Rescuers were still searching on Sunday for some endurance runners after hundreds became stranded in bad weather in the Lake District.
Competitors taking in the gruelling mountain marathon near Keswick had become trapped on the hills by torrential downpours which flooded roads on Saturday, according to media reports.
Organisers said about 25 out of 2,500 taking part were still unaccounted for and an RAF helicopter was helping to look for those who were missing, according to media reports.
Many had spent the night camped in tents or sheltering in farms and barns and organisers said the fell runners would have been well-prepared.
"What we've got here are some very, very experienced fell-runners who are very, very well-equipped, which is gratifying," Original Mountain Marathon emergency planner Chris Briggs told the BBC.
"If they've gone up as they should have been equipped then they should be OK."
A report on the OMM's website said the situation was not as "sensational" as the media reports suggested.
"The idea of self-reliance isn't a popular one in this day and age, so the fact that 900 people are said to be unaccounted for is being presented with the implication they are lost and in trouble -- which is not the case," the report said.
"They are all well equipped and the vast majority will have made their way down off the hills and found shelter -- though they may not be able to get back to race HQ or let anyone know where they are."
Honister Slate Mine near Keswick said it had sheltered hundreds of marooned runners and spectators, and helped ferry those who were soaked and hypothermic to nearby emergency rescue centres.
"I have never known weather conditions as severe as this," said Mark Weir who runs the tourist attraction.
"Honister Pass is one of the most dramatic areas of the Lake District -- heaven on a good day but hell in unprecedented weather like this."
"Whether the fell race should have gone ahead is a matter for those involved. We are just glad to know, that no-one, as far as we aware, has been seriously injured or worse."
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20081026/tuk-uk-britain-runners-fa6b408.html[/QUOTE]
I don't wish anyone to have suffered in this and hopefully all will turn up safe and well but WHY the hell was this allowed to go ahead? Its not like they didn't know the weather was going to be terrible! It gets to me when people go off on these things then Mountain Rescue and the Emergency Services have to bail them out!
Don't get me wrong I have NOTHING against this type of sport but you have got to do these things with EVERYONES safety in mind INCLUDING Mountain Rescue and the Emergency Services and consider the effect of the weather. The original report sites information from OMM website (Original Mountain Marathon) that supports the event (they would, they organised it). What it doesn't include is another piece of information from the OMM website...
Two of the best sources for weather forecasts are given below, but the summary is for torrential rain on Saturday, especially later in the day (when setting up camp!), wind gusts to 90mph and conditions described as “Very difficult even at a relatively low level, with any mobility widely difficult on higher areas.”
Sunday’s forecast is a little better, with sunshine and showers predicted, but still with strong winds.
How does this affect the event? Well, it won’t be cancelled that’s for sure. The OMM and the KIMM have had some desperate weather in the past and there has never been a cancellation, and is not likely to be...
The Western Lakes is already saturated, with high river levels, and there has been frequent flooding which may close roads. There is heavy rain predicted for today (Thursday)
I don't know about anyone else but considering the forcast and previous weather, that attitude seems cavalier to say the least.
