Thanks to everyone

did anyone see the sign on the path just after the langdale checkpoint, "Caution, stones on the path"?

Oh the irony...

Was there a race on??

Have posted provisional results on the site, please email me with corections (there may well be some) and i will perfect them in the next 24 hours!

Already had a lot of emails thanking me for the event and the positive comments are much appreciate. Some constructive feedback from competitors which pretty much support what i already worked out over the weekend.

There were things we did wrong (better maps being the main thing from my perspective) but i am always happy to admit these things as it gives us targets to hit for next year and all of the errors will be corrected. Work for 2009 starts next week and we will reveal the dates soon.

I intend to run a series of training days throughout the next 10 months which will involve running guided sections of the course and arrange transport to bring competitors back to their cars. Whether you intend to compete or you are just interested in the event, come along and join us for a social day.. look out on the site in coming weeks for more news.

Can i say a huge thanks to all the marshals who were outstanding in the face or 'typhoonage', in order:

Lorraine and 'the girls' CP1
Petzl team CP2
Dave, Alex & Gaynor CP3
Paul Burgess CP4
Giselle and Tony CP5
Ken & Steve CP6
Jo and Jeff CP7
Lee and Nick CP8
Paul and Gaynor CP9
Montane team CP10
Ian 'psyched' Barnes CP11
Dave and Jo CP12
Mick and Angela CP13
Mandy and Janet start / finish

I sincerely hope i have not missed anyone out in my sleep deprived state.

As for Raynet.. absolutely outstanding. The reassurance granted by hearing them call through every race number and provide effective communication between checkpoints was priceless. You may not know this but many of the checkpoints cannot communicate directly so they had guys operating as a 'talk through' which effectively meant sitting out on the top of a mountain all weekend to provide a link..

Keep your eye on the site for updates and join the newsletter if you haven't already done so..

Onwards and upwards

Marc Laithwaite

p.s. If you entered the 100 and reached 50 you are accredited with 50 miles (otherwise i wouldn't have insisted that you continue!). Certificates for all competitors are sent out in the post once results and times confirmed and prizes for various categories will be hand delivered by petzl reps!

Previous comments have summed up so much about the event very well. I would just like to add my thanks to everyone involved in putting on the event - first class job. Thank you.

People may be interested in a wider perspective. I read through the local paper on Mon evening (News and Star in West Cumbria). Lowther Show at Penrith was called off on its final day on Sunday for the first time in its history. The showfield was an "impassable quagmire". There was also an article re Wasdale Mountain Rescue calling for 3 Peaks walkers to "stop wasting our time". They have had an increased number of callouts related to underprepared charity walkers. "It would be fair to say that the ones we meet underestimate what's involved, particularly at night". 25 rescuers spent 7 hours looking for 9 people on Saturday.

I mention these because it underlines the professionalism, competency, dedication and integrity of everyone involved with the Lakeland 100. Despite testing conditions people conducted themselves superbly. Delighted to have been part of it.

Mand H. Your navigational skills are second to none. I am sorry my ability to navigate by the stars and direction of migrating birds was rather less useful.....    Did you see our time for leg 3? What did we eat at Boot? - or was that when panic set in about meeting the cutoffs!! I think we may have paid for it later on.....  Glad we carried on at CP6 and managed the 50miles.

Dave. very glad too that we carried on even though it feels like little gnomes with large hammers have been bashing the bottom of my feet!! Thanks for your company it would have been much more miserable without you and i apologise for the whinging and whining around the Blencathra area.  If you want a lift to Langdale email me at amandahooke@yahoo.co.uk. 

Hope everyone is recovering well. Shall we do it again this weekend!! 

Results on site should now be correct, there were a few errors including the title "2007 results".. was a mistake calculating them Monday morning.

Thanks for all your comments and see you all soon for recce running!

Marc,

As you know I am perfectly capable of asking stupid questions, but are these leg times correct? Leg 2 seems generally too short, legs 5 and 8 too long.  I wish I had run leg 2 in 1:35 but glad that i didn't take 5+ for leg 5....at least I hope I didn't!!

Great to see all the positive feedback from the event and to hear that there were no serious casualties.

Should be good for 2009, especially for those of us with unfinished business!

With my colleague and I both DNF - it is taking some persuading to encourage our work colleagues to join us next year but we are working on it!! 

As there a few UTMB vets involved, what did they think of a comparison between the two events?  For me, the UTLD was harder for a number of reasons:

I am much fitter this year than when I did the UTMB two years ago, and yet it took me longer (with shorter stops) to complete the UTLD.

Underfoot conditions for the UTMB are much better, with most of it runnable

You also have the company of 2,500 others (although it did also have small beginnings a few years ago), plus a party in every village you pass through, and twice as many checkpoints.

I'm not saying it is easy, just that the UTLD is that bit harder.

I think the general consensus was that the L100 was harder than UTMB. I cannot comment myself as I was trying to use this as my last qualifier for UTMB2009. However, that seemed to be the view from all the UTMB vets I spoke to.

I met the two guys who came second on the train back to London and one of them claimed this was harder than MdS and they are seasoned semi-pros!

It will be interesting to see how this event grows. I wish the team all the best as this was a cracker. However, I doubt that the Nat Park would allow the scale of razzamataz that goes with the UTMB. And there is a certain quality that goes with smaller events that suits me more than the big ones!

So I hope that it grows and that Marc and co can make money out of it....but just not TOO much that it becomes just another BIG event. At least, we can all say we were there for the 1st one!!

The UTLD definately felt tougher than the UTMB despite it having 5000ft less climb/descent. The conditions underfoot are the biggest factor - the trails are much rougher and rockier so are far more difficult to run down with any rhythm. The descents, while shorter, are steeper in the UTLD, particularly off Black Sail, Scarth Gap, Barrow Door and off Low Kop - and there certainly isn't any bog trotting or bracken bashing in the UTMB! The navigation adds another dimension that isn't there in the UTMB - following fluorescent yellow markers every 50m ( and 2500 other runners!) is far less mentally taxing. The weather this year also added to the challenge. It rains on the UTMB but I'm sure the trails don't turn into the rock filled rivers full of frogs experienced last weekend!

Despite the pain - what an event the inaugural UTLD was!  - I thoroughly enjoyed myself out there. Massive thanks and respect to Marc and his team, and all the cheery marshalls for making it happen.

Hi, missed out this year - all the procrastination of whether to do the 50 or the 100 came to nought when I had to have my appendix out instead!

Done the UTMB and was looking forward to compare the two. Just wondered whether in future it might be possible to rearrange dates so that we could perhaps consider doing both in one year (too close at the minute for my ageing knees)

Thanks alot Chris for the lift back to coniston. Even if your dad tried to kill us at patterdale i was so relieved he picked us up i could not be bothered to be frightened.        

Sorry i was`nt there when you picked your bag up on sunday but i was back home in bed by 21:30 saturday night fast asleep. I woke up feeling guilty i had not hung around longer to support the finishers but i thought about the damp tent and soggy sleeping bag verses a warm dry bed an hour away so guess which one won.

Have just entered next years event so hope to see you there.