Mist, missed & more Mist

Dark and White Events

Rab Mini Mountain Marathon 29/11/14 Edale 

A very big thank you to Adrian and everyone at Dark and White Events for all the Mini Mountain Marathons and the annual 2 day Rab MMs. The Mini MMs were an introduction to mountain navigation events for Ray (the other half of team ibuprofen) and I. We have thoroughly enjoyed every Dark and White event we have entered, since our very first race back in 2008.

Next year Dark and white pass on the Rab Mini MMs to these good people. I am sure they will do a fine job and carry on the good work.

Highlights and randoms From  Edale

• Matt coming second and taking 2nd place in the series. Cool!
•  Missing control 13
•  Finding it on the way back from21
• Dropping my map
• Backtracking and finding the map. That was lucky.
• Catching up with Mike
• Crusty bread and Marmite
• Running down Grindsbrook
• 2 x face-plants while running down Grindsbrook (thankfully, with soft landings)

Proper good, mountain marathoner, Matt,
Styling it up.

Can you dib it?

 Carneddau Mini MM 13.4.14

This year Dark & White Challenge Events are running a Three race Mini Mountain Marathon series. These three events follow their 4 hour 'Wild country' format, that Ray and I enjoyed so much, last year.

 The first round started off in the often overlooked but Beautiful Carneddau mountains.

 Dark & White sum up the challenge nicely-

*  "The aim of these events is to navigate your way between a series of checkpoints and collect as many points as you can in the specified time period. Armed with your map (and your brain!) it is up to you to decide the optimum route based on your fitness/ability. Each checkpoint has a score, and generally the ones which are further away and more difficult to get to are worth more points. SPORTident timing is used."

Or in our case. Four hours of mucking about in the Welsh hills, trying not to get lost.

The Start.
Not lost yet.

Highlights and Randoms

Harvey Maps

Carneddau ponys

Hitting the atack point on Foel-fras and hand-railing to control 15. In the clag : )

Not finding control 14 and having to bail out. In the clag : (

Spicy bean/lentle soup, tea and cake

Yes you can


* Quote pinched from Dark and White Challenge events Website. See here For full details of their Cracking events. 

Rab up warm dear

A Rab Photon belay jacket lives by our back door. Two in fact, Mrs sbrt also has one.  To use the current marketing w*nk word, its my 'go to jacket'.

Rab are based just up the road from me and although they manufacture abroad, they still fill  the down  kit,  in house. In my mind this makes them, sort of local. All of their kit that I have used, has been well designed and more than fit for purpose. I have had a couple of  minor quality control issues but as I said, I like their stuff and would recommend it. On top of that they sponsor the Rab Mountain Marathon. Tks fellas.

What's worrying me is the spread of Rabys. No, not hydrophobia. Its worse than that, far worse. Respected hardcore outdoor brands are becoming mainstream. Chavs, middle-aged shoppers, newsreaders and Countryfile presenters, can be seen wearing R Carringtons finest.

Rab Photon hoody being used for what was designed for.
Skimming stones.

It may already be too late for; Boghause, North farce, Lard Rover and  Mange Rover. Lets do what we can, to save Rab from this sad demise. Join Colonel mintcake and myself, in the campaign to get gear dirty. Its our only hope of keeping our outdoorsy cred.

Whatever next? Wet suits for swimming with dogs

Well it was October

E-Dallying

1st snow of the season

Dark & White Mini MM

Edale 16/ 12/2012

After  Dove dallying around the White Peak, earlier on this year. It was time for some E-Dallying, up in the Dark Peak.
The last Dark & White  Mini Mountain Marathon of the year and another top event. This was a four hour score event and again, like the Coniston  Mini MM, we were allowed off piste. The mapping this time was by Ordnance Survey, as we were in the Peak district this was probably a good thing. Much as I like Harveys maps, O.S. do show access land better.

There was one other difference. Ray, the other half of team Ibuprofen could not come out to play. I was entered as a 'Billy no mates' solo. 

