Occam’s Razor: (Latin – lex parsimoniae “law of parsimony”) a scientific and philosophical rule that states that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex.

Gee, thanks for that…….got to ask though, WTF??

Settle petal, and let me divulge.

“Currently the Guidance for race organisers allows GPS’s to be banned or allowed in FRA registered races. The FRA has been asked to consider changing this position and instigate a complete ban, which would effectively allow them to be carried but not to be used for route finding. A small group of the Committee are currently considering various options and the Committee will make a decision prior to the publication of the 2019 Handbook. The carrying of map and compass as currently required will not be changed.”

– FRA statement on fellrunner.org.uk (accessed 23rd June 2018, from a statement released 15th June 2018).

Frankly I don’t trust the FRA ‘powers that be’ to make the right decision on this one. Now is not a time to hedge your bets. The tit-bits of information that I’ve garnered from those in the know suggest that the writing is on the wall as far as one of the essential skills of this sport go.

Facebook’s gone tits. From reading the one million-ish comments I can surmise that folk seem keen on the idea of including the use of GPS for navigation in fell-running. That’s that then huh? We should just bow to ‘popular’ opinion. Nicht, nicht mein dammen und herren.

Tamagotchi…..GPS?!

A letter released today via the same medium (shown below in full – be prepared, she’s a wordy tome) suggests otherwise. It’s early days for the FB-crew, but knowing them as I do, there’ll be a fair few conclusions and opinions being jumped to. As I always say, ‘don’t let a fact get in the way of a good rant’; the modus operandi of this blog. Likewise, it’s always best when responding in a debate to never, under any circumstances, inform yourself of the opposite stance or viewpoint, just bludgeon on in there with an opinion, ANY opinion, because you DESERVE to be heard. That’s sure as fuck what I do! Ain’t that right ‘A Boy Named Sue’?

P.S. being super passive-aggressive really helps too.

So. The letter.

“Dear Editor,

What is fellrunning? What are the principles at its core? What sets it apart from Skyrunning, mountain running, trail running and ultra running?

To many the answer is obvious; it is a simple sport. You have some hills. You have some checkpoints to visit. These are often on the tops of hills, but not always. You use your skill and fitness to get between these points as fast as possible. Sometimes the organiser flags it if he or she wants you to go a certain way, or gives specific instructions. Other than that, it is up to the runner. That is fellrunning and it has changed very little in the hundred or so years that people have been racing each other in the hills.

As a fellrunner, you may or may not own a GPS watch. You may or may not realise what they can do. You might be surprised to discover that you can upload a file of a route that another runner has run to your watch and follow that track with an arrow on your wrist correcting your line every few metres alerting you that you are too far left/right. This technology exists, is very accurate and been used to great effect in races, affecting the outcome of some (many people do not realise this).

The use of this technology is no different than flagging the whole route of any race for someone using it. Using a GPS track takes away a fundamental element of the sport – that of route choice and finding your own way.

Currently their use is not widespread, but it is foreseeable that in years to come, to be competitive, owning, and knowing how to use this ‘bread crumb’ GPS function will become an essential part of fellrunning. Do we want that?

We, the undersigned, feel that the vast majority of fellrunners accept that this threatens something at the heart of the sport and want to see a ban on the use of GPS tracks to navigate in fell races. So far FRA policy has been to leave it up to individual race organisers, but we say that they now need to take a strong lead and ban on screen maps and pre-loaded GPS tracks as a means of navigating in all fell races. Any solution that stops short of this will lead to a lack of clarity and put unnecessary pressure on fell race organisers.

Ambleside AC have taken a stance and their rules below could feasibly form the basis of what is and what is not acceptable in fell races. None of us want to stop people enjoying fellrunning. We do not want to discourage people from having a go. And of course it goes without saying that in an emergency anything goes, including the use of GPS to relocate yourself or help inform others of your position.

We are fellrunners just like you. We want what is best for the sport and implore the FRA to act now before the sport changes for the worse.

