the toughest race in the world? The Dragons Back
11 watchers
Sep 2012
1:27pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,412 posts
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Derby Tup
I like the idea of an 'Elite' hard-as-nail full-fat 200miler plus a different, say 120 or 150mile, 'Lite' fun run or tourist class race
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Sep 2012
1:28pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,621 posts
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Mountain Cat
Another way of making it commercially viable might be to do a 'half dragon's back' (at bit like the lakeland 50 / 100?). The people doing the 'half' could join on day 3 (and possibly also have an easier'shorter route on the days that they do), and it would be classified as a different race. Still a big achievement for most runners though! |
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Sep 2012
1:28pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,622 posts
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Mountain Cat
Lol @ 150m 'fun run'!!
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Sep 2012
1:31pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,413 posts
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Derby Tup
ff's point re success or failure is an interesting one. It's not coincidence that I find myself talking about folk (me included!) 'passing' or failing' the Bob Graham  I entered the Lakeland 100 at the weekend and a big part of the appeal of the challenge is that I don't know whether I can get round ;-):-):-O |
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Sep 2012
1:33pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,623 posts
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Mountain Cat
Uncertainty is needed for adventure!
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Sep 2012
1:36pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,624 posts
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Mountain Cat
Not sure I agree with the concept of 'passing' or 'failing' though. It's a massive achievement to do it, but I wouldn't say anyone who didn't complete it had 'failed'. Sometimes it just doesn't work that way, and conditions etc. play a big part. I'm mainly a mountaineer, and if someone said they'd climbed all but the last 50m of an Alpine route, but had retreated before reaching the summit due to the time / conditions etc. I wouldn't think they'd failed. If anything, that might be a greater achievement than completing the route in perfect conditions. (I wouldn't think they'd completed the route either, but I would think they'd exhibited good judgement and that's what being a successful mountaineer (i.e. staying alive) is about) |
Sep 2012
1:39pm, 5 Sep 2012
320 posts
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flyingfinn
Not so sure about the effect of the completion rate. There is a mad race in the US that Binks did (I think it's called the Barkley Marathon) that has had something like 9 finishers in 25 years (and that's not a typo!). People turn up from all around the world every year as a consequence! In terms of doing some sensible vetting though it's not that difficult to at least weed out those that clearly shouldn't be there. There were a number of starters this time that have previous form from this year at getting in over their heads at the GL3D, which given it's the same organiser would suggest absolutely zero vetting... There should be some attempt to check the participants are at least proven in navigational ultra mountain events. Not least because of the consequences of them not being for the people that might have to go looking for them. To see a comment like 'I’m not a navigator' from the US guy is quite disturbing when he's in the middle of a race across some of the most navigationally challenging terrain in the UK. It smacks of commercial necessity over riding common sense which isn't a good way to go. |
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Sep 2012
1:39pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,414 posts
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Derby Tup
Good post MC!
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Sep 2012
1:40pm, 5 Sep 2012
3,201 posts
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rf_fozzy
I may be wrong, but I think all competitors were vetted before the race started this year - from memory I read somewhere that they had more entrants than places available
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Sep 2012
1:43pm, 5 Sep 2012
2,625 posts
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Mountain Cat
In that case, maybe it's the vetting criteria that need examining? I agree about the navigation comment - I would imagine that entrants need to be able to navigate at OMM / LDMT standard as a minimum.
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