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WELSH RUNNERS!!!
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MMs are a life changing experience PM !! I can see why the KIMM/OMM has been going for 41 years..
The first time I did a MM, I spent weeks before hand worrying about keeping warm/dry, and thinking of cunning strategies to stop my feet from getting wet. The idea of spending two days running, with wet feet, horried me. What about blisters ??
When the big day eventually came, the weather was shocking. I asked at race control if it 'might be cancelled' and was greeted with smiles and polite derision. Ranulph Fiennes (a keen OMMer) overhead this conversation.
We were in thigh deep in finest Galloway bog within 10 mins of starting (so much for my dry feet strategy..). Two hours later, in the thick of a storm on some unkown mountain ridge, the battle was on to stave off hypothermia. We decided to bail out - but only then realised this meant continuing regardless to the overnight camp (6 hours away) as there was no nice cozy minibus (come to that road/trail..) or exit plan. We eventually got to the day 1 finish with night moving in, and minus 140 points c/o time penalties making us all but last on Day 1. We again decided to call it a day, until realising we'd have to walk back to the car/start anyway, which was a day's trudge away..
So come the Bagpiper (who wonders around the campsite at 6.00 am to wake everyone up...) on Day 2, we had no other choice but to stick with it, finishing eventualy in the bottom 10% of the field (as opposed to a top 4% finish in the Cardiff Half the week before..) STARVING, blistered, crocked and very wet but jubilant to have completed. No T-shirt, goody bag, medal etc - the only souvenir a trashed and soggy map. Best weekend ever ??
Hanneke - make sure you know already, but take lots of protein (+ fat..) as well as pasta, carbs etc !! Amazing how many calories one burns off, especially if its wet/cold (which it will be...). My MM wonder foods for overnight camp = cuscus, quick boil pasta, cheese, slices of dried milano salami and most impt of all a packet of instant custard + (squashed) sponge !
YUK!!!! I don't eat meat, I HATE custard and can't stand sponge! I will take pasta and sauce and cheese. I am used to 8+ hours on the hills, so I don't expect any food related emergencies, I always eat well, so should be well fuelled up and it is only 6 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday... the normal stuff will do, but I will take some extra sandwiches I think...
Hey, I hope there will be water at the overnight camp? Or do we need to source this ourselves?
So thats where I'm going wrong. Diet !!!!
Water is provided in abundance at the overnight camp (for drinking and washing purposes...) in the form of a stream, or river, depending on rainfall (seriously..). We've never bothered with purification tablets or filters - some do though..). The only concession to 21st century living are the presence of Portaloos
...'latrine pits' were provided until recently
ah, those were the days, "digging the lat's"
The youngsters of today have never had it so good, portaloos indeed.
Have just arrived 'Up North' Hanneke and its FREEZING ! Wrap up well...
Happy days PM ! Its frowned upon by the purists needless to say (ie. supplying Portaloos at overnight camp...) - environment as ever the issue now though. Some might object if us lot start digging up the Lake District !!
Best of luck anyone doing the Snowdon Mara this weekend... any forumites doing ?
Hanneke - you've probably seen the OMM siter but just in case... severe weather warning in the Lakes for Saturday (90 mph winds, rain, 2 degrees C !) and Sunday (hail and snow at altitude). The appoach roads to the race start are also both closed at the moment due to a flood and avalanche - confirmation that it will not be cancelled (yippee !!). Hopefully it will be clear by tomorrow
Like you, I've just reviewed my kit choice and am going for survival - so much for the plan to take a 5kg sac ! Also taking more bigger tent pegs (10g titanium ones will be worth diddly squat in a gale at altitude). This going to a corker !!!
I am in awe of you 2. I hope you have a great time and enjoy what the elements have to offer.
On your way home on Sunday night listen to BBC radio 5 just after 7 pm as I was interviewed in a piece about trade recycling. I'm not sure what I'm most proud of , getting the Beeb to take an interest in this or managing to get the sentance "I'll take you up the back passage now" into the interview
.
Any way have fun
Just read this report on the OMM, severe weather and many runners being rescued.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081025/tuk-stranded-marathon-runners-in-rescue-dba1618.html
Hope Hanneke and Tim are okay.
yes I saw that too and thought of them.
I hope you're ok guys
Thanks so much for your concerns kind forumites !
