EVENT INFORMATION

5th and 6th of April 2008

The Torridon for Friday Night?

A message we got from the Torridon Hotel

Hello Henry just to let you know that we have accommodation available at The Torridon Inn (1.5miles from the Youth Hostel) for your competitors to use this weekend.

Prices are £80.00 per room for a double or twin.

We see from your website that you mention there is not a lot of B&B availability in the area. We have 12 ensuite rooms at the Inn.

Hope this helps in some way.

Regards

Dan Rose-Bristow

If you would like some comfort on the Friday Night please contact the Torridon @ 01445 791242 or go to www.thetorridon.com

Compass Point

The UK's largest online orienteering & outdoor equipment shop - est 1991.

Compass Point has the finest selection of orienteering equipment from SILVA, the world leaders in navigation, and orienteering equipment and outdoor clothing & equipment from other carefully selected manufacturers.

Compass point will be at the race and can take any special oreders you need. Please click the link and email them if you have any special requirements for the race ie Gas if you are coming by Air.

Dear Highlander Competitors

 

The Event Centre for the Highlander Mountain Marathon 2008 is Torridon village.

(and the hills are looking fantastic)

 

DIRECTIONS

From Inverness take the A9 north, then follow the signs to Dingwall at the Tore roundabout onto the A835. Follow the A835 to Garve. Approx. 1 mile after Garve turn left onto the A832. Follow this through Achnasheen and onto Kinlochewe. Here turn left onto the A896 to Torridon. This is a twisty, single track road with passing places. Please drive with care and consideration for other drivers. After 11 miles turn right to Torridon village.

 

USE OUR TRANSPORT FROM INVERNESS:

We are organising free transport on Friday from Inverness at 16.00 which will take you directly to the Event Centre with the option to return on Sunday.

This will leave from Inverness Business and Retail car park (off the A96 Inverness - Nairn road) from outside Vue Cinema. Look for parking symbols on map. Service buses can take you there from the airport and city centre. There is plenty of parking space here for those arriving by car

If you have not yet told us you want to use our transport you must let us know by Monday 24th March.

If you can offer a team a lift from Inverness on Friday evening, for those arriving after 16.00, please let us know

 

EVENT CENTRE

This will be open from 15.00. Please don’t arrive sooner than this as we will not be ready for you.

 

CAR PARKING

There is parking at the Event Centre. You will be directed by marshals. Please only park as you are directed.

 

REGISTRATION

This will be in the village hall (approx 1 mile from the junction.)

On Friday registration will be open from 16.00 – 22.00

On Saturday registration will be open from 06.00 – 07.00 (note this is earlier than the time given on the Highlander website)

 

ACCOMMODATION ON FRIDAY NIGHT:

The Torridon Youth Hostel is very handy and comfortable. You can also camp at the Event Centre

There is very little convenient B&B accommodation available close to the Event Centre.

 

START TIMES

There is bus transport from the Event Centre to all starts on Saturday morning

All A and B classes – bus leaves at 07.30

C and D classes – buses leave at 7.30, 7.50 and 8.10 (you will be given your exact time at registration)

Score class – bus leaves at 8.30

 

IN THE A CLASS PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

A new addition to this years mountain marathon is in the A class where on day 1 the team must visit all checkpoints bar 1 of their choice.

 

OVERNIGHT CAMP

Remember to save some energy for the Ceilidh on Saturday night. We’re hoping to have a bar to help keep you going. You might also want money to buy a cooked breakfast on Sunday morning.

 

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

This year Jon Brooke will be out in the hills trying to get photographs of as many of you as possible, so if you see him please smile. Digital images should be available to view and buy within a day or two of the event from www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk - where you can also see examples of his previous work at events like the LAMM. If all goes well Jon should be able to show competitors any pictures he has taken on Saturday at the Ceilidh - he'll be the one with the laptop.

 

Have a safe journey here

The Highlander Mountain Marathon is an event for people with a sense of adventure. It will follow a traditional mountain marathon format over two days, with teams of two navigating over mountainous terrain and carrying all their equipment for the overnight camp.

