LAMM 2006 FEEDBACK

Martin
May I express my sincere thanks for allowing Tim to continue to compete in the LAMM, (especially in light of the SLMM problems) he really enjoys the adventure and I am so proud to be given the opportunity to compete with my son. Tim proudly wears his new LAMM powerstrech top all the time. As an occasional organiser of small orienteering events I have a small idea of the amount of effort that goes into the LAMM and are really greatful to you and your team for putting on what is by far the best and most challenging MM. Please pass on our thanks to all your team, and see you next year!
Stephen & Tim Martin

Martin and LAMM team

I wanted to write to let you know how much I enjoyed my first LAMM. It's an event I have known of for some years but this year I eventually got round to entering (mid-life crises at work?).

Thanks for all you obvious efforts to organise this (as well as many other efforts not seen) event which I thought went like clockwork (excellent surprise venue for the 'geologist in me' too). Two friends were entered in the C course, one was injured on the Saturday but got back to the event centre to be looked after by team there and somehow we even managed to find about this at the over night camp.

I wish I'd done these years ago (before my knees became 40) but I'll be back hopefully up to the C course next year and a little stronger!

Thanks again for your teams efforts to put together what will be a very memorable weekend for me.

Mark Weldon (Team 25)

Martin

My belated thanks for a perfectly planned and run event - I would have thanked you earlier if I had not been sent to Iraq for a 'recce' days after the event. It was my first LAMM and certainly won't be my last! well done.

regards
andy locke

Martin - many thanks once again for a fantastic weekend. From the view of this competitor, it all seemed to go like clockwork, so many thanks also to the helpers, who, as always, managed to be cheerful and helpful in equal measure despite the weather. I thought a lot of imaginative planning had gone into my course, with Day Two especially exciting with the dash from the 770m summit right to the finish, and it was quite easy to forget to pass the controls on the way. And all in unbelievable terrain. So now we all spend six months talking about this event and six months thinking about the next one. See you next year.

Martin Brice

Hi Martin,

Sorry to clog up your INBOX. Hope you are safely tucked up back in the Lake District.

I just wanted to write to you to ask you to pass on my thanks to the lady GP who stitched me up at mid camp. She was running A Class with her partner who was a paediatrician. They were from Hebdon Bridge. If you could drop her a note to say thank you I would appreciate it. I know you cannot disclose emails etc to me hence my request for you to thank them on my behalf.

The GP who stitched me up was worried because she had not done any stitches for years. My stitches have been taken out to today and the nurse was very impressed with the neatness & the healing. Shows that a bit of Scottish peat in the wound is good for the healing process !

I also owe thanks to the team who stopped to help stem the bleeding, dress the wound & used part of their own first aid kit when ours was soaked in blood. They spent a good 10 minutes helping and I know this affected their Day 1 finish time but they stopped immediately to help.

I was pleased to still be able to complete Day 2 despite a rather large headache. I was slower on Day 2 but I had a good excuse - I was drained - in more ways than one !

Andy Spenceley did a great job on the C Course and I hope future courses will be of the same standard.

Finally, thank you to you and & the team for organising a fantastic event once again. Great courses as usual [& enjoyable] and this year the location was extra special and worth waiting for ! The NW Highlands of Scotland can rival almost anywhere in the world for their beauty and rugged terrain.

I look forward to seeing you again next year.
Best Rgds, Paul Hunt (Team No 82)

Dear Martin

I am sure that your inbox must be more than full at the moment, but I just wanted to drop you a line to congratulate and thank you for the recent LAMM.

It was my first MM, and I duly entered the Novice class not really sure what to expect. In the end we finished 4th, but more importantly we had to very good days in the hills. The course was great, and made the most of the area. I will definetly be entering again.

Thanks
Phil Latham

Martin

It was great news to hear my camera was found. As is the way with camera's, it's the picture's that are of primary importance. If you find out who returned it I would be happy to give a reward or donate something to worthy cause.

The event was another tribute to you and your team, your inspiration in making it come together is so much appreciated.

