LAMM 2003 - Final Details

This Supplements the Event Details

PLEASE NOTE YOUR COMPETITOR NUMBER, WHICH IS DISPLAYED ON THE TEAM LIST. YOU SHOULD ALSO BRING THE FULL EVENT DETAILS WITH YOU

EVENT CENTRE
The wording of the previous newsletter may have suggested to some that there is no campsite. There is an excellent camping field at the Event Centre. Please do not arrive to park a car before 15:00 on Friday.

LAMM LOCATION RECORDED PHONE MESSAGE
The Lowe Alpine switchboard has been overhauled recently. Our recorded message on Thursday evening from 17:30 will be available on three telephone numbers - 01539 742077, 01539 742075, 01539 742076. It will be best to visit the LAMM website, which will tell you far more than is possible in a brief message.

ACCOMMODATION ON FRIDAY NIGHT
There is quite a lot of convenient bunkhouse accommodation available close to the Event Centre at a price for B&B of approximately £14. Details of the accommodation will be visible on the website when the location of the LAMM goes live at www.lamm.co.uk on Thursday 12th June by 15:00hrs. We have arranged with the owners of the accommodation for their details to be removed from our site as soon as their accommodation is full.

LAMM WEBCAST
This year we will make a big effort to keep those at home informed about the LAMM. Most of the pages will also appear on www.sleepmonsters.com. We may be living on a technologically advanced island but the Scottish Highlands still present significant communications problems and we can't afford a satellite link. We will however try not to disappoint. Those with access to the Internet on Friday night will be able to see something of significant interest! As the competitors are setting off on Saturday and on Sunday we will display small scale maps on the site showing the terrain and each of the routes. We aim to upload photographs and reports on Friday evening, Saturday morning by 10:00, Saturday evening by around 21:00, Sunday morning by 10:30 and Sunday afternoon by 17:00. Results will be displayed at the end of each day. Fingers crossed!

LOOKING FOR REPLACEMENT PARTNER?
The page on the forum has been working really well, helping those who have lost a partner to find a new one. Please use it even at the last minute so that you can compete.

EVENT DRYFLO TEES & COOL DOWN CAPS
This year we will offer another a special edition Lowe Alpine Dryflo tee shirt bearing the LAMM 2003 logo on the breast. These will be available in bluestone, white and mosaic blue at a best ever price of £14. A Cool Down Cap in Airforce Blue bearing an embroidered 2003 LAMM logo will also be available for £9. The garments can be purchased during the weekend in the marquee and should these sell out, a mail order list will be compiled and items despatched by the end of July. They can also be ordered immediately after the event from the online LAMM Shop.

TEES & DRYFLO FROM 2002
We still have a number of LAMM2002 tee shirts (£5) and Dryflo tees (£12) available from the online LAMM Shop.

REGISTRATION will be closed between 22:00 and 22:45 for the marshals briefing. At registration you will receive your Si-Card and wriststrap, 2 small polybags for the Control Descriptions (which are not waterproof), a pair of foot shaped plastic bags care of Sidas. The Information Desk will provide your Saturday start time and allow you to register team/course changes.

LATER STARTS FOR THOSE RETURNING OR ARRIVING ON SATURDAY MORNING
Start times will be provided at registration. If you are registering on Friday and heading off to find accommodation or not arriving to register until Saturday morning you will be given start times nearer to 10.00hrs.

MIDGES
One of our Mountain Rescue Team was in the area recently and reported that the midges were quite annoying. Try to bring some insect repellent.

WATER SUPPLY
The water at the Event Centre, on the course and at the midcamp is consumed at your own risk and if you are in any doubt water should either be boiled or purified. The supply at the Event Centre is not very strong and we will provide a few other sources that require a slightly longer walk. Please do not wash anything in the water bin and only dip clean pans and water bottles into the bin. At the midcamp, please do not wash in the water upstream of the camp.

TOILETS
The usual rudimentary toilets will be available at the midcamp field. These must be used for all solid deposits! We will have some portaloos at the Event Centre but you can avoid the queue by using the "traditional" slit trenches.

WILFS will be serving their usual delicious fayre in the large marquee, including a number of Saturday breakfast options.