There are 5 classes to choose from; A, B, C, D and Score. The routes have been designed to allow a wide range of participation; however none of the courses will follow paths and given the possible weather conditions at the time of year, the event is not suitable for novices. The primary aim of the event is that everyone enjoys a weekend of travelling through a wild and beautiful mountain environment.

SPORTident TIMING, the premier electronic system for recording times at checkpoints, will be used to give instant and accurate results for each day.

The team behind the HMM have years of experience between them as mountaineers, competitors and organisers of adventure racing events. This, combined with an intimate knowledge of the event location, means that the HMM promises to be a special event - challenging, fun, sociable (and midge free!!!)

Background

What is a Mountain Marathon?

A Mountain Marathon is a competition in which teams of two navigate their way around a 2-day course in mountainous terrain carrying all provisions and equipment necessary for an overnight camp. A mandatory kit list is specified by the organizers. The exact location of the start is traditionally kept a secret from the competitors until a few days before the event takes place. A range of courses are available to competitors which enables the event to cater for elite athletes and yet remain inclusive to a wide spectrum of competitors with a reasonable level of fitness and some good hill experience.

History

Mountain Marathons are not new. The first event was the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (KIMM) which was first staged in 1968. This was followed by the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon (LAMM) which has now been running for over 14 years. Improvements over the years in the technical quality of outdoor clothing and equipment have enabled competitors to travel ever lighter without necessarily compromising their safety.

ARRIVING ON FRIDAY: The car park will not open until 15.00, so please do not come to the venue by vehicle until then. Wherever possible please share transport with another team, as parking space is especially limited this year. There will be no car key deposit so please keep your keys with you. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage, should an unfortunate incident occur.

Which Course for Me?

There are 5 classes to choose from A, B, C, D and Score. The distances of last years courses and time limits are as follows:-

Score Class

Day 1 6 hours

Day 2 5 Hours

D Class

Day 1 23.5 km 980 m ascent

Day 2 16.6 km 1050m ascent

 

C class

Day 1 22.5 km 1650m ascent

Day 222.9 km 1100m ascent

B class

Day 127 km 1350m ascent

Day 2 21.4 km 1506m ascent

A class

Day 1 30.0 km 1900m ascent

Day 2 24.8 km 1240m ascent

On this information you should assess your own level of fitness and choose a course that you feel you are comfortable with. On the entry form online you will be asked to provide some examples of previous events or experience.

A new addition to this years mountain marathon is in the A class where on day 1 the team must visit all checkpoints bar 1 of their choice.

THE LOCATION

The Location of the event will be within a 2 hour drive of Inverness.

At the request of the estates concerned and also to keep you guessing, further information about the location will NOT be provided until two weeks before the event.

Those with Internet access should look on web site www.highlandermountainmarathon.org.uk where details will be available.

Should you become aware of the location by accident, we are relying on you to keep it to yourself and under no circumstances to spoil the surprise for others by 'spouting off'. Anyone found to be passing on this information will have their entry fee returned and is barred from future events.

REGISTRATION will be open from 16:00 – 22.00 on the Friday Night.

ACCOMMODATION ON FRIDAY NIGHT: There is very little convenient B&B accommodation available close to the Event Centre. You are strongly recommended to bring two tents, camp at the Event Centre this year and leave your basecamp tent erected during the weekend. Details of any accommodation will be available at registration.

ARRIVING ON SATURDAY MORNING: We think that you will enjoy the ambience of the event more if you are able to arrive on Friday. However, if this is not possible, the parking area and registration will be open on Saturday morning from 06:00 – 09:00. If you are registering on Friday and using accommodation away from the Event Centre or not arriving to register until Saturday morning most of you will be given start times nearer to 09:00.

USE OUR TRANSPORT FROM INVERNESS: We are organising optional transport on Friday evening, which will carry you directly to the Event Centre with the option to return on Sunday.

We recommend that where possible you try to take Friday and Monday off to make the weekend more relaxing. One option is to fly to Inverness on the Friday and hire a car there. After the Event you could gradually work your way south to Glasgow/Edinburgh on Sunday/Monday doing a bit of sightseeing or a gentle walk on the way and then fly out from there on Monday evening.

