Yo hoo hoo..
Its Christmas, time to get jolly, say things you ought not at office parties and generally eat more than your body weight in sausage rolls. It is also that time when people reflect on what was good in 2006 and what is possible in 2007 - perhaps its getting a top 10 place at an Open5 or to complete the new Endurance series. Maybe it is to enter the Open24 with a good friend and enjoy the weekend in all extremes together. Whatever it is we hope to see you in 2007. Read on to hear more about what we have planned for next year.
For 2007 we have a new Endurance series on the Calendar, it is made up of an Open5, Open12 and the Open24. It is a pretty serious undertaking but one we think provides a real challenge for all Adventure Racers, it is open to male, female and mixed pairs - there are some big discounts for those committing to the series so check out the entry form here on the website.
The series will work in a similar way to the Open5 series with pairs scoring a percentage of the highest score from each event. With each event requiring very different skills don't just assume it will be the fastest that will win.
Open5 - Keswick 13 May
November 26th :: Reeth -
Just over 4 weeks ago we had the last Open5 event of 2006. We were slightly blown away with number of people who found their way to Reeth - 230 budding racers, numbers just keep on going up and up. And what a place to race the weather managed to clear for the afternoon and the battle of Reeth witnessed some tight competition for the series title. You can find out more details here on the Sleepmonsters race report - James Kirby was around snapping away and has his photos also on Sleepmonsters and can be found here.
Hillary Bloor has also pulled together a short review of her experiences of the Open5 series which can be found on the Planetfear website - a pretty good read for any who are thinking of taking on the 2007 series. Check it out here.
2007 Mountain Hardwear Open5 series
Hebden Bridge - 21st January :: Sutton Bank - 11th March :: Keswick - 13th May :: Grassington - 30th September :: Coniston - 25th November
- After much petition we will mark, with red/white tape the majority of controls to make them easier to find if you are in the right place
- We plan to have a second transition control so you can see how long you spend in transition - we might have to find prizes for the fastest / slowest.
- We are looking at the feasibility of a small internet based analysis tool so you can compare your routes with your nearest rivals.
- 2007 will see the introduction of race and mountain bike numbers
If you have any ideas of how we can improve the events please wing us an email, all of the above came from Open5 competitors - we like to think we listen.
On a different note - many competitors have suggested that we increase the price of the Open5 events, currently they are £20; discounts if you pre enter more than three events and a few pennies more if you enter on the day. We have decided to keep prices the same, they reflect what they cost to run at present. We have however increased the entry on the day premium from £3.50 to £5 to reflect the extra cost of map printing and entering details manually - hope that seems fair.
January 21st :: Hebden Bridge
It is only four weeks to the Hebden Bridge event - OK so there's a few parties, mince pies and a mild dose of James Bond in the meantime, but as ever January the 21st will be biting your backside before you know it. A great opportunity to catch some fresh air - entries are open and you can find out more details here.
No worries
James Thurlow