Best Regards
Pete Smith

Martin
What can I say! Excellent event yet again. They just seem to get better and better. It was great to visit Assynt again, even more so to be so far out in the wild country up there. The overnight campsite was a classic. Thank you again for organising such a great event, you and all your helpers. It was all so well done!
Tim Laney

Hi Martin
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my first LAMM this weekend. I've been wanting to do a mountain marathon for years and for various reasons it has taken until this, my 40th, actually to have the chance to do one. Couldn't have wished for a more awesome experience in amazing wilderness; I loved the sense of a journey through that fantastic landscape. Have to say, though I've done a lot of fell running and thought I was quite fit I had no idea just how tough the terrain would be! The word among my friends who've done it before is that it was a particularly good course. The only improvements I can think of relate to my own choice of kit.

Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved with the organisation, I can't imagine how much work must go into the course setting let alone the rest of the event, though admittedly there were a few moments when my feelings towards the course setter were perhaps less than charitable...

Look forward to next year's LAMM already.

Best wishes
Paula Lernelius

Thanks Martin, Debbie and team.

A great weekend with 2 good days, testing course and a stunning campsite. Simon and I enjoyed it even if we were not in with any chance of a prize!

All the best
Alex heron

Hi there

The LAMM this year was superb!! Scenery out of this world!!!!!
Many many thanks for all the organisation that must go into it!!!
Anna Forrest

Aches & pains receding, so we can now appreciated the whole weekend. Congratulations to the whole to the LAMM team for putting on such a good event. Many thanks for all the effort put in; looking forward to next year.
Rob Coles

Martin

Just a quick mail to say thanks - This years LAMM was fantastic!

Matt Brettle (The Netherlands)

Martin, Andy and everyone else we saw around the course and at the event centre:

My first LAMM and what a belter of a weekend; congratulations to all involved for organising such a terrific weekend. We got lost, my shoe fell apart (thanks for the gaffer tape on Sunday morning) and my house now stinks but we had a great laugh all the way around and more so after a few beers with other entrants that evening. What an atmosphere! A very well-thought out course through thought-provoking terrain and low cloud. I'm hooked.

Thanks a lot and see you next year
Duncan Irving

Martin

Another fantastic LAMM!!!

We had a great weekend up in Sutherland, it was certainly worth the long drive from North Yorkshire. The area was spectacular and although the mountains could not be fully appreciated due to the weather we had it did not detract from the MM enjoyment, in fact, it made it more of a challenge! Our course on both days was very enjoyable and made for some good running - so a thanks to Andy Spencley, with similar comments from friends who had done the other courses. The mid camp was in a truly spectacular position and really made the weekend, we had a nice 'sea view' pitch! Our group from Settle stayed over till Monday and enjoyed a very nice meal at the Ferry Boat Inn at Kyleskue (recommend it to anyway who may be passing that way) and then a good social crack at the Hotel back at Inchnadamph. As usual the organisation at the event was excellent, so again a big thanks to all those who support.

Best Regards
Alex Pilkington

Martin

I just wanted to thank you and your team for a wonderful first experience of a mountain marathon. Thanks for giving us a bit of info on location - my mum and dad appreciated the hotel in Ullapool and had a nice weekend themselves looking around and cheering us in on the Sunday. Thanks for running everything so smoothly - I run a triathlon and quadrathlon down in Cornwall and appreciate the work that must have gone in behind the scenes. Thanks for persuading me that we should take part in the chasing start on Sunday - I was worried about missing our flight but as it happened all was well, we just couldn't stay for the final ceremony / prize giving.

I guess we'll be back next year.

All the best
Simon Hammond

Dear Martin

Once again thank you for a terrific event, and a brilliant Saturday night venue. That will take some beating.

Please pass on my thanks too to your crew, they really do a great job, and I’m sure that, by the nature of the jobs they have to do, they’ll suffer from the cold and wet far more than the runners do – tell them it’s really appreciated.

And especially thank Andy Spenceley, who seemed to be really worried on Saturday that we were all going to complain about his course. Not a bit, it was excellent – I’d just like to go back and see it all!!

