit carried away but if i was andy i would be fuming at some of the attitudes.

im not saying im all for it but lets at least back the INDIVIDUAL in case here.
i carry my mobile with me on most runs , carried it at rotherham and some other longer races that ive done, i just dont see a problem with it on these longer races

[david]

i just dont see a problem with it on these longer races

I agree with Wheeze that it's the thin end of the wedge. What's next - GPS, tent, sleeping bag? And, as we have discussed, many mobiles simply won't work anyway.

[daz h]

I agree with Wheeze that it's the thin end of the wedge. What's next - GPS, tent, sleeping bag? And, as we have discussed, many mobiles simply won't work anyway.

no we have maps and compass to navigate with and as for tent and sleeping bag thats just silly

[david]

no we have maps and compass to navigate with

Until some health and safety/risk assessment/accident insurance jobsworth decides we'd all be a lot safer if we used GPS.

and as for tent and sleeping bag thats just silly

I really hope you're right.

[Stolly]

As far as safety of fell runners is concerned, no matter where you draw the line running up wild hills in wild weather will be dangerous. Insisting on a mobile will of course be helpful in certain circumstances but at the other end of the silly scale just not letting anyone run at all is even safer.

I started this thread not to negatively criticize but just have a bit of a chuckle; Andyj as an organiser obviously has to worry about the runners safety but the indemnity wording on the entry form has already got all the runners to agree to death as part of the race

Like I said my O2 mobile phone (which is actually my employers) will be absolutely of no use to man or beast and I will stand a bloody good chance of breaking it, if its in my bum bag and I slip over on one or two descents.

[IanDarkpeak]

I agree with Wheeze that it's the thin end of the wedge. What's next - GPS, tent, sleeping bag? And, as we have discussed, many mobiles simply won't work anyway.

Forget the GPS, like a map & compass it's only as good as the person using it.

If you want to see a big kit list check out the three peaks yacht race runners kit

Until some health and safety/risk assessment/accident insurance jobsworth decides we'd all be a lot safer if we used GPS.I really hope you're right.

Why should be bother with GPS, tent, sbags or even phones when some people don't even carry full body cover, map, compass, etc

RRR springs to mind as the most recent. Weather forcast appaulling-was there a kit check? it didn't seem so to me.

I reckon I've only had my kit checked 6 times this year in approx 30 races, I'm not talking about short races but med or long where you cross open country.

We have a requirement when we enter a race to carry the stipulated kit, reguardless of whether we think it's neccessary or not. I'm often surprised at the lack of kit check in many races. Even last year at the skyline where we knew the weather was going to be...interesting, there were runners trying to get away with not taking kit or taking kit clearly not adequate for the conditions. We had two kit checks one at the entry and spot check at the bridge where one or two runners were found to have 'lighter' bumbags than when they were checked at the start. despite the warnings.

A number of people were helped off the hill or dropped out because they were cold and suffering, I'm not saying they weren't prepared because the weather was as we know awful. But how many more people would have got in to trouble if we hadn't had a strict kit check?

One of these days a race organisor will get in to a lot of trouble because someone is going to have an accident and get in to a serious situation. If they haven't had a proper kit check it will come back to the organisor.
Insurance for races will get harder and more expensive if we don't do a proper kit check.

is there an FRA policy on the actuall check it's self

Nanny state or common sense?

comments?

Stands back, ducks with hands over head