Torrential rain and gale force winds in the Lake District caused the cancellation of the two-day Original Mountain Marathon event and prompted a full-scale searches for entrants stranded by floods overnight.

Only experienced fell runners were allowed to take part in the race, but one rescuer claimed the mountains could have been turned into a "morgue" because the conditions were so bad.

Communication problems in Cumbria meant concerned relatives had to endure an anxious wait for news, and police confirmed only yesterday afternoon that all 2,500 participants, including hundreds from Yorkshire, had been accounted for.

Many had been forced to camp overnight in tents, barns and hastily arranged official shelters.

Among those who managed to finish the race were Adrian Netherwood from Shipley and his running partner Martin Teal from Guiseley.

They made it down into the valleys safely and camped along with about 100 others at Cockermouth High School.

Mr Netherwood, 49, one of 12 participants from the Bingley Harriers running club, said competitors had to draw on all their experience and training to contend with the "torrential" conditions.

"It was horrendous and the average man on the street would not have dreamt of going up there," he said.

"But all the people up on those fells were hardened fell runners who had trained for months to be there. They had all the equipment and all the skills to get themselves out of any situation, so they did not get hypothermic or suffer any injuries.

"No one was up there who should not have been up there – what took everybody by surprise was the weather."

Gusts of up to 70mph had been forecast before the race, but competitors said the actual weather conditions on the fells were even worse.

"The conditions were horrendous for the four hours we were out there – gales up to around 80mph and literally horizontal rain," Mr Netherwood said.

"At one stage, while we were at the third checkpoint, my partner and I were running for two kilometres into a westerly wind of about 75mph – but we weren't worried about it.

"Even though it was bad up there, it wasn't freezing cold and, as long as you had the right gear on, it was just a case of getting on with it."

The race, held in Seathwaite in Borrowdale, was abandoned at midday on Saturday after almost a month's rain fell in the area in 24 hours, with some parts deluged with nearly three inches of rain.

More than 1,700 people were officially unaccounted for overnight but that number fell to just 44 and then 14 as a helicopter from RAF Valley in Anglesey assisted police and mountain rescue teams in the search.

The owner of Honister Slate Mine, Mark Weir, and his staff helped bus runners to safety down the Honister Pass and provided shelter as the race was abandoned.

Mr Weir, 42, of Loweswater, said: "We have come within inches of turning the Lake District mountains into a morgue. We need to learn from it.

"On a good day, this place is heaven on earth. In extreme freak weather like this, it is hell. We need to give serious thought to a dedicated mountain centre for England being based here.

"Only then can we properly illustrate how extreme conditions can be and what people can do if they are caught out.

"This incident has proved beyond doubt that people can survive in the worst conditions imaginable but they need to know what they are doing.

"If nothing is done, no-one learns anything and incidents like this will continue to happen."

But Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team leader Mike Park, who took part in the race and then coordinated the search mission, said Mr Weir's comments were "not helpful".

"People who go up to the hills regularly know that they make their mistakes and will learn from them," he said.

"Ultimately, the mountain rescue team were called to deal with a number of separate incidents, which we did effectively."


'Toughest event on the calendar'

Billed as the "forerunner of all adventure racing", the Original Mountain Marathon has been challenging Britain's most experienced endurance athletes for more than four decades.

It attracts fell runners, orienteers and mountaineers and has been staged every year since 1968 when the inaugural event took place in Muker in Swaledale, North Yorkshire.

The arduous two-day race has also been staged in the region three times since – at Howgills (1977 and 1988) and in the Peak District (1984).

Teams of two carry their own clothing, equipment, tent, sleeping bag and 36-hour food supply.

The event is usually held in late October, and poor weather meant only 30 per cent of the field completed the 1976 race in Galloway, Scotland. Asked if he thought the event was too tough, then organiser Gerry Charnley replied: "Everybody knows this is the toughest event on the calendar and it's not a Sunday afternoon picnic."