'Mmmm'. Martin G checks the map Rich can't bear to look

I wasn't totally alone.  Martin G, Richard P and I travelled Northwards together (this was Martin and Rich's first MMstyle event). Up in Edale there were a few other familiar faces, and a couple of new ones to meet.

 The Dark & White course planner, obviously knows this area well and scattered the 27 controls over 35 square km. In a way that gave us few easy options. Making it tough but fun.

All went well for me. Almost perfect weather and no nav mistakes. Even with hindsight and without faffing with the camera, I don't think I could have picked up many more points. Yeh! If I was a bit fitter and faster, I could have got more points but I finished in the top half of the results table and had a cracking four hours mucking about on Kinder.

Heading for the first control  of the day

Cheesy grins

I even caught this fella smiling for the camera, apparently a rare event.
 Good to meet again.

Good to meet you Mr Speed

And back up again

The run in. Via Grindsbrook

Best mince pie of the year. Thanks Eva!

Other Highlights and randoms

• More photos here check out the number of smiley faces.
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• Adam's Red and yellow Walshes. Good to meet you fella.
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• Karma. Telling the guy in front his rucsac was unzipped, then minutes later being told my bumbag was open.
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• Meeting Matt, Excellent result Matt.
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• The heather was very trip-upable.
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• The heather was soft to land on.
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• Catching up with  Russ from the White Peak Fell Runners.
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• Crisp shortcrust pastry and a tangy filling. Mince pie of the year award goes to Eva.
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• waterfalls
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• Place name of the day. A tie between Dunge Clough and The Madwoman's Stones.

As always,  a big thank you to all who made it happen

                                         

Obviously I was far too young, to turn out a punk

Bluebird

 Rab Mini Mountain Marathon

Coniston

Organised by Dark & White, this was round two of their Autumn Mini MM series and what a stunner it turned out to be.

 D&W had tweeked the format slightly. For this event we were given  four hours, instead of the usual three and the mapping was by Harveys, as opposed to Ordnance Survey. Both of which we were chuffed about. O. S.  maps are good, with fantastic detail on their 1:25000 maps but I find the stripped back orienteering style Harveys much easier to read, when running and the extra hour, what is not to like about more time in the hills?

Herdys enjoying the views towards  Grisedale and a mist covered Windermere

Race day- A quick blast up the M6 to the lakes, our reward for the early start and long drive. Mist/low cloud in the valleys, blue skies and sunshine above. Autumn in the Lakes at its best.

The start was from Miners Bridge where Ray and I were handed a map and a list of control descriptions. Being a score event, the map was pre-marked up with 20 controls(check points). the challenge, to visit as many controls as we could in 4 hours.

Martin Bagness says in his book Mountain Navigation for Runners  Factors to consider when planning  route choice are ; Height climb, ease of running( the shortest route between checkpoints may not be the quickest), points values  etc. 

Ray and I usually simplify this to  'clockwise or anticlockwise?'  'What d ya reckon mate?'  'Er, that way'.

We went for anti clockwise this time and had a cracking day out, visiting; Red Gill head, Weatherlam, Black Sails Swirl How, Goats Hause, Goats Water, Little Arrow moor, Torver Bottom. Rounding it off with a short, sharp climb up to The Bell and a steady run in to the finish. 

No dramas or nav issues just a classic day of running (well shuffling about) in the Coniston fells.

Strait up

Photo pinched from Dark & White Challenge Events
Time for a cuppa T

Tea is nice but.........

Other highlights and randoms

• Bluebird bitter from the Coiston Bewing Company
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• Herdwick sheep http://www.herdwick-sheep.com
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• Amusing place name; Boo Tarn

Hell for heather

              Rab Mountain Marathon 2012, the Cheviots

Ray and I started out doing Dark and White's Mini MMs in the Peak District, so wandering around and getting lost at the other end of the Penines, seemed like a good idea.  