Thanks again
Alan Brentnall

Dear Martin
Just a quick note to thank you and everyone else involved in putting on such a fabulous event at the weekend! I saw your photo presenting the elite winners with their trophy – sadly as the last pair to complete the A course we missed the presentations! In fact, I’m pretty sure we passed you as you were out looking for the other waifs and strays by the final control, I would have said thanks in person at the time had I recognised you. This was our first LAMM, and I hope it will be the first of many. The whole area was new to us, and it was simply breathtaking. Our chosen route differed significantly on a couple of stretches from the planners suggested optimal route posted on the website – perhaps contributing to our extended time, though I don’t regret this too much as one of the many memories we’ll take away was walking on the ridge to the summit of Ben More Assynt, before dropping off on a bearing to try to find CP3 at the stream source – next time I will encourage my partner to try to remember to bring his altimeter (ahem!)

Anyway, please do pass on my thanks to all involved, it’s difficult to imagine a better mountain marathon!

Hopefully see you next year.

Best wishes
Dave Sykes

Martin

A BIG thank you to you and all involved for putting on a great event. It was a privilege to be able to compete in such a beautiful and wild part of Scotland. As ever, the organisation was super-efficient yet friendly and relaxed, with lots of the special touches that characterise the event.

In particular the timing and results service put some other events to shame !

I was able to chat with Andy Spenceley on Sunday and congratulate him on an excellent Elite course with plenty of interesting routes choices and challenging navigation on a truly special area. My most memorable moment was taking a break from it all for a minute on Day 1 to watch a golden eagle glide over us when we were out away from everyone near Control 6.

Many thanks again
Jo Scott

Hi Martin
Many thanks for an enjoyable and challenging week-end and as usual the superb organisation supported by the culinary delights of Wilfs Catering. It was my running partners first M.M. and was very impressed with the LAMM's organisation and operating skills - Many Thanks.

Had a nice Dram (Malt) at the Mid - Camp. Ideal for our typically Scottish Mountain Weather at the weekend. Look Forward to Next LAMM.
Many Thanks. Regards
Roger Robb

Martin

This was my first LAMM and it was ace, i can't wait for next year, and when my legs stop hurting i'm going to start training for nex year. The last 5km for me was very painfull on my left knee, 2 girls were very helpfull in my efforts. I wish to extend my thanks to them as i did not catch up with them after the event.

I hope you can help, Paul Allen

Hi Martin
Thanks very much for helping me out with finding a partner not once but twice. Had a great time at the event - we were never going to be competitive, but that just gave me more time to enjoy the scenery. Fantastic area - worth every mile of the drive up there - and fantastic event over all. Thanks very much for all your hard work. I'll definitely be back next year.

Thanks
Richard Dearden

Martin, Thanks for a great week-end. The mid-camp was spectacular.

Thanks again
Malcolm Ruckledge

Dear Martin

Thank you to you and your team for another excellent weekend in another wonderful location. We thoroughly enjoyed the course (A) we were on, especially day two. Please pass on our thanks to Andy Spencerley. I have already 'booked' a place in the bothy at the overnight camp for
a trip with the kids!

Roll on next year!
Tim Brook and Nick Lawler

THANK YOU Martin for organising another super event. I managed to persuade my husband to walk around the D course with me instead; he was surprised we were not last!

Kate Ruffell

Dear Martin

Just a quick note to say thanks for a great event – I’ve done the LAMM a few times over the last few years and it seems to get better every time.

Many thanks
Tim Phillips

What a great event ! 2 proper length days out on proper hills. Camp site and route setting was spectacular. A rough C course but in a good way - boulders, scree, deep heather, bogs, mud, river crossings - everything a hill race should be. It was nice not to get burnt off by roadies on long flat sections. Navigating through miles of misty tops was somehow made enjoyable which is a new experience for me. Many thanks all who laid it on and the landowners. I know the LAMM is about varying location every year but going back to Assynt would be fine by me.

Simon

Thanks for a fantastic weekend, superb courses in one of the finest areas of the UK and with a mid camp that could hardly be bettered. I thought the course (we did B) offered excellent route choice, there was rarely a single obvious way to get between controls. The only criticism (if there has to be one) would be that it was usually too easy to actually find the control once we were near it, we only had trouble on one at that was due to my misreading the map! Even in poor visibility, they were generally in such obvious sites that they could be seen from some distance away. A combination of last year's micro-navigation and this year's macro-navigation would be perfect.

