I was about to contribute to a Facebook thread on this following the very recent tragedy in China, but reflected that I couldn't express a complete and reasoned view within those constraints, hence one of my (now very occasional) blog posts. As always I will start by saying that I don't expect everyone, or in this case maybe not anyone, to agree with me; just my personal views as a grumpy old man if you like.
But I have a real problem with the concept of "Mandatory Kit".
I can understand why it has become the norm for many events but I am still not sure whether it is the best way of keeping participants safe. It will take me more than a sentence to explain why.
I started hillwalking nearly 60 years ago and progressed over the decades through rock climbing, summer and winter mountaineering, ski touring, mountain biking, and latterly fell and ultra-running. In the last 15 years I have completed over 100 ultras from 30 mile pastoral outings to more challenging stuff like the Tor des Geants (and failed to complete maybe a dozen more). I am saying this not with any sense of bravado, just to record that I have spent a total of many months if not years in mountain environments. During my lifetime I have seen several of these mountain activities progress from the little known and little understood fringe to mass participation sports. Alongside this, progress in clothing and equipment, information and hi-tech communication has made them potentially far safer than years ago. When I started rock climbing the consequences of a fall were inevitably serious and often fatal. When I first ventured into the Scottish mountains in winter, Goretex hadn't been invented. When I was most active as an Alpinist, weather forecasting was rudimentary or non-existent depending on the location. I have climbed in areas of the world where there was at the time no possibility of mountain rescue. Progress is continuous and it's difficult to remember sometimes how things were before. The mass use of mobile phones has only happened in the last twenty years. The early editions of all the big ultras in the UK were run without trackers.
But in times past when you knew something had the immediate ability to bite you, then you made allowances. You started slowly, building up experiences that you could rely on. You served an apprenticeship with people further along the road, pushed your boundaries slowly and learned how to stay alive. In any venture into a mountain or upland area, you knew what to expect and what to take with you to achieve your aims for the project while staying safe.
Well, a bit of a ramble you may think, but how does this affect 2021 ultra running?
The sport has developed rapidly over the past ten years into many diverse formats, but the one that concerns us here is ultras that are held in mountain or upland areas, at times of the year when challenging weather is possible (for some areas this may be year-round). For many of us, these are the most attractive events, the challenge and beauty of the terrain adding hugely to the experience of going out and running a fair way with a lot of like-minded people, at whatever speed we may be able to manage.
But in spite of the safety improvements over the years, mountains are still potentially dangerous places. It is still possible to fall, to get lost, to succumb to hypo- or hyperthermia, to fall ill in an inaccessible location, and so on. I have never organised a race but I assume part of the risk assesment process for RD's is to have a strategy in place for (a) trying to avoid these situations if at all possible, and (b) evacuating an affected runner if it happens anyway. And one of the actions in trying to avoid problems is to have a "Mandatory Kit List". And here in my view is where the problem begins:
It is my view that anyone who requires a mandatory list to tell them what they need to carry to operate safely in a particular environment does not have sufficient knowledge or experience to go into that environment, ie they should not be there in the first place.
Mountain or upland ultras are not simply races that happen to be run in nice places. They are different events requiring a completely different skill set. I am not going to win many friends with the next couple of observations, but it seems to me that many participants in these races (a) do not understand the nature of the arena they are entering, and (b) consequently, they go into races badly underprepared, both physically and mentally. They do not understand the potential of what they are getting into.
To give a couple of simple, maybe even trivial examples;
1. I have participated as a support runner in numerous recces of the Lakeland 100 course over the years, and have quite frequently heard the course described as "brutal". The course actually follows tracks that are used by hillwalking senior citizens most days of the year.
2. I still hear comments about the weather on the Hardmoors 55 in 2018 (the "beast from the east" year) as being "extreme". It was in fact near zero temperatures, a 50mph wind and brief periods of snow, predicted completely accurately 24 hours ahead; conditions that occur multiple times a year in the UK hills, and which a regular Spine or Tour de Helvellyn participant would have considered a normal day at the office.
These are just examples of people who had not (yet) got themselves familiarised with the terrain and conditions under which these types of races are run.
