Welsh fell race faces criticism

Jun 11 2009 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

SAFETY procedures are being tightened up by the organisers of the Welsh 1,000m peak fell race after this year’s event ended in chaos.

A total of 33 runners were taken to hospital and helped off the mountains in atrocious weather at the weekend

The 22-mile event for military and civilian competitors started on Abergwyngregyn foreshore on Saturday at about 8.30am but was halted later on by organisers due to the bad weather conditions.

An Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team member has criticised the organisers of the race. for not calling off the race earlier. Although the race was eventually called off in the afternoon many runners had finished safely while others were still caught out in increasingly bad conditions.

He suggested that the first checkpoint for competitors on 1,064m peak Carnedd Llywelyn, which was about a third of the way into the race, should be earlier on.

A mammoth search and rescue operation lasting 11 hours, and involving over 70 people, was launched by North Wales Police, RAF Valley, Ogwen Valley and North East Wales Mountain Rescue teams.

Organisers at Clwb Gorphwysfa admitted not all 245 competitors carried the required waterproofs, map, whistle and first aid kit as stated in the rules.

But they hit back at criticism that it should have been called off earlier in the day and insist it will go ahead as normal next year.

Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team spokesman Chris Lloyd described the events rescue operation as “the longest day”. He said: “All the incidents on the day were due to competitors being either lost in low cloud, exhausted, cold, wet and or hypothermic. There were no injuries.

“If people had been more experienced to know when to call it a day, were better at navigation- as we found people in all sorts of odd places off the route and had better clothing and boots there wouldn't have been the drama.

“It was the Longest Day, for many reasons, the team attended nine separate rescue incidents. I was out on the mountains from midday till about 9.30pm. Apart from the professional emergency services, there were voluntary rescue organisations and also members of the public who were out who helped so a big thank you goes out to everyone involved in the rescues.”

samantha.castle