Signed:

Richard Eastman – organiser Wasdale and Scafell Pike fell races

Tim Brooks – organiser Lingmell Dash fell race

Christine Kenyon – organiser Arnison Crag and Arnison Crag Horseshoe fell races

Tim Ripper – organiser Caw fell race

Jon Broxap – organiser Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay

Ryan Crellin – organiser Blakes Heaven fell race

John Henegan – organiser Muncaster Luck fell race

William Ross – organiser Black Combe fell race

Ben Abdelnoor – organiser Great Lakes and Loughrigg fell races

Britta Sendlhofer – organiser Great Lakes fell race

Nick Ray – organiser Coledale Horseshoe fell race

JP Challinor – organiser Fairfield Horseshoe fell race

Sam Clarke – organiser Coniston fell race

Carolyn Meyneaud – organiser Rydal Round fell race

Dan Duxbury – organiser Langdale Horseshoe fell race

Michelle Foxwell – organiser Wansfell fell race

Selwyn Wright – organiser Three Shires and Blisco fell races

Scoffer – organiser HBMR, Steel Fell and Borrowdale fell races

Chris Hodgson – organiser Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay

Katy Moore – organiser Skiddaw fell race

Pete Taylor – organiser Black Combe Country Fair fell race

Julie Carter – organiser Round Latrigg fell race

Dave Jones – organiser Eskdale Elevation fell race

Carol Emmons – organiser Middle Fell and Screes fell races

Sue Ashley – organiser Dale Head fell race

Simon Mounsey – organiser Orton fell race

Alison Bolt – organiser Lakeland Country Fair fell race

Nigel Coe – organiser Lakeland Country Fair fell race

Tod Coates – organiser Langdale Gala fell race

Hazel Taylor – organiser Kirkby Moor fell race

Jonathon Tombs –organiser Howtown fell race

Tony Shanley – organiser Grisedale Horseshoe and Dungeon Ghyll fell races

Paul Brittleton – organiser Cautley Spout, Kentmere Horseshoe, Tebay and Sedbergh Hills fell races

Pete Brittleton – organiser Kentmere Horseshoe and Tebay fell races

Mario Yeomans – organiser Latterbarrow fell race

Col Rhodes – organiser Eskdale Show fell race

Natalie Hawkrigg – organiser Carrock fell race

Lyn Thompson – organiser of Barrow fell race

Adam Perry – organiser Howgills

Colin Dulson – organiser Ennerdale

Andrew Breslin – organiser Turner Landscape

Sue & Nigel Jeff – runners and RO Litton Christmas Cracker.

Calvin Ferguson – organisers Don Ashton Memorial race

Andy Blackett – chairman of Durham Fell Runners and organiser of Chapelfell top and Cronkley Fell race

Alison Wainwright – organiser Kong Mini Mountain Marathon

Chris Lloyd – Chairman Achille Ratti Climbing Club and organiser of Old County Tops

Jim Tinnion – Organiser Mercia Hill Trial, Stretton Six Summits, etc.

Gary & Debbie Devine, organisers of Really Wild Boar

Dan Taylor organiser of Hoofstones, Bridestone and Orchan

Kevin Plummer (SHR) organiser of The Hartfell Horse shoe race and the Stag to Hind Hill race

Craig Jones – Chairman, Welsh Fell Runners Association and race organiser.

Helen Brown – organiser of Black Mountains race (Wales)

John Rocks

Stephen Burt

Jon Morgan

Paul Cornforth (Kong Adventure)

Lou Roberts ( Ambleside AC)

Nicky Spinks (Dark Peak Fell Runners)

Rob Jebb (Helm Hill)

Matt Bland (Pete Bland Sports)

Joss Naylor

Ian Holmes (Bingley Harriers)

Nathalie White

Sharon Taylor (Helm Hill)

Tom Gibbs (Ambleside AC)

Rhys Findlay-Robinson (Dark Peak Fell Runners)

Astrid Gibbs (Ambleside AC)

Nick Hewitt (Bowland Fell Runners)

Wendy Dodds (Clayton-le-Moors)

Carl Bell (Keswick AC)

Graham Breeze (Former Chairman of the FRA)

Bruce Duncan

Andy Robinson

Here are the rules mentioned above that were in place for Fairfield. A more detailed proposal for rules has since been submitted to the FRA:

IMPORTANT: The use of certain GPS functions to aid navigation are NOT ALLOWED at AAC* races.