Just home after a memorable weekend up t'north - unaware the event was cancelled shortly after we started, and blisfully unaware of the hysterical media mis-reporting that seems to have gone on ("2000 feared dead" etc), we completed the C course on the Saturday
A hugely rewarding but tricky day - overnighting in The Barn at the overnight camp (now famous c/o the Beeb) with hundreds of other happy OMMites (note all the smiling faces on the news tonight..) and hobbling back to the start this morning c/o Honniston
The weather was, as promised, a breeze - a 110 mph breeze to be precise !! We all took a hell of a battering, blown off our feet again and again and crawling (literally) across the ridge at Dale. So lots of bruises tonight for me and the results of an X-ray awaited for one very brave partner of mine
Hope you and you partner had fun Hanneke - apologies for not having arranged to meet up (so many Welsh runners there !). Flooded cars seem to have been the key victim this weekend - hope your's escaped (we left ours outside the race start and walked in)
I hope the OMM continues - its such a special event and brings out the best in everyone (Sky News reported apart ?!)
Hey Tim! yes, we survived ok, but my partners car died in the floods... mine was ok, it is covered in mud and the footwells are still a tat damp, but the water did not get high enough to cause any damage
Yes, we were having fun until the race got cancelled... as we were doing medium score we were supposed to have been out there for 5 hours, but alas, the race got cancelled before we could finsih our day...
I really enjoyed the challenge of the weather and we were coping ok, making dofferent routechoices as we went along (whihc you can do in the score class). We were halfway up Dalehead and got blown about too much, so we decided to descend and take a different, less exposed route to overnight camp, only to find that it was worse down the valley!!! Winds gusting at 100 mph and we got blown off our feet!
Still, gutted I only did half a day or so in the end, but will be back next year!!!
Great to hear you both had fun - and are still smiling
!! Hope the cars get sorted...
My partner's ankle in plaster this morning, a fracture confirmed. This happened fairly early on in our race. I can't believe he completed the D1 course in such a state (not a word of complaint..) as well as us 'walking out' the following morning over Koniston. My 8 hour driving in the car to escape Borrowdale and return to Cardiff and the A&E Dept must have been the icing on the cake. A true Hombre..
You took the right decision to come off Dalehead Hannike - I'd like to know what were wind speeds up there. We've never experienced such gusts in this country at this time of year (70+ years combined hill walking/climbing experience ?). I was twice rolled over by the gusts whilst crawling (a first !!) - many more tumbles whilst trying to walk. Just to add to the joy both my quads cramped up at the very worst moment (at the top) - unable to move, the inevitable hypo and doubts then began. The chattering of my teeth broke a tooth (true !). More layers (my yummy Rab fleece), plus more scoffed food (including Salami - sorry !) and much bad language worked wonders though. We formed a two man scrum and made a erratic dash for it, heads down into the Valley below which, as you say, was still hellish. Lost and unable to find our last serious Control point we headed for the road, stumbling purely my chance on the Control as we descended.
The night in the Barn with 300 other refugees was fun - excellent company etc. There was a Dutch pair beside us. Are you sure there are no hills in Holland ?!!
I fear I may have fractured it and don't want it in plaster...
............... and that is the difference between a runner and a jogger
I need help!
I am playing this online riddle thing and I can't get past level 5
http://www.mcgov.co.uk/riddles/level1.html
It's in the clubhouse as well - it is good fun and I can give you the answers I know or you can work them out and tell me the cucumber one!
Please!
I may die in surgery in a couple weeks and then how bad would you feel for now helping poor icle PO?
i can't get past level 1
hypothermia ?!
Anytime
so sorry to hear this Hanneke..
my partner got one of these factures (ankle) at the OMM and will be out for some time. Happened very early on in the race - we should have dropped out ! Mia culpa..
hope yours is not as serious..
That was what my fizz friend and gp friend suspected had happened to me, but having studied my x-rays this morning, the radiologist and I decided it was clear that there was no bone damage.
Alas, this means that it is now down as a rupture of the anterior talofibular ligamanent
MOre or less the same as your friend, only I don't have a cast, I am going to tape the joint up and see how we go. I am one of those weird people that does their own treatment... it worked well with the dislocated shoulder, so I shall give it a go. If I feel it needs to be immobilised after all, I have to go to the hospital and ask them for a cast LOL!
Ouch Hannike ! Self-treating a dislocated shoulder sounds a bit painful...
My chums cast is being taken off tomorrow and replaced by something lighter. Hope yours clears up soon Very frustrating as autumn the best time to take to the hills..
Anyone here run the Ladies Fireworks 5m in Pontcanna Fields today ? I forgot it was on (should have helped marshall) but came across whilst out for a plod. Anyone who did run may have noticed the mess in the middle left by the Eisteddfod (use to be football pitches and pristine parkland..). There is a second petition to try and stop the Council building on this shambles and adding an access road into the park (our petition worked first time round but they are at it again, such is the financial allure of turning the green spine of Cardiff into a glorified carpark/NEC..).
Please sign !!