Looking on the interweb the Cheviots appeared similar to the Peak, just a bit bigger, bleaker, emptier and that's how it was. Bigger, bleaker, emptier, and sunnier. Yes, the good folks at Dark & White, had  arranged another Rab MM weekend of good weather. How do they do that? Pact with the devil, sacrifice a virgin on the second Tuesday of the month. Who knows? We were grateful all the same.

The Cheviots were also much heatherier. Soft underfoot but very trip-upable

On your marks, set, collect your maps, control descriptions, plan your route and ......GO!

The first two controls went well, maybe too well. On the way to our third checkpoint, I switched off. Everything looked good, we picked up a footpath and ahead of us we could see a line of MMers. Unfortunately it was the wrong footpath and the people wearing running tights and carrying rucksacks, were not heading to the same control as us.

Sorry Ray, that one was all  my fault. Being a score event it didn't matter too much but it was a reminder that I am a numpty and should concentrate harder.

We got our own back later on, by leading a group daft enough to follow us, to the wrong crag.

On the way to one we got right

On the edges of the Cheviot

Turn right at the crashed Quad bike, for the most picturesque control of the weekend

'I believe that its called al fresco'

Hanno introduces George, a fellow Nederlander  to the galmorous world of Mountain Marathons

Day one over, time to fire up the Pocket Rocket and to enjoy the delights of dehydrated food.

It turned out to be my comfiest, mountain marathon overnight camp so far. The tussocky grass was most luxurious. It was bloody cold in the morning though and day two started with a dusting of frost coating our tent.

Day two went well, once we thawed out. Our overnight camp was down in a valley, so the sun didn't share its warmth until we were well on our way.
No dramas just a slight wobble/lack of confidence, going from Easter Tor to control 44. I knew where we were and where we wanted to be. It was how to get there that was the problem. A  prompt from a fellow competitor and suddenly, the contour lines on the map, looked like the view in front of us. Tks mate.

Ray heather bashing with the Cheviot in the background.

As usual, we took a conservative route and arived back at the finish line with over an hour to spare. We could have picked up a few more points on the way but Sunday dinner was calling.

 All in all a good weekend

      Other highlights and randoms:

• Catching up with Kate and Jane. I have missed Tea and Cake
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• Sundays Stovie(stew). The meat version and the veggie one went down well with Ray and I.
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• Some great place-names like Hedgehope Hill and Bizzle Crag.
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• Chatting with the flying Dutchmen Hanno and George. 
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• Learned a new mm top tip. Sleep with the gas canister in your sleeping bag. It will work better when warm.

• Other Rab bloggings:
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• Dawn and Sarah once again won the ladies Elite (long).
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• The Fell Fairy and partner Ant faired well. 1st mixed team.
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• Off course phalarope  and partner enjoyed the Stovies too.
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• Last but not least a top write up by Mark who was Going Downhill Quickly.

Many thanks to all those who helped make it happen. Especially the good folks at Dark and White Events

Dove Dallying

Ray gets his white legs out in the White Peak

 Dark and White Mini MM

Dovedale

I wasn't sure how this would turn out. Dovedale is a lovely area but being such a tourist trap with a graded path right through the midlde, would it work for an event like this. The answer is a wholehearted yes.

The course planner led us to some great running, up and down, around and dropping down into Dovedale. On top of that the weather was almost perfect with conditions underfoot just right, thankfully the notoriously slippery slimestone was dry.

This may have been the nearest it gets to a home event but it was no Sunday jolly. Our route was a mix of very runnable footpaths, which tempted us to run further than usual and short sharp climbs. 

A combination that made us work hard for our Sunday dinners.

Not a bad result for team Ibuprophen we finished 18th of 37 in the Old git class and 62nd of 131 overall.

Not as good as Lynne of Running Delights Who finished first lady and 'chicked' us by 7 points. Nice one Lynne.

Lions Head Rock

Climbers on Ilam Rock

Nice to meet you Jess

Many thanks to Dark & White for another great Mini MM

RIP