You are allowed to wear a GPS watch

You are allowed to record your route on your GPS watch

You are allowed to have distance travelled displayed

You are not allowed to follow a pre-loaded GPS route – a ‘bread crumb trail’

You are not allowed to use a GPS device with a map display on it.

You are not allowed to load GPS checkpoints onto your device

PLEASE NOTE: In an emergency you may of course use any GPS functions to navigate yourself to safety. In doing so you must declare yourself as a non-competitive participant at the finish

Please ask at registration if you have any questions.”

– open letter posted on Facebook by Britta Sendlhofer (accessed 25th July 2018).

*AAC = Ambleside Athletics Club. FYI.

Why are you reading this here/there?!? Is this/that the new home of the GOVERNING BODY of the sport? Nope. It’s web presence is still here it’s just dropped a bollock when it comes to providing some guidance and leadership in a debate that could threaten the existence of the sport (too dramatic?? I beg to differ). Instead it has issued a non-committal statement and pushed the decision and onus onto the Race Organiser (RO). Poorly judged.

(The only reason that I’ve felt compelled to write this is solely down to that lack of direction from the governing body [I’ve called it a ‘governing body’ for want of a better name. Is the FRA technically a ‘governing body’? Anyone know?] of the sport and the seeming unwillingness to strap on a pair and take responsibility. If they can’t provide direction on this issue then it’s a slippery slope for any future ‘debate’.)

I started trying to write a post about the difference between ‘skyrunning’ and ‘fellrunning’ a couple of months back. It’s not seen the light of day, and it won’t. It was a very short article, summarised as such….for all intents and purposes the only, significant, difference (ignoring the fact that ‘skyrunning’ by definition is any race over 2000m altitude, which we topographically cannot achieve in the UK) between the two is that one is marked and flagged approximately every 25-50m requiring zero navigational skill, and the other isn’t flagged at all, except when highlighting areas sensitive to access issues or where the terrain is excessively dangerous (quarry workings, cliff edges and the like). End of ‘article’, end of comparison. They both involve running as fast as possible from CP to CP and they’re both in mountainous country. Aside from that they are fundamentally different in that simplest of ways i.e. the requirement for navigational skills.

Fellracing boils down to a 50/50 split (rather ‘neat’ but go with it for the point I’m trying to make, if you please) between the physical ability to run quickly over very difficult, rough and challenging terrain, and the mental, navigational ability to ensure that you gain the best advantage that you can by your capability with a map and compass; self-determination, freedom and, most importantly, a level playing field.If you’re not very good at something DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Saying that you’re ‘crap at navigating’ and deciding that the remedy is to buy a GPS watch rather than learn to use a map and compass is a dick move.

I’m not going to be a hypocrite and say that sky-/trail-running is shit. They’re not. They’re just….different. No better, no worse. Comparing the two, or worse arguing using one to justify against the other, is pointless. Badminton and tennis both use rackets but they are nothing alike in their rules or the skills required to play them. Likewise fellrunning and other disciplines within running. If you want to use GPS/have a course marked out for you so you don’t have to use what navigational skills you may/may not have then go do a sky-/trail-race. They’re awesome fun and we have some right on our doorstep (I’m looking at YOU Scafell Skyrace). You can bemoan the price but that’s the price you pay for the course marking, the safety teams, the feed stations etc etc. It’s less than a tank of fuel.

Some of the ‘arguments’ for GPS are thus…..

Everyone uses smart phones, WiFi, sat nav etc etc so why can’t I/we/you use GPS for fell-racing? Listing different technologies at random has nothing to do with the sport of fell-running. Cycling doesn’t allow motors in it’s bikes yet using that ‘technology’ would allow them to go faster……they’re banned because it’s not within the confines of the sport……the sport where motors on bikes are allowed comes under the umbrella of ‘motor racing’…..and is a totally different sport. Also, to describe the stance as being ‘Luddite’ is pretty lazy and kinda misses the point. Of course those who signed the letter have/use sat nav or smart phones or what have you but we’re talking about a sport that for some provides an escape from that, amongst other things, not something that is handy in ‘everyday’ life. 