Looking forward to next year (hopefully less than a 9 hour drive away)!
Simon Caldwell

Dear Martin,

Just a few of points. Enjoyed the event even if the weather was pants.

1. Would it be possibe to organise a carbon offset facility for entrants. Teams could voluntarily pay more to plant trees to offset tha fuel used to transport them to the event each year. I've no idea if this would be expensive and I appreciate it is more beaurocracy for yourself. I would suggest Trees for Life as a good recipient as they are regenerating the Caledonian Pine Forrest in the Glen Affric area.

2. Hire one of those midge killing machines for the two camp sites. I believe they need to be in place for a few days before hand in order to make a difference. The manufacturers may even led you a couple as it would be good PR to 1000 potential users.

3. Has anyone every finished their Munro's or Corbetts during the race. My patrner got one of her remaining Corbetts this year.

Gordon Dykes

Hi Martin

Probably a bit late now but just to say thanks for the fantastic organisation of the LAMM this year and especially the location. I know the area very well having trained a a geologist and did my mapping dissertation in that area - didn't help much with the navigation in the mist though. Looking forward to next year as long as my partner doesn't drop me.....

Regards,

Chris Knowles

Martin
Thanks for another superbly-organised event, of course.

In case you or others are interested, there's some information on the Grave & Aircraft Wreckage on Beinn an Fhurain (passed by us on Day 1 on the C course) on the attached site http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/scottish_crashsites/ansonn9857.html Interesting that it is the highest grave in the UK and quite moving about Sgt Mitchell actually surviving the crash but failing to get off the hill.

regards
Dave Wright

Dear Martin
Many thanks for an other enjoyable area for LAMM. There was only one thing that I was unhappy about and that was control 3 on day 1 of the A course. I suspect that there was an element of luck in that some found this without too much difficulty. We went to every stream source (many times over) on the N side of Ben More and where these went up to the boulder field we listened carefully to see if the source could be at a higher level and during our 3 and 1/2 hours in the area spent a lot of time on the boulder field (with bruises to show from examining at face level on one occasion). We had eventually decided to give up on the control and continue the course, when we had one further look: we went to a stream source that we had been to at least 6 times before (and had in fact looked at when first descending from the col), when on this occasion, even though there was no noise to suggest a source higher up, we did go some 10-15m higher, over the boulder field and came across the control, visible only from 1m away, identified mainly from the Sportident box, as the control, like many that day, was lieing collapsed and so only appeared as a flat triangle on the ground with no colour visible. On the 1:25,000 map the control was on a stream that was a little higher than those around it, but on the day this was not the case as one might expect in wet conditions. I do not know if those with an altemeter were helped by being able to run along a 710m level. My point is that I think that it was impossible to say that the place where th e control was located WAS the source of the stream as geographically this did not appear to be th e case and ask if it was merely placed at the 710 level above the stream or was it placed based on the basis of the GPS location? When controls are on obvious topoghraphical features, you do not need to be able to see the control, but when the features are not obvious, in an area where there is an 'amorphous' appearance in the 100m square, I ask the question should they be used as controls? Another question is whether it is now necessary to invest in an altemeter to be able to participate on 'equal terms', although I gather that this did not help the Harding brothers in their 1 hour search for a similar control on the E side of Ben More?
Yours in Sport and with thanks for all your hard work
Wendy Dodds

Good morning Martin

Thanks again for your help in arranging transport to the LAMM. Thanks also for organising such a cracking event!! I had a fantastic time on it and as soon as the pain wears off, I’m sure I’ll be signing up for more!

Kindest Regards,
Chris Bond.

Dear Martin

Just a quick note to thank yourself, the planner, controller and all those who helped at the weekend. A great outing to a beautiful (what we could see of it) part of Scotland. We were disappointed to drop out after an error on route to control 5 day four and my partner suffering from stomach pains. But we plan to come back next year and try again.

Two points to consider. Firstly the laminate maps are very hard to write on in the wet and a chino graph pencil or other may help here. It was partly this that led to our error on day 2 (plus not concentrating!)
Secondly, have you seen the site www.routegadget.net which adds a great new dimension to orienteering post event analysis/fun? Given the scope for route choice in the LAMM it would make interesting viewing.

Again, many thanks.
Robin Orr (C class)