SPORTident SI Card
We will be using the SPORTident system again this year. Those who are hiring an SI Card will receive one card per team at registration while those of you who are using your own must present it at registration so that we can confirm the card number. If you have chosen to hire a card, it will be attached loosely to your wrist using a tamper proof wrist strap. This will remain attached all weekend and be cut off you either when you finish or if you retire. If you lose, break or take a hire card home with you the charge will be £18.50. This is one reason why we are now using these wristbands for non-orienteering events of more than 2 hours duration. Also you will quickly get used to carrying the card on your wrist. Wrists do swell during exercise and providing you have attached the card loosely, you will hardly notice that you are wearing it overnight.

THE EVENT MAP
Maps (2 per team) are 29x29 inches and will be handed out on the way to the start. Maps are not waterproof so please ensure that you take a 24x18inch map bag with you and if the weather is really bad we suggest that you save one map for use on the second day. Also carry some money with you in case you get stranded miles from the Event Centre.

CHECKPOINT DESCRIPTIONS
The six figure grid references you will be given represent the bottom left corner of a 100m square. The exact location could be anywhere within the 100m square and the description should enable you to locate the checkpoint precisely. Due to the steepness of the ground, some checkpoints will be described as being, for example, 'on the 540m map contour'. This is to enable you to locate the precise point on the map and it may not always accurately reflect the height you are seeing on your wrist altimeter (should you be lucky enough to have one)!

WHILE COMPETING
Please remember not to touch any deer calves, even if they appear to be distressed as the mother will often reject them if human scent is detected. Also try to avoid stepping on nests of baby grouse - the estates get annoyed. A number of rivers in this area soon become uncrossable after prolonged rain or even a heavy shower. If in doubt, move UPSTREAM, not DOWNSTREAM to cross and if moving downstream, ensure that if all else fails you can cross by a bridge.

DOCTORS: Please attach your 'Barrier Tape Streamers' to your tent so that we can locate you in an emergency.

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER
This is printed on the control descriptions and should only be used in extremis. Rescue facilities are only available to deal with potentially life-threatening situations. Locations and opening times of Mountain Rescue posts will also be printed.

SUNDAY MORNING STARTS
This year we will experiment with a more flexible start regime for the Sunday morning and the procedure will be very different in 2003. There will be a chasing start for the leading teams, which will begin at 07.00. This will carry on until 08.00 and the majority of the teams will start from 08.05 onwards at any time of their choosing until 08.30. Day 2 start times for Chasing Starters will be displayed on the results board when a reasonable number of teams have completed Day 1. Teams that retire or are disqualified on Day 1 are very welcome to start Day 2. Teams will start from a taped area close to the mid-camp and all will use their Si-Card to record their start time. Course description sheets will be issued in the taped area. Competitors will receive description sheets just after they start. Any teams that take more than 9 hours to complete Day 1 will this year be given the opportunity of starting at any time from 07.00 onwards. We hope that this will help to draw the slower teams along and when the majority of teams catch up, they will help to motivate the slower teams. Also we hope that the range of finish times will be compressed.

PRIZEGIVING will take place at approximately 14:00 and this will allow the coach to depart at 15:00.

AN INNOVATIVE SPORTS NUTRITION STUDY - IT ISN'T TOO LATE TO CONTACT HEATHER
Heather Clark, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Sheffield is undertaking a study at a number of long distance events this year. The title of the research is "Eating and drinking behaviour and hydration during ultra-endurance exercise". The supervisor for the project is Bernard Corfe who has participated in the LAMM on a number of occasions. In addition to the LAMM, the study will also take place this year at the Saunders MM and the RRTC 24 Hour Cycle Time trail. Please support this project if you can and for further details see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/med/human/nut/NutSurv.htm

COACH TRANSPORT
If you have booked places on the coach from Glasgow please visit the relevant page on the site to check your booking is correct. You cannot carry gas canisters on an aircraft. Please contact Rick Houghton at Compass Point (see below) if you would like the right gas cylinders to be reserved for you.

COMPASS POINT FOR LAST MINUTE PURCHASES
Rick and Angela Houghton will have their mobile shop at the event. Telephone: 01253 795597 or email rick@compasspoint-online.co.uk. Order online from www.compasspoint-online.co.uk.

OTHER MERCHANDISE
18"x24" map bags, fine waterproof pens, midge repellent, Blizzard Packs, videos of Jura 1997, the handbook "Mountain Navigation For Runners" by Martin Bagness (at a special event price of £4) and maps from previous events. Additional maps from LAMM 2003 can also be purchased at the end of the event.

CAMPING IS AVAILABLE ON SUNDAY NIGHT You are very welcome to camp at the Event Centre on Sunday night. The local hotel will welcome your custom.