What about using GPS in emergencies?? You CAN. That’s not what the issue is. It’s not a ban on the carriage of a GPS-enabled watch. It’s a ban on the use of them as a primary navigational aid during a race situation.

I/we don’t all live in the Lakes/Peak (insert other place here) so cannot get out to recce routes boo-hoo-hoo. I/we don’t have multiple houses around the country either and so ‘suffer’ the same problems. We should form a support group and all cry into each others shoulders whilst stuffing our face with buns at the next weekly meeting.

Shoes with fancy rubber and clothing made of lightweight materials make a HUGE difference. As do gels and nutritional products. No they don’t. Andy Styan never had graphene on his soles when he ran Langdale in 1hr 55mins back in 1977. His record still stands. Kenny Stuart wasn’t sporting a Tour de France skin-suit when he flew down Skiddaw on his way to 1hr 2mins and change in 1984. His record still stands. Brendan Foster used to ‘recover’ after yet another sub-30min 10k with a pint of bitter and some chips. Objectively looking at times etc shows us that for all of these product ‘advances’ we’re actually not getting any faster at all and the only thing ‘advancing’ is, ironically, the technology not the user that the technology is being developed for.

What this all comes down to is ‘safety’. The onus is on you/us the participant(s) to take ownership of your/our safety when out on the fells and hills of the UK. The Race Organiser (RO) has no direct responsibility for participant safety under the current FRA guidelines aside from a ‘duty of care’ as addressed on the very first line of the snappily titled “FRA Guidelines for Race Organisers 2018”, namely “the general principle behind these guidelines is that runners must take responsibility for their own safety on the hills and they have confirmed this by signing the entry form.” This statement does not wholly expunge the RO from accountability or responsibility and as such their ‘duty of care’ extends to foreseeable risks and the adherence to a standard of reasonable care. YOU OWN THE RISK. If you stray off your bread-crumbs on your go-anywhere Hansel and Gretel experience will you know how to get back on it? Do you trust the manufacturer’s ‘guaranteed’ battery life?

His GPS ran out……

Maybe that’s the real crux of the matter? People seem to be afraid of having to think for themselves. They want things to be put on a plate for them and, crucially, have someone to share or take the blame when it all goes belly up? *Floaty music, time machine, nostalgia* I worked in a pub for a bit before selling my soul to Queen and Country. People would come in asking the stupidest questions. Here’s two that stand-out:

Q. What beers do you have on?

A. (In as sarcastic a manner as I could muster after 9 hours behind the bar [which has seven real ale hand-pumps, three lagers on tap, two ciders on tap, and a lonely, but much loved, Guinness], what else would you expect?!) Oh, just the ones that we have on display, right in front of you.

Second one…..

From a lady coming in clutching a £20 note…..

Q. How does the change machine work?

A. (After a few, looooonnngg seconds of utter bewilderment) Errrr, you put your note in and change comes out??

Lady. Oh, ok, like other ones then?

Me. Oh my God. Yes.

Give someone an excuse to be stupid and they’ll take it. The ONUS IS ON YOU to take ownership of your own safety. Do you really want to rely on people like ‘change woman’ or ‘beers-in-front-of-your-stupid-little-eyes man’???

Fell/hill/mountain running, as I’ve said, is more than just a fitness test. If you want a fitness test go race on a track or road. If that doesn’t suit, and you need the mountain experience, go race in a trail or ‘sky’ race. There is NOTHING wrong with those disciplines. Nothing at all. The mountain craft required to be self-sufficient in fell-running is what makes it so special and is just as important to protagonists as the running at (relative) speed. Leave us with something free of sanitisation please!

It’s freedom (nod to William Wallace) and challenge that I do it for. The freedom to go where I want and the challenge of getting there.

Fell running is unique and distinct as a sport and should – must – remain that way.

And, yes, I own and use a GPS watch……..not the bread-crumbs though, I’d eat them.