Lakes 5 Days

[Mrs H]

Tatty - but we used to do this for most events.

I wrote a CompassSport article supporting the Lakes decision not to provide water at the finish 8 years ago!

There has been mutterings about the safety of water and squash in containers (people didn't like the black bits floating around ) and bottled water is expensive,difficult to move around, labour intensive and HORRIBLY ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY.

This is not a new issue. As long as it is well publicised in preliminary information there should be no default setting of expecting water to be available except in emergencies. Man up people!

[Lucy.F.]

Thank you Roomungous! That makes a lot more sense and is fair enough! Admire all those braving these heavy rain showers in the campsites this week I look forward to browsing through more when he gets an opportunity to add them.

[ianf]

Mrs H.

I think you failed to read my original post properly. I was asking for water at the event, in the bulk container with little plastic cups would be fine, I have no problem with tap water.

The environmental argument is a complete nonsense. We are (almost)all driving reasonable distances to these events spread across the lakes, not to mention the distance we've driven from our home regions. Transporting a few extra kilos of water would not register in the environmental assessment. Furthermore, I think the premise has been that we should bring our own water. How does that change the environmental impact? Is it not just someone else transporting it? Or should we ban liquids in the car park field to cut or carbon footprint?!

Publicizing is all well and good for established orienteers but for any tourists who saw the event and were interested enough to give it a go its tough luck.

[lindseyk]

For goodness sake ianf, get real and try to make sensible arguments if you’re going to make them at all – the number of passing tourists giving it a go is more than likely nil.

1600 competitors at the Lakes5 getting .25 of a litre each at the Finish would equate to 400 kg of water to transport, as well as making sure all the water containers were properly disinfected. Asking people to provide their own is entirely reasonable.

[Mrs H]

.........and Ian, I don't think you understand my environmental argument at all. It is the production of bottled water which is a disaster. Transporting it to the event is a small part of the impact and anything which can be done to reduce demand at source is the point.

I agree refreshments are nice - I particularly enjoyed the sweet tea and biscuits in Rome and Venice. But these must be regarded as a bonus not the norm.

It's the cake that's important - not the icing!

[Angry Haggis]

Does anyone else feel it is a poor show that no drinks or even water are offered to competitors after the run?

Given the high cost of the event in comparison to other European multi day events (e.g. tallinn o week(2 wre), Croatia open) a bottle of lucozade and a mars bar each day and the event would still be pricey, water is the least we could expect.

Yes, I can't bear large events that don't supply water. When travelling to an event by bike, the last thing I want to do is to have to remember to lug water on my back.

The environment argument is pure greenwash. The environmental impact of lots of cars driving to an event is far, far higher than manufacturing bottles. The real reason is it saves the organiser logistics costs and money. Fair enough - but it's a big disincentive for me that an organiser considers water (and therefore my comfort at the finish line) a low priority and so doesn't commit resources to it.

[andypat]

Tatty - but we used to do this for most events.

I wrote a CompassSport article supporting the Lakes decision not to provide water at the finish 8 years ago!

Its great that you had the vehicle of Compasssport to put across your opinions Mrs H and very entertaining they have been too! But as you can see some people hold a different opinion to yours.

[andy]

Man up people!

Perhaps race organisers need to man up? As far as I see it an orienteer with a bottle represents the same environmental risk whether they have bought it or been given it. So it's just a case of organisers not wanting to arrange transport to the race, whether it's down to cost or difficulty I don't know.

[awk]

It's the cake that's important - not the icing!

Who was it who so strongly advocated the 'value added' event? (and at £19 a time, I'd need some value adding!)

[Paul Frost]

So it's just a case of organisers not wanting to arrange transport to the race, whether it's down to cost or difficulty I don't know.

I suspect it's both of those. As already pointed out, the logistics are huge, for the 6Days and say 4000 competitors that's well over a ton of water.

I personally am not happy to drink water that has come from a large reusable container. I don't trust it to be free of contamination or bugs, but I've had a Giardia infection and food poisoning, hence my concerns. So I'll only drink water from a sealed container, unless I have prepared it myself.

I know lots of other running, triathlon and adventure races supply a bottle of water at the finish, but they tend to have much higher entry fees and so can afford it.

We are discussing the Lakes 5 Days and other multi-day events here, but if the logic holds for them we should be providing water at every orienteering event. The finishing times tend to be similar at every level of event, so if we can manage to look after ourselves for 60-90 mins at a level C event why can't we do it at a multi-day?

Perhaps the solution is to have a small supply of water available to buy at the finish. This satisfies those that can't or don't want to supply their own and doesn't penalize (with higher entry fees) those who are happy to look after themselves.

[Gross]

to have a small supply of water available to buy at the finish

Wot.... another caterer

[Mrs H]

But as you can see some people hold a different opinion to yours.

Can this be true?

My point was that was 8 years ago - how long ago is "we always used to do this"?

Obviously the idea is that you fill one of your fancy sports bottles (or re-use a plastic bottle) with tap water at home - not that you go and buy a bottle of water and bring it with you - that would be pointless. If it makes you feel better as an organiser I would gladly provide a bottle of water for anyone arriving by bike, foot or public transport (provided they let me know before hand) I have never knowingly stinted on going the extra mile myself but have never expected others to do that for me.

[RichardE]

Getting back to the subject, I'd like to thank LOC for a great day on Pike o'Stickle today. One of the most enjoyable I can remember.

[Tatty]

Hear, hear Richard. Super event. Worth the slog up to the Start.

[EddieH]

Yet another great day today. I think the organisers have been really excellent to provide low areas on the 2 high days for some courses. Noone will ever agree on which courses, but few multidays would do this.

The Lakes scarcely suits families of young children because it is so hard to find low areas with acceptable undergrowth. I think the lakes 5 has managed this fantastically this year and 4 years ago, and having been forced into high days for this reason, they really make a feature of them, Caw last time and today were fabulous for large numbers of people.

The Scottish 6 day has a more all embracing concept but we can find the terrain to provide it although as planner or controller it is often frustrating to be tied to finishing in a particular location, so family friendliness can override course perfection.

Different events different styles. Is,nt that a part of the wonderful rich panoply of our sport. To reiterate I think the lakes 5 do a fantastic job in providing a multiday suited to the terrain and season. Clearly massive thought has gone into it. Many thanks and I am sure I,ll want to be at the next one.