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The OMM
Any one else entered?
I am in for Long Score class. All good training for the winter 100. Hope the conditions are as good as on the RAB MM!
Not much on the forum about mountain marathons. For folks who have never tried them they are seriously fun and with the added twist of navigation.
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I'm in with Matt, my mental approach has always been expect to be wet, cold, hungry and knackered and anything else is a bonus, had a break the last two years so looking forward to it....
What kind of footwear do you use for these ? I'm rubbish off road - I'd be much better in walking boots - slower - but at least I'd feel more confident of not needing a rescue helicopter !
cragchick: How much (weight wise) do you have to carry on these? I'm thinking it would quickly reach 10 kg with tent, sleeping bag, food, water, emergency clothing etc. - which is more than 20% of my bodyweight!
OMM basic kit should fit in a 25l pack. Most carry a 6-7kg pack( without water) add 2kg for first timers and subtract 2kg for the elite class who are quite happy to shiver all night for the sake of less weight! Light weight tents and sleeping bags are expensive.
Shoes -- Fell shoes addidas swoops, walsh ,salomon speedcross, inovate rocklight/mudclaw. Trail shoes and boots are not much good as they are too wide and don,t have enough grip.
Mountain Marathons have several classes:both linear and sometimes score. The score classes are favoured by orienteers as they are far more tactical and demand numerous navigation decisions. On a score course you have a set time to visit as many checkpoints as possible, if you are late back you rapidly loose points! The linear courses are graded so the navigation is more complex on the longer courses.On a linear course you have to visit all the checkpoints in a set order.
If you like running in wild places and would like to learn to navigate then give it a go. Having said that you should remember that the OMM is specifically staged in late october so the runners are tested by the conditions.
So, 6 - 7 kg plus water - I was not far off in my estimate. I do regularly run my long runs carrying about 4 - 4.5 kg including water, but it looks like I'd be at least doubling that.
I've been looking at prices of lightweight tents and stuff for a while. Lightweight tens appear to be £300-£400+. Sleeping bags £150-£200+... Gets expensive to do one of these events! Not so bad if you're backpacking regularly and gradually buying better gear, I suppose, but a lot of outlay otherwise.
As far as navigation goes, I've done a bit, but there's a reason I'm going on the Sunday navigation course after the November Lakeland 50 recce... And I don't think I know anyone else who would be interested.
Oh well, something to consider for the future, if I do find a potential OMM-ing partner!
Check Ebay for tents. The standard is the Terra nova laser (used by 80% of mm runners) There is a continual upgrade reducing the weight so the top runners upgrade and sell off last years gear. Most competitive runners have tents under 1kg but a 2kg tent is only an extra 500g each between two of you. If you do buy second hand and are over 6ft tall get a standard laser as the laser comp and photon will be too short for you.
As far as navigation is concerned try orienteering. Ordinary nav classes are ok but wont teach you to nav on the run. Navigation under the pressure of a race is a whole different ball game! Orienteering will instantly expose any nav weakness besides which it is seriously fun once you grasp the concept that you can only move as fast as you can nav. A good time to start orienteering is while you are injured and physically can,t move fast.
Orienteering clubs are a good place to find a MM partner.
Forecast of - 8 c and snow this could be an interesting weekend in the Howgills!
Widespread panic buying of down gear also forecast.
Turned out not as cold as first forecast. Day one V cold dry wind then day two wet/windy with clag on the tops. Don,t know about the linear classes but day one on score was steep climbs and fast contouring (averaged 5km/h). Day two the planner lured us off to the east and a long slog through the bogs that I had not anticipated.
Back home now with one enormous blister, sore feet and a cut hand. Feel all the better for 7+6 hrs in racing mode over steep terrain . Thank god for grippy fell shoes anything wider would have made contouring impossible given the steepness of the sides of the Howgills.
How did the rest of you get on?
Day 2 was tough, lots of straight up and down and contouring, hardest class A day I have experienced by a margin and didn't have enough food so a bit of a suffer fest. Lots of DNF's not sure if this was across all classes?
The Howgills impressed both in vista and toughness.
Final thought living in Wales, a few more sheep and sheep tracks would have been prefect
I must admit I was surprised by the number of teams who came in way after dark on day one. Several must have been timed out. Sounds as if day 2 was even worse. The conditions won,t have helped, driving rain and clag really sap your energy.
Another good reason for entering score classes , at least you know when you will get to the camp site.