Further, I have come across runners who were lost and unable to navigate because it had got dark or misty (not exactly rare occurrences), runners who had warm layers in their packs but were unable to access them because they had allowed their hands to get too cold to work the buckles, etc.etc. This is all about experience.
So even if a runner carries everything that the RD has deemed essential, if they are out of their comfort zone and make bad decisions on how or when to use it, it will not necessarily guarantee their safety.
I have taken part in numerous events when the weather has been challenging. I have encountered runners wearing far more than the mandatory kit who were struggling with cold; under the same conditions there were other runners who were very lightly clad, I assume with minimum mandatory kit (or maybe less) who were completely comfortable. We are all different at how we generate energy, how we use it, how much fat we carry and so on.
So what may be satisfactory minimum safety kit for one runner may be completely inadequate for another. We all have to find out what works for us.
For what it's worth, my personal approach to this is briefly as follows:
1. I will research the event I am entering and decide what my race strategy and emergency strategy will be for that individual event. It will certainly be different for different events. Based on this I will decide on my personal kit list for that event. I don't understand the "I always take item (x)" point of view because I can't think of an item I would "always" take.
2. I will take everything that is on the RD's list. Hopefully it will coincide to some extent with my own, though there may be things on there that given a choice I would not take. It's his race so he's entitled to call the shots and I never query or argue. There will almost certainly be things not on his list that I will take, because I think they are important for me.
3. I will assume that once away from manned checkpoints it's my responsibility to get myself out of any mess that I get into (as far as humanly possible), and that any outside assistance in this is a bonus not to be relied on.
In general terms, and for people who hold different views from me, I really don't believe there is a quick fix for this issue. Rigidly enforcing mandatory equipment lists may prevent one or two tragedies in future, but certainly not all, and I believe is fraught with the issues outlined above. I just have a hope, maybe unrealistic, that we can change the focus of the debate by thinking about the following points:
1. There is a lot of focus on social media groups encouraging runners to "take the mandatory kit". This is fine, but the implication that this is all you need to do to stay safe is not. All you can logically say is that by carrying the mandatory kit you should be safer than if you don't; in terms of absolute safety for each individual you can claim nothing more. We should make the point every time that you should take every item in your bag or vest, not because someone tells you to but because you know what it's for and how to use it. And if you know you need more then take it. Paying the entrance fee for a race does not absolve you of the prime rule for any mountain activity, which is that the ultimate responsibility for safety lies with the participant, on their knowledge, training, and ability to make good decisions in the environment involved, not the event organiser.
2. I worry that much of the vernacular used in ultra running is at odds with its safe practice. We hear a lot about "finding your limits", "pushing through the pain" and similar concepts. A runner in such circumstances will not necessarily make good decisions, with the attendant safety compromises. For me, an event should be approached as a project, assessed for what is required, all the necessary knowledge gained and training done, then a plan made and executed. No heroics, just do the job. Let's cut out some of the hyperbole.
3. I have some concern about the growing number events advertised as "fully marked course", even in mountain areas. Now if you're on the UTMB on a good identifiable trail and never more than a few yards from the next runner in front or behind in the endless stream this may be OK, but I have been on events where flags have been trampled and moved by animals, blown away by high winds, moved by unthinking or mischevious humans, or simply at a distance such that in thick mist you could not see one from the next, with no track on the ground to give a clue. Whatever you think the flags are going to do for you, if you can't do without them then you shouldn't be there. Doesn't matter what mandatory kit you may or may not have, if you don't know where you are and how to get to where you want to be next then you are in some trouble. For mountain ultras, the ability to navigate is not an option but a necessity.
I think that's about enough of this little rant for this session, I hope you've got my general drift whether you agree or not.
I'll just close with the reminder that quite a while ago the UK police stopped referring to "Road Traffic Accidents" and started calling them "Road Traffic Collisions". Accidents don't just happen, they are almost always the direct result of someone making a bad judgement call. And until we understand that staying stafe in potentially hostile environments relies on experience and good judgement rather than following lists of rules (like mandatory kit lists), many runners will still face risks that they are unfortunately unable to appreciate.
