Lake District Mountain Trial

[johnrobinson]

Yesterday the 60th Mountain trial took place from Patterdale. The results can be found her(http://results.sportident.co.uk/home/ev ... 80b55df790). look at the short course leg 1-2 for some amazing route choice.

[Jayne]

Pretty awesome result from Hector there too.

and that's a hell of a route choice, think I'd have gone for what you did.

[plain lazy]

I've never even heard of that race before, it looks ace!

[johnrobinson]

Been going since 1952, originally set up by YHA now run by its own association. goggle Lake District Mountain Trial for history .

Probably the original Long O...a long fell running event with varied terrain and route choice.

Doesn't seem so popular now but a scan through the results shows many current and former orienteers among the competitors. probably lost out this year for fell runners as there was an English champs counter the day before. Most of the luminaries of fell running have their names on the trophy. Joss Naylor 10 times, can't remember if it was 10 in a row or only 9 and he was competing on the short course on Sun.

[johnrobinson]

Pretty awesome result from Hector there too.

and that's a hell of a route choice, think I'd have gone for what you did.

Yes a good result from Hector he has been running well all year. Won Jura too.Not sure if he got the best route from 1-2, one guy took a long around path route might just have been better...but hard to judge.

Thought it was a good route ( wasn't sure I could access striding edge from below) but looking at David Rosens direct might have been better, if you could handle the steep descent and ascent.....not sure so early in the course and I def struggled later on getting out of the steep Ghyll after 3

[mykind]

Yes an interesting long route. (I assume you mean to CP1 on the classic). The man himself (Pete Nelson) reckoned it was slower but easier on the legs. The rest of the trial was a good long run out. The amazing thing is that Hector had the fastest time of the day ON ANY TRIAL so he beat the winners on both the medium and the short!

[Scott]

Yes a good result from Hector he has been running well all year. Won Jura too.Not sure if he got the best route from 1-2, one guy took a long around path route might just have been better...but hard to judge.

In hindsight I'm pretty sure the direct route that Hector (and everyone else?) took from #1 to #2 was better than my tour over the top of Helvelyn - I did a lot of extra distance for not much climb saved, although it might have suited someone who was (relatively) faster on tracks than I am. Also, the clag was right down on the tops when I was there, and I probably lost a minute or two correctly locating the top of Striding Edge before descending.

Despite my poor performance, I thought it was probably the best-planned Trial I've done, with six proper big route-choice problems to solve - I wonder whether anyone actually went straight or via Hole-in-the-Wall from #7 to #8?

[gaw]

I wonder whether anyone actually went straight or via Hole-in-the-Wall from #7 to #8?

Maybe I was the only one? I wondered whether I'd be able to keep running round the path so went up and over thinking at least I'd be running down the other side. As it happens the first section of down was rough and I probably lost all the time then. I was only a minute slower on this leg than the guy who beat me overall by 5 mins, although both of us were about 10 mins slower than the majority (which I'd expect anyway).

As Scott says good planning, good route choices and for me the best of the 7 Trials I've done (though not the longest - Eskdale was longer even though I was younger and fitter!).

As for Hector to be 35 mins clear over a past 2 times winner is outstanding. Route choice seems to have played a part in that - Rhys lost a lot on 3-4 and 6-7.