Long Valley

[Tatty]

A wet soggy day. I really enjoyed my course - it was so runnable. I'd lost confidence to run through terrain after my accident at the Caddihoe and this got it back!! Thanks to the planner. What did people think of the waterproof maps? I picked up and used a map bag. Hubby however didn't and by the time he'd finished his map was covered with both mud and blood and was very soggy. The print did stay fixed though. Not helped by the start official telling us that they were waterproof but not tear proof. Wonder what state Tom Harts map would have ended up in??!!

[Knee Deep Mud!]

Thanks to all at SN for a really nice event. Whilst you didn't manage to arrange perfect weather, at least you arranged for the very heavy rain to not start until about 5 minutes after I'd finished!

For an area with one of the densest path networks in the south, I ended up running 75-80% of the course in the terrain. Really well planned. Would be very easy to end up with a dull path running course on this area, but the good planning resulted in a really nice enjoyable course. So particular thanks to the Planner - Steve McKinley.

No problems with the waterproof map. Didn't use a map bag, but neither did I properly test it's waterproof capabilities despite the plentiful opportunities to do so.

Thanks again!

[Paul Frost]

I agree with Knee Deep, with all those paths I still ploughed through lots of forest (perhaps when I shouldn’t have some times). I use a GPS to record my route for later analysis and have some software that overlays it onto a Google Aerial photo (see my M45L route here). I like RouteGadget best for this, but in its absence the high-resolution Google maps are good enough.

I was not sure how much I would enjoy the event with all the warnings in the final details about “confusing path systems� etc. but I did, so thanks to the planner and organisers.

[MacMan]

Paul,

Took the liberty to complement your route on the map ...approx see

http://www.southernnavigators.com/Results/test3.jpg

steve m

[Paul Frost]

Thanks Steve

I like the other image you sent me the link to, of the route and course image.

I think it shows that the GPS is not perfect, but given the difficult conditions it is good enough to help prompt my poor memory of where I have been.

[P2B]

I really enjoyed it too - the rain made the pub lunch and bath afterwards seem so much more deserved. Brill courses - didn't realise that I'd barely run along a path until I reflected after reading this thread.

[Simon E]

It was a great event, and perhaps it's worth listing a few reasons why:

1) Large hard-standing car park.

2) Start and finish within 100m of car park.

3) Generally runnable area, with a huge variation in terrain type so you were never in the same type of forest for long.

4) Excellent course planning to avoid what could have been a very long path run. Lots of variation in leg length and direction, with good use of the contoured bits.

5) A specific pet subject that I might enlarge on somewhere else: recognition that with electronic punching you can get away from the old "single big loop" courses and have cross-overs and closed loops of four or five controls that greatly add to the navigational complexity and interest.

6) Open start times (very handy for parents).

7) Waterproof maps! (First recent large-scale use in this country?)

[dehydrated]

the M21L course was one of the best courses I've run in the SE. superb planning - agree with all Simon's points.