SPORTident
Scottish Mountain Marathon
Isle of Harris Classic A Two-Day Mountain Competition for Pairs
with Overnight Campsite 2nd Race in the British Mountain Marathon Championship Friday 1st/Saturday 2nd June 2018
Elite Winners - Steve Birkinshaw and Neil Talbott with Martin
Stone
Apparently there is flooding in other parts of the country (Scotland)
but here the weather has been amazing once again. The overnight
camp this morning was still the best anyone could remember - a
gentle breeze, pristine beaches, flat dry grass and the sound
of the pipes reverberating around the glen. Neither have there
been many midges about. Martin was wearing his Jura 97 T-shirt.
Something portentous was in the air. Read
More...
Day 1 - Friday Evening
Mid-camp at Loch Crabhadail (credit: Dale Rodgers)
As Mark Twain once said (I think), "I apologise for having to
write such a long letter, I didn't have time to write a short
one" - which is my excuse for making this report a bit briefer
than the last two - however, the real reason is that I've been
too busy taking pictures in the fantastic conditions the runners
have been experiencing, first on Clisham, the highest point in
the Outer Hebrides, and a feature on the Elite, B and score courses
today, and secondly at what is probably the most picturesque overnight
camp of any mountain marathon ever. Period. Full stop. Don't even
bother trying to think of a better one. Read
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Day 1 - Friday 10:00
As always, the planning of the LAMM courses is done to meet a
range of criteria, only one of which is the pleasure(!) and enjoyment(!)
of the competitors. As well as having to think about safety, permissions
of landowners, and the logistical issues of getting access to
a suitably remote overnight camp with all of the necessary paraphernalia
to run the event, in this case consideration also had to be given
to large numbers of nesting eagles in the area, of both the sea
and golden variety. Prior to the event planner Angela Mudge and
controller Andy Spencely were given normally secret information
about the locations of around 20 pairs of nesting birds so they
could plan the courses accordingly. However, there are even more
pairs than this in the area and there is a good chance that most
LAMMers will see eagles at some point during their weekend. In
fact Andy said that he had seen eagles almost everywhere in North
Harris, except in the vicinity of the official eagle observatory.
Read More...
The camping field almost filled up
LAMMers arriving at Tarbert
Registration Day - Thursday 23:00
The scale of the 2018 Isle of Harris LAMM is so epic that one
is forced to mix multiple metaphors (yes, I know they are similies,
but that doesn't scan) in order to describe it. With a build-up
not seen since Operation Neptune, LAMMers are now arriving from
all corners of Scotland and as far afield as New Zealand, like
the Mongol hordes sweeping across the plains in Taras Bulba, once
again proving the point that "if you build it, they will come"
(like in that film with the baseball pitch). Read
More...
I feel very privileged and super excited to be organising the
2018 event on a Scottish island again. It's been far too long
- 14 years since Isle of Mull and 21 years since the 1997Isle of Jura Classic. Watch this historic 1997 Jura video
Part 1
& Part
2) and feel the vibe of an island LAMM. The LAMM will be the
biggest sporting event ever held on the Outer Hebrides - the Connoisseurs
Mountain Marathon. It is the first time since 1997 that I
have released the location more than 36 hours before the event
but this year is far too big a deal to keep the location secret!
I want you to have plenty of time to plan and make the most of
your adventure on the beguiling Outer Hebrides.
The 2018 tee shirt graphic is designed by our friend Stuart Brown,
who has been producing graphics for LAMM tees for more than 20
years. It's a nod to Harris Tweed tartans and follows the LAMM's
unique, quirky and stylised design. It depicts the isolated but
iconic arcing island chain of the Outer Hebrides which is a must
on the bucket list of anyone who enjoys the wild outdoors. It
captures the essence of Harris with mountains tumbling seaward
and it includes one of the island's stand-out views which many
of you will experience when you visit the trig point at control
36!
We are providing a unisex and ladies cotton tee in Dark Heather
with the LAMM logo on the sleeve. The main graphic appears
on the front of the unisex tee and the back of the ladies' tee.
It is based on a photograph by my friend Andrew Leaney who now
lives on the Isle of Harris, only 6 miles from where the photo
was taken. Order LAMM Tees here.
I feel very privileged and super excited to be organising the
2018 event on a Scottish island again. It's been far too long
- 14 years since Isle of Mull and 21 years since the 1997
Isle of Jura Classic. Watch this historic 1997 Jura video