Inverness: We will arrange transport to meet flights and trains arriving on Friday 4th April. Unfortunately there are no flights leaving Inverness after about 18:00 on Sunday. Our transport will leave the Event Centre on Sunday for Inverness at 15:00. If you are using our transport, please do not book flights leaving Inverness Airport on Sunday.

Glasgow/Edinburgh: Do not confuse Glasgow Airport with Prestwick Airport, which is 1 hour to the SW of Glasgow. If you need to take a flight home from Glasgow/Edinburgh on the Sunday evening as early as 19:00, you will need to leave the Event Centre as early as 13:00.

FLY DRIVE: The deals available at the moment from the budget airlines are excellent. We have a special page on the website devoted to helping those who arrive on the Friday by plane to be put in touch with others who might like to share a hire car to the venue.

Useful online booking websites include: www4.flybe.com www.flybmi.com www.ryanair.co.uk www.britishairways.com www.easyjet.com

Organising Team

The organising team will consist primarily of Alasdair Lawton, Katy Boocock and Henry Blake with consultancy support from Martin stone. Other specialist support will be engaged where necessary such as the First Aid, Course Planner and a Course Controller.

Alasdair Lawton

Alasdair has been taking part in Mountain Marathons for over 12 years, usually at least twice a year. He also has event organising experience of both large and small events. For over a year Alasdair was Chief Finance Officer for the Asian PGA Tour based in Singapore. During this time he was very closely involved with the organisation of such events as The Omega Hong Kong Open, The Dynasty Cup (a qualifier for the World Cup of Golf), The Singapore Open, The Macau Open and The Volvo Masters of Asia. On a much smaller scale Alasdair was recently part of the organising team that staged the very successful Strathpuffer, a 24 hour mountain bike event based in the forest above Strathpeffer and The Bealach na ba Challenge. Alasdair’s finance background will also ensure that all finance and administration aspects of the event are well controlled.

Katy Boocock

As a competitor Katy has achieved a number of significant successes including being a member of the wining team in the 'All-Rounders' class of the 3 Islands Peaks Race - a combined multiday sailing and hill running race, a member of the winning team in the Hebridean Challenge 2001, top veteran team in 2004 and top female team in 2006. She has also competed in mountain marathons regularly over 18 years, often at 'A' or 'Elite' level, usually in a female team. She was also 3rd veteran team in the Polaris 2006 - a 2 day mountain bike orienteering race, 3rd veteran team in the Transwales 2006 - a 7 day mountain bike race in Wales and has completed the Transalp twice - a 7 day mountain bike race over the Alps

As an event organiser she is a member of the team which organises the Strathpuffer 24 hour mountain bike race and the Bealach-na-Ba Challenge

 

Henry Blake

Henry is the manager of Strathpeffer Community Centre. He also competes at a very high standard in both running and cycling events (regular top 5 in national cycle events, 2nd Highland Cross 2006, Highland Hill Runners Champion 2005/06). As Henry grew up in the area he has a great knowledge of the landscape of Ross-shire and a wide network of contacts that will be useful to the staging of this event.

Planning Team

Ray Wilby – Controller

Ray has worked on the resurvey and revision of the Ordnance Survey mapping of the Highlands for 35 years.

He has been the main organiser of the Knockfarrel Hill Race for the past 10 years and assists with 3 other hill races and cross country races

I have been secretary of Highland Hill Runners for 12 years.

As a competitor he has completed 6 mountain marathons and is still competing in hill races and multi discipline events.

Alec Keith – Planner

Alec is an Inverness solicitor, keen hillwalker, mountaineer, orienteer and hill runner. He has rock/ice climbed widely in Scotland, and has climbed all the country's Munros (1988) and Corbetts (1991).  Alec has climbed in the European Alps as well as in the Himalayas and Andes. He has competed in 11 Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathons (past winner B course, A course, Elite course) and 13 Karrimor International Mountain Marathons.  He has completed the Highland Cross 3 times and the Great Wilderness Challenge 10 times (3 x winner) and has also competed 6 times in the Hebridean Challenge (formerly Western Isles Challenge), an event for teams of 4 or 5, (3 x winners, 2 x runner up) - an event well known for its logistical complexity and route planning demands.