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Marathon shelter operation continues after floods
AN OPERATION to find shelter for hundreds of marathon runners stranded by floods in the Lake District continued overnight. Up to 2,000 competitors took part in the Original Mountain Marathon.
The race was abandoned at midday for the first time in its 41-year history as heavy rains flooded the various routes the runners were taking from Seathwaite to Gatesgarth, near Borrowdale.
Torrential downpours in Cumbria also blocked road access between the two points which left the athletes marooned.
There are currently around 700 people sheltering in a huge barn at Gatesgarth Farm in Borrowdale.
Another 80 will stay overnight at the Glaramara Outdoor Activity Centre in Borrowdale and 45 people were sheltering at the Honister Slate Mine at Honister Pass.
Up to 100 runners will stay at a hastily-arranged reception centre at Cockermouth School after they previously sheltered at the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Centre in the town.
Mountain rescue teams were on hand in the area to direct competitors to suitable shelter but planned to stand down overnight.
Thirteen people were taken to Mary Hewetson Cottage Hospital in Keswick suffering from the effects of hypothermia and various minor injuries. They were later transferred to Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital but their conditions were not disclosed.
A large number of the runners, who all wore electronic tags and were running in teams of two, remain unaccounted for as they were scattered around the course when the decision was made by the organisers to abandon the race.
Many were thought to be staying in tents they brought to the event as the weather was predicted to ease overnight.
An overnight camp site was set up ahead of the two-day race for the runners at Gatesgarth but was said to have been flooded out.
A Cumbria Police spokesman said: "The competitors are mainly seasoned mountaineers and are expected to be carrying suitable equipment to cope with adverse weather.
"Police would urge competitors to phone home to let friends and family know they are safe and well.
"Police are not advising locals to assist in the search as they may put themselves at risk due to adverse weather conditions."
The conditions were said to be so dire that it was not even deemed safe to call for the assistance of an RAF helicopter.
Adventure racing website SleepMonsters explained the abandonment as it filed live reports from the scene.
A message read: "Race Director Jen Longbottom made the decision just before midday after several hours of torrential rain had resulted in extreme conditions on the mountain and severe flooding.
"All the rivers very quickly began to burst their banks and even minor becks became foaming torrents. New water courses appeared all over the fell sides and the roads were awash."
It added the poor weather meant there was "little choice" but to abandon the event but said "that is easier said than done" with thousands of competitors scattered across the hills with communication difficult in the area.
The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) has been held in different locations each year since 1968 when the inaugural event took place in Muker in the North Pennines. This year's 41st running was the first time in its history it has had to be cancelled.
The race is billed as the "original mountain marathon and forerunner of all adventure racing".
It is renowned as the toughest endurance event of its kind in Britain and was last held in Cumbria in 2005 when it was staged in Ullswater.
Competitors were told that free overnight camping was available, and suggested as mandatory, for the arduous race spanning over two days with event distances ranging from 40km to 80km.
All entrants, ranging from elite and beginner mountain runners to orienteers, fell walkers and mountaineers, were advised to bring suitable kit such as waterproof jackets and trousers.
A 100-strong team of organisers, many with more than 20 years of experience in staging such contests, were on hand to assist the runners.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
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