Jethro Lennox is on the OMM starters' list
Elite runners Sean and Brendan Bolland will defend their title this weekend as the Original Mountain Marathon decamps to the Lake District for its 2008 event.
The Lancashire brothers won last year’s OMM which was held in the Lowther Hills of southern Scotland and will tackle the 80km (50-mile) course, based at Seathwaite in Borrowdale, over Saturday and Sunday. Their winning time in 2007 was 11 hrs 11 mins.
The OMM started life 40 years ago and was formerly the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon.
The event is a test of not just the competitors’ stamina and fitness, but also their ability to navigate in mountain terrain. Pre-event reconnaissance of the route is strictly against the rules.
Although the elite class runners are expected to cover the full course, lesser classes are available for shorter distances of 65km and 40km and there are time-limited score classes that reward navigation and in which checkpoints can be tackled in any order.
Seathwaite, base for the 2008 OMM
Previous entrants have included mountaineer Alan Hinkes and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Teams of two compete for the various class titles. This year’s Three Peaks Race winner Jethro Lennox of Glasgow is on the start list, paired with adopted Scot Tom Owens. Fellsman master Mark Hartell is also listed and the mixed pair of Angela Mudge and Alec Keith must be fancied to take their class.
This year’s area contains some of the Lake District’s finest mountain terrain, with the Scafell range, Great Gable, the Buttermere fells and Ennerdale’s peaks all within striking range.
Weather predictions, however, are not good, with Saturday likely to have high winds and heavy rain before this abates to showers on Sunday, all of which should provide a true challenge to the field.
Details are on the OMM website.
Bob Findlow
26 October 2008A well-balanced article of an event that is as extreme as the weather that blighted it this year! The decision to carry on with the event was, in hindsight, the wrong one! But who could have guessed the extraordinary meteorlogical events that occurred. Sure, there was a bad weather warning and to their credit, the event organisers heeded this. Lets face facts, bad weather warnings are not unusual in this neck of the woods, so why should they have cancelled the event for this one?
Let's hope that lessons are learned from this experience, but let's also hope whatever actions are implemented, do not detract away from what this is all about....challenge & adventure in the natural environment. I hope common sense prevails and the event continues for many years to come.